Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 beowulfthehunter Aug 06, 2012 15:05:00	Our GM has actully been getting better, however he has a habbit that simply slows the game down and I have no idea how to tell him to cut it out. The issue is he constantly questions our powers. He has to know how we did what we are able to do. This would not be an issue if we told him once and moved on, but he does it over, and over, from encounter to encounter. For example, in yesterdays game my character used a daily on a magic item that gave a debuff to the enemies, the gm asks how I was able to do this and where I got the item....WHEN HE JUST GAVE MY CHARACTER THE ITEM AN HOUR BEFORE! It is getting to a point where we have to explain our At-wills every turn because he forgets how they work. None of us are cheating, but he says he is wanting to do it to learn how our powers work, but HE NEVER LEARNS! Needed to rant. Thanks
#2 LordManshoon Aug 06, 2012 15:16:30	Be up front and tell him you don't think he's bothering to pay attention. Be polite about it, of course, but let him know his inattention is hindering the flow of the game. If he is constantly asking for information you've already given him several times before, he's clearly disorganized. Granted, this could be an issue of group size - the more PCs there are, the more information you have to store - so I could understand if that was the root of the problem. I could also understand if there are serious gaps between your sessions, in which case, it's not such a big shock that your DM would need to be reminded. Based on what you've said, though, it sounds like there's more to it than that; the issue of not paying attention to what magic items he's handing out, for example, seems to be the product of his own attention span. You might also want to talk to the other people in the group beforehand so as to gain an idea of what they think. Do they agree/disagree? Are they irritated/apathetic? The more people who agree with you, the more weight your words will carry.
#3 cannonfodder Aug 06, 2012 16:04:42	Flash Cards. I've had a player print out cards for his powers and he uses them to keep track of expended ablilities. Whenever someone questions an ability he just hands them the card.
#4 RedSiegfried Aug 06, 2012 17:47:30	Use the CB and make a copy of your character for the DM - bang, instant explanation on all powers. Even if he doesn't look at the all the power very often, the CB makes a little two-sided card that has a summary of the character's vital stats - ability scores, defense, hp, initiative, skills ... very useful.
#5 beowulfthehunter Aug 06, 2012 23:50:42	Tried giving him copies of the characters but that has not helped, heck I even mentioned I was taking a certain power, he posts what it can do on line and then when I use it, he looks surprised asking "It can do that?"
#6 shadyshifter Aug 07, 2012 12:53:51	How weird. When I DM, I often ask my players to elaborate on the power they just used. It helps immensely in planning monster actions and keeping the flow of combat going if you have a general idea of what to expect from your players. The one time I remember getting angry at a player went something like this: DM: Okay, player A, the monster swings and it's a 15 vs AC. Player A: Yeah, ok, that hits. DM: Alright, you take 10 damage, pushed two squares, and are dazed until... Player B: No.   DM: What do you mean, "no"? Player B: The attack does not hit. DM: Okay, why? Player B: Oh, it's an interrupt I used. DM: Jesus hopping Christ, yes, I understand you used an ability, what was it? What was the trigger, what were the numbers, is it a daily?  Player B: Yah, it's a *some warlock power* DM: Alrighty then, the attack does not hit. *Everybody exhales.* It's not that the DM doesn't trust you guys, and wants to double check, it's that he's still building the mental model of what his players can do. If he's new to DM'ing 4e, he might still need to get used to the things players can do in general. He can then use that to roughly plan monster actions for the rest of the round, rather than spending five minutes each turn deciding what to do. What has helped our group immensely is simply using the name of the power when you roll. "I use disheartening strike on orc #2, 15 vs AC" is much more informative than "I roll a 15 against orc #2". In a few sessions, your DM should learn to recognize the commonly used abilities and know roughly what they do. Even then, however, he will probably still occasionally ask you for details for the rest of the campaign. It's no big deal. If he can't do that for some reason, then he should probably either start taking everything you say at face value, or get somebody to co-DM combat encounters with him.
#7 Krusk Aug 07, 2012 15:47:34	Tried giving him copies of the characters but that has not helped, heck I even mentioned I was taking a certain power, he posts what it can do on line and then when I use it, he looks surprised asking "It can do that?" Ive dealt with DMs like this. There really isn't anything you can do. They will inist they have a solid grasp of the system but basic core stuff is totally foreign to them.  My best recomendation is to ask that they simply trust the players in order to speed the game up.
#8 Mad_Jack Aug 08, 2012 19:38:12	Is his memory/organization this bad in other aspects of his life? If so, and he's not just flaking in the game due to distractions outside of it, he could have some sort of memory issue or learning disability...
#9 Davrix Aug 09, 2012 2:08:42	Do what I did for a different Dm that had this problem. Go buy a cheap 3 ring binder and a hole puncher.  You may even have these around the house with some dividers for the binder. Make copies of all the players character sheets or build them in the character builder and print them out. Hole punch the papers. Label each divider with a player name and insert character sheet. Hand your Dm a book with everyone’s character sheet for quick reference if he has any questions. So the next time he asks how you did that, all you have to say is “look at your binder.”
#10 Bly2729 Aug 12, 2012 7:40:24	DM: Jesus hopping Christ, yes, I understand you used an ability, what was it? What was the trigger, what were the numbers, is it a daily?  Player B: Yah, it's a *some warlock power* I have totally been here before.  For me, personally, when I hear "some Warlock Power" I just cringe.  I realize it takes an extra second, but when I ask the PC what he just did, what I'm really saying is, "would you please roleplay?"  Again, I get it.  It takes an extra second in a system that takes too long already.  But I think it's a second worth taking.  PCs have a STACK of powers.  I will not remember that Rogueish Parry lets you shift 3 squares while Thiefy Parry gives you a defense bonus.  And when you're using an item power, do we just ignore the damage or does something awesome happen?  Yes your helmet gives you a bonus to charges, do you headbutt the orc? Sometimes a punch is just a punch.  But I would rather you know exactly what you want on your turn and give me a little more flavor.
#11 Baphogoat Aug 13, 2012 17:14:39	I completely understand where this DM is coming from, the players have access to so many powers it is hard to keep track.  What I did to remedy this - trust the players.  I might ask every once in awhile, but otherwise I expect the players to check themselves and each other when it comes to their powers. So my recommendation is to let the DM know that he already has a lot to take care of and that he can trust the players to use their powers correctly (assuming you are).  The other thing that may help is to give him more information - I use my encounter attack power "Die Ugly Monster!"  hitting AC 20, dealing x damage and having this effect - or flavor it up just as long as you convey the basic info of the power [name, usage, and effect].
#12 SpacyRicochet Aug 15, 2012 13:22:52	As a DM I already gave up on trying to remember player powers. If a PC does something, then I believe him at face-value and continue with the game. It's only when stuff sounds really unbelievable that I might ask for a quick breakdown on how exactly he did something. They are usually pleased to give it. But anyway, I've noticed it speeds up the game immensely if the players just state what they're doing and the result of it, instead of having to remember how it might be possible. Players could be cheating of course, but I don't really care about that, unless it's obstructive.
#13 chillhelm Aug 17, 2012 4:25:06	So my recommendation is to let the DM know that he already has a lot to take care of and that he can trust the players to use their powers correctly (assuming you are).  The other thing that may help is to give him more information - I use my encounter attack power "Die Ugly Monster!"  hitting AC 20, dealing x damage and having this effect - or flavor it up just as long as you convey the basic info of the power [name, usage, and effect]. As a DM I already gave up on trying to remember player powers. If a PC does something, then I believe him at face-value and continue with the game. It's only when stuff sounds really unbelievable that I might ask for a quick breakdown on how exactly he did something. They are usually pleased to give it.   This. In my group I have an additional advantage: My players are highly competitive; if someone cheated with one of the powers, one of the group members would call him out on it. (They have been together for quite some time, they know most of eachothers powers/items by now). Other than that: He doesnt need to hold the power cards, esp. if he has trouble with organizing stuff, that might take even longer when you telling him. Instead each player should hold his powercards and pass them to the DM as needed (if necessary without request to speed things up).
#14 WhisperMagellan Aug 19, 2012 13:40:28	If you can't trust your players, there's no point in running. "Some Warlock Power" doesn't cut it. Name the power and (if necessary) the effect. Yes, name the attack, roll the dice, give the DM the result. If another player is going to add anything, let me do so immediately. Also, the GM doesn't have to know every power. It would be mind blowing to keep track of them all. Just running the encounters is difficult enough. We have a player keep track of the damage the monsters have taken, and another to put counters/chips with the effects the monsters are under. This greatly speeds up the sessions and takes pressure off the DM.
#15 poegrum Aug 29, 2012 19:56:33	If a player can't remember what "Some Warlock Power" is,,, how can you hold the DM responsible for knowing it?  I never hold my players to the task of knowing everything in the rules (although some think they do),,, but I do hold them responsible for knowing THIER OWN SHEET. To speed flow, I may ask what they are doing, and if a power or ability is limited in the number of times of use.  If so, a gentle in game reminder,, mark it down,, while I move on to the next player who is already working his dice in anticipation of his turn.  Now, I do have a rather restrictive house rule,, that keeps most people on their toes and keeps the flow going,,,, NO TAKE BACKS.  If  you forgot to tell me your AC is boosted during a particular attack,, you don't get to go back once the dice hits the table.  (New players, get the benefit of allowance, and the benefit of meta-game with an experienced player to guide them...) It does not take too many roles and replies of "I'm sorry, the dice hit the table, you take ____ damage.",,, to get players to understand the time to decide what they are going to do and how they are going to do it,,, is before their turn to roll dice or be attacked.  Things break,,, luck happens,,, and bad luck happens more often to people who just don't pay attention.