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6 months ago ::
Dec 05, 2012 - 3:46PM
#1
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I apologize in advance if this question has already been anwsered on this forum before.
I have recently begun DMing for a small group of friends who were interested in playing D&D. I had some experience as a PC and they thought that I could do this since I am myself an aspiring writer. I quickly got pulled into the DMing thing and have found myself doing it pretty much every weekend.
The problem I have is with my PC's. I have six people altogether, one with a lot of experience, three with a bit of experience, and two with almost none at all. But three exact individuals make it really hard for me to run the campaign properly. To put it in a way that's easier to understand: They troll. A lot.
They mostly don't do things that are a threat to them and their companions, but they ask questions like "Can we rape her/him?" when encountering NPC that I describe as attractive, they refuse to do certain things just because they know those things are somehow related to the story, they purposely provoke certain events during battle so they can jest about it, etc. I know they have to be penalized for it, but I don't know what sort of penalty they should get. Punishing them by removing them from the campaign would ruin the game since we are good friends and they would take it personally, but any sort of punishment that uses the game mechanics like NPCs refusing cooperation or city guards reacting to mischief have been futile.
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6 months ago ::
Dec 05, 2012 - 4:07PM
#2
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Date Joined:
Jul 21, 2004
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I apologize in advance if this question has already been anwsered on this forum before.
No need to apologize. This sort of thing is the main point of this forum.
I have recently begun DMing for a small group of friends who were interested in playing D&D. I had some experience as a PC and they thought that I could do this since I am myself an aspiring writer. I quickly got pulled into the DMing thing and have found myself doing it pretty much every weekend.
Having a writer's imagination can help with DMing, and with playing, just don't confuse either with writing.
They mostly don't do things that are a threat to them and their companions, but they ask questions like "Can we rape her/him?" when encountering NPC that I describe as attractive,
That'd be a concern for me, but really only for the social implications. If they say "rob," or other generally PG things, it's probably worth accommodating them.
they refuse to do certain things just because they know those things are somehow related to the story,
Let them. Encourage them. Work with them. Your players are more important than your story. If they decide to do something, assume that's exactly what they want to do and make the game about that.
they purposely provoke certain events during battle so they can jest about it, etc.
Perhaps I need more information about that, because that's sort of what the game is about.
I know they have to be penalized for it, but I don't know what sort of penalty they should get. Punishing them by removing them from the campaign would ruin the game since we are good friends and they would take it personally, but any sort of punishment that uses the game mechanics like NPCs refusing cooperation or city guards reacting to mischief have been futile.
Easy: they don't need to be punished and punishing them is almost certain to exacerbate the situation. For at least one session, start out with your story, and then set it aside when they start doing their thing, and try to craft something interesting out of that. Take time to think, if you need it, and don't be afraid to ask them lots of questions, to clarify exactly what they want to do (as long as it's not offensive to others at the table) and give them that experience in a way you can all enjoy.
[N]o difference is less easily overcome than the difference of opinion about semi-abstract questions. - L. Tolstoy
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6 months ago ::
Dec 05, 2012 - 4:31PM
#3
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When they refuse to do something, it's usually not something like "I don't want to go into that cave because I think it's a bad idea!", it's more along the lines of "I don't want to go out of this cave that we are trapped in that is filled with murderous zombies because I feel like dying!".
And the "provoking of certain events during combat" usually amounts to provoking a female monstrous spider to pin them because they can make sex jokes about it.
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6 months ago ::
Dec 05, 2012 - 6:19PM
#4
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Date Joined:
Jun 19, 2004
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When they refuse to do something, it's usually not something like "I don't want to go into that cave because I think it's a bad idea!", it's more along the lines of "I don't want to go out of this cave that we are trapped in that is filled with murderous zombies because I feel like dying!".
And the "provoking of certain events during combat" usually amounts to provoking a female monstrous spider to pin them because they can make sex jokes about it.
Kinda the problem with DMing for a group of 13yr olds.
If they aren't 13 there are typically 4 ways to deal with this:
1) Meet them on their level. Sounds like you don't want to do this and don't want your game devovling into a giant sex-joke.
2) Beat them at their own game. I would only recommend this if you feel confidant in it and want to draw on some really disturbing stuff. One horrifically uncomfortably graphically-explained moment can turn this around if you want to go that far.
3) Talk to them about how you aren't having fun like this. Maybe you all have different goals in your game and explain to them that your goal is to have fun making a story out of their choices and turning it into an adventure of epic porportions. The sexcapades isn't a story you want to make.
4) Find another game. DnD can be non-serious, however it is designed around some level of taking itself seriously. There are a lot of other games, and other things to do, that your group might like. Hell, Cards Against Humanity is free to download and print if you have the cardstock to print it on.
Currently working on making a Dex based defender. Check it out hereSpoiler:
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6 months ago ::
Dec 05, 2012 - 6:36PM
#5
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Date Joined:
Aug 26, 2008
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When they refuse to do something, it's usually not something like "I don't want to go into that cave because I think it's a bad idea!", it's more along the lines of "I don't want to go out of this cave that we are trapped in that is filled with murderous zombies because I feel like dying!"
Kill 'em.
You need to maintain a sense of agency. Which means, as someone pointed out earlier, if they don't do what you expected them to do, don't force them to change, roll with the changes. In that same manner, if they do idiotic, suicidal things because they think it's funny, then roll with that too (which means they'll die 9/10 times).
By all means, drop big hints about consquences for stupid actions, but don't forbid it. A good DM will say "Are you sure you want to stay in the cave? There's 20 zombies that look extremely powerful charging you, it's highly doubtful you could stand a chance." A bad DM will say "You run out of cave, I won't let you stay and fight no matter what".
And the "provoking of certain events during combat" usually amounts to provoking a female monstrous spider to pin them because they can make sex jokes about it.
I know this might not sound like good advice, but I honestly think you need more mature players.
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6 months ago ::
Dec 05, 2012 - 6:51PM
#6
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Yeah, I haven't thought about that.
I usually have a habit of throwing hissy-fits instead of letting people reap as they have sown.
And I play with what I have. I don't have much of a choice in this God-forsaken town of mine.
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6 months ago ::
Dec 05, 2012 - 8:07PM
#7
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Date Joined:
Jul 21, 2004
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When they refuse to do something, it's usually not something like "I don't want to go into that cave because I think it's a bad idea!", it's more along the lines of "I don't want to go out of this cave that we are trapped in that is filled with murderous zombies because I feel like dying!".
If that's really what they say, then I don't see the problem. They're telling you what they want, so give it to them in a way that's as interesting as possible for everyone around the table.
And the "provoking of certain events during combat" usually amounts to provoking a female monstrous spider to pin them because they can make sex jokes about it.
If you don't think the jokes are funny, you have to talk to them out of game about that. Other than that, I don't see a problem with them putting themselves in a bad situation. Most DMs would be thrilled if their players didn't just kill everything.
Yeah, I haven't thought about that.
I usually have a habit of throwing hissy-fits instead of letting people reap as they have sown.
Yep, just try to get to a mindset in which you aren't concerned with what the players do to their own characters. At the same time, avoid killing their characters punitively, because you don't like their out-of-game behavior. Even apparently certain death can have interesting twists, in a fantasy adventure game, so it's never enough to say that any given death was a player's own "fault" unless they specifically asked for it to happen.
[N]o difference is less easily overcome than the difference of opinion about semi-abstract questions. - L. Tolstoy
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6 months ago ::
Dec 06, 2012 - 12:00PM
#8
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Date Joined:
Oct 15, 2012
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If you're throwing fits in reaction to what they're doing, chances are pretty good they're doing it to get a rise out of you. Let them, at least for a bit and see if those things become boring to them.
Edit: Sorry, the above is unclear. Let them do the things they want without throwing a fit and see if those things become boring to them.
Also, what are the attitudes of your other players? Are they troubled by the sex jokes? If so, and the raucous players are in the minority, it may be worth having an out-of-game conversation with them about adjusting their attitudes.
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6 months ago ::
Dec 06, 2012 - 2:00PM
#9
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Date Joined:
Nov 30, 2005
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Kinda the problem with DMing for a group of 13yr olds.
If they aren't 13 there are typically 4 ways to deal with this:
1) Meet them on their level. Sounds like you don't want to do this and don't want your game devovling into a giant sex-joke.
2) Beat them at their own game. I would only recommend this if you feel confidant in it and want to draw on some really disturbing stuff. One horrifically uncomfortably graphically-explained moment can turn this around if you want to go that far.
3) Talk to them about how you aren't having fun like this. Maybe you all have different goals in your game and explain to them that your goal is to have fun making a story out of their choices and turning it into an adventure of epic porportions. The sexcapades isn't a story you want to make.
4) Find another game. DnD can be non-serious, however it is designed around some level of taking itself seriously. There are a lot of other games, and other things to do, that your group might like. Hell, Cards Against Humanity is free to download and print if you have the cardstock to print it on.
This. I recomend #3, and think you will have the best results with it, but 1 and 4 might also work.
5e comments and thoughts all in one place. Check it out to provide feedback, mock, or steal ideas.
http://community.wizards.com/go/thread/view/75882/28835423/Krusks_5e_Design_Goals?sdb=1
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6 months ago ::
Dec 06, 2012 - 7:09PM
#10
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Anyway, thanks to everyone for the advice. It did actually help. We had a short four-hour session (most of our sessions last for eight to ten hours) in which I let them do anything they wanted. Turns out people don't make too many stupid decisions if you decide not to clean their mess.
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