tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1881949182508114138.post1129265571198449580..comments2023-10-14T04:55:24.978-05:00Comments on The Evil GM: The Evil GM - Where Do the Walls End?The Evil Dungeon Masterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10825613960264448920noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1881949182508114138.post-63652835227281469002014-09-23T09:10:59.282-05:002014-09-23T09:10:59.282-05:00Yeah, that's why I said.. its more about putti...Yeah, that's why I said.. its more about putting walls up and saying "no"The Evil Dungeon Masterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10825613960264448920noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1881949182508114138.post-90827455387190578882014-09-23T07:17:45.198-05:002014-09-23T07:17:45.198-05:00This sounds less like story railroading, and more ...This sounds less like story railroading, and more like player control. The character isn't hogging the spotlight, the player is. If you have a group that really like to keep the game moving, then a player that continuously stops a game for even small intervals, can be a disruption no matter why the stops are occurring. On the sort of subject you present here, as a GM, my opinion is that anything a player could possibly be capable of has zero bearing on what their character can do. Just because one of my players has excellent deductive reasoning skills and is a trained chef (yes, he is) doesn't mean his half-orc barbarian can solve complex riddles and bake souffles in his downtime. So my solution to this problem would be to reinforce the separation of character vs. player. (Note: This does not advocate the reduction of immersion, but of player/character overlap. The understanding being, that while you don't have any literal idea of what an Elven Bard knows of his lands history, likewise, your Bard has no concept of modern economic theory. Unless maybe your Elven Bard is living in modern day New York for some reason.)<br /><br />My players tend to be very out of the box thinkers, but at the same time, they all like working as a group. This makes the actual roleplay of any game a breeze, as everyone is intent on keeping everyone else included. Our problem, is that one or two of them will start nattering on worse than a group elderly women at a knitting group. (Verily). One in particular, will do this at random times, for no obvious reason, and often about random topics. (Someone makes in game comment about how recent changes in town do not bode well. This player suddenly queries if anyone has heard about the changes being made to database functions in MSOffice 365. Yes. It happened.)<br /><br />So round-about long story finally coming to the point, keeping your players in line is just another part of keeping a game flowing. And just when we must make an adjudication of rules or a combat situation, we must also be prepared to make real world judgement calls. Or be ready to call players on their behavior. Surprisingly often, players are all too willing to reign in their actions, if they are informed of the detriment they are having. Much as you pointed out.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13405181526328848157noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1881949182508114138.post-46700244182982983182014-09-23T06:48:31.996-05:002014-09-23T06:48:31.996-05:00I always wonder how the solution to a problem some...I always wonder how the solution to a problem someone has with a player can be "Let's kill the character". That's like breaking a child's toy because the child's playing too loud. <br /><br />On the other hand, I always admire when someone has the guts to call a break and then to have a talk about what is going wrong. I have a feeling that is something not many players (or GM) get done, because many assume everything is a problem "in the game" and must be solved "in the game". No, not everything. So, I'd say you did the right call there.<br /><br />All in all, I guess it is like every other problem in gaming: Say something. I have that impression especially with ridiculous character actions. "But I wanna go there/ do that / try ot!". If I can't block that approach in a sensible way, but cannot allow it for certain reasons either, mostly I just say so. "I like your idea, but you have to trust me: if you do that, we all just lose a terrible amount of time, the others get bored, and you will gain very little. Please trust me, don't do it." This works almost always, costs little time, and the player feels taken seriously.Heinz Kreienbaumhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02093902661428984427noreply@blogger.com