Questions about the non-GM participants in roleplaying games and their behavior.
17
votes
6answers
605 views
How can I screen new players to make sure they are a good fit for my game?
I'm looking to start a new Savage Worlds campaign and I need a full set of players for it. I've played in games before and ran a couple of one-shots, but I've never GMed a full campaign. There's ...
17
votes
8answers
559 views
How can I motivate my fellow players?
Although I'm very much enjoying the one of the games I'm in, the other players seem to be flagging and losing interest. This is a bit disheartening as their lack of enthusiasm is bringing down the ...
33
votes
7answers
2k views
What do you do when a player intimidates your campaign boss to surrender?
So my players recently fought a big bad campaign boss. The (custom made) boss was a kind of solo beserker king, and the encounter difficulty was designed to be fairly moderate until the boss became ...
23
votes
5answers
667 views
Problems with a party of only Spellcasters?
Given a party of only spellcasters (and only unique classes, i.e. only one character can take any specific class), what are possible roadblocks or problems the group may run into? Should they be ...
3
votes
1answer
173 views
The Undying Deva
Can a player continually play the same Deva character according to RAW?
The reason I ask is because according to the PHB2, the deva are simply continually reincarnated to a deva shrine or holy place ...
1
vote
9answers
652 views
PC in chains, planned myself into a corner
In a game I'm hosted, the PC (there's only one) has just gotten captured by the enemy. This was part of a plan to give his NPC buddy some major characterization by the way she rescues him, but I've ...
5
votes
10answers
568 views
Balancing players' rolls, not characters
I have been the worst dice-roller in my party as far as I can remember. Be it D&D 3.5, 4th Edition, or any other dice based system, the goddess of luck has always been mean to me.
To give you an ...
28
votes
4answers
281 views
How can the players reduce the workload of a game master?
As you know DMs do most of the job for the campaign (maps, plot, NPCs etc) and quite a bit of storytelling.
Players, on the other side, bring in their creativity and add extra spice to the game ...
22
votes
11answers
908 views
What to do when your character is just too good?
I'm playing in the Paizo Pathfinder Jade Regent adventure path and we're having a good time so far (campaign blog and session summaries). However, as my character has gone up in power I'm now ...
26
votes
13answers
1k views
How can I deal with players who are reluctant to spend resources?
There's a certain kind of people who like to hoard whatever limited resources they get "just in case"; they usually end up never using them, always waiting for bigger emergency. On the other hand, ...
21
votes
5answers
402 views
Preventing character skill from impeding player enjoyment
Let's consider a player, whom we shall call Bob. Bob loves exciting gunfights and is a big John Woo fan. So he makes up "Shooty McShootenstein," who is a master with a gun. One thing that Bob is not ...
11
votes
8answers
2k views
What is the best way to play D&D via long distance?
I have a few friends in my party that will be heading out once summer break is over for them. One lives in Tucson and the other lives far enough away that he may not want to make the trek to my house ...
31
votes
4answers
344 views
What policies should be made at the start of a campaign, to define the desired game experience and avoid bad feelings later?
My group and I work on the assumption that a game system's default assumptions are its manifesto, and that by choosing a system we are choosing to let its assumptions stand except where we institute ...
24
votes
6answers
901 views
How to deal with overly cautious players?
Recent encounters with hard to hurt opponents have left the party pretty beat up. The player is now seemingly scared by similar encounters and prefers fleeing.
I'm GMing a solo game of Pathfinder for ...
5
votes
2answers
150 views
LFG: Looking for Guineapigs (aka players to test an encounter..or 4)
I'm setting up the end of my campaign and I have 4 "mini-boss" fights (& Final BOSS fight) that I'm trying to make extremely tough but also winnable. I don't want to just slaughter my PCs after ...
64
votes
9answers
2k views
How does a player correct a GM mistake without being a rules lawyer or pushover?
You are playing in a game. The GM says that you need to roll a given roll. The rules clearly state something different. I realize one solution is to go along to get along, then tell the GM after ...
23
votes
7answers
349 views
How do you get a new player engaged in an old campaign?
A group of three players had been going through my campaign for a year and a half, when a fourth player was added around level 15.
The new player entered in media res: there was a ton of back story, ...
28
votes
13answers
779 views
What kinds of rules promote good team cohesion?
It seems like a lot of roleplaying games have no problems with players playing antisocial characters who can't really be part of the team. I've been part of groups (in D&D) with both a noble ...
8
votes
5answers
433 views
What is this player planning?
I'm running a Pathfinder game for a few friends (using core + UM + UC + APG). Last session the party thief said that he was planning on buying a called anchoring adamantium axe. What I want to know is ...
0
votes
0answers
163 views
Old School gamer attempting to get back into it…with some trepidation [closed]
I use to play D&D since Version 2, when it was banned at schools because it was thought to be devil worship, then later after a few people went a little nuts and used their "character personas" as ...
24
votes
7answers
725 views
Fighting boredom in combat as a player
Sometimes (as a player) I get bored during combat. At times I feel like all my turns are the same (especially when playing lower level characters) and when that is combined with no combat progress ...
8
votes
2answers
193 views
What essentials do I need on the site of my LARP?
I am planning on holding a 20-50 person LARP. I would like to know other than notifying the Emergency services (police/ambulance) that I'm holding the event and where it is, what facilities should I ...
3
votes
1answer
87 views
What should I use to represent the Stronghold point in my LARP?
My Sci-Fi Larp system is faction based, The team with the most territory at the end of the event (day/weekend) gains additional points towards character progression as well as in game Credits, this is ...
5
votes
2answers
208 views
What's the best practice for an Indie-LARP?
I'm starting a Sci-Fi LARP near where I live and so far only my close friends are going to attend,
What would be the best way to increase my player-base?
Also it'll be my first event that I've ...
12
votes
2answers
699 views
What are the advantages and disadvantages of allowing a player to play a large creature?
We're playing 4e Thunderspire Labyrinth and we've decided to let the tank play a large (2x2) Minotaur.
He has all of the stats from the Minotaur player character in the Players Handbook 3, but he's a ...
23
votes
18answers
1k views
Overpowered PCs (Gabe's Dilemma)
Penny Arcade recently ran the following strip:
(Original strip here)
While the resolution of this thread hasn't yet been posted, I'm wondering what we think here. How do you game with PCs who are ...
8
votes
2answers
346 views
How to manage character arguments / conflict?
I'm a new DM and have just started a 4e game as Play by Post.
The game has started with one character (Bob) recruiting in a pub and the first response was from another character (Al) wanting to ...
18
votes
4answers
279 views
How to run an encounter where PCs have different observations of the same events?
Some of the discussion in this question got me to thinking about an encounter design that sounded fun but I couldn't figure out an elegant way to pull it off:
In some situation where one or more PCs ...
36
votes
8answers
2k views
How do I deal with PCs who use kidnap and torture as an investigative technique?
I'm running a game in a modern setting with emphasis on the paranormal (Conspiracy X). The player characters are part of a secret government organization and are tasked with investigating & ...
21
votes
14answers
815 views
How to deal effectively with a player unable to lose?
How do you effectively handle a player that overreacts to any loss of his character (level drain, death) ?
14
votes
9answers
439 views
What to do when you end up duplicating another players character?
Frequently I seem to roll up characters who are the spitting image of someone else's character. Most recently I rolled up a Utility Force Wizard for Star wars: Saga edition, which matched someone else ...
9
votes
7answers
295 views
What monsters can be interesting as PCs?
I believe that the premise of the player as the monster of the game quite compelling. Vampire: The Masquerade is obviously the pioneer in this genre, and other creatures such as werewolves, ghosts and ...
7
votes
3answers
2k views
What is the difference between a cleric and an oracle?
I have zero experience with D&D. It was with great reluctance that I agreed to make a character in Pathfinder for a campaign my friend is running. Now, in WoD (and somewhat in Shadowrun) the ...
28
votes
9answers
1k views
Players playing multiple characters
I generally have a small group of people playing D&D at any one time.
However to get the party dynamics right, and to cover all useful / necessary skills we could often use more characters than ...
30
votes
6answers
944 views
What To Do When You Just Seem To Not Belong With a Group?
I'm looking for some advice and input on a situation I've found myself in as a player. To give a little background, my gaming group (4 men, 2 women, between the ages of 25 and 32) is about to end a ...
19
votes
5answers
238 views
Dealing with leaving players
Somewhat similar to this, but this is a different case with different answers (Or so I hope).
I've been playing "the dark eye", my PnP of choice, for a few years now and have recently taken up GM'ing ...
7
votes
3answers
177 views
Using the plot point system of Cortex in other systems
I've recently played in a Serenity Cortex game, and discovered the joy that is plot points. Now, for those who aren't familiar with the system, plot points are an expendable resource given for good ...
13
votes
7answers
444 views
Do any resources exist which cover player governance of a population
I have some players who would be interested in managing their own city. Is there any literature out there which covers the ins and outs of PCs governing a populace?
Some example scenarios:
The PCs ...
14
votes
3answers
235 views
How do you build rule mastery in your game?
No one likes the "rules lawyer." However, most GMs like players to know the rules. There is nothing more frustrating to have a player, or players, come to a table to play a game--that they are excited ...
13
votes
4answers
220 views
How can I encourage a style of play where enhancing others' fun is the most important goal?
Let's assume that we can break play styles into two categories: "selfish play," where you want to have fun, and "less-selfish play," where you want to have fun but you want everyone else at the table ...
5
votes
3answers
238 views
How do you encourage the use of lesser trained skills in a skill challenge?
I've been playing in a D&D 4e campaign for almost a year now, and as a Bard for the last several months. At 15th level, my character's Perception is 28 (38 passive), with Insight coming in second ...
10
votes
2answers
294 views
How can I rescue the game when the player characters refuse to work together?
I am a Game Master, and the characters in my group have started to regularly split up. The group's mage has always been a summoner and recently started summoning smaller demons. The fighter's player ...
11
votes
3answers
615 views
How can you balance a system without making it bland?
In one of my long-term PvP LARP games, we've done a lot of work trying to balance the system we're using, either by banning certain "classes" or "powers" or by altering their specs slightly to make ...
7
votes
2answers
146 views
Good storylines to accompany adding another player to the game?
I just ran my first two sessions as GM and we are probably going to be adding a 4th player to the group soon (making 5 of us total). I'm trying to thing of a good premise for the party to meet the new ...
14
votes
10answers
691 views
How do you recruit brand new players?
I always ask players of computer and online games if they want to try out a tabletop games, and tend to get new groups together who are entirely composed of people who have not experienced ...
21
votes
6answers
665 views
What GM tasks can be delegated to players to speed up encounters?
My party's encounters (D&D4e - 13th level) take on average 3-4 hours. We chit chat a lot and are pretty easily distracted, and it's not a huge deal because we're all having fun. But lately we've ...
17
votes
11answers
728 views
Encouraging out-of-the-box thinking in combat encounters
I'm a GM currently running D&D 3.5.
I try to think of situations that present the players with a number of possible solutions.
The players, however, always resort to the same pattern of killing ...
20
votes
10answers
402 views
What is the best way to do search, or spot test when players knowing the result of their roll will colour their perception of the result?
What is the best way to do search or spot tests when knowing the outcome of the roll will colour the players' perception of the result?
For example: a Paladin uses Sense Motive to detect lies from a ...
12
votes
8answers
571 views
How valid is lying to players about the rolls they are making in The Dresden Files?
In last weeks Dresden Files game, the players followed the bad guy using a tracking spell, and found him in the projects at an apartment that they knew little about. Seeing his car, they decided to ...
20
votes
4answers
359 views
How to become better at descriptions of what your character is doing?
A (very) common GM question is "What is your character doing?"
How do you, as a player, describe effectively what you character is doing?
What techniques do you use to evoke wonder and spark ...
