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I went through some of the Tomb of Annihilation module a few months ago. Due to someone throwing a tantrum (certain things he was saying was true in certain ways, but the way he said it was terrible), the Dungeon Master lost her will to continue; things got awkward in the group and we scattered. I am starting the module once more with the same DM but with different players, and I am scared that a similar thing may occur.

The last player's most prominent complaint was that the Dungeon Master was sometimes late (around 1 out of 4 times). He also stated that he felt like he wasn't being catered to, as usually the DM in question runs groups with 6 or more people, and sometimes you have to wait for your turn to actually get something done.

As far as I could tell, the rest of the group didn't have problems with the DM being late and not having enough attention as it were.

If someone states complaints similar to this in a dramatic manner, how can I prevent the group from feeling too depressed to continue and cheer up the Dungeon Master?

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    \$\begingroup\$ More details would be helpful. What happened and what exactly are you trying to avoid? Were interpersonal issues involved? In-game issues? Game expectations? \$\endgroup\$
    – lightcat
    Commented Mar 11, 2019 at 5:41
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    \$\begingroup\$ Further to @lightcat 's point. Was the behaviour/actions of the DM part of the issue last time? Are you concerned about something they might do? Are you the only player from the previous game? \$\endgroup\$
    – linksassin ♦
    Commented Mar 12, 2019 at 2:44
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    \$\begingroup\$ Has the DM expressed any interest/effort to avoid making the same mistakes that caused the issue in the first place? Has she asked for your help in this regard? It's good of you to try and help avoid repeating the same mistakes, but this sounds like the DM's problem to solve (either by avoiding the offending behaviour or by setting expectations for the group according to her intentions.) \$\endgroup\$
    – Steve-O
    Commented Mar 12, 2019 at 20:57
  • \$\begingroup\$ Was DM being late caused by obvious neglect, or DM simply have difficult commute, difficult life etc and his reasons was genuine and hard to avoid? Also, waiting for your turn - have DM really tried to treat all players equal? I mean, "no one else complained" might be caused by the fact that only this one player was treated unfairly. \$\endgroup\$
    – Mołot
    Commented Mar 14, 2019 at 15:05

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As usual, with most things with people, open communication is key.

If there are issues with the group it sounds like these were building up with your previous group and then were vented in a loud and destructive way.

I'd suggest after every couple of sessions have a bit of a chat about how it's going. Occasionally (after a story arc) my group will do a survey monkey and we'll answer questions on how the games going, whats missing, what is there too much of. That kind of thing. That allows the DM and the players to manage their expectations of what's happening with the group.

Just give an outlet for the conversation, instead of hoping that people will take the initiative to bring it up.

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  • \$\begingroup\$ Welcome to RPG.SE! Take the tour if you haven't already, and check out the help center for more guidance. \$\endgroup\$
    – V2Blast
    Commented Mar 14, 2019 at 18:57

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