Questions tagged [problem-gm]
For questions about situations in which the game master, for whatever reason, contributes to the difficulty of play. Sometimes you just don't get along with your GM. Many questions about problematic Game Masters can be answered just by making sure everyone is playing the same game on the same page. If that doesn't address your question, ask away! (See also: the [problem-players] tag.)
145 questions
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What should I do? My GM seems very dismissive of my choices and is not giving good reasons for it
Summary of the Problem
My GM does not like the name of my character but gives poor reasons for not liking it and is gung-ho to change aspects of my character for little reason. What do I do to protect ...
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How can I as a player handle the NPCs in a campaign stealing the spotlight?
To preface this, I'll start by saying that I've been playing D&D for years! I've been a player in plenty of campaigns, and have ran a couple 5e campaigns of my own. My point is, I have quite a bit ...
- 169
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Trolls crashing an online-game
The open-for-all on-line play-by-post RPG runs well for about two years. Then, out of nowhere, an army of trolls (the internet version, not the fantasy one) appears (examples defamiliarized):
one ...
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Should I address the issue that I am the only player who didn't receive a quest card? [closed]
Our campaign started and everyone got a quest card... except for me. Is this my problem?
One player's objective is to track the foes that wiped out her village. Her village is the same as mine, so it ...
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What can we do to help our DM remember the rules?
There is a question for how to help another player remember the rules. We have a slightly different problem: our DM is forgetting how even our most commonly used character features work, and is ...
- 135k
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Magic Items and their allocation [closed]
I have a predicament I've come across in a campaign I'm running. Here it is.
In a past session my DM (a friend of mine) challenged me to complete the entire trial with strict restrictions.
The ...
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Is what my DM did impacting player agency in a negative way? [closed]
Our party infiltrated Ravenloft in a Curse of Strahd campaign. One of the party managed to steal a beholder eye from Strahd that he was using to control a group of beholders and use them as his ...
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DM is asking me to drop my character because it is from A Song of Ice and Fire
Background
I have started playing with a new group in a new D&D campaign.
I have been reading the A Song of Ice and Fire books and really liked the Greyjoy plotlines, so I decided to make my ...
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How to tell my DM that the political opinions they let slip into the game make me uncomfortable?
For reference, this question is about a game via voice chat, with people from all around the globe (but most are from the US), and we are playing D&D 5e in a homebrew setting. I don't know the ...
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DM is taking too much time in my opinion on side missions - should I leave?
I'm a first time player so maybe I'm not getting it but I originally had fun with D&D. However, the DM began having a habit of making side quests go off the rails and then us not being able to ...
- 157
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Can (and should) I do anything as a player to make a slow and scattered game more fun?
I'm in a relatively new D&D campaign where the momentum and pace of the game has been lacking, for me personally. My guess is "talk to the DM/group about it" may be all I can do, but ...
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What are good ways to resolve intense intra-party conflict without PvP?
The Short Version:
An evil PC is killing town children during long rests. The town authorities have decided that they need him (and the rest of the group) to handle a big problem anyway. Several other ...
- 409
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How do I tell my DM that dice don’t need to dictate the story?
So while I like my DM, it's kind of hard to say that our game has a consistent story and that she legit decides everything on dice rolls. Oh you want to persuade that character? Yeah, that depends on ...
- 493
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Stuck by Combat?
Sometimes, luck is just not with one character or another. Other times, it gets worse... Well, let's see:
Our group of 4 was almost ambushed by 6 Fomori. Almost, because there was no surprise round. 3 ...
- 46.9k
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Should I quit my D&D game because my DM still is showing favoritism? [closed]
Okay to start off, I'm friends with my DM and the other player in our small campaign. I adore them a lot. The DM is nice but maybe a little sensitive to criticism. This group currently is the only way ...
- 143
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Being ignored as a player in multiple campaigns
A couple of friends and I have been playing dnd 5e together for a couple of years. They both take turns dming and I'm a player in the games of both.
One of the DMs however always ignores me in ...
- 309
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What should I do about another player who randomly starts PVP?
Characters (both players, both level 9):
Me: Life cleric and party healer/support
"Barb": Beast barbarian with split personalities (in character)
We have a player (let's say "Barb&...
- 295
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286
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Changing and nerfing my backstory and class [closed]
My GM has changed my backstory repeatedly, to the point where I’m not even sure what it is completely anymore, and then let everyone else in the group be what they wanted. So now we have:
a very ...
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I need someone from the outside to look at my situations to tell if my DM is being unfair...? [closed]
Ok here are my examples: we are playing "Undermountain of the mad mage".
My first character seemed really underpowered even though i don't think she was. Whenever I create a character I like ...
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How can I get the DM to stop sending giants to kill us?
We just started a group. The DM pitched the campaign as easier than his last campaign.
We were in a forest, and he sent eight giants at us, at once! We barely made it out alive. He then said there was ...
- 1,262
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What level, if any, of feedback should players give a new GM?
I've recently started playing D&D with a few friends, most of whom are new-ish to the game. Our GM is running their first world, and while their world building is very impressive, when it comes to ...
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To what extent is the DM responsible for resolving interpersonal conflict? [closed]
Interpersonal conflict can arise between any people.
If a player has an issue with another player within a gaming group for a game that has a DM/GM/Keeper, what responsibility does a DM have to help ...
- 10.2k
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When is it appropriate to contest a DM? [closed]
Ι am struggling to find helpful information about when it is appropriate for a player to challenge a DM's decision.
There was a recent question which triggered this "old chestnut" for me:
...
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How do you handle a difficult DM in D&D?
I am currently in a long-running game with friends and family. The question is, what do you do about an inconsistent and abusive GM?
Example:
Recently mid-session, there was a routine turn of combat ...
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Lore Jockey players
I've been having problems with a player where he'll trying to get me to homebrew rules for him based on these lore points. Recently he wanted to get his blade serrated to do bleed damage. After ...
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What do I do about a prescriptive GM/player who argues that gender and sexuality aren’t personality traits? [closed]
I play RPGs (usually D&D but other stuff too) every week with a group of friends who I’ve known since middle school (~4 years of knowing each other and ~3.9 years of playing RPGs together). The ...
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My DM wouldn't let my character use Acrobatics to escape an Ankheg's grapple, even after it was asleep. Can my DM do this, or am I overreacting?
Now, I know this sounds like something small, but it did annoy me. We were fighting an Ankheg. We killed one, and after combat ended the DM had another one come up from the ground and grapple me ...
- 139
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Hosting a game, who has final say? [closed]
I am currently hosting a group for Dungeons and Dragons. The DM is pushing new players into my home without asking. He claims he has this right because he is the DM. No one else wants to host. What ...
- 111
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I'm not good at DMing, but I don't think they really care... do I quit? [closed]
So I've been doing some thinking and essentially realized I'm a garbage DM. I am literally the embodiment of Railroading and unwillingness to listen to their wishes. I love my lore way too much and ...
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How do I go about convincing my DM that their ruling about my familiar is a bit harsh?
Last session, my DM ruled that my imp cannot help me perform checks (in this instance I was trying to have my little guy help me pick through some dead guards' pockets) because he deemed that giving ...
- 251
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Could I have handled this PC interaction better?
I started up a play by post game on roll20 for a group of friends. A co-worker, and friend of another player, had asked to join in. Let's call him P1, or Player 1. I said sure, we got the game going ...
- 3,161
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Should I continue to play with a frustrating DM?
[Sorry if this is really long]
I don't usually do this but I'm having a hard time with my current D&D group and I'm not really having fun anymore because of it. I think our DM is having us play a ...
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How to deal with Mary Sue NPCs
This question is a bit different than the one here, because the NPC is not a jerk. In fact, they're actually quite nice. However, this is not the first time the GM has done this.
In our game, we have ...
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How to deal with a GM who favors other players
I have seen plenty of GMs write about how to deal with problem players, and I suppose I should ask about a GM who favors some players over others.
It's only natural if you have a more rich backstory ...
- 331
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How do I tell my friends that I feel like some of the PCs are being left out?
I am playing in a D&D campaign and there's two main problems I have:
My character's personality is very bard-like, but I didn't know what bards were so now another PC is filling that role and I ...
- 59
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How can I avoid straw manning any belief I am against in my game?
Like every person in the world, I have my own opinions regarding politics and philosophies. Whether it be believing that the best way to govern the world is an A.I that decides everything, or saying ...
- 22.6k
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Is giving my character amnesia about its backstory a bad idea?
During my first campaign as a player, I had a issue with my DM regarding the background I gave to my character. It was my first time creating a background for my character, and I loved doing it so ...
- 1,051
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Is it a bad idea to only start enforcing rules late in a campaign?
I'm a pretty new DM. My players are almost at session 20 in my first campaign and it's going great.
One of my players has been using a monk. I wasn't familiar with the class, so I'd usually just ask ...
- 353
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How do I deal with metagaming/power-playing as a player? [closed]
I'm in a D&D Homebrew campaign that allows pretty much anything as long as it is written online. We have one player in specific who is frustrating and decided at the end of the campaign, he would ...
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How to deal with DM favoritism toward a player who is able to silence other players in order to avoid being constantly overruled by the group?
I've been in a campaign for the past 4 months with a very controlling DM and a player who has been dubbed their favorite.
The DM in question is very flexible with anything in their game... as long as ...
- 1,155
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The DM is unapologetically providing TPK encounters; what can we do?
Situation
I have a friend who is just starting as a DM. They've run a couple of one-shots that were really hard and ended with TPKs. Both one-shots were miserable slogs, and the encounters were ...
- 1,962
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What to do about a GM that does not allow for out-of-character discussion?
My GM tries to keep the game moving by not allowing for in-party discussion or out-of-character questions or remarks.
For example, our party travels across town to an NPC's place with the intention ...
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How to deal with a DM changing my backstory and dismissing my ideas?
The buildup
I am playing a campaign with a few friends and we are all kinda new including the DM, though he does have a little more experience than the players. The other day the DM asked everyone for ...
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How to deal with a DM who makes major changes to a PC without the player's permission?
So last night I was absent from our game and my DM took over my character with neither my knowledge nor consent. Not only that, he also changed my characters relationship with an NPC.
I’m really not ...
- 2,968
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How do I encourage my GM to relax her grip on the story and let the players have some free will?
I've been playing a number of different games with the same core group of friends for years now. We meet once a week with the occasional exception.
For the last few months, one of our players has ...
- 433
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How to deal with DM that railroads you, and then says you skipped things? [closed]
Mid-campaign we approached a building, and then the DM railroaded us into a certain side room, says that we barged in, and the guards in the room shouted to a different room for backup. The DM then ...
- 41
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How to deal with a DM who pointedly ignores important details? [duplicate]
The campaign was intended to be difficult. We knew and accepted that up front, and it sounded like a fun challenge. But we never knew until we were already a fair ways into it how much of the ...
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How do I handle a DM that plays favorites with certain players?
I am currently in a campaign where, out of everyone involved I’m the least friend of the group. My character has certain secrets and I will text the DM at times so the other players don’t know. He ...
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As a player I want to help a new GM with 1 or 2 problem players. Turn the negativity into something fun [closed]
I'm looking for "out of the box" solutions and "how to debate this" techniques for a very "group and players" specific issue
Looking for experience backed advices, ideally.
I did search for similar ...
- 3,514
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votes
3
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3k
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I have a ruthless DM and I'm considering leaving the party. What are my options to minimize the negative impact to the rest of the group?
I joined a game with a group of friends and a couple of other people I haven't met, one of which is the current DM. While I like everyone in the game personally, the current DM is extremely strict, a ...
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