Questions tagged [problem-players]
For questions about participants in an RPG who, for whatever reason, contribute to the difficulty of running the game. (See also: the [problem-gm] tag.)
442
questions
15
votes
5answers
2k views
How can I handle a player who seems to utilize skills their characters don't have?
Well the tag is slightly misleading as these players do not cause problems. However I have encountered several players who exhibit skills their real life counterpart has without actually metagaming. ...
25
votes
4answers
5k views
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 ...
16
votes
9answers
2k views
How should I deal with a player who wants to circumvent combat when the rest of the party wants to fight?
I'm a very new DM running a homebrew DnD 5e campaign for a couple of friends.
One of my players, who is by far the most experienced, plays a bard who is definitely optimised for roleplay, and that ...
22
votes
10answers
5k views
How do I deal with a player wanting to do an activity that takes weeks when the party doesn't want to?
I'm currently running a campaign with 5 players at level 3, one of which is a Wizard Dragonborn who's entire character is devoted to becoming a real dragon by the end of the campaign through some kind ...
35
votes
11answers
8k views
Consistency between “yes and” with “no, because I'm the DM”
Context: I enjoy running softer systems, with Numenera being my latest favorite. I discard rules left and right in favor of what feels right during the play. I love the "rule of cool" too, ...
1
vote
4answers
633 views
A player got upset because he made a wrong move and now I can't DM
Backstory
I'm a newer GM (I've only run 3 3.5e games and 1 5e game over the last 20 years of playing RPGs).
My group has a DM/player who is extremely experienced and knowledgeable about all things RPG....
3
votes
2answers
403 views
I'm tired of a friend's PC, how to cope with it?
The situation
At my table we are 3 players and one GM. All are close friends of mine. We are currently playing a game of pathfinder 1e with the Path of war supplement and are lvl 8 and all play path ...
13
votes
3answers
535 views
I don't like a fellow player, what should I do?
We're playing online.
I don't like the player, not the PC, the PC themselves is fine, which kinda makes this worse, if it was the PC, I could chalk it up to good RP.
This player also isn't unlikable/...
41
votes
7answers
8k views
How do I get a new player to stop rewriting my game to match his favorite fiction?
I have a D&D 5e game that I've been running for a year that is on pause because some players don't want to play online or go outside (stupid plague ruining my tabletop). So I offered my son and ...
25
votes
8answers
7k views
How should I work with a player that doesn't take it seriously at all?
I am a GM and I really need advice regarding one of my players.
I play with my group a campaign with FATE rules in a postapocalyptic dark and gritty homebrew world which is mainly horror based, ...
4
votes
2answers
412 views
How much should I as a GM adapt the rules of my world to suit my players?
I'm DMing a DnD 3.5e game with some combat but mainly focused on narrative and building towards interesting moral themes. I told my players this in session 0.
In the game for our last session the ...
4
votes
2answers
411 views
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 ...
5
votes
2answers
142 views
How to balance a stunt that substitutes rapport for deceive
In my fate core campaign, one of my players keeps trying to use rapport for situations where I call for deceive rolls. He's not saying "I want to roll a rapport check", but he words his actions in ...
12
votes
3answers
3k views
Should I talk to the DM about a murder hobo that's derailing the campaign?
I'm in high school and very new to dungeons and dragons so I have no experience with this. I joined a new group recently made up of 3 mildly experienced players and a relatively new DM.
Our DM ...
20
votes
9answers
8k views
Managing New Player “Murder Hobos”
I am running a LMoP game for a group of new players, and everyone is having a great time. We are all very new to it all though - it's my first time running a prewritten campaign as a DM, (only had a ...
11
votes
1answer
663 views
How can I tell a player to stop something without seeming like I'm restricting them too much?
I have been running VtM in the form of the players playing as ghouls however one of my recent players has made a charmer character. I am okay with characters wanting to get laid however he considers ...
52
votes
10answers
16k views
My own Party are ruining the game for me. What should I do?
In D&D I play a ranger who lost an eye in battle therefore having a disadvantage.
Me and my party of 6 friends went inside a tavern to rest just before we went on our main quest together. In the ...
25
votes
5answers
3k views
How to deal with different levels of initiative and propensity to overtalk in a large group?
I recently started playing with a large group of about 7-8 people. I noticed that, in our group, a couple of the people are very active: whenever there is a chance for the group to do things, it only ...
41
votes
8answers
13k views
How to deal with a player who says no all the time?
I am a fairly new DM. I am playing with a group I have tried to DM and have played with as a PC. There is one person in that group that plays as a PC that says no, AKA he is the opposite of a murder ...
17
votes
6answers
2k views
Conflict with a new player
So I started GMing in this huge sandbox world I've prepared over the last 6 months. At the beginning, everything was fine and I was able to start a campaign with 4 players whom I've known for a while. ...
1
vote
1answer
326 views
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 ...
38
votes
8answers
8k views
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 ...
24
votes
8answers
7k views
How can I handle players taking more than their fair share of loot?
In a couple of different groups that I've played with, there is one player who takes more than their fair share of loot. Is there a good way to deal with this?
Group 1 is a homebrew campaign that is ...
2
votes
1answer
523 views
Player is out of character and refuses to play her character correctly [closed]
A player in my campaign (I am the DM) is going way out of control-by not playing her character.
Whenever I point this out, she says that it is something her character would do, but a look at her ...
18
votes
3answers
2k views
How can I encourage a fellow player to develop a character a bit more?
As a player myself, I would like to encourage another player to add a little nuance to his dark and cringey character.
The player in question is young and quite enthusiastic, didn't derail anything in-...
48
votes
8answers
12k views
What should be done if I suspect a player is using weighted dice?
I have a player who I am pretty sure is using weighted dice. He has an entire dice set that almost always gets the best possible roll. He claims it's just insanely good luck but everyone agrees with ...
48
votes
2answers
11k views
Am I overreacting or seeing things where they don't exist?
I am a new D&D player and was having a blast playing with my friends. We are all new to this, including our GM, and it's been so much fun. When we do critical hits, he plays a Power Ranger-like ...
15
votes
1answer
679 views
How to deal with a player that prioritizes combat over roleplay in a roleplay heavy campaign?
How can I deal with a player that prioritizes combat over roleplay in a roleplay heavy campaign? They all knew what they were getting into and agreed during the session 0.
He tends to try and rush ...
12
votes
2answers
444 views
How to approach other players with opposing play styles?
Recently, I joined a game of 5e with some strangers I contacted over the internet. Everybody met up beforehand, got to know each other, and everything was coming along great. We have a character ...
3
votes
1answer
231 views
How can I help my players invest more in learning the mechanics of the game?
I have several players who enjoy playing the game. They seem to enjoy role-playing, exploring, and any form of social interaction.
However, it seems that some of my current players consistently ...
23
votes
3answers
2k views
I think one of my players wants to leave the campaign
I am a relatively new DM. I am running my first campaign, which started about a year ago, with some close friends from college. We have all played D&D before, but this is the first time I’m ...
12
votes
2answers
1k views
How do I deal with a player that contributes nothing?
A few weeks ago, I began a new campaign with some newer players, and for the most part they have jumped right in. They may need some strategy work, but they do fine (partially due to me sending them ...
10
votes
2answers
2k views
Are the Path of the Totem Warrior barbarian's physical totems considered magical items/accessories?
I've had my fair share of arguments while playing sessions with my friends about rules & limitations in game. One for certain that caught my eye is the physical Totem you acquire as a Path of the ...
40
votes
12answers
11k views
How to persuade players not to cheat?
I am DMing the Lost Mine of Phandelver Starter Set campaign for 5e with my two friends, and one of them is bringing his two friends. They use D&D Beyond, and their character sheets contain almost ...
14
votes
2answers
771 views
As a player, how can I deal with a fundamentally annoying teammate
I play in my school's D&D club and our first year was last year. During that first year, one of my fellow players rolled a sorcerer with high charisma (17) but low intelligence (8). He ...
37
votes
9answers
8k views
Can Alter Self be used to enter an enemy's body and destroy it from the inside?
I’m a new DM, so I’m using a starter pack with a storyline, although I have adapted it a fair amount. Earlier today one of my players decided that he can use Alter Self to create a tentacle which he ...
24
votes
8answers
9k views
How do I handle a paladin who falls, but wants to choose a different class instead of taking the Oathbreaker subclass?
tl;dr: How do I handle a fallen paladin?
I have a level 6 player who wanted to play a lawful good aasimar paladin (Oath of Devotion). There have been several events which I believe have led to their ...
30
votes
9answers
6k views
How to discourage mundane play?
I am freestyling a campaign w/out an °official° system, and I have run into a problem. With certain players, they refuse to play as adventurers, choosing instead to get a steady job, then saying ...
10
votes
3answers
3k views
How to handle a player wanting to use the (UA) Remote Access spell on an android player character?
This is in my sci-fi D&D 5e campaign. I have a warlock who's using a spell from the Modern Magic unearthed arcana called remote access. I also have another player who is playing a homebrew android ...
-7
votes
2answers
374 views
how to make my will save insanely high [closed]
In my game one of our teammates has the seduction skill and continually uses it to try to force my characters in relationships with his. Needless to say, I'm not happy about it.
Since the GM won't ...
46
votes
9answers
12k views
How to deal with a PC being played as homophobic?
I’m about to start a sci-fi campaign using Ultramodern5 (a modification of D&D 5e for non-fantasy settings). I’ve been working with players to help build their characters, and one player character ...
22
votes
3answers
5k views
How can I get a resolution to in and out-of-game actions that made me uncomfortable?
Two of our players' characters have had (since the beginning) a very 'pig-tail pulling' relationship from day one. One is a high lady, the other a rougher sea-man. Little fireballs aimed at armpits, ...
2
votes
0answers
250 views
Messing with cell phone during D&D sessions [closed]
There are lots of questions on this site about players using their phones (the phone being a symbol for not keeping their eyes on the game -- it could be a magazine, a tv, or the bird feeder at the ...
15
votes
1answer
2k views
I have a player who yells
I run a campaign for a group of friends (ages 16-17) and we generally have fun, but there is one player I've been having trouble with.
They tend to get frustrated with the other players goofing off ...
35
votes
6answers
7k views
Is there any way to keep a player from killing an NPC?
I was running a one shot for friends and a player had gotten annoyed with an NPC that the other players really liked. This came to a head when after a combat encounter the Player decided to attack the ...
11
votes
5answers
711 views
How can I help my players to better immerse into my game world?
Obligatory: I am playing in a campaign I made myself using homebrewed rules based on a German pen-and-paper RPG called Das Schwarze Auge (DSA; The Dark Eye in English).
Introduction
I am a GM for a ...
10
votes
5answers
2k views
How to handle a player that cannot be convinced his actions are a problem for both GM and party
Background
You can skip to the end for a (very) short summary though...
We are a group of good friends, we've all known each other for 7+ years, since high school, and have been playing DnD since ...
15
votes
3answers
2k views
How to deal with a player who makes bad characters and kills them?
This is kind of a two part question, firstly about the bad character thing and secondly wrangling table drama. For context, I am currently DMing D&D 5e Curse of Strahd, with 5 players. Some of you ...
2
votes
2answers
275 views
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 ...
7
votes
2answers
361 views
As the DM, how can I help a player stay focused on a story-focused game?
I'm DMing for a group, but one potential player has trouble focusing for too long. She really enjoys the game, but she can't focus on the game due to possible ADD (she hasn't been diagnosed, so we're ...
