192
votes
I think my DM is consistently faking dice rolls for saves against a specific spell; how do I call my DM out?
One, don’t “stand up for” anybody without talking to them first
It’s possible that this is someone who doesn’t know how to stand up for herself, and will appreciate the assistance. Far more likely, ...
- 361k
168
votes
Accepted
As a player, I am approaching a situation where "My Guy" syndrome seems inevitable and almost appropriate. What can I do to soften any problems?
First, you're off the hook for "My Guy" syndrome - this is clearly a conflict the GM orchestrated. "My Guy" happens when a player decides to use his character to justify derailing the plot, but ...
- 1,940
159
votes
How can we handle "firing" our DM?
Tell him the truth, because that's what friends do
Sometimes, talking around or avoiding an issue increases trouble, rather than decreasing it. This looks to be a case of that happening.
You ...
- 144k
139
votes
Accepted
New girl gamer in our D&D group is causing weird tension - what to do?
Since I started DMing D&D a long, long time ago, I found that the dynamics of a mixed group of male ande female players is a tad different from a one-sex only group of players. This is purely ...
- 16.3k
132
votes
Accepted
Dealing with (supposedly) in-character bullying
First and foremost, I am sorry you have to put up with Kevin.
Bullying should not be tolerated1. Ever2!
Sadly, your experience is far from unique. Kevin acts in the manner of a sexist bully and ...
126
votes
My own Party are ruining the game for me. What should I do?
Short answer: stop playing with people who abuse you
What could I do if most people are just going to keep on stealing what
I earn and making the game not fun to play?
You are being picked on. ...
- 144k
125
votes
Accepted
Should I take a side in an external player conflict, or let my game die?
Let's look at the options
Jack & Jill keep playing. Jack says this is impossible.
You keep playing with Jack but not Jill.
You keep playing with Jill but not Jack.
You keep playing with neither ...
- 216k
121
votes
Accepted
What do I do about a prescriptive GM/player who argues that gender and sexuality aren’t personality traits?
Start by assuming the best in others.
This is a helpful attitude to maintain when you want to make peace out of conflict. The first step in resolving this conflict should not be "How do I ...
- 154k
115
votes
Accepted
How to deal with a player who is a bad sport?
"We can't talk to this player. So I don't know what to do."
I think you just took away most people's #1 answer.
If you can't talk to someone about issues, and you can't remove them from the game, ...
- 7,118
115
votes
Accepted
Should I prohibit a player from having a character goal that makes me uncomfortable?
Yes.
There really isn’t anything more to say; you are playing a game. The goal is to have fun. Being uncomfortable isn’t fun, so why would you agree to spend your playtime on that?
This is simply the ...
- 361k
111
votes
Accepted
Is it a violation of my player agency if another player is allowed to wish away memories from my character?
Violating the agency of a player as a DM is different from an NPC violating the character's agency
As a player, it is your job to play your character. You know your character's mind, their feelings, ...
- 38.4k
110
votes
Accepted
How should I deal with a difficult group and a DM that doesn't help?
Yes. You should leave.
These people are not respectful, and are not worth your time. Tell your brother you're not interested, and stop joining the call — he's the only person you have actual contact ...
- 36.6k
108
votes
What can I do about the guys being distracted by a new girl in D&D group?
[Note: When I wrote this answer, the detail about attempted sexual assault was not part of the question. If the mods allow, I'd like this answer to stand as is with the caveat that my answer below ...
- 7,118
108
votes
How do I deal with my group having issues with my character?
We have only your description of the situation to go by, and therefore we can't fully know the situation. However, what I gather from your description is that your behavior is a very significant part ...
- 54.2k
107
votes
Can a new player join a group only when a new campaign starts?
Is it possible to join an existing game? Yes ... but ...
... there appears to be a small group dynamics issue that needs to be addressed.
(More on that at the end).
Joining a campaign that is in ...
- 144k
106
votes
I think my DM is consistently faking dice rolls for saves against a specific spell; how do I call my DM out?
Don't "call them out", it's about Communication
As with most interpersonal issues, the focus should be on communication. You can absolutely talk with your DM about it, but you should talk to ...
- 126k
105
votes
How to deal with a player who is a bad sport?
Like this
Life is too short to play games with poor sports.
If their leaving causes others to leave, don't worry, it's a big wide world out there full of gamers who are not poor sports.
- 216k
104
votes
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 would honestly just leave
What you're describing sounds like not just favoritism but bullying. The GM has granted Hannah the power to literally tell you to shut up for fifteen minutes --- that's a ...
- 54.2k
102
votes
Accepted
How to handle loot disputes as the DM?
“When you agree who gets it they can use it. Meanwhile back in the dungeon ...”
Let the players sort it out however they like away from the table and when they have, the person who gets it can use it.
...
- 216k
101
votes
New girl gamer in our D&D group is causing weird tension - what to do?
In game
It is not an in-game problem. It needs to be solved out of game…
Well, kinda. Her character being weaker might mean that she is over compensating and solution to this problem here.
Meta ...
95
votes
Accepted
OD&D said it could be played with 20-50 players and one referee. How was that expected to work and still be fun?
A "campaign" isn't what it used to be...
Early campaigns often had multiple groups running within the same campaign. That is, the group of {Alice, Bob, Charlene, Dave, Edith, Francis, Ginny, ...
- 102k
94
votes
I unknowingly guessed what will happen next in the module and it's angering the DM
It is not metagaming and you should say so.
Metagaming is using outside (metagame) knowledge of yours to inform your character's decisions. If you don't know the module you do not a priori have any ...
- 16.6k
93
votes
Accepted
Player may be manipulating die rolls, but I'm uncertain. How do I approach the situation?
Use a Rolling Tray
I don't want to accuse someone of cheating if they were not, but I
also don't want cheating to continue if it is in fact occurring
Since another player has already mentioned ...
- 144k
93
votes
Accepted
How can I get people to remember my character's gender?
Generally this "problem" tends to appear at the start of the game, where all the characters are new. My fix was to always refer to characters by their names, not pronouns. Once characters are well ...
86
votes
Accepted
Player is constantly drawing and scribbling at the table
Are you sure the player is the problem? This sounds like an issue that can be easily resolved by simply asking them.
But he is nonetheless disrupting other players by showing them his drawings (or ...
- 32.2k
85
votes
Accepted
Our GM won't let us affect the story; the more I play the less fun I have. What do I do?
Talk to him, preferably as a group
This is really the only solution besides "Bail on the game." They key here is to be respectful, polite, and try to handle this like friends.
"Confront" is not the ...
- 66.3k
83
votes
What do I do about a prescriptive GM/player who argues that gender and sexuality aren’t personality traits?
Elton John. George Michael. Sir Ian McKellen. Stephen Fry. Jeffrey Dahmer. Andy Warhol. George Takei.
All of those people have completely different personalities. All of them are gay.
"...
- 1,126
79
votes
As a player, I am approaching a situation where "My Guy" syndrome seems inevitable and almost appropriate. What can I do to soften any problems?
Roleplaying and roleplaying conflict are not My Guy Syndrome
"My Guy" syndrome is often misused as a term. It's when following your idea of your character's persona creates insurmountable ...
- 176k
79
votes
Can the DM force player vs. player social checks?
Other answers have already dealt capably with your question: Can DM's force skill checks? Yes. Should they do so? Maybe - maybe not.
But, it appears to me that your real issue may not be the skill ...
- 25.2k
77
votes
How to deal with a player who is a bad sport?
I'd encourage you to read the Five Geek Social Fallacies essay (honestly it should be mandatory reading for all RPGers). It discusses five beliefs that cause geeks a lot of grief:
Ostracisers Are ...
- 4,638
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible