It's Not Me It's You: The Players That Ruin The Game

Since the GM in most gaming groups inevitably ends up being the person who shelled out the ducats for the actual rule-book, part of the GMs job is to know the rules well enough be able to create the character's the players want. There are limits to how far a GM can actually stretch the rules or structures of the game to accommodate players. 

For most GM's, an ideal player would have a clear idea not only of the world they are about to imagine, but how their character fits into and has gotten by in the world. The players would be filled with thoughtful questions for the GM about what to expect and maybe even bring some of their own suggestions to the first session about what they might like to explore in later sessions. That is not what we can expect from most players though.

Most rule-book will gloss over the very real need for reigning in players with an infuriatingly simplistic phrase: "Remember to have fun." I hate reading that phrase in rule-books. It's the kind of thing people tell you when they know there is a very real chance it might not be fun if you take the wrong approach to it. Not every approach to role playing is a beautiful little sprout that needs to be nourished and protected for the sake of the player's creativity.

"Backstory Written Already" Player

GM - Okay everyone, you all agreed you wanted to play a game in a world of low powered super heroes like Kickass or Batman a few weeks ago and I've got the world all worked out for you to enjoy. So what are your character ideas?

Player - Okay, so I've been thinking of the back-story and I thought he could have accidentally opened a portal to hell when he was reading old occult books and demons escaped and took his mother to hell so he went after her and couldn't save her but came back to earth with the power to summon hell-fire and breath it to turn bad guys into burn piles of ash.

GM - What happened to low powered super hero? Did you read the rules or even the short version I sent you? How about those 4 sentences I sent you in that email explaining what type of characters to brainstorm?

Player - What I can't be this guy with this backstory? You're gonna be that GM, I see.

GM - You asked for a low powered world, then you tell me you wanna be some kind of crazy powerful dude who breaths hellfire? How does that work in a world where everyone is wearing hockey equipment and home made weapons?

Player - Oh yeah. I guess you're right. Then I don't know what I want to be.

"My Character is the Strongest EVER, because of reasons..." Player

GM - So we're doing gritty real life detective during prohibition in America. Tell me about your detective character.

Player - Well I was thinking it'd be cool if he could have the ability to read the mind of anyone withing a 150 mile radius, sort of a Sam Spade meets Professor X type of character, but maybe part of it is that he can't get a clear read on a person until he is looking them in the eyes without them knowing, oh and he can smell clues and evil intent; which includes any attempt at deception or to harm him or anyone he knows....of...anyone he knows of.

GM - I thought you wanted a crime solving detective game set in the 1920s US solving bootlegging crime.

Player - Yeah.

GM - And you want me to try to shoehorn Professor fucking X into this game for you to remove all challenge that there may have been?

Player - Well not all the challenge. Maybe only within like 5 miles of him or something.

GM - Okay, fine. Let's start. Professor Sam Spade X is sitting in his office, a woman walks in, and asks him to help her find her husband's murderer, you know she did it. You arrest her. She goes to jail. Now your back in your office with an open calendar.

Player - That wasn't very fun.

GM - No. No, it wasn't.

Dealing with them

It's not about your character. It's about our group's story.

Chances are if you start a gaming group you will inevitably deal with one of these type of players. You can always just be a hard-ass with them and say no, but then crushing all that misplaced creativity and ruining the fun. Nobody wants to play game that isn't any fun.

Remind the players before the game that you're trying to tell a story together. It is not about trying to win or beat someone else. Telling the story is the goal of the game and things that kill the story or shut down ways the story could go will inevitably take fun out of the game. With that being said though, sometimes just giving the player what they want and scaling everything up is what ends up making a more memorable campaign. The real thing is to...have fun, remember....damn it.