Calling GM's: Spoiled Players

[Yazram Master Kat]

So, if you're a GM and have never experienced this, I envy you.
Most of us, though, have that one player who gets upset if the game isn't progressing exactly the way they feel it should.
I have a particular player who gets mopey and frustrated if they are not constantly in combat, or if, while in combat, the dice do not favor him.
While I have spoken to him multiple times about this attitude to no avail. I am reluctant to actually give him the boot, as we've been best friends since childhood, and when he likes the way things are going, he is really an asset to the group.
Has anyone else had to deal with the one moper who ruins it for everyone else, and if so, how did you deal?

[Mr_Blue2]

What is the players class? does he have any relevent skills? how are you running the games not combat elements?

[Tabasco Jones]

I've dealt with bad players all my life.
(16 years of gaming experience)
99% of the time I'm honest with them,
first in private just between us,
but if it continues I call them on their s**t while we're playing.

the 1% was this guy named Shane,
Long story short, one of the worst players I've ever played with.
He demands to be able to use rules that no one else is,
or that he's not restricted by the same rules as everyone else,
Completely anti-social,
and uses his large size, aggressive attitude and loud voice to intimidate people into doing what he wants.
One day I had enough of s**t and called him on it in front of everyone.
This is because for years I had known that he lied about his rolls,
where he would shake with his right, and toss his dice into his cupped left hand,
"Because then they don't roll all over the place and I can pick them up easy."
and he always seemed to roll great when he needed it, or when people weren't looking.

One time we were at the comicbook shop playing after hours and I was standing right behind him when he rolled and clear as day saw that he rolled a 3 on a D20,
but when he picked up the dice he picked it up at a slight angle so a much higher number was ontop,
he then called that number as what he rolled.
I tried to play it smooth and not scream "you ******** cheater!"
by saying, "Shane, how do you have a Plus 18 bonus to your attack?"
He replied "Oh, I don't, I rolled a *insert the lie here* and have a plus 8."
"No you didn't, I saw it, you rolled a 3."
"No I DIDN'T! I TOLD YOU I GOT A *insert number here*."
"Shane, I get it that we've all fudged our dice rolls before for one reason or another, but when you're caught just admit it."
"YOU ********! I'M NOT CHEATING!"
He then ejects out of his chair and sticks his chest out, poking his finger at me.
I'm 6'0 tall and no scrawny wimp myself, but he still towers over me, but I stand my ground and push back.
"Shane, if you're gonna poke a fight at me be my guest and we'll take it outside!"
"YOU LITTLE s**t FINE! I'M GONNA KICK YOUR a**!"
"Well, you first big guy!"
as I point to the back door and he begins to huff off to it.
meanwhile everyone is far to frightened to do anything but watch as Shane stomps off to the door,
talking about all the ways he's gonna kick my a**.
I wait till he's the first one out, walk up to the door, close it and lock him out.
yell through the door at him "You can come back in when you're not such a ******** a*****e to everyone! Monday seems good to me!"
(it was a saturday night)

He pounds at the door but it's one of those solid metal loading doors, so his pounding is just a low thud.
Everyone just looks at me in amazement, I tell them...
"If you want your chance to tell the guy to not come back you've got an industrial metal door to keep him off of you."
The everyone laughs, the GM yells out "Shane! I think you better look for a new group! Don't worry we'll keep your stuff here so you can get it on Monday."
Shane screamed some more, pounded the door more,
Got out to his car and honked the horn for a while,
but come next Saturday he wasn't there,
and when I saw him next he just gave me a mean look and I ignored him.

[Yazram Master Kat]

Mr_Blue2

What is the players class? does he have any relevent skills? how are you running the games not combat elements?

It was more an in general thing, he does it every time he plays.

[Yazram Master Kat]

Tabasco Jones

I've dealt with bad players all my life.
(16 years of gaming experience)
99% of the time I'm honest with them,
first in private just between us,
but if it continues I call them on their s**t while we're playing.

the 1% was this guy named Shane,
Long story short, one of the worst players I've ever played with.
He demands to be able to use rules that no one else is,
or that he's not restricted by the same rules as everyone else,
Completely anti-social,
and uses his large size, aggressive attitude and loud voice to intimidate people into doing what he wants.
One day I had enough of s**t and called him on it in front of everyone.
This is because for years I had known that he lied about his rolls,
where he would shake with his right, and toss his dice into his cupped left hand,
"Because then they don't roll all over the place and I can pick them up easy."
and he always seemed to roll great when he needed it, or when people weren't looking.

One time we were at the comicbook shop playing after hours and I was standing right behind him when he rolled and clear as day saw that he rolled a 3 on a D20,
but when he picked up the dice he picked it up at a slight angle so a much higher number was ontop,
he then called that number as what he rolled.
I tried to play it smooth and not scream "you ******** cheater!"
by saying, "Shane, how do you have a Plus 18 bonus to your attack?"
He replied "Oh, I don't, I rolled a *insert the lie here* and have a plus 8."
"No you didn't, I saw it, you rolled a 3."
"No I DIDN'T! I TOLD YOU I GOT A *insert number here*."
"Shane, I get it that we've all fudged our dice rolls before for one reason or another, but when you're caught just admit it."
"YOU ********! I'M NOT CHEATING!"
He then ejects out of his chair and sticks his chest out, poking his finger at me.
I'm 6'0 tall and no scrawny wimp myself, but he still towers over me, but I stand my ground and push back.
"Shane, if you're gonna poke a fight at me be my guest and we'll take it outside!"
"YOU LITTLE s**t FINE! I'M GONNA KICK YOUR a**!"
"Well, you first big guy!"
as I point to the back door and he begins to huff off to it.
meanwhile everyone is far to frightened to do anything but watch as Shane stomps off to the door,
talking about all the ways he's gonna kick my a**.
I wait till he's the first one out, walk up to the door, close it and lock him out.
yell through the door at him "You can come back in when you're not such a ******** a*****e to everyone! Monday seems good to me!"
(it was a saturday night)

He pounds at the door but it's one of those solid metal loading doors, so his pounding is just a low thud.
Everyone just looks at me in amazement, I tell them...
"If you want your chance to tell the guy to not come back you've got an industrial metal door to keep him off of you."
The everyone laughs, the GM yells out "Shane! I think you better look for a new group! Don't worry we'll keep your stuff here so you can get it on Monday."
Shane screamed some more, pounded the door more,
Got out to his car and honked the horn for a while,
but come next Saturday he wasn't there,
and when I saw him next he just gave me a mean look and I ignored him.

Sometimes I totally feel like doing something like this, but he is one of my best friends out of game.
That was a brilliant reaction by the way, I laughed at that.

[Starlight Strawberries]

Tabasco Jones

I've dealt with bad players all my life.
(16 years of gaming experience)
99% of the time I'm honest with them,
first in private just between us,
but if it continues I call them on their s**t while we're playing.

the 1% was this guy named Shane,
Long story short, one of the worst players I've ever played with.
He demands to be able to use rules that no one else is,
or that he's not restricted by the same rules as everyone else,
Completely anti-social,
and uses his large size, aggressive attitude and loud voice to intimidate people into doing what he wants.
One day I had enough of s**t and called him on it in front of everyone.
This is because for years I had known that he lied about his rolls,
where he would shake with his right, and toss his dice into his cupped left hand,
"Because then they don't roll all over the place and I can pick them up easy."
and he always seemed to roll great when he needed it, or when people weren't looking.

One time we were at the comicbook shop playing after hours and I was standing right behind him when he rolled and clear as day saw that he rolled a 3 on a D20,
but when he picked up the dice he picked it up at a slight angle so a much higher number was ontop,
he then called that number as what he rolled.
I tried to play it smooth and not scream "you ******** cheater!"
by saying, "Shane, how do you have a Plus 18 bonus to your attack?"
He replied "Oh, I don't, I rolled a *insert the lie here* and have a plus 8."
"No you didn't, I saw it, you rolled a 3."
"No I DIDN'T! I TOLD YOU I GOT A *insert number here*."
"Shane, I get it that we've all fudged our dice rolls before for one reason or another, but when you're caught just admit it."
"YOU ********! I'M NOT CHEATING!"
He then ejects out of his chair and sticks his chest out, poking his finger at me.
I'm 6'0 tall and no scrawny wimp myself, but he still towers over me, but I stand my ground and push back.
"Shane, if you're gonna poke a fight at me be my guest and we'll take it outside!"
"YOU LITTLE s**t FINE! I'M GONNA KICK YOUR a**!"
"Well, you first big guy!"
as I point to the back door and he begins to huff off to it.
meanwhile everyone is far to frightened to do anything but watch as Shane stomps off to the door,
talking about all the ways he's gonna kick my a**.
I wait till he's the first one out, walk up to the door, close it and lock him out.
yell through the door at him "You can come back in when you're not such a ******** a*****e to everyone! Monday seems good to me!"
(it was a saturday night)

He pounds at the door but it's one of those solid metal loading doors, so his pounding is just a low thud.
Everyone just looks at me in amazement, I tell them...
"If you want your chance to tell the guy to not come back you've got an industrial metal door to keep him off of you."
The everyone laughs, the GM yells out "Shane! I think you better look for a new group! Don't worry we'll keep your stuff here so you can get it on Monday."
Shane screamed some more, pounded the door more,
Got out to his car and honked the horn for a while,
but come next Saturday he wasn't there,
and when I saw him next he just gave me a mean look and I ignored him.

That is one of the best shitty player posts I've ever heard.

[Starlight Strawberries]

Yazram Master Kat

So, if you're a GM and have never experienced this, I envy you.
Most of us, though, have that one player who gets upset if the game isn't progressing exactly the way they feel it should.
I have a particular player who gets mopey and frustrated if they are not constantly in combat, or if, while in combat, the dice do not favor him.
While I have spoken to him multiple times about this attitude to no avail. I am reluctant to actually give him the boot, as we've been best friends since childhood, and when he likes the way things are going, he is really an asset to the group.
Has anyone else had to deal with the one moper who ruins it for everyone else, and if so, how did you deal?

If talking in private doesn't work, start calling him out on it when it happens in game. Maybe talk to him privately and let him know that he doesn't seem to be enjoying playing very much and ask if there is something he would like to change. Possibly not play if he isn't having fun? I actually used to be this type of player and my problem was that the setting we were playing in bothered me and I was constantly uncomfortable and agitated. After we changed game rooms and got to a better atmosphere I stopped being so awful.

[V i c e y]

UGH! I played in two groups with this guy named Peter who recycled the same character for every game he's ever played, he's not very creative at all, and he used to throw fits if things weren't going his way. He forced his fiance's character to be his characters wife even though her character was a prostitute thief.

Well he got so bad that in battle if we didn't let him reroll, he always failed or missed, he'd literally go cry in a corner. I got so fed up with him I had my bard assassinate him.

[Starlight Strawberries]

V i c e y

UGH! I played in two groups with this guy named Peter who recycled the same character for every game he's ever played, he's not very creative at all, and he used to throw fits if things weren't going his way. He forced his fiance's character to be his characters wife even though her character was a prostitute thief.

Well he got so bad that in battle if we didn't let him reroll, he always failed or missed, he'd literally go cry in a corner. I got so fed up with him I had my bard assassinate him.

Oh god. That sounds awful. How does someone use the same character in every game? Why was he forcing he to be his wife? Who let him into the group? So many questions.

[ratgirl34]

My DM had a similar issues before we started playing together. We've always taken a break during the summer because people go on trips and stuff so it isn't convenient, I assume he did before too. So he just never told his friend when they were gaming, to this day when that friend calls and we're gaming we all just shut up.

Last game my sister was texting a friend who knows that guy really well and the DM got all panicky asking if she'd told the friend we were gaming.

It's a little sad, and not the most mature option, but it seems to be working for now. Five years and so far this method has not come back to haunt him.

[Yazram Master Kat]

V i c e y

UGH! I played in two groups with this guy named Peter who recycled the same character for every game he's ever played, he's not very creative at all, and he used to throw fits if things weren't going his way. He forced his fiance's character to be his characters wife even though her character was a prostitute thief.

Well he got so bad that in battle if we didn't let him reroll, he always failed or missed, he'd literally go cry in a corner. I got so fed up with him I had my bard assassinate him.

This sounds like one of my other players, a guy named Cody. He always played a really crappy arcane archer that behaved like a really crappy thief.
During one campaign, the party turned him in after he actually managed to steal something from the lord of a city that was under strict martial law, because they didn't want to be blamed as a group.
His character was publicly executed, and the next three characters he played were not only the exact same build, but actively spent time trying to get the party killed. I spoke to him on several occasions in private about his incessant meta-gaming, but it got me nowhere. Thankfully, we weren't really close out of game, so I gave him the boot.

[Yazram Master Kat]

ratgirl34

My DM had a similar issues before we started playing together. We've always taken a break during the summer because people go on trips and stuff so it isn't convenient, I assume he did before too. So he just never told his friend when they were gaming, to this day when that friend calls and we're gaming we all just shut up.

Last game my sister was texting a friend who knows that guy really well and the DM got all panicky asking if she'd told the friend we were gaming.

It's a little sad, and not the most mature option, but it seems to be working for now. Five years and so far this method has not come back to haunt him.

My group ended up being the same way about the aforementioned Cody. When he asked about gaming, everyone just clammed the hell up.

[ratgirl34]

Yazram Master Kat

ratgirl34

My DM had a similar issues before we started playing together. We've always taken a break during the summer because people go on trips and stuff so it isn't convenient, I assume he did before too. So he just never told his friend when they were gaming, to this day when that friend calls and we're gaming we all just shut up.

Last game my sister was texting a friend who knows that guy really well and the DM got all panicky asking if she'd told the friend we were gaming.

It's a little sad, and not the most mature option, but it seems to be working for now. Five years and so far this method has not come back to haunt him.

My group ended up being the same way about the aforementioned Cody. When he asked about gaming, everyone just clammed the hell up.

Luckily I've only met Mike once or twice. I think I'm the only member of the group who doesn't know him.

He... He played an arcane archer as a thief? I love my arcane archer and am slightly offended that he would waste such a fabulous prestige class. My DM says she's built a little unusually, we started at a higher level so he helped me make her. She has a level of bard, seven or five ranger and the rest is arcane archer. I know sorcerer would probably have been better, but even when I play squishies I still tend to use more buffs than outright attacks so I went bard. I knew I wouldn't be putting a lot of levels into it anyway. Then for irony I gave her the last name Shotsinger, family name and family calling.

[Yazram Master Kat]

ratgirl34

Yazram Master Kat

ratgirl34

My DM had a similar issues before we started playing together. We've always taken a break during the summer because people go on trips and stuff so it isn't convenient, I assume he did before too. So he just never told his friend when they were gaming, to this day when that friend calls and we're gaming we all just shut up.

Last game my sister was texting a friend who knows that guy really well and the DM got all panicky asking if she'd told the friend we were gaming.

It's a little sad, and not the most mature option, but it seems to be working for now. Five years and so far this method has not come back to haunt him.

My group ended up being the same way about the aforementioned Cody. When he asked about gaming, everyone just clammed the hell up.

Luckily I've only met Mike once or twice. I think I'm the only member of the group who doesn't know him.

He... He played an arcane archer as a thief? I love my arcane archer and am slightly offended that he would waste such a fabulous prestige class. My DM says she's built a little unusually, we started at a higher level so he helped me make her. She has a level of bard, seven or five ranger and the rest is arcane archer. I know sorcerer would probably have been better, but even when I play squishies I still tend to use more buffs than outright attacks so I went bard. I knew I wouldn't be putting a lot of levels into it anyway. Then for irony I gave her the last name Shotsinger, family name and family calling.

Oh, you don't know the half of it. For one, he would take no buffing spells, two, he used the character as a thief during down time, like I said, and three, and get this, he tried to use his ARCANE ARCHER as a front line fighter. All the time. And then he would get a ridiculous amount of upset when his character died.

[ratgirl34]

Yazram Master Kat

ratgirl34

Yazram Master Kat

ratgirl34

My DM had a similar issues before we started playing together. We've always taken a break during the summer because people go on trips and stuff so it isn't convenient, I assume he did before too. So he just never told his friend when they were gaming, to this day when that friend calls and we're gaming we all just shut up.

Last game my sister was texting a friend who knows that guy really well and the DM got all panicky asking if she'd told the friend we were gaming.

It's a little sad, and not the most mature option, but it seems to be working for now. Five years and so far this method has not come back to haunt him.

My group ended up being the same way about the aforementioned Cody. When he asked about gaming, everyone just clammed the hell up.

Luckily I've only met Mike once or twice. I think I'm the only member of the group who doesn't know him.

He... He played an arcane archer as a thief? I love my arcane archer and am slightly offended that he would waste such a fabulous prestige class. My DM says she's built a little unusually, we started at a higher level so he helped me make her. She has a level of bard, seven or five ranger and the rest is arcane archer. I know sorcerer would probably have been better, but even when I play squishies I still tend to use more buffs than outright attacks so I went bard. I knew I wouldn't be putting a lot of levels into it anyway. Then for irony I gave her the last name Shotsinger, family name and family calling.

Oh, you don't know the half of it. For one, he would take no buffing spells, two, he used the character as a thief during down time, like I said, and three, and get this, he tried to use his ARCANE ARCHER as a front line fighter. All the time. And then he would get a ridiculous amount of upset when his character died.

I want to hit him. I hate admitting it but I hit like a girl so he probably wouldn't hurt too much from it, but it would make me feel better. Why would he not play a class that suits his play-style?

I was in a group before this one where a guy refused to make basic characters, so the DM was constantly party-wiping us trying to compensate. He was lawful good, always, but would screw over his own party members by keeping loot for himself that would benefit them. Then got pissy when I made a rogue and started hoarding gold and stuff. I wish I had thought to tell the DM that plan on a piece of paper or with a text...

The final straw was when he ditched us on an island, after an incident with my loot hoarding, and told everyone we were dead. The DM told him that he's changing his alignment and the guy flipped his s**t and quit playing. That would have been great, except that he was the DM's room mate so we still had to listen to him b***h after he left the game.