Back in my second article I said that I would have a future column that addresses disruptive players at the game table. I figured that now is as good a time as any to discuss those inevitable moments when your normally fun and entertaining roleplaying game night is almost ruined by negative behaviors. These instances will hopefully be rare, but they can strike at any time in any genre of game. I have narrowed them down to four particular situational types that can derail your plans and create tension among your players: the Spiteful Judas, the Obnoxious Newbie, the Inter-Party Conflict, and the Disinterested/Distracted Player. I will tend to use male or female pronouns in the description of each player, but it should be understood that the examples I am using can be of any gender.
The Spiteful Judas
Friends sometimes have disagreements, but when feelings are hurt some players can be calculating in their thirst to exact revenge. This is what I call the Spiteful Judas. It is possible that the original slight to this player may have happened at the table or away from the table, but he is now using your game to figure out how to get even with the player or players who wronged him. You will first notice something is wrong when he is more withdrawn and quieter than normal or when he seems to be less engaged in planning with the rest of the party. Then you might start to get notes passed to you about secret actions the player’s character wants to take. These actions might upset the plans of the group, betray one member of the party to a NPC rival, or otherwise disrupt the normal balance of the party. Ultimately, they might derail your campaign and create a split in the party that will be difficult to mend.
As the GM, you have several options for how to handle this player when you start to see the warning signs. If the game has a mechanic that governs morality or alignment, then you can caution the player if his actions are running counter to his normal moral guidelines. In such games there can be in-game consequences if the player persists and he should be cautioned by you about them. Lacking mechanical constraints to reel in the Spiteful Judas player, you can instead pull them aside and ask them to explain their actions to you. If they can’t justify an in-game reason for their actions that makes sense based upon how their character is normally played, then appeal to them to seek redress of their grievances away from the game table and separate real world problems away from the campaign. Finally, you can tell the player that you are left with no choice but to either ignore his machinations and rule that they have failed through fiat or halt the game session and postpone the campaign until he is prepared to return in a productive and cooperative manner.
The Obnoxious Newbie
Sometimes a stable and mature gaming group can be disrupted by the addition of one new player who is perhaps only there to be a chaos agent who thinks that the purpose of the game is to make outrageous decisions, kill things, and take stuff. She may be an experienced RPG player or completely new to the hobby, but for whatever reason has a warped sense of what her purpose is at the game table. They suddenly take whatever plans you or the players had for the session and throw them out the door as they shoot the party’s patron, fireball the Mage’s Guild, wake the sleeping dragon, or do something else that is completely unexpected. The rest of the PCs suddenly find themselves in a nightmare situation where the outcome is uncertain and dire, but the Obnoxious Newbie is having the time of her life.
In this situation, the GM has to first adjudicate the outcome of the actions taken and then deal with the messy aftermath. If the players are in a situation where combat was not anticipated and would likely be suicidal, then the GM should first work to subdue the players rather than perform an outright Total Party Kill (TPK). This might at least allow you to salvage the scenario despite the actions which have been taken to this point. You should then question the Obnoxious Newbie about what their desired outcome was and get to the heart of why they did what they did. Perhaps it was all just a misunderstanding on the player’s part? Or maybe they just wanted to “kill stuff”? Remind them that actions have consequences and if they do something crazy again all consequences might fall solely on them. It is perfectly acceptable to kill the PC and let them sit the rest of the session out to allow the rest of your group to proceed. Conversely, the new player may find herself beset by the party with the rest of the PCs attempting to sanction her character. As long as they are responding in character, let the dice fall where they may.
Inter-Party Conflict
Any problem or scenario in a roleplaying session will have multiple ways that it can be handled and your player group may differ greatly on how to proceed. There are occasions where a strong difference of opinion could divide the group over the best course of action especially when it is a long-term campaign and the players are all invested heavily in their PCs. Unlike the Spiteful Judas instance, this Inter-Party Conflict will fall in line with how the players usually play their characters and can be tougher to mediate. It will only threaten the viability of your campaign if one side feels strongly enough to resort to violence in-game to stop the other side from acting.
The first thing a GM should do when it is obvious that there is a split occurring in the party and tensions are starting to rise is call for a break in the play. This can get everyone up from the table and give people a chance to take a breath. The GM should then pull the leaders of the group factions aside and attempt to mediate the situation with them. Listen to the concerns their PCs are feeling, but don’t let it become a back and forth debate. Just hear them out and give them a platform with you at this point. Think of it as a court room sidebar with the attorneys talking to the judge. As GM, you likely have a few ideal ways for the group to proceed against the challenge you have laid before them. You can always return to the table and introduce new information to help the players steer towards one of those ideal solutions and it may not have anything to do with the ideas that were threatening to divide the group. The goal at this point is to put the Inter-Party Conflict behind you and get them problem-solving together once again. They will soon forget their heated discussions of minutes earlier and focus back on what you have laid out for them.
The Disinterested/Distracted Player
This seems to be a more common problem in today’s world of smartphone technology where people can hardly put their electronic devices down, but the Disinterested or Distracted Player has been around since the hobby started. They will be trying to watch the score of a sporting event and constantly leaving to check the t.v., perusing the rulebooks to find a new piece of equipment to buy or new spell to learn, playing an app, sending texts, or maybe they are just falling asleep at the table after a long day of work or school. This player is not so much a disruption to your table as a possible annoyance to the other players as they are not engaged when their character may have valuable skills to contribute to the party. Anyone remember what happened when Leeroy Jenkins missed his group’s strategy discussion?
If you have a player that seems particularly disinterested in what is going on or overly distracted, then you have a few ways to address this issue. First, you should probably lay ground rules from the start of your campaign that smartphones, laptops, and tablets should only be used to support the game at the table and not for playing other games, checking email, or doing things that take away from the limited time your group has allocated for play. Then, when you have a player that is showing signs of being a Disinterested/Distracted Player, you can pull them aside and remind them that the group has agreed that you will all respect each other’s time and focus on the game at the table. You can also look at the player’s character sheet and see what skills or talents they may be able to assist the group with and prompt them to participate when key moments arise in the game. Finally, you can just ask if maybe this is a bad time for them to play and see if they would rather step away to focus on other things that seem more important in the moment. They could let the GM bring their PC along as an NPC or give them a side mission and let them leave the group for the session. Let them get things in order so that they are fully engaged the next time they sit at the table.
In Summary
This is not an all-inclusive list of the problem players you may encounter at your game table. There are many variations that may fit into and between the ones I have mentioned. As GM it is your job to see that all your players have a fun and enjoyable experience and if one or more persons are making that job difficult then it is your responsibility to address the underlying issues. Be open and communicative with the player or players involved and get to the heart of the problem. Address the issue fairly and definitively to get the game back on track. And yes, this could involve a bit of railroading to keep the peace. The worst thing you can do is ignore the problem as this may alienate the rest of your players and make them not willing to return.
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