At one time or another, your players will appear to lose their noodles. This could be caused by several factors including real life issues impacting on their game performance through to a complete sense of boredom. New players to the hobby can often be subject to almost psychopathic behavior as they hope to emulate their last raid in World of Warcraft, and sometimes players can simply lose it for no apparent reason. How a Game Master deals with this issue is one that I get asked often, and one that has just as many varied answers as there are players in the world. The “scapegoat” answer is, “It depends.” The long response requires a lot of specifics, and with this in mind, I’m going to tackle just one question from reader David Rivera who asks about a specific type of “bad player” – The Murderous Hobo:
“Dear GM Hooly, I’m aware that things are all topsy-turvy and upside down in the wild lands of Australia so I hope this reaches you right side up. My question relates to characters with an especially violent background. How do I not allow my character to descend into the life of a murder-hobo? According to Yoda, to do so would be “quicker, easier, more seductive,” however I don’t desire to be a murder-hobo. How can I avoid this?”
This is an interesting question because it comes from the perspective of the player rather than the Game Master. Firstly though, I need to explain what a Murder-Hobo is, so pens (or styluses) at the ready, and learning caps on.
The “Murder-Hobo” phrase, according to the Urban Dictionary, is “the typical protagonist of a fantasy role-playing game, who is a homeless guy who goes around killing people and taking their stuff. The term originated in discussions of tabletop role-playing games by authors seeking to create games aimed at styles of play not supported by traditional games like Dungeons & Dragons.” The term, like many modern colloquialisms, originated on the internet forum/chat-room RPG.net and was created in response to the type of players a GM may encounter in a group. Dungeons and Dragons players are not the only ones to suffer from this affliction, and it has been known to carry over to other systems as well. The term has been twisted somewhat to include any player character who is only focused on killing monsters and beings, just to collect treasure and magical items.
My usual experiences with this type of player is when they are somewhat new to role playing or their main gaming experience has been with computer games. The preconception is that you have to kill things to “get their stuff” in order to upgrade equipment or find new and delicious weapons and gear to move on to the next level of the game. Unfortunately this is the basic premises for Dungeons and Dragons (along with other level based systems) and is why the term is primarily associated with that system. Sometimes this “condition” can also manifest in more experienced players, mainly through desperation or complete boredom. In either case, a Game Master should attempt to deal with this sort of behavior promptly (unless the system calls for its inclusion) else they may be in possession of some very annoyed “non-murder-hobo” players. David’s question however indicates that he wants a way to deal with this as a player, so I will focus on that.
Basically, a player in any game always has control over their character, and even though they may build a horrific backstory, I am reminded of Dr. Ian Malcolm from Jurassic Park when he said, “[They] were so preoccupied with whether or not they could that they didn’t stop to think if they should.” This type of indulgent behavior can impact the game as a whole, or at the very least, cause other players to enjoy the game less. This is something that, as a decent player, you should always attempt to avoid. There is an easy solution though – and that’s to talk openly about your ideas.
I talk a lot about communication, and will continue to do so in future blogs. Role Playing Games, for the most part, are a combination of collaborative storytelling and interactive theater, but at their core they are a very social engagement. Open, honest, and supportive communication is what makes good games great, and all participants need to enforce that rule. What I like to call “self-play” can escalate to the point where other players may leave the group solely for that reason, and may even affect relationships between players at the table. Did you want your behavior to have that sort of result on your conscience? The obvious answer is “No,” and if it was “Yes,” you may be doing this hobby wrong. Communication is vitally important, and if you have a great idea for a very broken character, the best time to raise this is when you have everyone at the table. It’s all about acceptance, and “buy-in” from both the Game Master and the Players. Most importantly, it’s about that “social contract” that Jay Little preaches (and one I firmly believe in) that is there to ensure that you as the player are there to have fun, and in turn should be there to assist others to also have fun.
Ultimately the reason we play Role Playing Games is to have fun – it is a game after all. This fun is not just the purview of the players, but the Game Master as well. It’s easy to create a character that has been the subject of abuse, or lived in a township which has been ravaged by war and who only knows violence. It’s only when the choices you make negatively impact others and their enjoyment of the game, that one must realize that it may be time to rethink one’s interactions at the table. Game Masters and Players need to address this before the first dice are rolled, and for that, you need good communication. It’s also a good time here to set the expectations for the game. The Game Master is the clear choice to communicate this message, but it should also be a group discussion, so that if anyone does go off the reservation, Game Masters and Players can mention that “breach of contract” to the player concerned, allowing the player to re-think their actions with hopefully more of a dramatic and thematic flair.
If the concept of a Murderous-Hobo is accepted, and/or the theme of the game, players should still find a way around this type of character. Perhaps they are managing their anger in some way through medication, therapy or self-medication. The Star Wars Role Playing Game has a great solution here in the form of Obligation where a player can design their character around that concept whilst also gaining a potential benefit. Other systems such as G.U.R.P.S., Icons, and Mutants and Masterminds have similar concepts with disadvantages and flaws. The important point though is to never let a character concept impact other players negatively.
The killing spree style of play is only half the problem. The other side of the same equation is those players who after combat want to collect all of the “loot,” thus slowing down the game while they rummage through blood-stained and mangled corpses to collect that last Platinum piece they need to buy that +1 Plate Mail. The easy solution is to cut down on your loot, and provide those rewards that would otherwise be found on the PC’s fallen foes in other ways, such as a bonus donation from their patron who sent them on their quest, a present from the NPC prince who finds that player attractive, etc. Unfortunately there is no “one stop resolution.” The best stance one can take is through communication, whether as a Game Master or a Player. There is nothing wrong with telling the Players that you will provide other means to get the resources or funds they need to complete their latest concoction or to introduce elements in the story to allow them to find the parts for the rare Lightsaber they hope to construct. Likewise, Players can suggest to Game Masters where they might be able to locate a hard to find item. It’s always good to come to a Game Master with a solution rather than just a problem, which may plant enough of a seed for the Game Master to span one or several adventures. Again, communication is the key, and as long as all participants at the table know they have their back, and open communicate is at the forefront of everyone’s mind, you may find Murderous-Hobo behavior changing at your table – for the better.
Well that’s it for me this week. Next week I’m back to tackling some Star Wars Role Playing Game questions. If you have any questions you’d like me to answer, drop me a line at gmhooly@d20radio.com. Make sure you include the “Handle Name” you would prefer to be listed as the author of the question.
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