10 Toxic Behaviors That Derail A Dungeons & Dragons Game
-
Loading... - Bridget Walsh
- 04 Jul 2022
- 121 Views
- 0 Like
- 0 Comment
Antagonize the DM
Look at them, so smug behind their big, fancy DM screen. Typing away on their little laptop, statting out goblins or orcs or gods know what to kill your precious character. Those Dungeon Masters have had it too good for too long. It’s time to take those pretentious bastards down a peg or two. If this is how you feel playing D&D, you are definitely disrupting the play session.
Hog the spotlight
Your character is special. Maybe even the chosen one. So are all the other members of your party. Hogging the spotlight is missing the fundamental gimmick of D&D, collaborative story telling. If you are spending a ton of the session monologuing, that’s probably not going to be fun for the other players. Another way players ‘oink the brights’ is by constantly changing their backstory. Oh you inherited a magic dagger from your grandfather? Cool. So anywa- Oh you also want a magical mount? That is also a prince that’s been transformed but is the heir to the kingdom that we’ve got to save… Ok cool. Can we get back to playing now?
Stopped caring, still playing
You know the end of Girl With A Dragon Tattoo where Stellan Skaarsgaard is gonna kill Daniel Craig and gives him that big speech about how people put themselves in unwanted situations because they’re too polite to potentially offend someone else? Yeah, this is like that but much lower stakes. If you’ve stopped caring about your game, and instead of feeling the wind of adventure on your face you only feel the slow, slow creep of the clock, this is your sign to stop playing. Showing up to an ongoing game only because you’re afraid to hurt you GM’s feelings, and then being on your phone the whole time is doing everyone a disservice. The game is at its most fun when people are invested.
Argue the rules
Who cares if your DM has lovingly crafted a world of epic fantasy filled by fully realized characters? What does it matter that dozens of professionals worked hundreds of hours to make a delicately balanced system that flawlessly blends game design with emergent narrative? You thought Tasha’s Hideous Laughter did something else and goddamn it this is the hill you will die on. Most D&D players have been at a table where one person spends way too much time debating the DM. It wastes time and is a major vibe slayer. Read More...
