GM Yoshi
Squire
Posts: 33
Favorite D&D Class: Warpriest (yes, yes, yes, Pathfinder, Hybrid class, Awesome)
Favorite D&D Race: Oread (Pathfinder race... I know) (Earth Genasi in D&D)
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Post by GM Yoshi on Jun 3, 2016 3:46:51 GMT
I have four players in a game, and they are all in one way or another problem players:
Two of them are followers who will just do whatever the rest of the party does. One of these two has no interest in the role he plays or storyline. He is only there to be with his friends.
Another one ends up always falling into the leader role, because he tries to push the storyline even when the rest of the party does not care to.
The fourth player tries as hard as she can to drive the party AWAY from the storyline. This is because she enjoys roleplaying and exploring new options, but I have a really difficult time getting her to be interested in the story I have set up.
How can I get my players more involved in the world and story? They do okay in combat.
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Post by joatmoniac on Jun 3, 2016 8:06:08 GMT
Kill them all, and rip their character sheets up in front of them while maniacally laughing, so as to establish dominance!
Ok, so that's all terrible advice as you know. I would first try and see if the player that is very into the story can help bring them in. Given that the story is already underway, I'm not sure how tied the character's backgrounds are, but that is one way to potentially help the active player bring in the less active ones. The player that avoids the story will likely need their personal stakes in the game raised, but that may be difficult as well. You already mentioned that piece. If possible you could play the quantum ogre game, in that when the player strays they happen to stray into things that would most likely lead them back into the story. Those are just a couple potential ideas that may help, but I'm sure other people have more.
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Post by donosaur on Jun 3, 2016 14:01:43 GMT
Is there a way you can indulge the player who is more interested in roleplaying and exploring side options? If she's like, oh so the wounded knight with the haunted gaze who's seen the rebirth of a dark god is cool, but I bet this FISH MONGER is REALLY interesting...give the fish monger a plot hook. It doesn't have to be part of your main story, maybe just a fun side romp to give them some XP and RP opportunities, with subtle reinforcements of your main story sprinkled throughout it.
I admit that I am also challenged by the whole "let your players tell the story they want" advice, because it's hard! But it might be easier than you and the story-leader player trying to drag everyone else to the plot.
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GM Yoshi
Squire
Posts: 33
Favorite D&D Class: Warpriest (yes, yes, yes, Pathfinder, Hybrid class, Awesome)
Favorite D&D Race: Oread (Pathfinder race... I know) (Earth Genasi in D&D)
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Post by GM Yoshi on Jun 3, 2016 14:32:26 GMT
The problem with indulging the anti-story line player is that she tries to derail any story even if it is based off of something she has done, for example, in the fist city that the party arrived in she went around threatening shop keepers and guards until she was thrown in jail. All said and done she had amassed a bail that would have wiped out most of her remaining gold to pay off, several hundred gold. Because of a high will save she overcame the silence spells placed on her, so she spent her time in jail screaming insults at the guards. By the time her court date had arrived the party had been split for about a session and a half. So I created an ad hoc dungeon to clear as community service, and had the judge recommend that she bring her friends. This was met by a chorus of train sounds as she wanted to continue on alone, but the split party was causing problems with the other players.
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GM Yoshi
Squire
Posts: 33
Favorite D&D Class: Warpriest (yes, yes, yes, Pathfinder, Hybrid class, Awesome)
Favorite D&D Race: Oread (Pathfinder race... I know) (Earth Genasi in D&D)
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Post by GM Yoshi on Jun 3, 2016 14:40:12 GMT
Also with using the characters back-story is posing a problem because all of them have stereotypical tragic back-stories where everyone they knew or are related to have died and so far no one has been willing to expand on that, to say how or anything like that.
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Post by donosaur on Jun 3, 2016 20:53:55 GMT
Have someone from their past who died tragically show up years later perfectly fine.
Turns out, no one was murdered by the horde, they just Home-Aloned the PC and never came back for them.
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