[Dreamation 2008] Troublesome Munchausen
Iskander:
Quote from: Michael S. Miller on February 01, 2008, 04:12:13 AM
a player whose name I never learned
That was Jeff "Kingdom of Nothing"[/i ]Himmelman.
My guess is that we saw something close to Eero's second example: geekpoint-scoring by casual atrocity. It certainly didn't sour me on the game qua game, but I'll never sit down at a table with that guy again.
Claudia Cangini:
Quote from: Eero Tuovinen on February 01, 2008, 05:39:27 AM
I agree in principle that out-of-game intervention is required to set players on the same track as regards social convention.[...]
I've had several similar experience through the years - playing a lot of games like Dust Devils and My Life with Master at conventions is sure to bump into inappropriate weirdness if any of the players are prone to introducing such. I would categorize these situations into three boxes, perhaps:
[...]
Eero, I'd like to ask you something.
I've already demoed a lot of DitV and PTA at Cons and are about to do it even more in the future (plus MLwM) with Narrattiva , the italian publisher of this games.
Your description of "difficult" players sent a shiver down my spine.
Until now it seems I've been lucky and my demos always proved pleasant and smooth, but if you have any suggestion for how to deal with the problems you mention, know I would be very interested in hearing about it (to be prepared if I ever meet those!).
Best!
Callan S.:
Michael,
Before diving into the unpleasantness, would you acknowledge your using constructive denial? As in, during the game insisting for example 'French poodles on the moon is exactly what a baron munchausen game is'? But now your out of the game you could say that really that isn't strictly true? But it's rather fun during the game to believe that is just what a baron game is?
It's possible to talk about the unpleasantness, but I think if we have to talk to each other in double talk about what the game 'really' is, talks will be fruitless.
Eero Tuovinen:
Quote from: Claudia Cangini on February 02, 2008, 04:01:02 PM
Until now it seems I've been lucky and my demos always proved pleasant and smooth, but if you have any suggestion for how to deal with the problems you mention, know I would be very interested in hearing about it (to be prepared if I ever meet those!).
Really, my best advice is to not get into a game with an unsuitable person. There are a lot of folks with problems in my second and third categories (the first one isn't that much of a problem) in roleplaying; I have no idea if it's something in roleplaying that attracts them or if the general population includes so many maladjusted individuals as well, or what.
The problem cases (type III) I've encountered the most have been friends and friends of friends who hang out in the same circles and therefore have opportunity to get into the same games with me; I used to accept anybody into my table if they paid lip service to the goals of the game. Nowadays I've started simply saying no to people who I know are desperate enough (in a geek kind of way) to come into any game and promise anything for the chance to play, regardless of whether they're actually willing or capable of communicating in the manner required by the game or group in question. If the person in question is a friend, I'll usually try to arrange to have games that are actually suitable for them now and then. So if a guy is uninterested and incapable of dealing with violence in the responsible manner that Dust Devils requires for it not to descent into a gratuitous rapefest, for example, I try to include him in a game of D&D or something like that, which I know to be along the lines of his expectations and preferences. I don't mind, I can play a lot of different games as long as we're clear on what we're doing.
The situation is a bit different when you're demoing games at conventions. The type III guys have not been much of a problem in those cases, mostly because a short demo usually doesn't manage to hit their sore spots. Type II, on the other hand, has certainly come up lots of times. A rape scene is typical of the behavior here, I think, as people know that it gets a rise out of others. I'm reminded of a session of Under the Bed once where a certain player bid for social dominance by trying to have a priest molest the child - pretty awkward for the group, to be sure, and rather similar to the Munchausen situation the Dreamation crew encountered.
My technique for these type II situations has been to use GM power constructively - a player like this is usually well used to having an authoritative GM keep him in line (that's why he's acting so impossibly when given the freedom, after all), so it's not like you're repressing somebody in an untoward manner. Just act authoritatively and perhaps a mite offended, signaling your displeasure, and the player will usually recognize that you are actually judging his actions - usually a person like this will get out of hand to begin with due to a game that purports to share power, which he then interprets as a god-given mission to test the robustness of the system and where the lines (social lines, that is) of acceptable behavior lie. Just act like a traditional GM on the social level (while not doing anything on the rules level), and a player like this will usually desist. Usually they don't come around and come to adore any given game during such a demo, but at least you've averted the situation, allowed other participants to enjoy and kept your face - this is important in the long run, as even a rather childish social terrorist of this ilk will grow up in time and may come to appreciate what you have to offer in a year or two. I've certainly met situations that are exactly like that!
A more general lesson for us all, perhaps - the social power wielded by the GM to signal displeasure with inappropriate action is, appropriately, a power that all players should share. An adult group with shared commitment to the game shouldn't need one player to act as a judge of inappropriate situations, so nowadays I try to act the same whether I'm the GM or not - if somebody flouts the social set-up as I perceive it, I'll certainly call for a time-out and call the player on it. Roleplaying tradition has, for no reason at all, vested this power on the GM only.
Claudia Cangini:
Thank you so much Eero.
Your taking the time for such well thought advice was much appreciated.
Best!
--
Claudia
Navigation
[0] Message Index
[#] Next page
[*] Previous page