3/30/2009 - Battle!

Bad DM, bad, bad.

Wait a second, I resemble that.

lol, want to expand on that grump?

Yeh, same here. Sometimes I just get so sick of all the rolling and arguing and whiny players, I just say, "Alright, you know what? *insert bailout here* Happy?" I'm pretty pathetic... O_O'''

Yeah, I admit... I do that too.

But I warn my players before the start of a campaign, that any ruling must be argued outside of game time. So, if a rule cannot be found within 60 seconds, or if I dont feel like wasting that 60 seconds, I just houserule in a very simplistic way and we'll check the real rule afterward. This is usually to maintain the pace of the game.

(When they are in town and wonder the rule on an enchantment, I dont mind the players looking up the real ruling in the books, but in a life-or-death situation, when a trap sprung, the cleric is down, the warrior confused and the wizard is facing a umberhulk in a dead magic zone, I dont want to argue over the amount of beer the bottomless mug offer!)

I try and play close to the guidelines, (read rules) but if I am the DM and the rule lawers and the supermen are dragging the game down I remind them it is my world and I am God and my ruling will be obeyed and they will smile or bad thing will happen soon.  The rule lawyers are the first to protest and the quickest to feel my wrath. 

Example:  A 3rd level Wizard with a super high score lost his right arm and a cursed long sword that would not let him die got grafted to his left arm, (read could not let go of it).  He didn't age and he only gained points at half the rate of everybody else.  Only a sacrifice of their life by somebody who loved him could rid him of the sword and only then could he start using his Wizard powers. 

Took a long time before a fellow player made the sacrifice.  She was my blind cleric and was rewarded richly, the sword transformed into a staff that more than made up for her loss of sight and the temporary death put her in communication with her god at will.  

My rules lawyer couldn't stop being a rules lawyer but he wasn't as vociferous about it any more.  The only reason he put up with it is that it was an epic level adventure started at '0' level and I had him hooked on the story line.  I tried to get that campaign going on P&PG but so far no takers.  It is not a game for PBP and I put too much work into it to let it start up then die a languishing death. 

Don't want to be a party pooper, but just noticed that even if ethan has 8 carisma + trained he would still have a +6 since Tieflings have a +2 to bluff :)

Hey, good point!