Quote of the Week from my gaming group...

[Susano]

Okay, this one hasn't popped up in any of my campaigns, but it came into my mind the other day and I can't think of anywhere else to use it.

FIGHTER: You're talking to a myconid?

ROGUE: Hey, he's actually a fungi.

[You might want to say it out loud...]

Don't make me hurt you.

[Kirby]

Off topic to the thread, but maybe the new player would have a better time, and be up to speed faster, if someone actually helped them, instead of yelling at them and abusing them for making errors. I like to get an experienced player to "buddy" the new player for a few sessions (freeing the GM from this task).

Kudos to you!

My gaming group lost two players recently, one's job has new hours so she can't play and the other is her boyfriend (which, while it stinks that he won't play because she can't, I really respect him for that). This was half the PC base. One player has mentioned that two more people have asked to play. As long as they aren't munchkins and are willing to play, I'll be more than happy to help them along. (My first chance to meet them will be the Sunday after Thanksgiving.)

[Kirby]

Here are a few quotes from a couple of Champions games I've run. Canadian Sheild was the "serious" game, and MegaCity was a "Mystery Men" style low-point comedy series of games.

Quite a few funny ones there. Thanks for sharing.

[gewing]

OOOOHhh fun, why did this happen?

This is from the DnD game I play in ever couple of weeks.

Dan (GM): Chris (our dwarf fighter) you notice that you've started itching and your skin is getting rather dry and just as you get your experience level *pop* you have 4 new arms appear. And new eyes appear on top of your head.

Me: Oh great, his intelligence is low enough that he'll start following his ioun stone (little stone spinning around the top of his head). He'll start spinning in circles and make himself so dizzy that he'll fall flat on his rump.

[AndrewD2]

On the world we were in there had been a huge magical war. All the critters on the surface are huge and many things had been turned into insectoids. That would include the dwarven race. We came from another world and crash landed in this odd little world. And, apparently there is enough magical energy left from the war that our dwarf is turning into the insectoid dwarves of this world.

Most of this came from a homebrew campaign that my gaming group has been working on for years. It can be found at http://www.laww.org . It can be interesting at times.

[Rebar]

"Off topic to the thread, but maybe the new player would have a better time, and be up to speed faster, if someone actually helped them, instead of yelling at them and abusing them for making errors."

Hardly. Much fun was had by all. (Perhaps I overstated the drama a little.)

Besides, there is somethin gto be said about encouraging a player into taking some initiative on her own - even if it's not the most strategic move - rather than garden-pathing her.

[teh bunneh]

In our light-hearted fantasy game, our group is on a long sea voyage, and Dutch (my barbarian who lives to fight) is bored out of her skull. When we spot a pirate ship, she begins gleefully preparing her weapons for the coming battle.

The pirate ship pulls alongside our ship and the two captains begin parlaying, shouting at each other (very polite pirates, it would seem). Dutch is growing more and more frustrated as the exchange continues.

Pirate captain: Do you have anything actually worth plundering?
Our captain: Not really, just some...
Dutch: Gold! Piles of gold and treasures from the orient! And you'll never get your scurvy hands on it, you dogs!!!!
Our captain: Oh, shit.

Dutch got her fight.

Bill.

[Hugh Neilson]

"Off topic to the thread, but maybe the new player would have a better time, and be up to speed faster, if someone actually helped them, instead of yelling at them and abusing them for making errors."

Hardly. Much fun was had by all. (Perhaps I overstated the drama a little.)

My post is general - your specific game may not have had a frustrated new player, but commonly that is the result. It depends on how much of this goes on, and how much more helpful feedback the player gets.

Besides, there is somethin gto be said about encouraging a player into taking some initiative on her own - even if it's not the most strategic move - rather than garden-pathing her.

The "buddy" has to be mature enough to help the new player, and provide options, without simply running the new player's character. But having a source for "dumb rule questions" that doesn't subject a new player to abuse by the group is generally important if you want the player to enjoy the experience. As well, my experience is that groups that are intolerant of little "errors" like Detect Danger when the danger is upon them aren't any more tolerant of poor tactical choices (such as firing off an NND at an automaton) or asking "stupid" questions (like "What about my NND" "NO, stupid, automatons don't take BOD.")

" heavy sigh It's 3d6, the same as the last three times you asked" echoed by everyone around the table isn't providing positive reinforcement to the new player.

I'm taking your snippet very much out of context, of course, and your game specifically may not have this problem, but I see a lot of "elitest gamers" who are quite rude to those who aren't fully conversant with the same rules it took them many years to become fully proficient with.

[Logan D]

At work, while between calls, a friend in the next cube over is enthused about a new game he's playing called Ancient Worlds.

"I'm conquering the Galaxy!
I mean... the planet!!...
I mean, this island here!..."

"Dude, that's England..."

"I've got it under control!!"

[Bucky]

After one of our party rolled a critical fumble,

DM: "It has to be bad, but it has to be entertaining as well."

Another line, earlier in the same campaign.

My character, Bucky, (University professor in process of becoming Steven Strange-ish) "We don't actually NEED a large naked green girl. But it would help."

[Koshka]

D&D game, opened up with the wedding of the sister of one of our PCs. The reception was organized by two NPCs described as "clerics of the god of parties", and the DM is going through the list of what's going on, "jugglers, dancers, swordswallowers ..."

"Oh, Cirque de Soleil came for the wedding."

[SCUBA Hero]

Our superhero group is flying across central Missouri, trying to locate the hidden base of the magical/technological villain who has kidnapped the hostages...

We see a low stone wall, covering a circle about two kilometers in radius. There are incredibly complex mystic runes on the wall.

Kendrick (the mage) blows his Analyze Magic rol1.

"Wow. It's incredibly complex... brilliant really. I can't quite make it out... seems to be some sort of..."

The plane flys over the wall. Instantly, the countryside is replaced by an ultra-modern base. Troops are everywhere. Scout cars and APCs are warming up. Mecha are beginning to turn towards us.

"...concealment spell. Oh."

[Hypnotoad, the]

Okay, from Sunday's Star Wars game.

Our intrepid little group has just snuck into a small Imperial Garrison, intent on diverting power for our nefarious little purposes (we're rebel scum, after all).

Anyways, the main soldier in our group happens to be a Zeltran hottie ( ) named Lisa, with...huge tracts of land. When we get into the power core, we find it's occupied by a freckle-faced rookie tech and a nervous protocol droid. He gives up rather quickly...

Tech: "Believe me, miss. I'd never cause trouble for anyone with guns as big as yours.

Lisa (misinterpreting): "That's sweet. Why thank you..."

Naturally, the rest of us sort of groaned.

[Magmarock]

Dr. Silverback didn't show up to accept his award during a ceremony where he was to be the guest of honor. Afterward, our heroes, Tiger-Eye and Shard of UNIT 1, went to the Cambridge Biotechnologies building to check up on him.

Nighthawk had gotten there before us and lay wounded in the trashed offices of Dr. Silverback. Tiger-Eye pulled him out of the burning room, while Shard put out the fires... all this just as Defender and Saphire arrived.

Tiger-Eye, crouched next to Nighthawk: "Who did this?"

Barely conscious Nighthawk: "It... was Holocaust! He.. he took Dr. Silverback!"

Looking up at Saphire and Defender, Tiger-Eye asked: "Why would Holocaust want Dr. Silverback?"

Saphire: "He's a world-renowned geneticist!"

Tiger-Eye: "Well, where's his security guards?"

Defender: "How much security does a 500 lb. gorilla need?"





Mags

[gewing]

Dr. Silverback didn't show up to accept his award during a ceremony where he was to be the guest of honor. Afterward, our heroes, Tiger-Eye and Shard of UNIT 1, went to the Cambridge Biotechnologies building to check up on him.

Nighthawk had gotten there before us and lay wounded in the trashed offices of Dr. Silverback. Tiger-Eye pulled him out of the burning room, while Shard put out the fires... all this just as Defender and Saphire arrived.

Tiger-Eye, crouched next to Nighthawk: "Who did this?"

Barely conscious Nighthawk: "It... was Holocaust! He.. he took Dr. Silverback!"

Looking up at Saphire and Defender, Tiger-Eye asked: "Why would Holocaust want Dr. Silverback?"

Saphire: "He's a world-renowned geneticist!"

Tiger-Eye: "Well, where's his security guards?"

Defender: "How much security does a 500 lb. gorilla need?"





Mags

Now THAT is a damned good question!!! LOL