Killer Shrike Posted August 4, 2003 Report Share Posted August 4, 2003 And all the above is why I SCREEN ALL PLAYERS FIRST. I have on occassion played with other groups, but I can usually get a feel b4 the game even starts if its going to work out, and simply abort if its looking bad. Ive been fooled a few times and gotten into a session b4 I realized how bad the group/certain players are. In those cases, I would just suicide or do something to get myself killed and leave..... Subsequently I dont have any horror stories to relate; they all pale in comparison to some of the above... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brandi Posted August 4, 2003 Report Share Posted August 4, 2003 My bad story is over at RPG.net. Search for "ruptured Halfling." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dei1c3 Posted August 4, 2003 Report Share Posted August 4, 2003 I will admit up front that my worst gaming experience is not nearly as bad as many listed here. I guess I've been pretty lucky because not only was it not that bad...it was pretty much my only bad experience gaming. I was playing a D&D campaign with some people from work plus my wife (who used to work at the same company). It was a pretty casual campaign with more emphasis on having fun together and hearing the GMs story than "phat lewtz" or "mad exp". At least it was at first. After two sessions, the GM asked if anyone minded if he invited 2 more people into the campaign. One was another co-worker and the other was his girlfriend. I didn't really want them to join (they weren't my favorite people), but no one else seemed to mind, so I kept quiet (lesson learned on that front!). So, they joined...and proceeded to annoy the crap out of me for the next few weeks. He was all about "working the rules"...you know the type. The guy who has the exact right combination of skills, stats and gear to maximize their combat ability. (Is this what people mean when they say "minmaxxing"?) Further...as I said, this was a pretty casual game and we hadn't been playing with all the rules and when he found out that we weren't using a rule he had planned to "work", he would start a debate about it. At one point (I forget the specific rule), he sent out a 5 page email detailing why the rule in question was a) vital and not that hard to use anyway (complete with a "dumbed down" description of the rule). He was also the kind of guy who had to make sure we were doing everything in the best possible way everytime, which basically meant the group went from friendly discourse about the big stuff to "serious debate" about every decsion, big or small. It once took us 30 minutes to determine shifts for guard duty when we stopped to camp for the night!! It got to the point where you'd be faced with the choice of arguing with him over everything, or just letting him decide what he thought was best...neither was very satisfying. She on the other hand, could care less about the rules (she barely understood them as far as I could tell)...as long as she got to be involved in EVERYTHING. She would do things like insist on being up with the Rangers whenever they went to scout something, despite the fact that she had no tracking or silent move ability. Or insist she get to try to open the chest before the rogue...again despite lacking the required skills. The latter example was clearly motivated by her other charming trait: Loot hog! She would do things like write down the loot as the GM read it off and then claim that since she was the one who had written it down, she had it on her person. She'd then dole out the loot, keeping an extra money or odd pieces that didn't divide up evenly. At one point, we found a royal armory that had a small number of very special weapons (well balanced, ornate, etc...). Much to her chagrin, she couldn't use any of them (wrong skills). She tried to argue that she should get one even though every weapon could be put to use by someone who could use it and would consider it an upgrade. She didn't get away with that. The "best" part of all this was their interaction with each other. She basically spent the entire time trying to undermine his character in-game because "her character didn't like [his character class]" (complete with the "What? I'm roleplaying" look of innocence). It was a constant "I keep an eye on him...cause I don't trust him." and "Are you all going to let him get away with that? I say we tie him up and leave him behind!" He in turn would spend the entire time berating her about rules. He would constantly point out every mistake or misuse of rules she made...before even the GM could say anything. If I had a nickel for everytime he told her "...which you would know if you had bothered to read the rules.", I'd be a wealthy man. Eventually (after 2 or 3 game sessions), I bowed out of the group claiming that I was too busy (which everyone knew was a lie since we all worked together). It wasn't my intent, but that spelled the end of the campaign as several other people quit right after I did. Ironically, we all came to find out that none of us wanted them in in the first place, but none of us wanted to "rock the boat", and that we were all sick of playing with them. Once again, lesson learned. The good news is that the demise of that campaign lead to discussions of Champions and next month I will be GMing the group through their first Champions campaign. Oddly enough, I seem to have forgotten to invite the Rule Worker and the Loot Hog. Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doug McCrae Posted August 5, 2003 Report Share Posted August 5, 2003 What are "phat lewtz"? Treasure, magic items, or is it something to do with bards? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doug McCrae Posted August 5, 2003 Report Share Posted August 5, 2003 Originally posted by Brandi Oh... you people have no idea... Go over to RPG.net and read this, this, and this.... The middle one was totally brilliant (and disgusting, too) probably the best roleplaying story I've ever read. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dei1c3 Posted August 5, 2003 Report Share Posted August 5, 2003 Originally posted by Doug McCrae What are "phat lewtz"? Treasure, magic items, or is it something to do with bards? Sorry...phat lewtz is what some types of players call treasure in general and good treasure in particular. Really...I can't stand that kind of thing and should probably not propogate it by using it, even in jest. Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Man Posted August 5, 2003 Report Share Posted August 5, 2003 Originally posted by Brandi Oh... you people have no idea... Go over to RPG.net and read this, this, and this.... You need to warn people they can't read the middle one at work. I'm sitting here tearing up, trying not to laugh. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blue Posted August 5, 2003 Report Share Posted August 5, 2003 I also enjoyed the middle one, though it's good to read the first one to get a feel for the "characters". And boy are they characters. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
altamaros Posted August 5, 2003 Report Share Posted August 5, 2003 Originally posted by Old Man You need to warn people they can't read the middle one at work. I'm sitting here tearing up, trying not to laugh. too late, my colleagues, ( although non-gamers) are passing the links. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bwdemon Posted August 5, 2003 Report Share Posted August 5, 2003 Running a pre-release demo of Hunter for several people, some of which were of the "unwashed gamer" type, one of which was wearing a rancid leather vest (no shirt underneath), on a hot August day... I've been to a lot of conventions, mostly large, and I've been hit by some pretty evil stenches in my time at those, but this was absolutely vile. Needless to say, it was one of the fastest demos I ever ran. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
misterdeath Posted August 5, 2003 Report Share Posted August 5, 2003 Originally posted by Killer Shrike And all the above is why I SCREEN ALL PLAYERS FIRST. Yep. Meet them on neutral ground, a restaurant you want to try out is good, because if they mess it up, you don't ever have to go back. Sometimes you get bad ones though. I'll dig out some stories, and be right back. D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zornwil Posted August 5, 2003 Report Share Posted August 5, 2003 Originally posted by winterhawk I have bored the learned panel with so many "bad gaming stories" over the years, I will not repeat them (and the crowd goes wild *YEAH*). The one thing that all of them have in common is the "cattle call". That's one of those cards posted on the FLGS/Comic Store "Looking for Players" corkboards. If you post one, good for you, but be prepared. There is a reason whoever shows up doesn't have a regular game, ranging from social retardation to rules lawyering to body odor so bad, you'd jump into a pile of manure just to forget it. If you show up for a "cattle call" game, good for you, but be prepared. There is a reason this GM needs players. It could be that he needs more fodder for his "agent-level" NPCs, who are refugees from from Krypton. Or it could be that he likes to have someone "who's not a friend", so he can pile on you while his "friends" wander off to find the Swords of Slaying and the +2 Plate Armor. I'm sure someone out there has had a good experience from answering a "cattle call". If you have, good for you. For the rest of us...Be prepared. I know this is OT to this thread, but as you mentioned it, actually I met the group I'm in now essentially due to a newsgroup "cattle call". It worked out great, though I was somewhat nervous about it. It was the first and only time I've responded to such. So just mentioning good things can happen. Also, I think if you're new in an area at least you can make connections that way, even if the group on a whole doesn't work out or some of the people in it don't. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tech Posted August 5, 2003 Report Share Posted August 5, 2003 I was going to post mine, but it's rather odd that everything except Champions was posted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lemming Posted August 5, 2003 Report Share Posted August 5, 2003 Originally posted by Tech I was going to post mine, but it's rather odd that everything except Champions was posted. Mine was champions, though I guess I didn't actually say the system it was implied. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
winterhawk Posted August 5, 2003 Report Share Posted August 5, 2003 Originally posted by bwdemon I've been to a lot of conventions, mostly large, and I've been hit by some pretty evil stenches in my time at those, but this was absolutely vile. Needless to say, it was one of the fastest demos I ever ran. I read this and had to relate this Convention Stink one, even though its slightly OT: I was attending on of my first Chicago Comic Conventions with a buddy of mine known for his brutal (if not cruel) honesty. We were at a vendor who speciallized in movie posters and stills, which the supplier kept in one of those really thick photo albums with its own stand. My buddy was at one end of the album, and a rather large guy steps up and browses the other end, placing him between my buddy and I. The stink that he brought with him literally brought tears to my eyes. My buddy turned to him, totally straight faced and said, "Dude, do us all a favor...put the comics down for 10 minutes a day and bathe! The large guy ran from the booth crying. I hope he started showering. Originally posted by zornwil I know this is OT to this thread, but as you mentioned it, actually I met the group I'm in now essentially due to a newsgroup "cattle call". It worked out great, though I was somewhat nervous about it. It was the first and only time I've responded to such. So just mentioning good things can happen. Also, I think if you're new in an area at least you can make connections that way, even if the group on a whole doesn't work out or some of the people in it don't. Your right, and I should have prefaced my statement by saying I met one of my best friends from a "cattle call". He is my gaming guru and I was honored to stand up in his wedding. Originally posted by Brandi Oh... you people have no idea... Go over to RPG.net and read this, this, and this.... OK, I think these links should be required reading for anyone who wants to post to this thread. Everything I have complained about is miniscule compared to some of this stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zornwil Posted August 5, 2003 Report Share Posted August 5, 2003 Originally posted by winterhawk (stuff snipped) My buddy turned to him, totally straight faced and said, "Dude, do us all a favor...put the comics down for 10 minutes a day and bathe! The large guy ran from the booth crying. I hope he started showering. (stuff snipped) I know a gamer who bathed every day but had an odor problem. The only reason I know he bathed was that in college one of the guys on his floor regularly witnessed that he did (communal bath area, individual stalls - so I suppose technically he could have been avoiding the water while standing in the stall, but that seems pretty unlikely). Unfortunately a few people just...smell. I would think there'd be some easy sort of masking treatment, like perfume, but I get the impression that it tends to make things as bad or worse. Although your friend was cruel (I mean it's not like he knows the guy or his circumstances or anything), on the other hand so many people never say anything that I'm sure some people with odor problems might go a long time not realizing the magnitude. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lemming Posted August 5, 2003 Report Share Posted August 5, 2003 OT: smelly smells Originally posted by zornwil I know a gamer who bathed every day but had an odor problem. It could be a diet problem. My mother-in-law would reek of curry for days after she ate it. Some people have the same happen with other foods. It all has to do with what enzymes your body produces to deal with intake. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LadyChaos Posted August 5, 2003 Report Share Posted August 5, 2003 Originally posted by ShelleyCM The gaming story was bad enough, but this....this is ridiculous! I've been hit on, but nothing so bad (thank heaven). -Shelley After so many years I can laugh about it. I use it as my example for "how not to attract females to your game" for guys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stephen Mann Posted August 5, 2003 Report Share Posted August 5, 2003 A mild worst con game Well, having read the previous stories, I can safely say that I've led a charmed gaming life. My worst con game had a table staffed with what seemed to be wonderful gamers, and a teen GM who hadn't really read through the adventure before the game started. Then he admitted he hadn't GMed before. The experienced con GMs at the table assured him that GMing a con game wasn't that different from GMing a home game. "No," he said, innocently, "I've never GMed before at all! A friend on the con council asked me to do this. I've played a lot, though!" What was truly sad, though, was the table across the hall that was running the same adventure. We could hear very clearly how much fun they were having! At the end of the session, we hadn't even gotten off page 1 of the 20-page adventure. Sigh. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
austenandrews Posted August 5, 2003 Report Share Posted August 5, 2003 I've met gamers who did bathe daily, but whose laundry regimen left something to be desired. My "worst gaming experiences" pale compared to fistfights and knife-throwing, so I'll refrain. -AA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkusDark Posted August 5, 2003 Report Share Posted August 5, 2003 Originally posted by austenandrews I've met gamers who did bathe daily, but whose laundry regimen left something to be desired. My "worst gaming experiences" pale compared to fistfights and knife-throwing, so I'll refrain. -AA How about toe-nail clipping at the gaming table? I think that is somewhere between fistfights and knife throwing so I'll mention it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Killer Shrike Posted August 5, 2003 Report Share Posted August 5, 2003 OK, Ill come clean. Er...I hate to admit this out of context, but I did punch the GM of one game in the face once. Sent him head over tail, GM Screen and dice flying, with a busted nose and a split lip. However, in my defense a) I had a lot of anger management problems as a kid we had a lot of bad history between us outside of the game (ranging from a wide variety of things, including but not limited to me "having relations" with a girl he had a thing for (but had zero chance with), and also a general distaste for one another from the day we met) and were only playing together due to the insistence of mutual friends/gamers, c) he was using the "GM Position of Authority" to make personal attacks against me d) I warned him that he was going too far and to stop it twice The group were split; half thought he deserved it, 1 thought it was uncalled for but he couldnt stop laughing, and 1 (the guys best friend) was really angry and ready to throw down, but he chickened out when he realized everyone else was ok with it. We just stopped the game and I started running something else the next weekend. I even invited the kid I punched, and after a few weeks of sitting out he joined the game. The whole thing really wasnt game related, it was just teenage fisticuffs between a group of kids that "hung out together"; this particular instance just happened to occur during a game. In retrospect, I cant really say Im sorry I punched the guy. He was a disgusting slob and just an all around slimeball who liked to talk smack and verbally abuse people but didnt have anything to back it up. Backstabbing coward type. Im just sorry it had to happen during a game session Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
umbra Posted August 5, 2003 Report Share Posted August 5, 2003 My worst gaming was when we were doing a Gurps game... We were on a new planet (stranded) and had to reach a certain area before our supplies ran out. The GM had us doing driving rolls and keeping track of our gas for two four hour game sessions (and that's all we did, driving rolls and record keeping). The funniest one was when I was in college. We had a GM who was very attached to his NPC's and Villains (i.e. the NPC's always came and saved us). We had found out the secret base of the villain and had tried to defeat him. The GM had the villain escape and since he was the Governor of the state, make a mutant registration law the next day. I protested, saying Governors just can't pass laws like that, you have to have the state government pass it. After everyone else agreed with me he said "how would I know, I'm an Engineering major" I replied that I was a high school graduate and I knew it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Watchman-BN Posted August 6, 2003 Report Share Posted August 6, 2003 Haven't posted much, so will y'all forgive the posting of several bad (but funny in retrospect) experiences? -I seem to attract people that like to try bad accents. We had one player who had a black, female, Jamaican character named Nexus, whose only noticeable Jamaican characteristic was ending every phrase with the word, "mon." "Hey mon. Lets kick their asses!....mon." Since this speech affectation was her only personality trait at all we started calling her "Cardboard." instead of her real name. -Then I tried a game, with a group I'd met on line. It was me (the newb), the Wacked Out Vet, the Vampire Wannabe Guy, and the Aggressive Gay GM who really wanted me to stay around. The GM developed a "realistic" early Renaissance game where I could have a cleric, but not a mace or any cleric-type spells. The only characters that weren't "realistic-ized" out of usefulness were rogues. The Vet and the Vamp, of course, both created min-maxed rogues. Worse, their only idea of roleplaying was to talk in Cockney accents the whole evening, while their min-maxed characters slaughtered every foe (with guns, no less), rolling their eyes at the uselessness of the Cleric-who-wasn't-a-Cleric. I lasted one night, although I got several emails and calls from the GM wanting me back. -In another group, during a heated game dispute we had a Big Gulp thrown, and $100 in gaming books ruined, by the player whose character was a minotaur fighter with....*sigh*...retractable claws that made a *snikt* sound as they popped out. In his defense, the player, not the character, had recently been fitted for Vampire teeth, so maybe biting his own gums had made him irritable. -Early on, in what turned out to be a wildly successful campaign, a fairly major villian died and collapsed on a shopping mall escalator. For some reason, I (as the GM) mentioned that his head was slowly bouncing as the escalator moved. Maybe I was trying to be a bit too descriptive, because one player, who hadn't been the object of attention recently and apparently couldn't handle it, announced, "My character pulls down his pants and kneels down by the the guy's head..." I'll mercifully end the story there, although he didn't. -Finally, we had a player who, while bored working his 3rd shift security guard job, would draw comic books about the characters in...unflatering stories. I have to admit, they were amusing as hell, but he turned all the characters he didn't like, into effeminate (or butch) mental cases. To give you an idea of the level of humor, one of the most creative characters was an energy projector type (Electron) who had inhabited the body of a dead enemy agent. He functioned in every way as a normal human, except that people recognized his face as that of an enemy agent (interesting roleplaying opportunities there). Of course, in the comic version, this character was drawn as a decaying body, complete with maggots crawling out of his orifices. Of course the maggots would die when Cardboard Nexus blew over in a stiff breeze, exclaiming, "Mon!" Each week in the comic, new body parts fell off poor "Electron" and the comic became so ingrained in our minds, Electron's player eventually created a new character just to stop all the jokes at his expense. Oh, and my character got off easy: In the comic he wore a Popeye hat and had a few extra zipper scars. The comic book writer wasn't dumb enough to really insult the GM. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lemming Posted August 7, 2003 Report Share Posted August 7, 2003 I just was reminded of a bad experience at a con game. Myself and a friend were both in this game. I was playing Ice Pirate (martial artist with skills up the wazoo) and my friend was playing a Speedster, Jet Stream. I actually don't know how I kept getting IP into games. She was 700+ points, but built with breadth as opposed to depth. So in some ways, she was good for torturing other players. Especially one of the other ones in the game. So in some ways, I wasn't helping a couple others to enjoy the game at the time. But I digress. The GM set it up as saying a city had been nuked and we were being sent to investigate. Err? Well, it didn't seem too bad yet. We went through some initial encounters, etc... and then got to the final battle. Mechanon was responsible and there was at least one other villian who we knew was evil because he was homosexual. Several of the players kind of gave that blank look toward the GM probably thinking as I did "He didn't just say that did he?" At that point my friend and I started having our female characters make comments making it look like we were a couple. The only other thing I remember from the game was that we beat up the villians and then the final word from the GM was that at the trial of Mechanon he was released because there were no witnesses that he had set off the nuke. Gah. At least we were able to make fun of the game. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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