Frustrations at the Table

 

Maybe I am just the grumpy guy on the stoop but there has been some situations at the table and some setting/campaign aspects (that can be pretty common) that have been wearing on me for awhile. I will concur that some of this is probably personal preferences but I feel like other things should probably be pretty standard operating guidelines regardless of what table you are at. I guess I will start with table/player behavior:

• Players Not Knowing the Game: I am not referring to learning curve or people learning a new game and the time it takes to get a good flow going. I am referring to when it is beyond that point and people are still asking what to roll and just having a low comprehension of the base rules/mechanics. This really should not be an issue when you are 30+ session into a campaign. It is about effort and I think it shows the level of care (actually lack of) that players can have towards the game, the GM, and the other players. With that being said, if a person has some type of learning disability I think appropriate support can be provided in the way of notes/cheat sheets/quick references (and other means) to help mitigate this issue. 
• Players Not Knowing Their Characters: This goes hand in hand with above but if a player cannot be bothered or has the inability to learn the basics of the game they have volunteers to participate in then at least learn their characters. Understand your characters abilities, what bonuses go where, what equipment you have, what your spells do, and so on and so on. 
• Too Many Players: So, I get it. The GM has a lot of people interested and is excited to run a game. Though, when there are a lot of players (and some of these players fall into the first two points) it can create a few problems. The first problem is creates a lot of work on the GM and the collaborative storytelling process. The second problem is the people who are more comfortable with role-playing tend to take the lead throughout the game as it is easier for the ones that are less proactive to sit on the bench until dice need to hit the table (it is also difficult for other players and the GM to engage everyone). The third problem is it can make combat am absolute slog (this slog gets thicker if NPCs are with the party). I have personally experienced 30-45+ minutes between turns. 
• Distracted Players: This can be heavily influenced by the Too Many Players (especially when you are waiting 45+ minutes for a turn) points but also the first two points can be contributing factors as well. Though, players getting distracted on their phones (especially their phones), getting up and being away from the table consistently (I am not talking about bathroom breaks, snack breaks, etc), and other random activities. I think the risk of distractability increases even more for the players who are more passive as well. I will be the first to admit that I have fallen victim to being distracted myself and I am not proud of it. 
• Consistently Going Against the Grain: I am not referencing occasional character goal differences or thinking one quest is more important then other and so on. Or even some great RP that may cause some inter-party or even inter-player issues. What I mean by this is the players that consistently do not read the room, have goals that do not align with the party's goals, their characters cause in game trouble for all of the other characters, act in selfish ways, and so on. 

Taking a break and a deep breath from the real world table, now I want to dive into some points about setting/campaign aspects. I am aware that these are probably going to be more about my personal taste but I want to talk them about anyways. Who knows, you may even agree with me but as always, mileage may very. 

• Magic Shops: I get the whole high fantasy thing and there is nothing wrong with an oddball merchant or a shop of oddities here and there. Though, when Magic Shops are so common and all you need is enough coin to equip your character like a pay to win video game it takes some of the magic out of magic. Also, I think magic items should be more impactful and when you have a backpack full of them, well they lose their luster and importance of them to both the characters and the players. In my games, magic shops simply do not exist and I will tailor items to make sure no one gets left out cool items as the campaign goes on. 
•  Mountains of Gold: This can play into the first point but also, when the characters are so rich and are able to start lucrative businesses, afford just about anything, and do not want for anything their intrinsic motivation for the main quest line, save the world, or whatever it is lessons. At this point, domain level play should become the focus. Though, treasure and its availability is on the shoulders of the GM and by an extension the publishers of adventures (but this will probably never happen), campaigns, stories, etc. Characters should be rewarded but kept hungry for more. I think it is important for the GM to also strain the characters resources as needed. 

I thought I had more points to make in this section when I sat down to write this. Maybe I am tired but thank you for tuning into another episode of What Really Grinds my Gears!