Things you hate to hear as a GM

[drewkitty ~..~]

Let's play HALO.

When I was with a RIL RP group I heard the equivalent to that many a time. "Let's play Quake"
But it was probibly more fun cause we were playing against each other in a muti-playing LAN game.

[LostOne]

Something I hate to hear as a player, but having GMed a lot, I can sympathize with:

"Sorry guys, I don't feel like GMing tonight. Let's <do something else>"
or
"Sorry guys, crazy week, didn't have time to plan. Let's <do something else>"

[drewkitty ~..~]

snip..

"Sorry guys, I don't feel like GMing tonight. Let's <do something else>"
...snip

LOL yep Ive heard that one many a time while I was in that IRL group
My current on-line GM just fails to show up.

[LostOne]

Player makes a really stupid move (think pulling a gun on the president during a presidential address, tons of secret service around...that kinda stupid).
He ends up dead because of his stupidity.

"You're a killer GM."

[Natasha]

Player makes a really stupid move (think pulling a gun on the president during a presidential address, tons of secret service around...that kinda stupid).
He ends up dead because of his stupidity.

"You're a killer GM."

Indeed. Just not the way he meant killer.

[Vrykolas2k]

"Can I make a character like (insert movie/tv character here)?"

[LostOne]

"Can I make a character like (insert movie/tv character here)?"

Or comic book. We had a huge comic book nut in our group in high school, and once they discovered HU they were always wanting to make up a clone of their current favorite superhero to play in our Rifts games.

[Vrykolas2k]

"Can I make a character like (insert movie/tv character here)?"

Or comic book. We had a huge comic book nut in our group in high school, and once they discovered HU they were always wanting to make up a clone of their current favorite superhero to play in our Rifts games.

I'd forgotten about that one; I had one of those too, but I think my mind blocked her out to protect me...

[bigbobsr6000]

Things you hate to hear as a GM?

Player 1
Player 2
Player 3
Player 4
Player 5

All at the same time.

[Svartalf]

Any time the party munchkin comes to the DM with "I have a new character idea. I found this really supercool OCC/RCC/PCC online..."

no

Yeah... I've had enough trouble with those REALLY COOL combos from PB published material... I dinna wanna hear about no ubermunchkinny stuff that's never been vetted.

[Svartalf]

That's awesome.

I just don't get that boy sometimes...new game, everyone's level 1, but he wants to bring in his level 6 whatever with tons of powerful even customized gear and abilities.

would you take my ubermunchkinny demigod character even if I downgraded him back to level 1?
oh, and would you take my Maxi Man straight from Splynn at level2?

[Svartalf]

"Can I make a character like (insert movie/tv character here)?"

Oh... yeah, you know how many times I've had morons want to play jedi knights in every game BUT star wars?

[Svartalf]

"Can I make a character like (insert movie/tv character here)?"

Or comic book. We had a huge comic book nut in our group in high school, and once they discovered HU they were always wanting to make up a clone of their current favorite superhero to play in our Rifts games.

C'mon, I just LOVE playing Wolverine clones .

The trouble is knowing the game well enough to find what reproduces the desired effects best.
Then again, I can make a better Logan in Shadowrun than in HU... go figure.

[LostOne]

"Can I make a character like (insert movie/tv character here)?"

Oh... yeah, you know how many times I've had morons want to play jedi knights in every game BUT star wars?

God yes...I still remember the day a player found a Jedi OCC conversion on the internet somewhere, before the no-conversions policy went up.

Don't get me wrong, it was a pretty faithful and decent conversion, but more powerful than I wanted in the game, and the ENTIRE GROUP wanted to be one, all good guys modeled after Luke Skywalker. Made for a rather dull game with no character vareity. This was before Phantom Menace came out.

Fast forward...?6? years and we're playing Star Wars d20. I think we had six players at that time, only one wanted to play a jedi, and he was dark (although hid it from the group well).

[LostOne]

All you need is major psionics and a TW Lightblade if you want to be a jedi-like character.

Been a while since I read a TW Lightblade, can it parry energy attacks with ease? Back at the shooter?

[Talavar]

All you need is major psionics and a TW Lightblade if you want to be a jedi-like character.

Been a while since I read a TW Lightblade, can it parry energy attacks with ease? Back at the shooter?

Only if you made it with Targeted Deflection as a secondary feature. On its own, the lightblade spell does nothing to help someone parry energy attacks.

[LostOne]

Me; “ Ok from the top roll your pilot motor cycle skill-
Cut off by the player: “what motorcycle skill?”

Followed by the character applying the brake far too hard, flying over the handlebars into the middle of 30 zombies. His new battlecry? "Braaaaains......"

[Talavar]

All you need is major psionics and a TW Lightblade if you want to be a jedi-like character.

Been a while since I read a TW Lightblade, can it parry energy attacks with ease? Back at the shooter?

Only if you made it with Targeted Deflection as a secondary feature. On its own, the lightblade spell does nothing to help someone parry energy attacks.

According to the spell description, Lightblade can parry energy attacks, it just doesn't have a special bonus. I'm assuming that means you use your regular bonus.

And what's the regular bonus to parry an energy blast, considering it's -10 to dodge one? There are a number of weird lines for some items like that, about parrying energy blasts, and most of them don't play nicely with the current RUE combat rules. I wouldn't let a player do it without a serious negative, or the targeted deflection spell of course.

[Northern Ranger]

Okay, this will probably incite hate mail, but here goes. Obviously I can't post it here, but if anyone would like to check it out, I DO in fact have a Jedi Conversion. Recently finished, but I'd love to get some feedback on it. Did it as a request for a buddy who... yup... wanted to play one in PF. Anyways, it's a little tongue in cheek, but not much and I think it actually turned out very good and highly playable. He's making one now and I'm kind of looking forward to seeing how it works out. So... any takers? I could e-mail it to you!

[Northern Ranger]

Okay, I see your point. But my creation is loosely based on Jedi. There's no Sith, certainly no droids, as it was created for PF, and they're not quite as "goody goody" as the traditional Jedi Knights. But I see your point.

[kirksmithicus]

THACO - one of the biggest reason I switched to palladium in the first place. I still cringe when I hear it or read it. My only regret with playing D&D is that I didn't find Palladium FRPG when it first came out instead of ten years later.


One of my all time favorite qoutes was from a game I played in when I was in the sixth grade, and man am I glad this guy never played in any game I ran.

after losing his +5 vorpal sword

"I'll pull out my other +5 vorpal sword"

Turns out the guy had kept everything we had ever run across, his characters equipment section was four pages long! and he had 4, +5 swords, but only two of them were vorpal. Yes it was a very munchin sixth grade D&D game.

In fact we created a attribute rolling method named the "sixth grade D&D" method. All characters start with an 18 in every attribute (and if you don't believe that I actually rolled that you can ask my little bother, he was there!) then you roll 2d6 when the DM finds out and subtract that from 18!

[BookWyrm]

*cell phone ringtone interrupts play* "Sorry gang, I gotta take this."

"Can I borrow {insert any & all gaming equipment here}??"

"Whadayamean, my character's dead?!"

"Hey, you can't do that!"

[LostOne]

here's a fresh new one, happened last night:

(During the recap of last session, campaing in Alberta area)

GM :"...So at the end, <PLayer A> was severly wounded, the nearest hospital was three days travel away and the Theif had stolen all of the groups money"

Group Leader: "That's not what happened! none of us got hurt at all, and we kicked that guys A**!, besides, we were in Lone Star City!"

GM: "No, you were not. I have it writen right here"

Players: "This is Bull S*#!, you're just trying to cheat us!"

Writes on notes while saying, "and the group leader was brutally murdered."

Gotta love people with questionable memories. Honestly I've never had players like that. Usually the ones I've played with have trouble remembering where we left off. I usually start the night with a question to the group "ok, where were we?" and the first person to answer correctly gets some bonus XP, leading to people making notes at the end of a session for next time.

[Vrykolas2k]

This is a response to PCs....

"No, you cannot be Drizzt."

I'd allow it.
He and his armour are SDC...

[LostOne]

This is a response to PCs....
"No, you cannot be Drizzt."

I'd allow it.
He and his armour are SDC...

And his scimitars will do him no good against a juicer with a laser rifle from 2000ft.

[Svartalf]

This is a response to PCs....

"No, you cannot be Drizzt."

I'd allow it.
He and his armour are SDC...

while the legion of zin'carla he's bound to have after him are all MD ... sweet... do you think the Matrons have murder wraith technology at their command?

[Damian Magecraft]

Potential new player to me (the GM)...
It is my (the players) job to @#$% up the game world and your (the GM) job to stop me.

yeah he never got invited to sessions.
He is the reason I interview potential players.

[Vrykolas2k]

Does "GM" actually mean "Gay Man?".

[Vrykolas2k]

This is a response to PCs....

"No, you cannot be Drizzt."

I'd allow it.
He and his armour are SDC...

while the legion of zin'carla he's bound to have after him are all MD ... sweet... do you think the Matrons have murder wraith technology at their command?

Well, I'd guess magical weapons/armour are MDC... I just don't remember Drizzt's armour being magical.
As for murder wraith tech... that would be great!

[LostOne]

Does "GM" actually mean "Gay Man?".

I'd go out on a limb and guess that a player saying that is a homophobe. As such I'd act gay just to get him to leave.

Might offend some, spoiler for the weak.

Spoiler:

"Why yes, it's my job to bugger your character until he dies from it. BTW, have you heard my rule about hummers? Give me a hummer and you get a million experience points. Everyone did it last campaign, they all became gods, fought gods, turned out to be a great game. Shall we go to the back room?"

Seriously, had a GM with that hummer rule...no one ever took him up on it, because the punchline of the joke is that once you get the million experience your character is a god and thus removed to be an NPC in the GM's control.

[The Beast]

here is one that really bugged me up until recently
"I run down the hall laughing like a madman.)

What's wrong with this? I do it every day. It helps make your enemies think twice before doing anything against you.

[Syndicate]

"NEVER SAY NEVER!"

"He's gotta have a weakness...what is it G.M.?"

"Can I borrow some dice?"

[Vrykolas2k]

Does "GM" actually mean "Gay Man?".

I'd go out on a limb and guess that a player saying that is a homophobe. As such I'd act gay just to get him to leave.

Might offend some, spoiler for the weak.

Spoiler:

"Why yes, it's my job to bugger your character until he dies from it. BTW, have you heard my rule about hummers? Give me a hummer and you get a million experience points. Everyone did it last campaign, they all became gods, fought gods, turned out to be a great game. Shall we go to the back room?"

Seriously, had a GM with that hummer rule...no one ever took him up on it, because the punchline of the joke is that once you get the million experience your character is a god and thus removed to be an NPC in the GM's control.

Some of my best players have been un-politically correct.
Hell, in many ways, I'm not politically correct.
Just ask them to tone it down when gaming. No need to get rid of someone, unless he/she is a complete freak.

[csbioborg]

Of course they have murder wriath tech they turned Zaknefein Drizzit's father into one at the last moment ZAk broke free of thier control and had drizzit strike him down (WOC releaed thier respective stats Zaknefein is five levels higher and in all other ways better than Drizzt)

[LostOne]

Of course they have murder wriath tech they turned Zaknefein Drizzit's father into one at the last moment ZAk broke free of thier control and had drizzit strike him down (WOC releaed thier respective stats Zaknefein is five levels higher and in all other ways better than Drizzt)

I simply flatout hate it when anyone tries to bring their favorite fantasy novel character to one of the Palladium settings.

No Drizzt, Raistlin, Fizban, Wulfgar, Haplo, etc.

I remember another player playing a horribly powerful conversion of the Patryn (Haplo) RCC in a Rifts game. God, he practically had access to all spells in all books and nearly unlimited PPE. He must've been performing sexual favors for the GM or bribing him somehow, because this GM usually was pretty strict in what he allowed in his games.

[Xar]

Of course they have murder wriath tech they turned Zaknefein Drizzit's father into one at the last moment ZAk broke free of thier control and had drizzit strike him down (WOC releaed thier respective stats Zaknefein is five levels higher and in all other ways better than Drizzt)

I simply flatout hate it when anyone tries to bring their favorite fantasy novel character to one of the Palladium settings.

No Drizzt, Raistlin, Fizban, Wulfgar, Haplo, etc.

I remember another player playing a horribly powerful conversion of the Patryn (Haplo) RCC in a Rifts game. God, he practically had access to all spells in all books and nearly unlimited PPE. He must've been performing sexual favors for the GM or bribing him somehow, because this GM usually was pretty strict in what he allowed in his games.

But Haplo isn't really tremendously powerful in the books. A powerful Patryn, certainly, since he escaped from the Labyrinth, but not uber powerful...If I remember correctly, that is. It's been a while since I read them.

[csbioborg]

I played what was fundmentally Havey Bullock in BTN does that count?

[Vrykolas2k]

Tasteless movie quotes; they offer nothing to the game, and slow things down with idiocy.
I don't watch Monty Python, so I've no interest in anything they have to say at a session.
Sometimes such things completely destroy what might otherwise have been a poignant scene.

[LostOne]

"I don't care if you are the GM, if you can't point out the vaunted rule zero in the book, then you should follow the rules as written and not change stats of the badguys to suit your whim."

Screw you, if I left the stats alone, you'd be whining that I wasn't challenging you. Just because you memorized the stats of everything in the book and think you have the upper hand because of it doesn't mean I'm not allowed to throw you a curveball. Keep this rules lawyering up and you'll be looking for another group. Seriously, when have you ever played in a campaign where every badguy kept exact book stats?

[drewkitty ~..~]

"Can this RCC take this OCC?"

A valid question but, it usually reeks of munchy.

Its only a valid question if spoken by a newbe, since they don't know that RCC's can't be anything but their RCC. If it's spoken by a experienced player, then call that player "munchkin".

lol I'm a newb my friend said that R.C.C's can pick occs. <maybe he was just letting me have more fun

If a char of a race that has an RCC, picks a OCC , that char has the OCC powers, and does not have the RCC powers. Thus, while of the same race as those with the RCC they are not a part of the RCC. That is the proper response to said question. Which turns off most munchkins from trying to get around the no multi-classing rules.

[Rockwolf66]

lol I'm a newb my friend said that R.C.C's can pick occs. <maybe he was just letting me have more fun

If a char of a race that has an RCC, picks a OCC , that char has the OCC powers, and does not have the RCC powers. Thus, while of the same race as those with the RCC they are not a part of the RCC. That is the proper response to said question. Which turns off most munchkins from trying to get around the no multi-classing rules.

I have a Momano headhunter who is racially an Amazon. While she does get the Amazon racial Psychic abilities everything else is Straight up Momano Headhunter. When all is said and done the character's as powerful as a regular Amazon only with beter high tech skills.

What I find really funny is that a Friend has an Operator who's an Amazon. Makes for a very interesting character concept especially if you know Mechanics and repairmen of any stripe.

[Vrykolas2k]

If a race has abilities but no skills, it isn't an RCC.
Too, if a race can take an OCC instead of an RCC, it still has its racial abilities, since it's still its race.

[Balabanto]

The thing I hate to hear most as a GM is this:

"I commit suicide."

There are very few situations where committing suicide is the right course of action, and quite frankly, a good GM should always give a PC a way out, even if it might be a little humiliating or unpleasant. That shouldn't be a solution to any problem.

[Mercalocalypse]

The sound of a character sheet ripping.

[devillin]

I have a Momano headhunter who is racially an Amazon. While she does get the Amazon racial Psychic abilities everything else is Straight up Momano Headhunter. When all is said and done the character's as powerful as a regular Amazon only with beter high tech skills.

What I find really funny is that a Friend has an Operator who's an Amazon. Makes for a very interesting character concept especially if you know Mechanics and repairmen of any stripe.

Wow, those are some cracks I'd love to see.

[dark brandon]

"Dark Brandon wants to game with us"

[bigbobsr6000]

"Wait, I'm looking in the books for my next action."

[bigbobsr6000]

Cellphone ringing and taking call.......10 mimutes later..yak..yak..yak
(no crisis or emergency, just BSing.)

On their electronic device between their turns. "What are we doing now?"

Ipod plugged in one ear. So loud all can hear.

[Severus Snape]

1. When I start up a new game, I always get a player who asks "Can I import a character from another game? I know he's already level 8 and this game starts at level 1, but I want to use him instead of creating a new character." No, you cannot do that. Even with characters you create for games I run, you cannot do that. Create a new character. I don't care how attached you are to the other character, or how much fun you've had playing him, or that you've munchkin'ed the crap out of him and want to use him in every campaign. No. Don't ask. You already know I'm going to say no.

2. It's been said many times in this thread before, but I hate it when we are in the middle of doing something in-game and someone takes a non-emergency phone call. It usually happens during combat, and the call always last no less than 15 minutes. The amount of time I have to game is very limited, and it shows a complete lack of class for you to interrupt our time gaming together to yak on the phone and ignore the fact that you and I were in the middle of something already. Not to mention that you are telling me and the other players that the game isn't interesting to you at that point and that you'd rather be somewhere else. Which is why I've implemented the following rules for cell phone usage during games:

• Cell phones are on vibrate. If it rings, you lose 100 experience points. If it rings more than 3 times in a single gaming session, you're out until the next time we can game.
• If the call is not from family, don't answer it. If it isn't from family and you answer it, you lose 100 experience points. If it isn't from family and you are on the phone more than 5 minutes, you're out until the next gaming session.
• If the call is from family and it is not an emergency, you have 3 minutes to state your piece and get off the phone. Longer than 3 minutes and it's not an emergency = you're out until the next session.

There is no non-emergency phone call so important that it cannot wait until we take a group-agreed-upon break or we are done gaming. By taking phone calls in the middle of the game you are telling us that you'd rather be somewhere else doing something else. It's rude, and I won't stand for it.

3. I hate being in combat, and the very last person to take an action in the current round says "Give me a few minutes - I'm looking through the books to figure out what to do." Really? You are the last person to act in this round. You couldn't figure out ahead of time what you wanted to do? Couldn't get a couple options together to cover a few different scenarios in case certain things happened? Couldn't go through your books before your action? No? Well, guess what - you just lost your action due to indecisiveness. Not fair? No, what's not fair is that you've had at least 10 minutes of real time to figure out what to do, but instead of doing that you've been goofing off and cracking out of character jokes at what's been going on in-game. Get your head out of your ass and be a little more prepared with your next action.

[The Dark Elf]

Biggest thing is when all the players have a laugh about something non rpg related (which is ok) but then when you have a laugh with one or two of the players about a nn rpg issue the other players say "can we just play some rpg pls?!"

Hello, kettle, this is pot. - you're black!