Getting a New Group

[Gripmann]

So I'm getting a new game of Rifts started but I have a question. First a little background. I was the DM of a game for about 2 years which met every other weekend. I got burned out DMing for this group because of the group dynamics. The group consisted of 2 attention junkies (AJ's) who would play antisocial characters and run from the story line at any and every chance they got; one of the AJ's was also a power gamer; I had 2 LapDogs (LD) players that would attempt to jockey for male dominance of the group and would fail horribly at it and therefore, just ended up following the stupidity of the AJs because it was the "cool" thing to do, one of the LD's would spend forever on one turn attempting to decide what action his character would take and always ended up spamming the same attack; 2 female players that were strong role players but couldn't roleplay because of two reasons, 1.) the antics of the male characters or 2.) When it finally was their turn the men would cut them off, over talk them or run away to do something stupid and non-story related.

I tried various methods to end the game killing actions of the male players yet this behavior continued even after giving the AJ's less game time, talking to them out of game, and it ended with me killing off their characters. The group never worked as a team because each player attempted to jockey for dominance of the group. I had to end a game early on a particular occasion simply because one of the players had a temper tantrum when I rolled a natural 20 when assigning damage after the player decided to attempt to take an SDC grenade to his SDC face. The guy basically lost it and then took it out on his girlfriend in front of the rest of the players, who was also apart of the game, ended up cussing her out and repeatedly slamming doors throughout the home some of the things he said to her were so bad that I can not post them on here.

After all of this I think it's easy to see why I got burned out. It's been almost a year since I played and quite frankly I miss it. This brings me to my question:

How do you filter new people to find out if they are dumb players? Does giving a questionnaire really work? What ways do you have to verify the type of players your prospects will be before you start game? One thing I am positive of is that I do not want players like I had before, I just don't want to waste my time or others time. Any with this would be appreciated.

[johnkretzer]

It is hard to do that...how are you planning to recruit players? Also you have to realize sometimes one person can turn a otherwise good player into a lousy one. My suggestion would be if you see a problem with a player just kick that player out fast.

[mrloucifer]

My best self-advice has been to trust your instincts. If your looking critically at a potential player, ask yourself at the bare minimum "Do I get along with this person in real life?" if you cant be their friend, you CANNOT be their GM.

Another thing I've been doign the last few years is that I tell the new peeps that's that I'm putting them on a "trial basis" to see if they fit within the group. Most people who want to play are willing to do this and if it gets to a point that they dont mesh with the group well, let them know that and thank them for trying. The minimum should be six months.

I've had to turn away good players simply casue they didnt mesh with the "group well" and I encourage you to tell them such. It sucks, but it happens.

In the end though, I've got the best group I've ever had and were a team as much as we are a group, if not a family of our own.

[Gripmann]

I generally online invite people I know. Getting to know people for a little while can weed out the most extreme problems ahead of time, but you will never get what you consider a "perfect" player.

Unfortunatly the group above are the people I know. I know that I can't find the perfect player. At least one who can show up, maybe work with the group, not make character to upset others and maybe just maybe follow a storyline once in a while.

how are you planning to recruit players?

Looking online and local gaming stores.

Also you have to realize sometimes one person can turn a otherwise good player into a lousy one. My suggestion would be if you see a problem with a player just kick that player out fast.

Hmmm I never looked at it quite like that. I will have to keep that in mind. If I do find someone like that I will take your advice.

Another thing I've been doign the last few years is that I tell the new peeps that's that I'm putting them on a "trial basis" to see if they fit within the group. Most people who want to play are willing to do this and if it gets to a point that they dont mesh with the group well, let them know that and thank them for trying. The minimum should be six months.

I thought about doing this and didn't know if it was to hrash or mean. I don't mind kicking about out. I just didn't want to waste someone's time. I guess I should just feel the same about my time.

One more thing, would give a written Q&A be too much?

[grandmaster z0b]

Unfortunatly the group above are the people I know. I know that I can't find the perfect player. At least one who can show up, maybe work with the group, not make character to upset others and maybe just maybe follow a storyline once in a while.

Most of the problems I've had with players is because I was playing with the people I know. Close friends often carry their own personal baggage between them that can effect the game (sounds like what happened with the couple in your above scenario). In my case I think it was mainly because I had formed a group out of friends and most had never played RPGs and they weren't as into it as others. They didn't know the rules so combat was slow and they weren't playing enough attention. Of course as a GM I probably could have organised everything better and made the game move faster to keep people interested.

From now on I'm only going to play with people who are into role playing and understand how it works, which includes not being a power hungry jerk.

One more thing, would give a written Q&A be too much?

Yeah probably a little too much, but meeting up for a coffee or a beer or something and discussing your style of gameplay and how they like to play should point out any red flags. If players know what's acceptable and what isn't then it's easier to give people warnings or removing them from the game.

[Khanibal]

Hanging out is pretty good. Once people start telling gaming stories, you can get a feel for the way they play. Try to keep the number of new players to one or two at a time. Ask if someone else in the group wants to "buddy" with them to help them through the mechanics. Attacking another player's character is suspect and should result in one person or another bringing a different, more group-compatible, character. Attacking another player, verbally or otherwise, is right out, and had better result in expulsion from the group, for the disruptive player.