Steve Jackson Games Forums - View Single Post - What's the worst DM bad habit you've encountered

rpd · 03-12-2020, 06:27 PM

For me it was with a friend who just didn't take account of his players when he wrote campaigns. An example would be the first time I played with him, a 3E game. A murder mystery campaign with supernatural elements set in the 1960's, seemed like it could be fun. Psi powers were allowed, but low levels. I designed a character that had Empathy and a few levels of ESP. I ran it past him a few weeks before the game, he approved it. Seemed good.

Thing is during the game despite the fact that all my skill levels were 12-14 only 2 out of 8 of my skill rolls actually succeeded, because it became clear that he hadn't put enough thought into how my characters abilities would give the party an advantage so in order to stop us solving the crime too quickly he just kept on deciding that my powers automatically failed.

It wouldn't have been so bad if he had corrected the problem after the first session but it continued over all three sessions. By the end the other players were calling my character counsellor Troi. Incredibly frustrating experience, I had no chance to play the character I designed and was left in limbo the whole game. None of us could understand how he hadn't accounted for it. I mean really, you never thought that the guy who could see through things would try to look inside the safe no one could open? Or use his psychometry to try and figure out what room in the house the murder took place in? He did something like this every time he GM'd. Baffling.

Anyone got any experiences they want to share?

03-12-2020, 06:27 PM	#1
rpd Join Date: Feb 2020	What's the worst DM bad habit you've encountered For me it was with a friend who just didn't take account of his players when he wrote campaigns. An example would be the first time I played with him, a 3E game. A murder mystery campaign with supernatural elements set in the 1960's, seemed like it could be fun. Psi powers were allowed, but low levels. I designed a character that had Empathy and a few levels of ESP. I ran it past him a few weeks before the game, he approved it. Seemed good. Thing is during the game despite the fact that all my skill levels were 12-14 only 2 out of 8 of my skill rolls actually succeeded, because it became clear that he hadn't put enough thought into how my characters abilities would give the party an advantage so in order to stop us solving the crime too quickly he just kept on deciding that my powers automatically failed. It wouldn't have been so bad if he had corrected the problem after the first session but it continued over all three sessions. By the end the other players were calling my character counsellor Troi. Incredibly frustrating experience, I had no chance to play the character I designed and was left in limbo the whole game. None of us could understand how he hadn't accounted for it. I mean really, you never thought that the guy who could see through things would try to look inside the safe no one could open? Or use his psychometry to try and figure out what room in the house the murder took place in? He did something like this every time he GM'd. Baffling. Anyone got any experiences they want to share?