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Old 07-18-2018, 12:04 PM   #1
Boge
 
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Default How do you handle players glory hogging?

I couldn't think of a better term, but we all know it...

Your group walks into a room and there is a locked chest. All players want to open it or try lock picking it. All players want to rescue that princess. All players want to disarm that bomb. Granted, not all of them will be capable, but those that could, want to. How do you determine who gets to be the one to get the glory? First person to blurt out? Person with the highest skill, fastest speed? Should the players be running to it, racing each other?

How does your group handle this sort of thing?
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Old 07-18-2018, 12:11 PM   #2
ericthered
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Default Re: How do you handle players glory hogging?

I have a few methods.



The first is by role playing. My games tends to have structures, relationships, and jobs among the PC's. The "Leader" may assign someone, or it may be obviously in one player's role.


The second is by skill rolls. If they have to argue about who gets to do what as characters, I bring out the social skill rolls. A player can reject a result from this, but in the game it will make them look bad: the guy who rolled higher on fast talk won the argument, and what he described is best.



For things like "Who gets to the treasure chest first", I play it out, complete with rolls. The exact roll will depend on skill, but I like to use DX, with PER and tactics occasionally coming into play.
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Old 07-18-2018, 12:24 PM   #3
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Default Re: How do you handle players glory hogging?

Do you guys keep player skill levels secret and figure it through role-playing, or do you throw it out there? I think putting it out there would be a lot easier. If I have a lockpicking skill of 12 and someone else has 15, it seems clear to me who should be picking it.

Another idea I came up with, which I really like and need to give it more testing, is a buddy system. With certain tasks, players should be able to help each other. For instance, you're trying to fix a broken vehicle and multiple players have mechanic skills. Identify the main "fixer" and the "helpers" roll against their skill first. For every two they make their skill by, it adds +1 to the main fixers roll. Of course, something like picking a lock can't really use help.

Another idea is everyone rolls and you take an average and go with that. I think this would work well with Stealth as every time 4 people are sneaking around, someone rolls bad and it ruins the sneak for everyone. Of course, something like picking a lock can't really be averaged as it's a one person job.
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Old 07-18-2018, 01:28 PM   #4
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Default Re: How do you handle players glory hogging?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Boge View Post

Another idea I came up with, which I really like and need to give it more testing, is a buddy system. With certain tasks, players should be able to help each other. For instance, you're trying to fix a broken vehicle and multiple players have mechanic skills. Identify the main "fixer" and the "helpers" roll against their skill first. For every two they make their skill by, it adds +1 to the main fixers roll. Of course, something like picking a lock can't really use help.
And conversely, sometimes people can actively hinder despite not trying to. Imagine being told "Make a will saving roll" and then the player - having failed the roll, being told (It is hard to concentrate on what you need to do, you suffer a -2 penalty until you are able to concentrate to tune out the distraction" Then hit the player with diminishing returns if he keeps failing his will. Effectively, the irritation plus the actual distraction becomes harder and harder to ignore. Not that we have EVER experienced anything like that in real life right? *snickering*

As to the other question about players telling each other their skill levels? If you have two individuals who are relatively at the same level of capability with a skill, they might see themselves as largely equal. If they've never seen the other person handle the situation - then they shouldn't act on that information. That's bad role playing. On the other hand, how many times have you in real life watched someone try something, fail, and then ask "Can I try?"

<shrug>

Until we try and fail at a task, we usually think we've got a good shot at succeeding at our self-appointed task.
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Old 07-18-2018, 02:20 PM   #5
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Default Re: How do you handle players glory hogging?

For actions which take a single tempo, I would say "he who shouts first goes first." If players keep arguing about precedence, I would add "no takebacks" (and no "are you sure you want to do that?" from the GM).

For lockpicking and other tasks which take tens of seconds or more, the players can roleplay their characters arguing about it, four people going at the same lock just means that none of them can do anything.

A good GM in a traditional adventure game will reward teamwork and punish players who work against each other on the main plotline.
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Old 07-18-2018, 02:32 PM   #6
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Default Re: How do you handle players glory hogging?

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Originally Posted by Polydamas View Post

A good GM in a traditional adventure game will reward teamwork and punish players who work against each other on the main plotline.
For that matter, sometimes players punish players who don't work well with the overall team.

;)
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Old 07-18-2018, 02:37 PM   #7
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Default Re: How do you handle players glory hogging?

Quote:
Originally Posted by ericthered View Post
I have a few methods.
Pretty much everything ericthered said is what happens at my table.


Quote:
Originally Posted by Boge View Post
Do you guys keep player skill levels secret and figure it through role-playing, or do you throw it out there?
At my table all rolls are in the open, so pretty much all Player Facing* numbers are in the open. Occasionally someone will play someone with a 'secret', and we'll set a 'fake number' they are rolling against and calling out for the other Players to overhear and I'll know the real numbers and handle the play accordingly.


* I tend to keep bonuses and penalties that aren't immediately obvious hidden and thus always ask for the PCs MoS or MoF, and not just "Did you succeed?".

Quote:
Of course, something like picking a lock can't really be averaged as it's a one person job.
I've thrown in baroque locks that require more than one person dealing with more than one part of a lock to get past it.

I took inspiration from all the 'two lock' systems you see in movies and such where it takes two or more people 'turning keys' simultaneously to unlock something.
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Old 07-18-2018, 05:43 PM   #8
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Default Re: How do you handle players glory hogging?

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Originally Posted by evileeyore View Post
I took inspiration from all the 'two lock' systems you see in movies and such where it takes two or more people 'turning keys' simultaneously to unlock something.
That's awesome. I'll have to suggest things like this more often to our GM to implement.
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Old 07-18-2018, 05:58 PM   #9
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Default Re: How do you handle players glory hogging?

I really haven't had this particular problem. What I've had more trouble with is players butting heads over roleplaying time, things like stepping on each other's lines when one of them was trying to deliver a dramatic or funny line. Two of my long-established players have clashed over that repeatedly, and occasionally become seriously angry. But getting to roll dice isn't much of an issue, perhaps because my players tend to divide up the functional capabilities so that it's usually clear who is the best to attempt a task.
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Old 07-18-2018, 06:58 PM   #10
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Default Re: How do you handle players glory hogging?

Have them captured and devote an entire session to a gruesome torture scene?
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