Printable Version of Topic

Click here to view this topic in its original format

Dumpshock Forums _ General Gaming _ A bad egg?

Posted by: Micheru Dec 6 2004, 04:13 PM

I hope this is okay to post here. If not, please move it, mods.

I'm having some issues with one of my players. Badly enough, he's my oldest player in this group, he started playing when I was 16 and he was 15, in highschool. Our games back then were pretty much 'Quake with a system', meaning there was no content other than shooting npcs for fun.
I was a bad GM, in otherwords.

In college I learned a better way, and have not turned back. I have a group of 4 players, not including myself, and this player is the worst of them.
He's autistic, but he also reads alot, and writes fanfiction, so it's not as if he's a 'terse machine' like a lot of autism afflicted.

He lacks any articulation.
His posts are slow and few between, when he doest post, it's like two words, such as "I shoot him."
In our last game we began with the players in their respective domains (the runners in their reconverted firehouse, and the security guard acting as their guard at his office, so the runners got into their vehicle, and that 'scene' ended, switching to the guard for a few minutes. When it turned back to his group, he was still posting about loading his weapons into the van when they had already left in the previous part of the game.
He rammed a concrete wall and nearly killed the party with the same van, because he didn't pay attention to my post:

QUOTE

[20:28] <Micheru> You're at the checkpoint to enter the neighborhood. Two men in cherry red full body armor but no helmets motion you to stop. They have handguns drawn, and SMGs strapped to their shoulders.

So, he rammed the wall.
(Our adept loved it, by the way:
[20:32] * Doc_Martin thinks of a beautiful haiku in motion as his life flashes before his eyes in bullet-time while the collision happens.)

But this stuff constantly happens, we've tried to coach him through sessions, reward systems (better toys in game, karma, etc.), and quite a few things.

This player is also my roommate, and he's a friend (yes, I mixed pleasure and shadowrun) of myself and the group, getting rid of him is not an option.

He's dragging behind, like a smoker in a triathalon. I keep having to deduct karma* points, or give him less. I honestly don't know what to do with this guy. Any clues from fellow GMs.

NOTE: We play in the shadowrun world, with a lot of the system's basic rules, but we use a custom dice/karma system of my own creation, after GMing through highschool and college, if anything I wrote doesn't seem to fit.

Posted by: Caine Hazen Dec 6 2004, 08:41 PM

Well I hate to admit it, but kicking might be easier on you. It's always a rough choice, especialy with folks you've known awhile, but sometimes any effort you put in is not enough. If the player is slowing things down or making everyone else misreable, they gotta go. Trust me, I had to do this with my roommate just recently. It's rough, but my group is going so much smoother with him out. Strangly though I still play in his group later in the week with no hard feelings.

Posted by: Micheru Dec 6 2004, 09:24 PM

Everyone (not just me) likes him alot, we're all rl friends who hang out, watch anime, play video games, and smoke together. We all like him, and want to rp with him. He slows the group down a bit, but I don't think any of us want to kick him out but as a last solution. We also use him, because he plays our brick wall of an orc samurai. He can take quite a few damages and still run.. He's our powerhouse, and the only one who enjoys playing a powerhouse.

Chatlog, I'm Micheru, he's DC:

Micheru [7:41 AM]: Doc has 11, Kana has 20, you have 2, and KJ has 15.
Micheru [7:42 AM]: They can all go up one or two levels.
DarkClaw [7:42 AM]: Point being...
Micheru [7:42 AM]: If you don't start paying attention, being inginuitive, and running your place, you will be left behind statwise.
DarkClaw [7:43 AM]: You know I know that why are you RUBBING IT MY FACE, HMMM?
DarkClaw [7:43 AM]: .................
Micheru [7:44 AM]: Calm down.
Micheru [7:44 AM]: I am reminding you this, because you're failing at shadowrun, and everyone knows it, and wants to help you.
DarkClaw [7:45 AM]: I DON'T need to have thi s rubbed in by you.
DarkClaw [7:45 AM]: Because it's YOUR fault.
Micheru [7:45 AM]: That's not what I'm d--- WHAT!!?
DarkClaw [7:45 AM]: You taught me one thing then jump to another?
Micheru [7:46 AM]: *a good ammount of cursing removed*, just because I roleplayed differently in highschool? I learned a better way, and I'm TRYING to teach you it.
DarkClaw [7:46 AM]: ......sorry
Micheru [7:47 AM]: Whatever. Do whatever you want, but as long as you don't pay attention, and DC continues to stumble behind the party, you will be losing karma.

Posted by: Fortune Dec 7 2004, 12:25 AM

QUOTE

you're failing at shadowrun

Definite sig possibilities!

Posted by: Micheru Dec 7 2004, 12:28 AM

Heh

Posted by: Doctor Funkenstein Dec 7 2004, 12:29 AM

No offense, but I haven't seen drama like that since the last time I read a really really bad comic book where they tried to use drama but failed miserably.

"Oh Marsha, you're failing at Shadowrun... we're trying to help you. I know I used to roleplay like that once... but I learned a better way, dammit! You must, too, or we'll be forced to leave you behind forever!"

"Shut up, Stan! It's all your fault! You taught me to be this way! Quit rubbing it in my face, you bastard!"

Posted by: grendel Dec 7 2004, 12:34 AM

Part of the problem might be that you're gaming over chat. When you post descriptions of the surrounds and the locations of friendlies/opposition, he may be unable to visualize the scene correctly. This would lead to a sense of confusion on his part and would continue to reinforce the theme of hitting it with larger and larger caliber weapons until it stops moving, rather than working smarter. I understand that you may be using chat because your players are separated by distance, but it's something to look at if you're seeking a solution to the situation. Chat may not be the root problem, but I'll bet it's exacerbating the situation.

Posted by: Micheru Dec 7 2004, 12:41 AM

QUOTE (grendel)

I understand that you may be using chat because your players are separated by distance, but it's something to look at if you're seeking a solution to the situation. Chat may not be the root problem, but I'll bet it's exacerbating the situation.

We're all in the same city (save for one player who is just out of city limits), but we all have various problems meeting irl to game, it's much easier to get together online.
Darkclaw has been the same in my irl games.
I think it may be that he doesn't pay attention, such as going into other channels and not watching the game, or watching anime in another window.
Anyhow, I don't plan to cause drama, or drag this out. I am going to give an ultimatim at our game on thursday, if he doesn't start paying attention, he will not be welcome to join in the games anymore.

Posted by: Leowulf Dec 7 2004, 04:33 AM

Just a few thoughts here:

From that little bit of text, it's obvious that your friend Darkclaw has an inferiority complex about his being autistic.

Do you think that, being autistic, he has fixated on the way he originally learned, and that now he is having trouble learning the difference?

He may be one of those people who looks at the keys when he types.

From what I know about autistic people, it is thought that autism may be caused by an underdevelopment in their ability to hear, which causes their mental development to be less because they receive less stimuli from the world around them. This can be partially overcome with years of learning therapy.

Have you tried reminding him when he is behind in the game where you actually are? The pace of the game may have gotten ahead of him. A gentle reminder, such as, "We're in the van now, driving away from the dead bad guys," may help. Getting angry at him certainly does not.

I think having an inexhaustable amount of patience in this situation will be critical.

When you taught him before, in high school, were your teaching methods different from the way you are trying to teach him now? If so, you might try doing it the way you did before (one-on-one, I'm guessing).

Posted by: Fortune Dec 7 2004, 04:38 AM

I don't have autism, nor do I have a learning disability (outside of my normal insanity that is ), yet I look at the keys when I type!

Posted by: PBTHHHHT Dec 7 2004, 06:02 AM

QUOTE (Fortune)

I don't have autism, nor do I have a learning disability (outside of my normal insanity that is

), yet I look at the keys when I type!

Now, now. Admitting that you have a problem is the first step to recovery... oh wait that's for drug abuse...