The TPK: Players Perspective

[Mulsiphix]

That actually makes a lot of sense. Unless a player was going out of their way to disrupt the entire group I would wait until I had a moment alone with them to talk about the behavior. I think I would much rather have to deal with some unpleasant situations than save myself the trouble and not experience any face-to-face gaming at all. I think I've played alone long enough

[rabkala]

While I haven't had to give anyone the boot for awhile, the last guy just got an email. Nice and easy. You know,
"Dear John, Your ignorance of the game, ridiculous power-gaming ways, constant complaining, and the way you make such disgusting sounds snacking at the game table has put a wedge between us. I am afraid you are no longer welcome at my game. P.S. Your character is dead Hahahahahahahahahahah!!!!"




Well, when you go
Don't ever think I'll make you try to stay
And maybe when you get back
I'll be off to find another way

And after all this time that you still owe
You're still the good-for-nothing I don't know
So take your gloves and get out
Better get out
While you can

When you go
Would you even turn to say
"I don't love you
Like I did
Yesterday"

Sometimes I cry so hard from pleading
So sick and tired of all the needless beating
But baby when they knock you
Down and out
It's where you oughta stay

And after all the blood that you still owe
Another dollar's just another blow
So fix your eyes and get up
Better get up
While you can
Whoa, whooa

When you go
Would you even turn to say
"I don't love you
Like I did
Yesterday"

Well come on, come on

When you go
Would you have the guts to say
"I don't love you
Like I loved you
Yesterday"

[Mulsiphix]

After the email was it done or did he come to the next game or at least reply with lots of horrible things to say about your DM skills?

[rabkala]

He never replied to my email or showed up at the game. He did send an email to a player who he thought might be sympathetic. It was quite the opposite though, as the players had repeatedly complained to me and made fun of him behind his back, especially that player. I will not tolerate bullying and mean spirited teasing at the game table. My protection had actually saved him from really knowing how much he was disliked. After the email we were shown, several of the players sent 'twitchy' very direct no-holds-barred emails to sink the point home.

[Skunkape]

He never replied to my email or showed up at the game. He did send an email to a player who he thought might be sympathetic. It was quite the opposite though, as the players had repeatedly complained to me and made fun of him behind his back, especially that player. I will not tolerate bullying and mean spirited teasing at the game table. My protection had actually saved him from really knowing how much he was disliked. After the email we were shown, several of the players sent 'twitchy' very direct no-holds-barred emails to sink the point home.

Do you know if this event has ever been posted elsewhere on the net? Reason I ask is it sounds very much like an event I read elsewhere. Don't remember which forum I read it on, but the thread was talking about problem players.

[rabkala]

I have posted this story twice before, to my recollection, so it is possible. It is hard to say for sure if it was mine.

I have posted many of my stories many times. Probably the most posted (about 10 times to my remembering) is,

I ran into many players like 'Sam' over the years. My worst was in 2e, lets call him Clay (mainly because that was his name, screw protecting peoples identities). I had just taken over DMing my brothers Saturday group. My brother had found a posting on a bulletin board at the local game shop from a person claiming to be 'highly experienced, mature, and a serious roleplayer'. When Clay returned my brothers call on Saturday morning, I agreed to meet with him in a few hours before we were to play.

Clay showed up at my house in a gold colored 1960 chevy under a cloud of blue smoke. He waddled to his trunk and retrieved several folders out of a blue plastic tote. He bounced to the door avoiding several puddles in the yard to shake my hand. Clay was quickly approaching 50, 350 lbs, bald except for a ring of greasy 2 foot hair which ran from ear to ear, and smelled of rancid babypowder.

We sat at the kitchen table and I offered some coffee. Clay declined as he only would put tea into the temple that was his body ?! As I sipped at my hot coffee, Clay lovingly opened his folders to reveal his characters. The calligraphy was quite beautiful, but the glitter sequins and childish looking character sketches detracted from the overall presentation. As he explained how his last DM had tried to wrongfully take away his achievements, I looked them over more thoroughly.

The lowest ability score on the three characters was a 20. Each character had a double sided page listing all his magical items and equipment. The pages of accomplishments were even more unbelievable. He said he would agree to play one of his characters in my campaign, if I would agree to several stipulations. I nearly spit my coffee across the table.

I must agree to change the pantheon of gods to reflect those he had killed. I was to not allow anyone to play an evil character or allow infighting. His items could not be stripped and his accomplishments were not to be taken lightly! Nobody could order out for chinese food during the game.?! As the demands continued, the rest of the group had started to arrive.

I tried to explain that we played a more realistic game and the snickers started. I explained he could play a real game with a new character and us, or go role play away his days waiting for another Jim (the DM who gave him this stuff) to come along. He began to get very red and agitated. I then said the group was all evil and Chinese was on the menu. He grabbed his characters and stormed out the door as the laughter followed him to his car.

[Mulsiphix]

That is both scary and hilarious. If he had stayed I would hate to be the player who had to sit next to this guy. What shocks me is that people like this actually exist and think their "holier than than thou" persona is not only acceptable but should be nurtured and catered to by strangers. I'm glad he was humiliated a little on his way out.

[rabkala]

Yes, every once in a while, there are players who you would like to torture. Maybe, repeatedly kill their character just to find their breaking point. I guess it just isn't good karma to torture people a little different than ourselves. Its not really in my nature.

In the end, most players are decent folk just looking for fun. It is never fun to give players the boot, but may have to be done for the greater good. Killing off characters is not the mission of a good DM, but sometimes it is also for the greater good.

[tesral]

I've never had a TPK outside of a convention game. I don't like them in the rare cases it does happen. As the DM I have the most fun when the players are having fun. Fun is the sole reason I am doing it. You need the threat of character death. It's a spice that quickens the blood if you will. PC deaths keep people on their toes. Frankly, get off your toes and I will flatten your PCs faster than you can find a d20. "I" am never out to get the PCs. My circumstances or NPCs certainly can be out to get the PCs and I will play them to that end.

Fun, that is why I'm here. When fun is had, I have fun.

[Drohem]

That was fracking hilarious!!! Thanks for the good laugh, I needed it.

I wish I would run into a Clay myself. Adjust the game world for the gods his characters killed- oh man, that kills me! No stat under 20?

[Mulsiphix]

Holy crap I just got the "no stat under 20" bit. WHAT THE HELL IS THAT? So this guy had played these characters forever and wanted you to allow him to continue or he had created them and another DM had allowed them or? Didn't quite follow that. Couldn't stop thinking about the smell of baby powder. That bit just freaked me out.

[Drohem]

The ring of two foot greasy hair didn't help either . No chinese food? WTH is that about anyway?

That reminds me of some guys I knew but never played with way back in the early 80's. They told me about their games luckily, and after hearing about the games I declined to play with them.

They were definition of 'Monty Hall' style of play. One of the guys had a +50 sword. Someone made a Arrow of God Slaying. They literally had a Deities and Demigods book where the crossed out the god that was slain by this magic item. I was shown the book and which gods were slain.

There was a list of other insane magic items they had, and their exploits in gaming. But those two have stuck in my mind over the years.

[rabkala]

Clay played these characters with his original DM. While I tried to explain how ridiculously overpowered his characters were, he continued to insist that he earned these characters with the greatest DM of all time (his friend Jim). I pointed out that if he looked at the rules, there was no way his characters could have killed all these gods. I spelled out the fact that these human characters would have died of old age before accumulating tens of millions of experience points. I made it very plain, so as not to confuse him, that even with that strength his character could not even carry all that equipment and magic items. Nothing seemed to sink home...

I met several other players who played in very unrealistic/ rules breaking games over the years. There were power gaming, rules lawyering, foolish weasels with the very inception of the game. Some, just didn't know any better.

So, while I hate to repost stories over again and bore people, here is another that kind of fits in with the whole TPK aspect of this thread...

In a recent group I DMed for, we had a rather horrible moment. The campaign started in a D&D world, progressed into the modern world, then returned to the home brew D&D world. The story was about an evil wizard who had developed a spell that warped time. The wizard was bringing modern items back to his own time in an attempt at world domination. The low level party had no chance against this wizard and were stuck in a dark future. After many adventures adapting and becoming shadow chasers in the future, the group found a way to return to the past. The group consisted of six characters who were really screwed up due to the sudden mixing of D&D classes with Modern classes. They were all about 15 total levels each, very powerful, and armed to the teeth with tricked out modern weaponry. After one quick battle upon their return, they found a room of portals. Without any experimentation or investigation, they walked into a portal. One by one they followed the leader into the vacuum of space. Since it was time to end for the night, I decided to leave them hanging as I tried to decide on how to rescue the game. One of the two newest players, both brothers in their 20's, started to cry and quickly left. They never returned...

[Digital Arcanist]

Let me tell you the tale of a Drow Duskblade who sought fame and fortune in the surface only to be snuffed out by a pompous ass.

A group of close friends and I started a nice little group led my a DM named Tim who actually thought of himself as beautiful.

Our characters played traveled across the main continent fighting evil and finally helping to defeat a reincarnated half-fiend warlord bent on conquering the known world.

Throughout our escapades my character often broke from the party to scout around and do roguish things. I came across a cursed Kingdom where the oncoming forces were camped. I snuck around for a few days in the castle looking for clues and stealing items. I found the vault one evening and exhausted all my spells to break into it. I was rewarded for my ingenuity and stealth with a Ring of Three Wishes, a Deck of Many Things, and a Frostbrand a;ong with some jewels and coins. Now the ring and sword I took from the cursed king's person and the deck and jewles were from the coffers in the vault. I also stole plans for an aqueduct and some geological surveys of the surrounding land.

I traveled back to the party and from there we rode to the southern kingdom where our employer, the king, was. I gave him my information about the advancing army. On the side I sold him the plans for the aqueduct and the surveys. He paid me handsomely and I invested in a play house and college.

I used a huge portion of the money to divine the nature of the ring, sword, and deck. The DM told me exactly what they were and gave me the pages in the DMG to look at. I also asked if any of the items were cursed. He told me they were fine. Well the rest of the players overheard that I got some treasure they didn't and threw a fit. The DM stood up for me and said that I took the most dangerous job and brought back the information needed to save the kingdom.

To make matters worse, I felled the warlord and saved the kingdom by using my Frostbrand to put out fires. Everyone praised my name but of course the players were pissed because two of them died. They were of course resurrected for free.

We then traveled to another continent at the behest of the cleric's deity. We actually got there on a massive ship, I bought as well. On this new continent we found a strange race of beings besieged by evil forces. We followed some clues to a dungeon that was apparently a prison for this super-powered vampire thing. It bespelled us and we were sent back to the main continent to take it over. To get there, we had to travel back through the strange settlements. While there, these beings discovered we were evil now and fought us. They killed the cleric, knight, and the rogue in the first round. I used my ring to whisk myself, the wizard, and fighter away.

It is important to note that while adventuring on this new continent, the DM has been play-testing decks for a new CCG he liked instead of paying attention to us. Earlier on this final day of play, the DM came to me and said that he had to take back my Deck of Many Things and my Frostbrand because the other players were complaining too much. I was pissed but I said that was fine it means we can get along again.

Now upon wishing my "friends" away, the DM says the ring I was allowed to keep is actually cursed and we end up in the throne room of a lich. I carefully word my next wish and I wind up on the deck of my ship, but the ship is underwater and sinking because it was attacked by the strange beings on the new continent. I use my Silent Spell ability and cast Expeditious Retreat to swim through the wreckage and to the surface. I make it with one round to spare but am fatigued. I swim back to shore and spend a few hours resting.

Now I have to make it back home in hostile territory and all of my companions are dead and I have no gear. I dodge patrols for three days before being cornered by 20 of these beings and what was described to me as a hovering tank. I use a Missile Storm spell and chain lightning in the same round due to some feats and Duskblade abilities. I was able to kill or incapacitate 19 of the 20 guards and damage the tank minimally.

Now it being the enemies turn to attack, the remaining guard misses me but the tank fires an energy blast at me and I use my dodge ability to take only half-damage which is a lot but I'm still fighting. I use the last of my powerful spells to kill the guard and nearly destroy the tank. During this final round I am hit again by the tank and fall to 0 health. The DM says I lose my turn because I'm at zero but I have a periapt of health which is supposed to give me back half my points when I hit zero. The DM gets mad but lets me have it anyway. I get back into the fray again and destroy the tank but am caught in the resulting "nuclear" blast and get disintegrated.

At this point everyone but the DM is cheering me on. Even some passersby come to watch me and cheer me on. I get PISSED at his attitude and behavior. I ask him why my slaying spells didn't work on the beings and he replies that they are not alive. I ask why my shatter spells didn't work on them. He replies that they are not constructs, plants, or undead. We all ask what they are and he replies that they are advanced androids. I ask him how my ring became cursed and he said he just made it that way. We all got mad then and asked him why he killed everyone and he replied that he was getting bored and it seemed fun to do a TPK.

Since then, no one will game with him and those of us in the last campaign won't even speak to him.

So I think you all can see my stance on TPK's.

[Malruhn]

He needed to be shot in the face with a hammer-gun.

Jerk.