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Play Like You Have To! => D&D Deliberations => : Arturick October 21, 2011, 01:45:01 PM

: I Think My New DM is Senile
: Arturick October 21, 2011, 01:45:01 PM
(Apologies if whining about games you're in belongs in another forum.  This seemed like the best match.)

"Well, in the game Frank Mencer's been running..."

I hear that phrase fifteen times a game night.  My DM hauls this out as a justification for whining about how "X is overpowered" and "Y is a broken feat."  He complains bitterly and constantly about things that party members want to do.  Just so you know, here's the party (at sixth level, with no alternate class features):

A Vow of Poverty Monk
A Half-Orc Fighter
A Scout
A Human Drd1/Brb5 building towards the Occult Slayer PrC
A Cleric building towards Radiant Servant of Pelor
A Conj3/Master Specialist 3 (me)

So far, we fought a swarm of low level undead...  (I shut them all down with Web and Grease while the cleric incinerated them)
A swarm of goblins...  (I shut them down with Stinking Cloud and the DPSers mopped up)
A troll...  (I shut it down with Glitterdust and the DPSers mopped up)
Another swarm of undead... (see above)
A swarm of giant ants...  (Cast Web.  Fill Web with Fiendish Monstrous Spiders.)

So, clearly, my frustration must come from the DM whining about how over-powered my Conjurer is and how I should really tone things down since I'm in a heavily Tier 4-5 party.  Nope.

He nearly had a psychotic meltdown when being told about the Half-Orc Fighter's Close Quarters Combat feat.  He declared that it "completely broke the system" and crabbed that it couldn't work since it contradicted the wording of Improved Grab/Grapple, which states "it does not provoke an AoO."

He cries about how he'll never defeat the Armor Class of the VoP monk, who will soon be massively overpowered thanks to the stat bonuses he'll start receiving next level.

He has direly warned us for not having a front-line fighter go sword-and-board to act as a tank.  (He thinks Knights are over-powered, by the way.)

He berated every single ability of the Scout as broken and stupid, bewailed the horridly overpowered nature of Skirmish, and brought the game to a screeching halt to read and reread Scout special abilities relating to Spot and Listen checks, before declaring that the Scout could only Spot or Listen in the same turn without burning actions.  He also apparently decided that the Scout could not see or hear multiple hiding/sneaking creatures in the same action.  The Scout has since left the game.

When the Cleric mentioned getting Divine Power next level, he sneered that the Cleric would probably never get to cast it, since the importance of in-combat healing drastically increases as you get to higher levels.

He's against Radiant Servant of Pelor.  He's not sure why, but he's against it.

He's keeping us poor, stating that he's reluctant to give out money in a system where you don't have to pay for training to level.  He cited as his perfect example "Frank Mencer's game" where you have to pay 1000gp x new level to level up.

He doesn't allow Cleave on AoO's.  He also forbid the use of Cleave against various enemies for...  ummm...  thematic reasons?  (A group of stirges were ineligible for Cleave attacks because they were loosely scattered about their 5' squares and you wouldn't be able to hit two of them with a single swing.)

In a different game, he declared that using Feint to set up a Sneak Attack was horribly broken and imbalancing.

When I pointed out that the overall effect of the non-Core books was to make a slightly more interesting world for non-Tier 1 classes, he stated that you don't determine balance by comparing classes to each other, but by comparing Core-only characters to what they can do with the additional options in the non-Core books.  Yeah...  figure that one out.

So far, he has sorta nerfed me ONCE.  The main line fighters wanted to strike enemies that I had webbed.  The DM asked what the rules said about the possibility of their weapons getting stuck in the webbing.  "Per the rules as written," I replied, "There is no chance."  So the DM made up a rule about weapons getting stuck when you attack webbed targets.

"Really," I said, "You're not hurting me with a rule like that.  You're reducing the functionality of the melee fighters, who are already massively behind the power curve."

"Well," he replied, "In Frank Mencer's game..."
: Re: I Think My New DM is Senile
: weenog October 21, 2011, 01:54:11 PM
Senile: of, relating to, or characteristic of old age.  See [spoiler](http://www.selectspecs.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/dr-nefario.jpg)[/spoiler]

Your DM just has his head up his butt, very little independence, and doesn't like fighters having nice things.
: Re: I Think My New DM is Senile
: PhaedrusXY October 21, 2011, 02:08:36 PM
You should tell him to go play in Frank Mencer's game. Meanwhile, you take the guys in his game and start DMing for them.  :shakefist
: Re: I Think My New DM is Senile
: Sinfire Titan October 21, 2011, 02:25:08 PM
His head is so far up his ass he as created a breach in the space-time continuum and successfully shoved his head up the asses of his alternate reality selves. All of them.
: Re: I Think My New DM is Senile
: Mooncrow October 21, 2011, 02:57:44 PM
I know it's a cliche at this point, but I really do enjoy breaking out the druid for DMs like that.
: Re: I Think My New DM is Senile
: Arturick October 21, 2011, 03:56:49 PM
You should tell him to go play in Frank Mencer's game. Meanwhile, you take the guys in his game and start DMing for them.  :shakefist

Kinda figure that's how it will go.  I'm suffering some particularly severe DM fatigue, though.  I tried to run a crime drama game for them in a large city and got the following party:

Paladin (social skills, but unable to do any "deep cover" work)
Warlock (played by someone afraid to take the lead in RP situations)
Ranger (Played by Frank Mentzer's apprentice.  Specifically rejected my suggestion to take the Urban Ranger variant.  I never found out what his Favored Enemy was.)
Fighter (Not optimized for ANYTHING)
Bard (who never took RP initiative on anything and wasn't any good in a fight and thought that Fascinate was some sort of uber-crowd control)

I gave up around the time the Ranger complained that nothing was geared towards his character.
: Re: I Think My New DM is Senile
: weenog October 21, 2011, 04:00:08 PM
Sounds less like DM fatigue and more like really crappy group fatigue.  Maybe try a game that doesn't involve the Frank fanboy, and see if the timid ones can be encouraged to be more proactive and involved without the overbearing idiocy at the table.  You needn't give him the boot permanently if you don't want to, but if the others find their balls, they might help support you dealing with him in the future.
: Re: I Think My New DM is Senile
: PhaedrusXY October 21, 2011, 04:01:39 PM
Sounds less like DM fatigue and more like really crappy group fatigue.  Maybe try a game that doesn't involve the Frank fanboy, and see if the timid ones can be encouraged to be more proactive and involved without the overbearing idiocy at the table.
Might I suggest taking Frank's apprentice snipe hunting?  :smirk
: Re: I Think My New DM is Senile
: ImperatorK October 21, 2011, 04:40:22 PM
The guy is stupid and a troll. +1 to Phae's suggestion.
: Re: I Think My New DM is Senile
: Ikeren October 21, 2011, 10:42:08 PM
Who is Frank Mencer?
: Re: I Think My New DM is Senile
: Arturick October 22, 2011, 01:33:15 AM
Who is Frank Mencer?

I spelled his name wrong.  It's Frank Mentzer.  Apparently he wrote rules for first edition, retired to become a baker, and now runs a game in my neck of the woods.  He is, as far as I can tell, a Gygaxian.
: Re: I Think My New DM is Senile
: Shadowhunter October 22, 2011, 02:11:16 AM
Who is Frank Mencer?

I spelled his name wrong.  It's Frank Mentzer.  Apparently he wrote rules for first edition, retired to become a baker, and now runs a game in my neck of the woods.  He is, as far as I can tell, a Gygaxian.

My condolences.
: Re: I Think My New DM is Senile
: Sinfire Titan October 22, 2011, 03:04:22 AM
Who is Frank Mencer?

I spelled his name wrong.  It's Frank Mentzer.  Apparently he wrote rules for first edition, retired to become a baker, and now runs a game in my neck of the woods.  He is, as far as I can tell, a Gygaxian.

So your current DM can't wipe his own ass, and has to resort to the opinion of a guy who's been out of the game design loop for over 20 years?


You probably should step up to the plate. The guy clearly does not understand 3.5, and really should not be allowed to run a campaign using it.
: Re: I Think My New DM is Senile
: bhu October 22, 2011, 05:58:18 AM
I reeeally really want to give out good advice but I keep coming back to you telling him "My left ball has more DM'ing ability than both you and Frank.  Jesus fucking Christ you are quite possibly so stupid that you don't even qualify as human."


I need to do something about my temper...

Have you considered Pbp?
: Re: I Think My New DM is Senile
: Arturick October 22, 2011, 11:33:13 AM
I reeeally really want to give out good advice but I keep coming back to you telling him "My left ball has more DM'ing ability than both you and Frank.  Jesus fucking Christ you are quite possibly so stupid that you don't even qualify as human."

We exist on opposite sides of the ideological spectrum.  He's a players vs. the DM Gygaxian, who views the DM's role as "Tell a story and force the party to conform to that story.  Abandon the rules to hose the party in the furtherance of this goal when needed."  As such, me and the other 3.5 players seem constantly surly, rebellious, and rules lawyery.

Have you considered Pbp?

Tried it once a long time ago.  Most of the better games I've been in have taken place online, but my current work schedule and relationship don't lend themselves to me having the "alone time" I used to have.
: Re: I Think My New DM is Senile
: weenog October 22, 2011, 11:41:04 AM
He's a players vs. the DM Gygaxian, who views the DM's role as "Tell a story and force the party to conform to that story.  Abandon the rules to hose the party in the furtherance of this goal when needed."

Drop him.  No question, no second chance, no game for him.  Rule 0 is powerful, but you must never forget Rule -1: "The DM isn't always right, but what the DM says, goes.  If he says enough stupid shit, his players go, too."  In other words Rule 0 is overruled completely by the players' refusal to accept it anymore, or the DM who is brandishing it so poorly.  This man has no authority nor power.  He's only in charge because you choose to put him in charge.  Choose to elect another DM or take the reins yourself.  If he's hosting, find another locale for the group and don't invite him.
: Re: I Think My New DM is Senile
: Unbeliever October 22, 2011, 01:23:07 PM
I have to agree with the above.  You're better off playing Arkham City or Skyrim than anything with this jackass.

Further, he's not even good by Gygaxian standards.  The Gygaxian DM v. Players assumes, I think, that the DM doesn't just cheat.  Otherwise, it's not much of a "versus," it's just "rocks fall, everyone dies."  He's just making up rules on the fly.  You can tell him that there's no way for adults to play a game that way b/c you have no idea how the world works, etc.  You'll just be flailing through it.  But, I suspect this person, with his brilliant resort to argument by authority that no one has ever heard nor gives a shit about, is beyond reasoning with.