As A GM I Dislike When My Player(s) Do This, So...

by Hawke Robinson — published 2022/11/12 09:45:08 GMT-7, last modified 2022-11-12T09:45:08-07:00
As a Game Master I Dislike When My Player(s) do this, so when I play a game in someone else's game, I never _____________.

Great prompt from "Dicey Tales" Jeff Mejia on Facebook, "As a DM I hate when my players do this, so when I play a game in someone else's game I never _______________."

This blog posting is more just an aggregate of the variety of responses. More than 400 comments in response to his prompt!

While I started the rough version of this Blog with a direct copy and paste, I then went through and started editing it down, and looking for duplicates, so you will note that it is a mix of copy/paste and pairing down edits.

This would be interesting to delve into further, and potentially a slew of potential research question prompts here, if you are like I am, where just about every question is a potential research question. :-)

Enjoy!

Alex Statz Not calling in advance to let the DM know I can't make it. And just straight up not showing up.
13

  • Michelle Ledbetter
    Michelle Ledbetter As charisma is the defining trait of a bard only a handful of players would want one with charisma under 10. But I find all sex obsessed bards equally cliche and annoying
    1
  • Josh Johnson
    Josh Johnson Take up the DMs time asking meaningless questions and shopping by myself for 2 hours
    4
  • S Thomas Cook
    S Thomas Cook Hog the spotlight and prevent others from playing as they want to.
    11
  • Justin Wiley
    Justin Wiley Try to seduce everything in the game.
    6

  • Bill Powell
    Bill Powell Jason Coburn may I ask you to elaborate? Let me say why. No where in the book is there a set way to role play. So, if I am a illusionist or heavy RP character...and the DM never let's you achieve that approach...I would contest and have not contest. But, I do question.

  • Daniel Roth
    Daniel Roth Hey good one! I should do this more often.

  • Kevin Blank
    Kevin Blank Matthew Martin oh man whether I’m playing or running I usually use my phone to look up spells and play background music

  • Abner John Jimenez
    Abner John Jimenez As a DM you hate when your players expect you to give them a reason to care? Sounds like a bad DM
    1

  • Sarah Reed
    Sarah Reed When you expect the DM to perfectly insert your character into the universe with little to no effort on their part. I’ve had too many campaigns where people act completely disinterested because they cannot see a reason for their character to care about what’s happening. I understand it’s partially a DM problem but also it’s to do with your character - that’s the players true jurisdiction there
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  • Jonathan Strike
    Jonathan Strike Interrupt narration with a question or act before the detail is done being described.
    9
  • Logan Robinson
    Logan Robinson Ask for them to repeat important notes because I chose not to pay attention the first time
    1
  • Kerry Nelson
    Kerry Nelson Play a warlock who actually uses the Devil's Sight/Darkness combination in combat.
    1

  • Dane Kendall
    Dane Kendall I'm guessing this happened to you, I'm sorry. Did you actually count the words in the email, tho? 😎
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  • Bryon Me
    Bryon Me Yell out my initiative until I am asked what it is
    4

  • Karen Giselle DeDiego
    Karen Giselle DeDiego Throw a fit if things go badly for my character, refuse to play any more if my characters key features are nerfed or not useful in a given encounter.
  • Andrew Thomas Jones
    Andrew Thomas Jones Roll without being asked to make a roll
    2
  • Andrew Pettitt
    Andrew Pettitt Retcon when a PC is surprised.

    I played with a guy that if a creature pops out from a around a corner, he has to argue with the DM that his passive perception is blah blah blah and that he would never walk around a corner if he could sense something was there.     …See More
  • John Chroninger
    John Chroninger Break into interpretive dance.
    1

  • Mark Crean
    Mark Crean Argue too deeply the DM's adjudication on a rule...I'll gently make my point but if its not received as compelling thats fine...Im not there to argue the rules Im there to have fun and enjoy the escapism
    1
  • Jeff Mejia
    Jeff Mejia Play a warlock and scream in peoples heads with telepathy.
    3

  • Michael Semonelle
    Michael Semonelle There are a bunch of little things I do try to and not piss off my DM.

    Don’t know how successful I am. 😂
    1

  • Scott Lurker
    Scott Lurker So far, so good. :)
    1
  • Gary Cormier
    Gary Cormier Interrupt someone who is talking...
    1
  • Brian Ball
    Brian Ball Ignore things the DM takes time to include and describe in the game.

    Recently the PC’s found a ransacked caravan of wagons on route to a new city, and I described the remaining cargo, including a large tome with a name embossed on the front. Nobody     …See More
    3

  • Dane Kendall
    Dane Kendall Brian, you should have the party meet another adventuring party in an inn. This other party is flush with loot. Your NPC otwoodsman is quietly reading the tome in a corner. One of the npc party members chats him up and discovers that they have done wha…See More

  • Skyler Vaillencourt
    Skyler Vaillencourt John Darwin Forrest oh no, I’m a new player and stack dice while fidgetting between turns. Is this poor etiquette?

  • Andres Perez
    Andres Perez Frank Freire this, i quit one game because of one guy telling everybody how he wuld have done something much better
    1

  • Blake Spradlin
    Blake Spradlin Kevin Kastle I disagree I have never understood the stigma of splitting the party. it un realistic that all of the party are constantly together. I think it impedes role play and team building
    1

  • Alora Mathis-Holierhoek
    Alora Mathis-Holierhoek It'd be a bit weird if they non-vocally talked about it........like they were just doing cherades about how they felt during a session.
    1

  • Alexander Mullins
    Alexander Mullins Brian Gold that’s a tricky one, because 50% of the time they don’t have a name, and the other 50% they have a really well thought out and important name that actually has clues in it. My players seem to only ask for a name the half that I have nothing. 😂
    1

  • Brian Gold
    Brian Gold Alexander Mullins If the DM wants you to know someone's name, they have every excuse to just tell you without needing to be asked.
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  • Tim Muller
    Tim Muller hit the DM’s brakes every, single, step of the way, questioning every failure and explaining why it should succeed instead.

    TLDR: “Yes, and,” PLEASE!
  • Randy Price
    Randy Price 1. play a murder hobo
    2. metagame (although I do regularly break down the fourth wall like the Kool-Aid Man)
  • Mike Geiger
    Mike Geiger Dm hog
  • Alicia Lublin
    Alicia Lublin Murder hobow
    2
  • Harry Fisher
    Harry Fisher Question a rule during a session rather than after it. Admittedly i find it hard to bite my tongue.
  • Keith Edward Schussler
    Keith Edward Schussler Bring up the rules cause let's just have fun if u have a problem with it tell me after the session and I will tell you why I did it like that
    1
  • Nathaniel Codr
    Nathaniel Codr 1- murder hobo
    2- meta game
    3- argue with me about rules during gameplay
  • Jamie Blake
    Jamie Blake Tell the other players when to use their abilities.
  • Silverslain Ragenraith
    Silverslain Ragenraith 1. argue about rules
    2. Argue About Rules
    3. ARGUE ABOUT RULES!!!
    3
  • Oni Syn
    Oni Syn stay off topic and keep others off topic - vaguely participate - call being uncooperative character development
  • Zoey Sloane
    Zoey Sloane Do "rules lawyer" stuff.
  • Ben Hirsch
    Ben Hirsch Lol. I've been gaming for 40 years and have GM'd more than 1/2 the time. I have no issues with problems asking about rules, asking for clarification, confirming how something works in the edition we are playing, reminding _me_ how something works in …See More
    3
  • Brandon Black
    Brandon Black I hate when there are a lot of side conversions and going off topic in continuos games. I like to get really into my characters or story and enjoy a more "serious" game session vs a beer and chips style game where the mood is more for socializing instead of playing. I'm good with it for 1 shots and party games but for a long campaign i like an on topic group
    2
  • David Scott Frank III
    David Scott Frank III Intentionally mispronounce names of places or NPCs
    2

  • Isaac Reefman
    Isaac Reefman But min/maxing can be great fun, and doesn’t need to come at the expense of roleplay!

  • Jay Colebatch
    Jay Colebatch Chris Christiansen some people just enjoy making strong characters. Punishing a player for this seems wrong.

    Maybe try treating it as a challenge for you to balance the party creating situations where there "broken character traits" cant help them to make things challenging still.    …See More
    1

  • Kevin Blank
    Kevin Blank Eric Altman in one game I’m required to stand up if I’m speaking out of character, but that’s partly because my character is a warlock whose patron is the DM so there’s a lot of fourth wall breaking
    3

  • Gregor Troll
    Gregor Troll Constantly delay play by making joking announcements about doing stupid or outlandish things. After a small bit of that, I just announce, if you say it, you do it. No take-backs.
    4

  • Tim Peterson
    Tim Peterson Kareem Riley I've never understood this. While I'm very good st rules if I make a mistake I'd rather my players point it out.

  • Timothy Goebeler
    Timothy Goebeler Lachlan Volling-Geoghegan I didn't even think of that. Lol
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  • Clint Walker
    Clint Walker I don't understand this disputing of rules thing. No DM knows all the rules and if you are also a DM and know the rules, then why not ask the DM how he wants to run it? I've literally been like "Yo DM, the rule for this thing is like this in the book. What you wanna do?" and he gets to decide
    2

  • Kevin Blank
    Kevin Blank Clint Walker I think it’s a matter of tone. Reminding the DM or another player of a rule is different from starting an argument over a ruling.

  • Ryan Thomason
    Ryan Thomason If that's where it ended, that's fine (especially if it wasn't discussed previously). It's when a player says "Yo DM, this is the rule for this thing in the book, so this is how you HAVE to run it." THAT is not cool, and can get a player booted.
  • Casey Reed
    Casey Reed Miss the session
    4
  • Nathon Cosker
    Nathon Cosker Try to kill everything, yes u have a sword/powers you don't always have to kill everything in your path.
    4
  • Trevor Riley
    Trevor Riley Cross talk
  • Mark Boisvert
    Mark Boisvert Put numerical strategy before role play. This isn’t Magic: The Gathering.
    1

  • Kirk Tuttle
    Kirk Tuttle To be fair, some of our best adventure came from temporarily splitting the party.
    1
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  • Richard McManus
    Richard McManus Ask to make a skills check. I always tell the DM what my character is doing.
    2

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4
  • Zak Kaufman
    Zak Kaufman Yes
    I don't know why people get this confused with steal everything and hord it

  • Luo Daying
    Write a reply...
     
  • Andrea Toomey
    Andrea Toomey Do something really bizarre that makes it tough for the DM to keep the game on track.

    /my players dont do that, it's just something I try to be conscious of when I play.
  • Mike Rofloc
    Mike Rofloc Roll a die before the DM asks me to.
  • Kirk Tuttle
    Kirk Tuttle Continue to argue after the DM has made a ruling.
    1
  • Allison Hitt
    Allison Hitt Not being in communication. We have someone who consistently doesn't show up to agreed upon times, and sometimes never comes at all and never ever calls to inform us.
  • Todd Jeffcoat
    Todd Jeffcoat Use my experience as a player to undermine the tension that the DM is trying to build by immediately declaring what we will be facing based on what the DM has described.

  • Boogie Russell
    Boogie Russell Speak over the other characters
    1
  • John Eubank
    John Eubank If I ask the DM about a ruling I try to include "but it is your table" or "I'm not trying to be a jerk here" - some indication that I'm not squabbling or pointlessly challenging them, that I genuinely want to know why the rule is being interpreted that…See More
  • Dave Bisset
    Dave Bisset Question the DMs decisions
  • Justin Harper
    Justin Harper Talk over others. Especially if my character is not in the current scene. Nothing drives me crazy like someone losing thier shit and commenting on what happens when thier character isnt around. (Durig the moment)
    1
  • Benjamin Dean Payne
    Benjamin Dean Payne Throw dice accross the table
    2

  • Tim Peterson
    Tim Peterson Sullivan Schattie This I've never understood. If I legitimately misremembered a rule I want my players to correct me. (It's rare but it happens.)
    1

  • Sam Cousins
    Sam Cousins Haleigh Garnett Bramer Agreed. It's a story, let it be told and be told while being a character in it. You make the decisions but the DM decides the outcomes of those decisions.

  • Nathan Carter
    Nathan Carter Benjamin Dean Payne People who play DnD.
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  • Motiejus Lazauskas
    Motiejus Lazauskas Be inactive, fight with other players, follow the rules, become angry and ending fun for everyone, because their character was not so lucky.
  • Kasper Trøst Buch
    Kasper Trøst Buch Make assumptions how the story might unfold out loud. Because sometimes they are right and it makes the DM feel predictable/unimaginative...
    2
  • Domagoj Jonjić
    Domagoj Jonjić Criticize DM at every turn and treat him as a hostile witness when a battle is on and HP/AC of monsters is questioned.
    1
  • Nathan Bell
    Nathan Bell Go out of my way to break the game or make one of the other players uncomfortable.
    1
  • Molly Sung
    Molly Sung Look at memes on my phone and distract other players with them.
    2
  • Jared Daniel Dufault
    Jared Daniel Dufault Making sure I dont Attempt to derail my DM with silly BS and make sure I understand how my characters abilities work entirely so not to break up and slow down the flow of combat
  • Chris Pearson
    Chris Pearson Argue about character creation. If you tell them standard array then they'll say why can't I do point buy. If you tell them no third party they will ask to do third party. If you tell them no monster races they'll try and build monster races.
    2
  • Tanner J. Burnside
    Tanner J. Burnside Question the DM's ruling on an issue. You can deliver a good argument for your opinion before the DM says, their ruling but after they say how it is, let it go.

    If it bothers you that bad, talk to them after.
    2

  • Chris Pearson
    Chris Pearson I had a player once insist that I made a bad call. However, the reason why it had happened was because there was something that the player character didn't know and it was tied to the plot. So the player argued with me for about 20 minutes in the game …See More

  • Tanner J. Burnside
    Tanner J. Burnside Chris Pearson this kinda crap is why I only DM one shots or short form campaigns these days
  • Brandon Schissler
    Brandon Schissler Use being a rogue as an excuse to be a douche. Ex: The mondset that as a rogue its okay if i steal from my party members, or randomly attack my party members or friendly NPCs because "dude, im a rogue"....
    1

  • Mason Cary
    Mason Cary Brandon Schissler one of my biggest pet peeves I have actually committed mass player murder in a session when night when my character raged out and went on a war path
    1

  • Sam Cousins
    Sam Cousins Sam Fellows I myself have had issues with #3. In the sense that my character (meaning me) demands attention. I've worked on myself in the aspect of shutting the fuck up. The joke of the party is that I'm the face of the party and I have 8 charisma l…See More

  • Dylan Schmigelski
    Dylan Schmigelski Most homebrew. Don't usually balance as nicely. I don't play homebrew and generally don't allow it unless I review it and possibly tweak it.
    1

  • Andreas Risa
    Andreas Risa Maciek Stępiński I had some players do this in a play by post I am running.
    "I want to see if I find a tavern" *rolls 8 investigation* "and I want to persuade the bartender to give me free beer!" *rolls 15 persuasion*
    Me: *coming home from work and see    …See More
    2

  • CR Dubé
    CR Dubé THIS. POINTING AT THIS ....looking at eerrrrbody ..and pointing at thisssss....
    1

  • Christopher Kisely
    Christopher Kisely Skip a player, or rush a player because they are trying to actively think about their move.
  • Kristyn E. Start
    Kristyn E. Start Take my table as the opportunity to gossip. <eye roll> (Seriously, we're not in high school anymore and this isn't the lunchroom. Did you hear? Ummm no and I don't care too.)
  • Robert Cook
    Robert Cook I'm sure it's been said a hundred times but I hate it when my players look at there phones for an extended amount of time.
    1
  • John Hamilton
    John Hamilton I never meta-game. For instance. Last week we fought basilisk's. I played my rogue/cleric and my Bard like they knew nothing about them other then some how they can turn you to stone (which after an intelligence check was all I knew thanks to mythology from my Bard)
  • Shawn Hobson
    Shawn Hobson Tell another player what their character should do. If they ask (as a player) I'll give them options, but they ultimately have to make the choice.
  • Shawn Mabie
    Shawn Mabie Don't fuck with the DM, he is God!!!
  • James Cooper
    James Cooper Players talking about something else besides the game while the d.m is speaking
  • Michael Arsenault
    Michael Arsenault I never look at my phone. I have a laptop for my character sheet and my sheet only. Otherwise, I stay engaged. If there's something going on that's the dm and one other player, I'll try to strike up an in character conversation with the other players not involved.
  • Josh Armstrong
    Josh Armstrong Tell other players what the "best" thing for them to do in each situation.
  • Trent Hero
    Trent Hero Burn everything we come across
  • Geoffrey Davis
    Geoffrey Davis Argue over the DM's interpretation of the rules during game time.
    6

  • Frank Galella
    Frank Galella I had to use my phone once cause i grabbed the wrong folder. Spent the whole session not looking at my sheet lol every time I had to check i felt weird. Paper is def better
    1

  • Jake Lagerstrom
    Jake Lagerstrom Roll the die before asking to make a skill check
    1
  • Luke Tasker
    Luke Tasker Play on my phone. Boring campaign or not, pay attention to the DM
    4
  • Tim Peterson
    Tim Peterson I really hate my players trying to assassinate me. But I'm not above admitting that I've done it once or twice.
  • Jacob Orwin
    Jacob Orwin Something that my players don't do that bugs me: rules lawyer.

    If your group is a proper working machine, it should be greater than the sum of its parts. As such, everybody should be contributing to the general discourse of the game.     …See More
    3

  • Tim Peterson
    Tim Peterson Jacob Orwin I despise the amount of people here who seem to think you should never point out when the DM misremembered or interprets a rule.
    1

  • Jared Morris
    Jared Morris Daniel Phillips i I dissagree with the sentiment. I think a good DM vuilds the world, and the PCs should tell the story with the aid of the DM. Unless you ment being the ONE character who takes over the story, in which case, yeah... that player can get fucked.

  • Daniel Phillips
    Daniel Phillips Jared Morris specifically what I mean is trying to alter the existing state of how things are, as determined by the GM. Players are supposed to react based on the GM’s descriptions, not try to alter those descriptions to fit what they want the story t…See More
  • Hannah Aguirre
    Hannah Aguirre Wait till my turn to rules check/decide hwo to move.
    4
  • Jason Underwood
    Jason Underwood Play a mobile game on my phone at the table
    4
  • Brian Laux
    Brian Laux Talk while the DM is talking! So freaking rude!!
    4
  • Philip Hendricks
    Philip Hendricks Say condecending things to the DM. (E.g. 'Well you're the DM' or 'Thats not how I would do it.' ) or follow the rules wrong recognize you are and then continue to do so until someone else at the table says something, then rebuttle with, 'Well the DM didnt say anything about it'
    3
  • Gabriela Ferguson
    Gabriela Ferguson Intentionally metagame instead of asking to roll knowledge checks to see if the PC is familiar with the monster
    3
  • Brian Malowany
    Brian Malowany Forget to wear underarm deodorant; sabotage the storyline for my own ego.
    1
  • Nicholas Clay
    Nicholas Clay Dink around on my phone
    2
  • Jason Ryder
    Jason Ryder Eat cabbage just prior to a game.
    3
  • Michelle Gertsvolf
    Michelle Gertsvolf So I never really really wanna see ya tonight omg
    1

  • Fulk Nerra
    Fulk Nerra Yes yes and yes. It’s a huge problem.

  • John O'Connor
    John O'Connor Take an hour to open a door.

    Seriously, the worst thing that can happen is having to make a new character.
    2

  • Michael Von Drake
    Michael Von Drake As a DM, we play the campaign we are playing. They can introduce their own characters but I need to approve them. They cannot bring a "level 13 Minotaur Paladin Land-Knight of Torm" into a first or second level starter campaign. Maybe a bit later or as a player run NPC.
  • Ty Donohue
    Ty Donohue Not take the game seriously.

    I love humour, but sometimes the game turns into a bad comedy rather than a serious story.
    1

  • Ty Donohue
    Ty Donohue Also!!!
    Not listen to the story, what the DM or PCs are saying, or start an off-topic conversation mid-game

  • Zak Kaufman
    Zak Kaufman I have no idea what you just said, but I think it sounds gross
    1

  • Donnell Hanog
    Donnell Hanog I mean, wizards can investigate things, too... Better comparison would have been having the LG paladin roll to pick someone's pocket.

  • Nick Miller
    Nick Miller Yaqub Kalina that’d be a group change for me. Pretty telling of someone’s character (not in game) when all they do is rape stuff

  • Yaqub Kalina
    Yaqub Kalina It was a friend of mine who never played before and just happened to be hanging around at our place at the time. Suffice it to say, he wasn't really into it, lol.
  • Luo Daying
    Write a reply...
     
  • Donnell Hanog
    Donnell Hanog Play a CN as an insane narcissist.

    Play a LG as lawful stupid.

    Use the game as an excuse to act out my worst self (actually ICA=ICC'd a player into leaving my game for that one. I was planning to ask him to leave that session had he showed up anyway since he was making myself and a couple other group members uncomfortable and we were playing in a game shop.)

    Deliberately ruin the plot.

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