The Forge Archives

I have a couple of problems actualy.

1. When I'm the Seneschal I have a hard time keeping the game real. For just one scenario I tried to play by the rules and all I got were complaints. Since I was trying to follow by the rules along with the constant complaints and arguments it took 3 hours for the characters to kill three guys. I had to cut my scenario in half because of how long it was taking and it turned out to be a horrible scenario. What do I do about the complaints?

2. The Characters are getting way too powerful. Every time, they expect to kill a person with one hit, or they expect too dodge every hit. They are way overconfident and they don't work as a team. I raised the stats of three guys(the same three I was talking about above) to around the stats of the characters. That's when the complaining started...They were all trying to do illogical stuff and expected to get away with it without a scratch. For example: A ninja type character thought he could run accross a long room, jump over a fully armored killer death machine, and kill an archer before the archer could simply aim and shoot(the arrow was already cocked). Now no matter how strong you are, you cannot run accross a long room, jump over a very tall guy with a long sword, and kill a person in two seconds! What do I do with overconfidence like that? I tried showing them that they could die if they are stupid but they just complain.

3.Other Seneschals are giving way too many spiritual points. Theres always a seneschal that thinks it would be nice too give extra spiritual points. It is a nice gift but that Is how we got too powerful in the first place. Once a Seneschal gave a character, that didn't play any part in the scenario, 25 spiritual points, just because the character asked for it. What do I do about that?

4. No one else uses spiritual points. Whenever someone in my group of gamers gets a spiritual point he spends it to raise his stats. They never use them in rolls and they think i'm cheap when I do because I have soo much dice. What do I do?

5. Some Seneschals aren't that good of seneschals. Some, instead of concentrating on the players having fun, just amuses himself by ruining other characters. Like completing their destiny quickly, or giving them magical superpowerful weapons, or raising their stats with magical amulets, or just plain killing them off. I know the seneschal is supposed to always be right but what If in this occasion he is not?

I'm sorry to ask all these questions, but me and my friends really need to be set strait on the Riddle of Steel.

Rico,

Your problem is player related. This may sound simple, but you'll have to change their way of thinking. byreading your questions it seems to me that they are still stuck in hack and slash modus. Try to explain them the premise behind the riddle of steel, and your wanted level of realism.

If this dosen't work, well thats when you get to have fun.

Question one:

QuoteSince I was trying to follow by the rules

The rules go both ways. Actually not, as you in the role of seneschal are free to fudge if you want to. Have the characters duel each other, and then see if they think it fair that the rules only apply of one of them.

Question two:

QuoteWhat do I do with overconfidence like that?

He wants to run over the room. Fine let him, the hit him with the arrow. And then hit him again. And if he is still standing, well hit him again. At this point the warrior with the sword steps up and quotes Trinty from the Matrix :" Dodge this."
You will drive the point home. Pun intended.
Oh. if he spends CP and dodges, well he is not getting any closer as he is to busy ducking and weaving. Sooner or later he will become fatigued and then . . .

Question three:

QuoteOther Seneschals are giving way too many spiritual points.

Unless you are playing with the same characters in all your games. When he is seneschal it is his game. He might not have gotten what SAs are all about, but talk to him about it outside of the game. Have a little "philosophical" discussion about it. In my group we always have these discussions and they are always helpful.

Question four:

QuoteNo one else uses spiritual points.

They might not have understood the concept. Sit down with them and explain your take on the game. Check out the Riddle of Steel forum (I haven't mastered linking yet) on this site. It is full of creative uses of SAs.

Question five:

QuoteSome Seneschals aren't that good of seneschals.

ahh, this is touchy. Again there is no quick and dirty solution to your problem. I recommend the philosophical discussion above. Being a good seneschal (or GM for short) doesn't come over night. Nor can you "force" someone to become a good GM. It is a skill that takes time to learn. As you put it the GM may be wrong. But it is his game, and there is no in-game remedy. Talk to him, or don't play with him.


Sorry if this seems a bit disjointed but I am at work and I have to go like five minutes ago. Hope i shed so light on your problem.

It seems to me that this group really doesn't want to be playing TROS.

One option is to try another system that better fits what everyone wants.  If they want gonzo wahoo over-the-top action, try running things with Wushu.  If that's not "crunchy" enough for them--not enough numbered stats to raise and such--try something like Exalted or Feng Shui where gonzo swordsman + open field + archer = victorious gonzo swordsman much of the time.

The other option is to find another group.  I truly don't mean to sound fatalistic, but you're not going to change what players want from a game or why they're there--all you can do is try to see with clarity what they do, and determine whether or not matching game to that is worth it for you.

Drastic's reccomendation is, well...drastic (couldn't resist), but he might be right.

First, though, I'd chalk it up to communication. Talk with your group about what it is they want out of play, and how they envision an ideal session. See if their "ideal session" can happen with TROS rules or not. If so, then talk to them about how TROS can accomplish their goals. The idea is the have them work with the system, not in spite of it. This is true, I think, with any game in any group.

Also talk to them about how you see an ideal TROS session, and see if you can't comprimise. If they can't get into your vision as much as you'd like, then suggest running something more along the lines of what they want for a while, then coming back to TROS, or even running TROS one week and Feng Shui (or whatever) the next, and back-and-forth with that.

I've had players that aren't into TROS, too. We played starwars, and I looked for new players at the same time.

Jake

Hmm, yeah, I'd be inclined to set every one up in pit fight and let 'em thrash each other to death for a bit getting used to it.  Wouldn't be so much fun if it was your cover the dude there was jumping over

Secondly, I would read the rules as saying that this is an ambitious terrain roll for which CP are spent, so leaping lad isn't going to have much clout when he arrives, if he arrives.

I favour the heavy use of props.  I'd be inclined, if it you could, to have them all have a pool of their total SA's sitting in front of them so they can see what they are missing every time they pick up their own.

Then point out they might have enough CP to do that sort of thing if they were using the dice in the pool.

Quote from: contracycle
I'd be inclined, if it you could, to have them all have a pool of their total SA's sitting in front of them so they can see what they are missing every time they pick up their own.

Then point out they might have enough CP to do that sort of thing if they were using the dice in the pool.

This is a great idea.

Jake

Thanks a lot for answering. I have a few Ideas for next time i'm the DM. HA HA HA HA

I would most certainly have to agree with a lot of the suggestions which have been given to you. Especially those about teaching the foolish character who jumps across the room a serious lesson. any character Weaselly enough to think they could pull a stunt like that off really needs to be taught a lesson. Even if they are lucky enough to get good enough rolls for that, they should be shown quickly enough that good rolls don't always happen, in a very painful way for their character.
      Also, I agree on the idea of having them fight eachother. show them just how easily they can be killed, and how nice the rules are when used for your own advantage. I have done a scenario where the players fought eachother, and it seemed to work out well. perhaps you should do the same. .. .
      And with the Spiritual Attributes, and not using them in rolls, well, their loss if they don't!

Okay, first thing to keep in mind...

Roleplaying is about fun. Are you capable of having fun playing as the players wish to? No, then it needs to change.

However, do you think punishing them and "teaching them a lesson" will be fun for them? I highly doubt it. So.. don't do it.

Go with the discussion technique. Make it clear what you want out of gaming, find out what they want. Try to find a happy medium. If there is no way to compromise so that you all have fun...

DO NOT PLAY WITH THOSE PEOPLE. Punishing them will ruin their fun, which can put a stress on your friendship. It's not worth it. The Riddle of Steel, an awesome game, is not worth it.

I'd have to agree with Wolfen. I was in a similar situation once and I decided that it would be best to teach the group a lesson. I decided that the only way to do this was to kill their characters. The night that we played they ended up going through about 3 characters each. One of their PCs would die and they'd immediately want to make another. After the evening's bloodshed we didn't play again for 7 months.

Quote from: RicoThanks a lot for answering. I have a few Ideas for next time i'm the DM. HA HA HA HA

Oh god that laugh scares me. Because it seems to be a regular thing one sees in posts.

One thing...please don't hurt the players characters when you dislike the players choices. Would you like it if they hurt your game when they disagree with your story choices?

Talk with them.

And also, remember, the game is about fun...fun comes before realism and rules. The only reason we have realism and rules in a game is to help produce fun, not because realism and rules are the holy grail themselves. It could be your having problems because rules and realism are coming first with you.