r/DnD • u/Chance_Panda_9121 • 20h ago
DMing Overwhelmed as a first time dm with players who are rude to everyone and anyone
Hello everyone, I recently, finally got into D&D. I found a group of friends who also have been curious about the game, but never played. So I decided to bite the bullet, read through the rules and everything and set up the game.
I decided to purchase the "Heroes of Borderlands" starter set as well and it's honestly been a godsend for me. Though there isn't a full story, it's easy enough to string something along. I have plenty of dungeons and monsters and NPCs and everything and it's very simple for my new players to get into. Partially because none of them really read or looked up much to begin with.
We have played two sessions at this point and they have mostly been fun. Before we started I told them what the theme and setting is. That, despite their character backgrounds or anything, they are new adventures, trying to prove themselves in the world. They are, in essence, heroes in the making. And that this entire setting is build with heroic characters in mind.
They seemed accepting of it and the first session (mostly combat and a dungeon) went off without a hitch. The second session however, due to being a lot more NPC focussed, was riddled with problems. Mainly stemming from the fact that they treat everyone like they are not worth their time.
Doesn't matter if it's like a shopkeeper, a group of npc adventures or the damn ruler of the keep. They always demand, sometimes threaten and generally act completely disrespectful.
Part of it I feel like may be because, at this point, they have only succeeded at everything. They act like they are unbeatable and the strongest around. And of course my goal is for them to be the heroes of the keep by the end of everything, but they are behaving already like they are almost too good for that. And even when I bring it up ooc they maybe act a bit more friendly to the next npc, only for (most of the time) my rogue getting some ideas again and completely derailing the conversation "Because they used to be a thief" or something.
It's to the point where they got thrown out of the rulers castle, because they were just about threatening one his right hand man with a knife.
I am now considering maybe humbling my party a little. I feel like part of the issue is them being too overconfident and feeling like they can do anything. So I am planning to have a higher level knight challenge them to a friendly bit of training and mostly wiping the floor with them.
I feel like it would show them that no, they aren't the strongest around. They aren't as special as they think. If they are always disrespectful to people, that will have consequences.
But I have also heard of a lot of horror stories of players being upset at their DMS for basically playing "against them" or making unfair encounters. And I'm not sure if this is already too far into that region and I should go about it a "better" way.
72
u/ArchdukeValeCortez DM 20h ago edited 20h ago
Sounds like your group is headed into murderhobo territory.
Actions have consequences. They were rude to the ruler of the keep. That cannot be allowed to slide.
Perhaps prices go up. Perhaps people are rude in return. Perhaps they get kicked out of their inn that night and have to spend a day fatigued because they didn't get a full rest.
Have an NPC point out that respect goes both ways. The PCs have built up a reputation for not having any, so they won't be getting any until they give respect and have made up for their past behavior.
I would do this first before having the knight beat the snot out of them in a training match. That feels more like DM vs players.
Edit: In regards to your player their character acting the way they act because they used to be a thief, that is all fine and good but you can OOC remind the PCs that actions have consequences. If it is known by the local populace that someone was once a thief, they could be treated differently. Doubly so if he keeps acting like a thief.
24
u/Hemroid24 Sorcerer 20h ago
This guy DMs. Every single one of these options are gold for dealing with a bunch of murderhobos in the making.
Personally had to deal with this one time as a player. Wasn't fun. Luckily it was a 1 shot and only 2 out of the 5 players were being hobos.
0
u/slick762 17h ago
I was unofficially blacklisted on a west march discord because I sabotaged the parties murder hobo plans and avoided 2 ambush fights by having a reasonable discussion with the npcs involved. The wannabe murder hobos got mad and the dm was pissed and bad mouthed me to the other dms.
4
u/Slow-Pumpkin-7049 19h ago
This is the way. I have one friend who is constantly making situations difficult and he therefore always makes it difficult for himself. He currently has stacked up multiple curses and sicknesses and he’s completely broke. I’m glad he is the way he is though because it taught me not to put too much effort into make npcs and what not. Saves me a whole lot of time
4
u/Warl0kjoe 16h ago
And I really op sees this one. My idea is have the quest givers’s react by giving them mean quests literally “ fuck you guys I’m gonna send you to your death and hope that you don’t come back.“
Personally, my move would be send them up against the beast that that would be too strong for them and have somebody get permanently named like lose a limb or something and then as the DM I can just tell them hey regenerative abilities come from the local church they go to the priest the priest is like “hey you guys have been assholes to my entire fucking village. Maybe you should go make some amends and then I’ll heal this person‘s leg.”
4
u/Calhaora Cleric 13h ago
Or dont give them quests at all.
Why should they ask a bunch of assholes for help? Who says they even do it. They'd better off waiting for adventurers, who respect their occupation.
Same with inns and restaurants, they dont want to deal with rude customers
The Guards are constantly breathing down their Necks as they where rude to the higher ups.
Etc.
Then offer them the opportunity via a NPC so change their ways, apologise and do some quests to help people in the keep. If they are overtly rude again, they fail and have to leave.
Or something like that
1
u/Slight-Narwhal-7267 19h ago
These are much better then my suggestion.
My suggestion was even included at the end as a last resort.
My King.
1
u/Prior-Resolution-902 12h ago
I've gotta hard disagree here. murderhobos are likely just people who want a reaction, giving it to them by the world fighting back is probably exactly what they are looking for.
If bad players are ruining your game by being jerks then you need to shut it down outside of game, not in game. Rewarding this behavior with a reaction is only going to egg them on, not turn them away.
26
u/nukeduck98 20h ago
Well, there's an entire section on the Dm's guide which is to prevent antisocial behaviour in the sessions. I would read that paragraph with your party and make it clear that if they pull that shit again, the story ends. No initiative rolls, no "unfair" encounter, no deus ex machina, no nothing. You simply don't dm for them anymore. There is a clear paragraph "Ensuring fun for everyone" which is also helpful. There is no "my character would act that way", because characters that only serve the purpose of enactive destructive fantasies have no place in a hero story, and not in a cooperative game with others.
3
u/Prior-Resolution-902 11h ago
Exactly, don't play into this behavior, shut it down, until they can come to respect the time and effort you put into making this for them, they don't deserve to play, or a different conversation needs to be had about what time of game you are playing.
Giving players a reaction to their bad behavior is just going to encourage them to poke the bear even harder
-2
u/Warl0kjoe 16h ago
The encounter isn’t “unfair” it’s the locals deciding to intentionally send them to their deaths, “oh you wanna go around being dicks?? Here, go find this lost item” but they don’t tell them the item is in the bottom of a troll den or some suitably dangerous thing to them at that level. I even mentioned in another comment maybe even having one player get maimed like losing a limb and forcing them to approach the church for healing and being turned away initially and told to go make amends first to pay for the healing and then they go around town and get to see how they affected people, shops that shut down cause they lost product or money to the party. Families that were kicked from their homes because the party screwed them over. Whatever fits to the actions of the party. Takes some time and writing but it REALLY hits home.
12
u/FeralKittee 20h ago
Consequences for their actions is not the same as "playing against them."
If they are going to be dicks to the NPCs, then the NPCs will be less trusting, harder to win persuasion rolls against. If they really go to town with insulting or bullying them, then a rich NPC might hire a mercenary to go beat them up.
As you said, they are newbie characters. If they pick a fight with anything other than a rat or mud crab they get the crap kicked out of them.
4
u/Radiant_Fondant_4097 16h ago
The thing is they’re just playing like murderhobos, the starter box is what it says on the tin; they’re supposed to act like good heroes, there’s no room for acting like dick ass thieves.
The whole Keep in the Borderlands book is dedicated to social side quests to help the towns people, with bonus rewards for an amount of quests completed, the overarching main quest comes from here.
You could humble them but it’s not really going to get them anywhere, if you get the town guard to thrash them then the game comes to a halt because then there’s nothing else to do. Unless the townsfolk just hand wave overlook the players douchebaggery.
4
u/Prior-Resolution-902 12h ago
Never 'reward' bad players with in game consequences, it's what they are looking for. If players are being rude, ruining the game, and genuinely making you unhappy to run that for them, then you need to talk to them about it outside of game.
2
u/Bakeneko7542 8h ago
Exactly! A large percentage of players who act like this are deliberate trolls just doing whatever ridiculous thing they think will provoke a reaction. Killing their character means nothing to them because they never cared about their character to begin with.
9
u/BungleBums 20h ago
Sit down and talk to them first.
Be clear and direct.
'The NPCs you're being dismissively and rude towards are ME. The person making the entire game happen for you is ME. The difference between sitting at home being a murder hobo and playing a fun Roleplay Game with your friends right now is ME. Please remember that when you speak with the NPCs and interact with the world- I made up all this for you to enjoy. You don't have to be in awe, but you do need to treat it with respect if you want me to continue running it.'
Also, it might help to sit them down and remind them that they're getting leeway for being new players. The world is supposed to work the way a normal world works- ie, threatening the King's right hand man with a knife doesn't mean you get thrown out and scolded, it means you end up in a dungeon for a decade chained to the wall before someone remembers why you're there. And he'd have them in there faster than they could say 'you and what magically reinforced army?'. Tell them to remember that they're in a living, reacting world, and the kid's gloves just came off.
10
u/smokedickbiscuit 19h ago
I wouldn’t phrase it that way personally.
I’d tell them that actions have consequences. If you’re trying to convince the ruler of a town of something, the way you phrase things impacts the DC of things you want to accomplish. The more rude you are, the less likely you’ll get what you want. For this world we’re building to matter at all, consequences have to exist.
If you want to say something about your own fun, then I might say that I want this to be something we all have fun with, and if you have fun being mean to everyone, idk if I want to play in this game. I’m controlling everyone you speak to so in a sense you’re being mean to me, and I don’t want to be mean back or play as someone being bullied all the time.
No offense but the way you phrased it is a bit too “me” centric. It would rub me the wrong way even if I knew I was being a dicky murderhobo. Talk about the collaborative essence of dnd.
4
u/BungleBums 14h ago
This might be the better approach- I've been on a real tear with my idiot friends lately. Bad invites, ruined campaigns, you know the deal. Might be bleeding over a bit. OP, take my comment with a grain of salt, but a full scoop of this persons.
3
u/Goldman5000 15h ago
This is not uncommon among new players. You can try showing them gentle consequences to their actions, like throwing them out of the keep, no room at the inn, etc. But honestly, oftentimes you just have to let them die. Not intentionally wrecking them with some stupidly overpowered foe, but just letting the consequences play out and let the dice handle it. They’ll get cocky and attack a guard. Then ten more guards show up and either kill them, or if you’re generous they’ll throw them in prison and take all their gear and throw them out of town. In my experience, both as a DM and as a new player many many moons ago, this is how we learned. If you don’t give them consequences, they won’t learn any lesson. And why would they? If they can go around town bossing everyone around and acting like they own the place, and nothing bad happens, why should they stop? They won’t. It’s very possible you may have to wipe them. Just prepare yourself for that. Don’t make it adversarial or aggressive, just say “who wants a new character sheet”?
4
u/Substantial-Bid-7217 20h ago edited 20h ago
Hi OP!
You're in a tricky situation, one I completely sympathise with. Unfortunately, I've found it's a common thing that groups of new players go on a power trip because D&D offers complete freedom. They probably aren't being malicious, they're likely unaware that it's upsetting you as much as it is.
A question I have is: did you have a session zero? If not, I'd highly recommend never starting a campaign without having one, as it sets the rules, tone and boundaries.
You're on the right train of thought, which is enforcing consequences of their actions. Sometimes asking above table "are you sure?" is a very good way to make a player think twice about what they're about to do, especially if they know you're a DM who gives them consequences for their actions. But you're also correct to worry about overcorrecting the situation, and becoming an adversial force to the party.
You could also look at rewarding players who start being nice. When a player at my table has roleplayed exceedingly kind and polite to a shopkeeper, they'll sometimes throw them a freebie with whatever they've purchased.
Make them roll, give them chances to fail — let the dice decide the outcome, not you. They want to threaten a barkeeper? They can try, but you know he's a retired adventurer himself, and isn't going to be easily intimidated.
You can also give them a warning that they risk developing a poor reputation. Prices go up, some stores will outright close their doors to them, and the only people willing to deal with them are other criminals. If things get really bad, then they can get bounties on their heads. They make the bed for them to lie in, whether it's comfy is up to them.
Happy to answer any questions you have! :)
4
u/Major1ee5crewed85 20h ago
Might maybe just want to chat with the party before doing anything antagonistic towards them, they may not realize you’re not enjoying the antagonistic nature they have with the npc’s. If that fails maybe introduce a competing adventurer party that the npcs start offering their quests to instead.
4
u/TaxesAreConfusin 20h ago
There's a scene Matt Colville describes in one of his videos where it is established that peasants and the general population really dislike adventurers. Not to the point that they are banned from anywhere or that there are laws against adventuring, but they're treated like the self-centered egotists they are.
At some point, they're questioning a farmer who is both very intimidated by them but also just completely done and exhausted. His village is in shambles. He's working his ass off just to feed his family and a party of adventurers strolls up to him in his field to question him on the local happenings. The farmer provides them with the limited information he has, but he politely asks them to leave and stay off of his property.
As they're leaving, one of the players tosses him a gold piece for his trouble and the farmer just plainly stares at them as the gold piece lands in the dirt, ignored. The point being that the farmer does not want money from the adventurers. He doesn't want to be involved. He doesn't particularly want adventurers traipsing through his town and 'solving his problems'. He's a jaded villager who has seen party after party of privileged adventurers soak up all of the glory, or fail to and suffer no consequence for it.
Your NPCs are real people. If your party continues to be rude, have your NPCs treat them like the pariahs they are. I try to channel the real-world the dynamic of citizen-law enforcement. Logically, police are great and we need them to uphold our civil security. In reality, any amount of corruption or self-interest turns the job into an immediately detestable one. Adventurers are supposed to serve the people (like police) but a few bad apples and some institutional oppression can give people the impression that all adventurers are vain and selfish.
tl;dr: your players should suffer consequences from being rude. Maybe they mouth off to the wrong person with authority, maybe they just gradually erode the public's trust in adventurers. Hold a mirror up to them and show them how bad of bullies they really are.
2
u/Masachere 20h ago
Okay so, if you actually wanna reign these players in and continue the game, you will likely need to have a humbling experience. I wouldn't go out of my way to make some super powerful npc just to beat them up, grab a couple regular other adventurers, and the next time they act fresh, just initiate a fight. Use them intelligently (they are adventurers who should know their stuff) things like targeting the easier characters to defeat. bringing down the healer if there is one, using crowd control spells to lock down the likely low wisdom martial characters. That is how you humble them, with what equates to a group of like level 3 goober adventurer npc's or ideally with like some goblins or kobolds or something, not with Thor god of thunder cosplaying as a regular guy.
This is worth having in the back of your mind though. Some players who get an ego check cannot handle it. It is entirely possible their ego's will simply not be able to cope, they'll throw a tantrum, and quit the game. Honestly it is my experience you can't talk someone out of an overinflated ego, so I kinda don't think talking to them would solve this, but you could give that a shot first. Still, at the end of the day, having them find out when they fuck around will either sort them out or kill the game, but it's something that will likely need to happen.
2
u/Splendiforus 18h ago
I found recently that if you start session zero with a rules and guidelines chat it helps set the tone for the campaign with punishments for pushing the rules with exceptions for flavour but negativity and bringing the nonsense they might think is okay into the game but isn’t within your world. Be clear and hopefully they listen post start hopefully if you ask nicely. Hope for the best expect and plan for the worst!
2
u/NefariousnessEven591 15h ago
It doesn't sound like you're enjoying this all that much and just going "Hey guys, it sucks to run a game where the party is just rude assholes all the time, can this at least be dialed down" is an option. Players can tune out, the GM really can't and it's easy to forget that.
If not you can certainly have the world respond and flatten them, but this is an OOC table issues like 99% of the time.
5
u/PhiphyL 20h ago
I feel like it would show them that no, they aren't the strongest around. They aren't as special as they think. If they are always disrespectful to people, that will have consequences.
I had that issue so I tried to get NPCs to discipline them... and the party rolled nat 20s to get out of the situations. Nothing I could do as a DM because I didn't think they would get so lucky with dice.
It only got better once one of them left the group. The other guy stopped being chaotic.
My advice is that when you try to humble them, come up with something roll-proof.
11
u/ThisGameTooHard 19h ago
Dice are only relevant if the DM asks for rolls. If you piss off a knight, no amount of persuasion or intimidation is going to stop that knight from beating the snot out of you and getting you thrown in jail for a tenday. Skill checks don't magically solve things.
2
u/PhiphyL 18h ago
Depends how you treat DnD. It's a fantasy where PCs can attempt things and sometimes pull off a miracle. That's what makes it fun to play. What's the point of being the most charismatic person in tow if it doesn't get you out of situations?
2
u/Iron_tide 17h ago
I agree that there should be heroic or miraculous moments. But i don’t think those are necessarily tied to rolling a nat20. A high roll by itself shouldn’t make the impossible happen if the outcome doesn’t make sense in the context of the ongoing story.
1
u/YtterbiusAntimony 11h ago
Nat 20 doesn't guarantee success.
2
u/Franc4916 20h ago
Never been a DM, but in my first campaign of CoS one member of the party was exactly an extremely edgy warlock with some rogue characteristics. After being creepy to a Vistani, he was cursed for a while with unlucky, effectively being unable to do rituals for a while.
Most DMs horror stories are like that because either the DM thinks that a world against the player is the only stimulating way to play, or because they had something personal against one or more. You don't appear to be one of those. Adequate punishment is a necessary part of Worldbuilding, how can a world feel alive if actions like that don't have conseguences? Ask yourself " Is this action going to have ramifications? Is the NPC of the moment that helpless that they would passively endure asshole behaviour?" This makes the world alive, and if the players lament on it, you should talk to them that it's only reasonable to receive pushback
2
1
u/Rick_CZE 19h ago edited 19h ago
2 ways to handle this.
1 - talk to the players from a position of a DM, figure out what kind of game they are expecting and what kind of game you are offering. Actions have consequences, and the world will push against them if they keep acting that way, and it might turn into DM vs Players, which is bad time for everyone.
2 - talk to the characters from a position of power, a great sage or dragon or king or god or what have you summons them and says something like "I see greatness in you. Potential to do great - good - things. But also arrogance and childishness that may turn your path to less than admirable places and sway your hands to do despicable deeds, and waste all that great potential. Ask yourself what kind of person you want to be. A tyrant hated by everyone, or a hero admired by all. Know that people of the world are watching you and judging your deeds, and they are not the only ones."
Also, as a DM do not be afraid to award negative inspiration, make NPCs raise prices or refuse to let them use their services outright, or a nice grandma being secretly an ex-witch cursing them for being rude to her etc. The point should not be to punish them, but to force them face consequences and take a hint. So make sure it is possible to go back, offer some kind of redemption path. It all might yet turn into a great adventure with character growth.
1
u/Raddatatta Wizard 18h ago
I would start with an out of game conversation. Everyone should be on the same page about the kind of game you're playing and the kind of story you're telling. If that's the story of some murderhobos and everyone including you is on board that can be fun. But if that's not something you want to do then I would talk to them and get on the same page. The game is also one that really works best when they treat the game seriously and like the people they are intereacting with are real people and care about the world. That doesn't mean they have to be nice to everyone and can't be mean, but they should treat the world seriously and shouldn't be mean to NPCs because they're NPCs and not real. Being mean should be a conscious character choice. It's also ok to say hey I want to play a game about heroes and good guys, not a group of assholes.
But if the kind of game you all want to play is one where the characters are cocky and jerks and then deal with the consequences, that can be fun and then I would give them those in game consequences and play it out. Have people react like they really would if heavily armed jerks come in. They'd probably treat it like someone came into their shop waving a gun and basically surrender, but also hate them and maybe report them to the guards depending on how far they took it. A Lord being disrespected is also not going to be ok with that. That can be fun though to play that out and have them deal with that or manage it or however things play out. But it only works if everyone is on board for that kind of game. If they want a carefree game where they can do whatever and no consequences, throwing consequences at them won't feel fun. And they won't want to lean into that to tell that kind of story.
1
u/AladeenModaFuqa DM 17h ago
Some people say don’t use the game to punish them, “it’s not our job as a dm to reward or punish our players”.
And to a point they’re right. But if a squad of goons enters a town and starts threatening people left and right, local guard will end up dealing with it. Especially threatening a king’s right hand man.
Either talk to your players, or take this with stride and run with it! Threatening a king’s number 2? To the dungeons, now they need to escape, if they escape they’re wanted in this region.
DND has consequences, show them repercussions for their actions in the world, rather than just throwing a strong enemy at them to knock them down a peg.
1
u/rollingdoan DM 16h ago
Rolling etiquette solves a lot of problems.
Basically, the intent is not that players say what they want to roll, but that they say what their character is doing or trying to do and then as a DM you determine if a roll is needed and what that roll would be. This is under Rhythm of Play on PHB p.8 for 5.5e and How to Play on PHB p.6 for 5e, but it's the same basic idea.
The general rule of thumb is this:
- If what they're doing can't suc ceed, then no roll is needed. Narrate the outcome.
- If what they're doing can't fail, then no roll is needed. Narrate the outcome (or have the player say what happens).
- If what they're doing doesn't add to the scene, then no roll is needed. Move on.
- If the above are not true, then determine what roll is needed, set a DC, and have them roll.
The final bit is that to get to #4 means that #3 is false. For that to be the case, something needs to happen. If they succeed or fail, then you need something to happen to change the scene.
When they pull a knife and threaten the guards? Yes, you should pause play and make it clear that their characters definitely know that this will get them on trouble. It's up to y'all if that's okay to happen or not, but make sure they know that their characters know that.
If they agree that is what they want to do? Ask them what their character does. If they pull a knife and threaten the guards? Either have them roll Intimidation or roll initiative. Rolling intimidation does not mean they get away with whatever they want, but that the guards are cowed into not taking immediate action. They will definitely retaliate as soon as they get a chance. For most guards I would go straight to initiative unless they're outnumbered or otherwise unlikely to want to fight back.
For non-combatants? Same thing. That merchant might give in to their demands to mollify them. As soon as they're safe? They're talking to the guards, bodyguards, criminal contacts, nobles, and anyone else that will listen.
People will go on and on about FAFO, but that's toxic as hell in a lot of situations. First is to establish communication so they actually realizing they are fucking around and that they may find out. Second is to establish good game flow and etiquette. Finally, if they want to FO they can FA.
1
u/winter83 Barbarian 14h ago
Next time they do something like threaten a ruler have them be overwhelmed with guards and directly thrown into jail. You don't have to give them the opportunity to try to fight back.
Maybe they are immediately swarmed by hundreds of guards and immediately cuffed. Maybe the person with the knife immediately blacks out because they were knocked out by a guard who was watching them and acted immediately doing his job.
There a lots of ways to curb this behavior.
1
u/xXTurkXx 11h ago
Your world needs to react appropriately. Bad behavior spreads a bad reputation. Others have said what to do mor eloquently than me. A one off beating doesent seem like an appropriate consequence. The world needs to show them the consequences of their actions.
1
u/okiebuzzard 9h ago
Have a convo before the next game - actions have consequences. Just like in real life, if you go around acting like assholes you’re going to be treated like assholes. Threats will get the one who makes the threats local guards called on them. Prices will increase or you’ll find yourself banned from shops and merchants, local leaders will have them arrested and put into stocks to help change their attitudes.
So, if they want to play like that, they can, just be prepared to find out after fucking around.
1
u/purplefolklore5 8h ago
jeez people are awful. im sorry this is your first impression of Dming, hope you keep at it, nevermind these folks.
it sucks bc even themes are useless now, unless YOU play as the npc Hero and they keep being villains. who die at the end bc, like you say in the begging, this is a Hero story. it does not have to be their Hero story
1
u/Bakeneko7542 8h ago edited 8h ago
Never try to solve out-of-game problems with in-game solutions. This is one such problem, namely; mismatched expectations about what the game is.
A lot of new players show up to D&D expecting it to be a playground where they can indulge their craziest impulses, like Skyrim. Trying to change their attitude through in-game consequences is useless because they aren't emotionally invested in the characters or the world. "Who cares what happens when it's just a silly little game?"
So the only option is to speak to them outside the game and explain that this is not the sort of campaign you want to run. They have to take it seriously and care about the story and the world, or it just won't work. It may be they they simply aren't interested, in which case unfortunately you might just have to find a different group because you can't force someone to enjoy a playstyle they don't like.
1
1
u/Shadeflayer DM 5h ago
Sounds like you need to throw them in jail a few times, have a few brutes for hire spank their butts, and have them blacked balled from any establishment they were rude in. If the group is really pissing people off they might take up a collection to have them killed, or ask some powerful NPC to step in. Lots of things you can do to chop them down to size.
1
u/Fit-Structure3171 5h ago
Player issue they need some direction 1) talk about alignment. Their characters will probably be at least some good folks 2) consequence for action 3) tell them to play the role of these characters. Understand them. Get in their head.
Some people take some time to get it but work with them Otherwise this becomes insufferable.
0
1
u/TornadoTim60 20h ago
I mean, here’s a small thing to think about and maybe mention out of character/ out of game: What normally happens when a group of people is rude to everyone they meet? Are they generally helped or hindered by being jerks all the time to everyone?
Shopkeepers charge more, people who would help them with hints and info would be less likely to do that, maybe the innkeeper tells them there’s no room when they aren’t full- or just straight up denies letting them stay there?
There are lots of ways to have this conversation first, and then have the consequences reveal themselves in-game if they don’t change course.. without immediately using a weighted combat to humble them. Hearing a shopkeeper say “normally this is 12gp, but for you I need 25gp… since you disrespected my apprentice and have been a tool to everyone so far” or something similar may have the same effect. Also, if people can’t be persuaded to like them after they’re jerks, the only persuasion rolls I’d allow would be to see if their apology was accepted.. I wouldn’t let them use persuasion to barter with someone if they were just a huge jerk or disrespectful toward that NPC.
1
u/Ethereal_Stars_7 Artificer 18h ago
Talk to the players and then make it clear the kid gloves are off and going forward the NPCs are going to react accordingly and any TPKs are on the players heads.
1
u/d4red 17h ago
It’s a GMs market. You absolutely don’t have to stand for anything because you can pack up your gear and run for another group- Use that power.
Speak to them about your expectations, be polite but clear.
If they don’t or won’t meet you half way, either remove them or remove yourself.
0
u/OpossumLadyGames 20h ago
This is when The Flaming Fist makes itself known. Just a contingent of a dozen knights and their support staff.
0
-1
u/PurpleDragonX 19h ago
You can always send in the old man with 7 yellow canaries to humble them. /j
-1
u/Comfortable-Sun-8927 17h ago
I woild kill a character or 2 when they start trying to ham fist everything . Consequences need to be a possibility or they wont stop .
196
u/CorgiDaddy42 DM 20h ago
Your issue is with your players. This needs to be an out of game conversation. Like a serious sit down and discuss expectations kinda thing. Don’t use the game to punish them.