Heading off problems with players

[Fiery Diamond]

I live in a small town. I only play D&D face to face, not online. These two things do not mix well. So, when I find potential players, I feel bad about saying "no, I changed my mind, I don't want to play D&D with you" when they start revealing perspectives and attitudes that I foresee causing problems. So, other than simply doing that, I would like advice for how to head off some potential problems.

So far, I have one interested person. I might (might) be able to get 2 more, maybe only 1 more, maybe 0 more (in which case I'll call it off anyway). I suspect his playstyle will not be fully compatible with my own.

Put simply, I have a very, very strong suspicion that he will engage in two things which I do not want in my game: in-character crude behavior (I think it won't be hard to head off out-of-character crude behavior, given what I think I know of him), and Chaotic Stupid as Chaotic Neutral. Also, perhaps Chaotic Evil (milder variety) but claiming it is Chaotic Neutral. His statement that his favorite alignment is CN and he detests CG leads me to suspect these things.

I don't want crude behavior, nor do I want Evil characters (anti-heroes are okay, I suppose, but my campaigns are Good campaigns).

So suggestions on what I should do? Should I just give up already without trying anything? (I hope not, but...)

[WarKitty]

Set out ground rules in the first session. Or preferably before. If they live with them, good. If not you have a stated reason to kick them out.

[mobdrazhar]

Set out ground rules in the first session. Or preferably before. If they live with them, good. If not you have a stated reason to kick them out.

agreed. If you lay it all out to them before hand and they agree to it thyen it's all good. and then if they violate the agreement they can't say that you didn't tell them beforehand that it wasn't allowed.

You could also (and i mostly don't like doing this but i've had to in my current campaign) Ban certain alignments if you think he will abuse\be a pest with them.

[Marnath]

This depends on what the other one or two players end up feeling. If they don't want chaotic stupid either, then maybe talk to him about not using CN this time around. If they're fine with it? Run an evil campaign. Remember, it's their game too, and presumably you want to run a game they'll enjoy, not one that only you would enjoy. I'd give you advice on what to do if they don't want to be evil but are fine with him being evil, except I have no idea how you'd reconcile that.

[WarKitty]

Generally if one player has their heart set on Chaotic Stupid (of either the CN or CE variety) there's not a lot you can do if they won't change. That said, I have successfully run evil characters in good-to-neutral parties. It just requires, you know, not being Stupid Evil.

[Marnath]

Generally if one player has their heart set on Chaotic Stupid (of either the CN or CE variety) there's not a lot you can do if they won't change. That said, I have successfully run evil characters in good-to-neutral parties. It just requires, you know, not being Stupid Evil.

Right. I heard of/came up with a NE druid in a good party. He did fine and they even liked him. The secret was he did what all normal adventurers do, but he did it because he was a sociopath who loved watching "despoilers of nature"
twitch in the dirt rather than because it would make people safer. The party never knew he was evil.

[Tyndmyr]

Consequences. Lots of consequences. Have a PC that treats women as worthless objects? Expect him to have great difficulty dealing with women, or anyone with a sense of chivalry. Is he just a buffoon who is rude to everyone? Have them treat him like an idiot when he does so, or take offense to his actions.

Stupid evil? Well, there are stupid evil people in real life, too. They just don't get very far. I especially enjoy when characters are busy discussing how to kill and loot someone WHILE THE PERSON IS THERE. This should result in bad things(tm) happening. Lots of them.

Don't be afraid to let characters die, either. Don't set out to kill them specifically, but if they fail to learn even a little, and continue to compound stupidity with more stupidity and violence, it's extremely likely it'll turn out to be eventually lethal. Hopefully they learn from that.

[WarKitty]

Right. I heard of/came up with a NE druid in a good party. He did fine and they even liked him. The secret was he did what all normal adventurers do, but he did it because he was a sociopath who loved watching "despoilers of nature"
twitch in the dirt rather than because it would make people safer. The party never knew he was evil.

Right. That and Evil does not mean completely without virtue and more than Good means completely without vice. I played a NE druid who wanted nothing more than to see civilization fall. Picked up with the adventuring party cuz he wanted power. Would insist loudly that he didn't care about them, was just using them, etc. And almost got himself killed to save the "stupid dwarf" because he'd taken a fancy to him.

[Elemental_Elf]

You sound like the type of gamer who enjoys the fairy tale style campaign with a more black and white morality where the heroes aren't crass blackguards but rather prince charming with their own unique set of special abilities (I too have a fondness for that type of campaign :} ). Needless to say, this type of campaign isn't exactly the most popular. Personally I blame the Angst filled TV ( :P ). More seriously I think most people find angsty characters to be more rewarding to roleplay (who hasn't wanted to be Wolverine or Drizz't or Edward from time to time?). Personally I think comprise is the key to getting most of what you want - good campaign - while still allowing some of what your players want - divergent character personalities.

I've always found making a campaign primer to be a very, very good way of getting everyone on the same page. The Primer should have the basics on your world (i.e. is it a Desert world like Dark Sun or a a more traditional world like DragonLance or FR). You should also include a list of all available races & Classes (especially if this is 3.5) and any variants of those you allow. Finally you should include a section about the type of campaign you want to run.

By doing that you clearly tell your players from the outset what to expect in your campaign. If they don't like it, then talk to them and maybe you can come to some kind of compromise (a little crassness for the ability to play may not be a bad trade). :smallsmile:

[snoopy13a]

Hey,

I think it is good that you held the line.

In my opinion:

Chaotic Good= Robin Hood. Someone who doesn't really like others telling them what to do but when push comes to shove always will help out those in need. Basically he or she is a person who thinks freedom is the ultimate goal and will also help out those in tough circumstances

Chaotic Neutral= Keith Richards. Bascially someone who wishes no ill on anyone else but is not going to do anything to help someone else
Basically, the chaotic neutral character is a carnie, sailor, hippie, etc. They do not want to tell others what to do but they want to live their own life the way they want it to be. They aren't going to hurt an innocent but they aren't going to go on some heroirc quest.