PDA

View Full Version : Player Help How to deal with CN/CE PCs and OC drama (Very minor Storm King spoilers)



Carcharion
2016-09-23, 06:11 PM
I've been playing 5e with a group of friends for about a year, and I enjoy it for the most part. There is a problem I have though. We've been playing through Storm King's Thunder under AL league rules, and I'm constantly being singled out by one person for being disruptive. Now, I'll admit that I am far from being a good player at times, but every time I attempt to calmly discuss a course of action I'm told to just stand in a corner because I'm "out voted" or am called a bad team player. Half the party is CN Zhentarim, but that's only because CE isn't AL legal. Heck, one of the other players even flat out said that their character is CE. Other than that, the only other members of the party are a paladin who's pretty much just along for the ride, and a "lawful" wizard who was bought out with drugs to vote with the Zhentarim.

Yet when I say I am told to stand in a corner, I pretty much mean just that. I'm told I can't interact with any NPCs, because I don't want to do what the Zhent players want to do half the time. If by chance I do get to interact before being overruled by the majority, I'm derided for railroading the other players into an outcome they don't want. For example, at the start of the campaign, I'm told by the DM that we have accepted a bounty to hunt down and kill goblins. Yet the Zhentarim players want to spare one we captured because he had a funny name. Now, I've already established that my word is my bond, and I tell the DM I'd like to attack the goblin as they untie her to fulfill the bounty. At first they rule that the DM said she has walked off, but that's because they were talking over me. Then they say that I'm standing on the other side of the room so I can't attack, and before it devolves into rule lawyering the DM lets me attack.

So I roll, and I get a nat 20. So +1 dead goblin. This one player in particular has never let it drop since. I don't think it was such a huge deal, but apparently I've committed some cardinal sin that is going to damn me for the rest of the game. He and the rest of the Zhent even killed what was left of the city guard after I had managed to talk them down, and surrender the town to their faction, but I'm a murder hobo, a bad team player, selfish, etc, etc. It's getting to the point where I'm getting tired of playing, but I've been looking towards this campaign for some time now, and want to salvage it if possible. Anyways, is there anything I can try to end the drama? I even went to the DM, and I'm told that we are all to cooperate. So far, he hasn't pulled me to the side since early on in Curse of Strahd, but that was a unique scenario. The one problem player was meta gaming back then as he had already played through that part of the campaign, which lead to an argument because he wanted me to destroy a magic item. Anyways, help here would be appreciated, as I would like to resolve this if possible. Otherwise, I'm probably going to need to find a new group.

Kelb_Panthera
2016-09-23, 07:24 PM
Something about this makes me feel like it's a one-sided telling. Could you get one of them on here to tell their version of things?

Otherwise, this sounds like a simple matter of incompatible expectations.

Mongobear
2016-09-23, 08:11 PM
One-sided bias not-withstanding, assuming what you describe is anywhere near the full story, I find it ironic that you are being referred to as a Murderhobo for killing one Gobline because of a RP choice, and trying to "railroad" the entire group with any NPC interactions, when according to your retelling, the Zhent faction within the group are continuously and repeatedly doing this to both you and the "Wizard Druglord" (is it safe to assume the drugs were in-game, and not literally "here's a bag of weed, follow our lead" before the game started)

If you could somehow convince the Wizard to take an actual side instead of "as long as I get high I dont care" may be your best course of action.

I am also unfamiliar with how the AL actual works, I don't participate due to lack of a local venue to support it, but it there someone higher up who organizes this stuff you could talk to or report the other players/DM to about a very liberal bending/forcing of alignments and play styles? If you aren't allowed to be Evil aligned, and someone goes CN and blatantly muders everything in sight and acts like theyre CE on purpose, even as far as openly stating such, seems like something should be done about it.

Alternatively, Jamhorn Glittergold your party and walk out laughing.

http://imgur.com/r/gametales/Dy20IAe


Out of curiosity, what class/level is your party? Do you get to do ANYTHING other than being a source of another Attack Action for combat? I would honestly suggest, assuming you are capable of it, to just have your character snap and murder the Zhents, maybe you have some deep seeded hatred/loathing of them and only decided to work with them long enough for the pay, after the abuse for the past X sessions, you couldnt take it and decided to apply Greataxe to Face of anyone bearing Zhent symbols/allegiance.

Maybe have 1-2 of them getting murdered by an "ally" they chose not to listen to or allow to play the game will pull them out of their controlling attitudes, especially when 2-3 people have to re-roll entirely new characters. Bonus Points if you TPK the Zhents and you and the Wizard chill out later over a blunt and laugh at it all. This really assumes your DM/AL rules allows party in-fighting, if not, maybe arrange "accidental" death, by mistargeting AoE effects or refusing to listen to the group forcing you into a corner and pressing the big shiny red button that sets of the self-destruct sequence.-

Smorgonoffz
2016-09-23, 08:13 PM
Taking the OP words at face value,

1) does this behavior from your "friends" extends to in real life? If yes leave the group.

2) Simply leave the group , no RP i better than bad RP

RazorChain
2016-09-23, 09:18 PM
Next time your character keeps watch, then kill all the Zhentarim for being chaotic stupid. Then you can leave the group.

TheFurith
2016-09-25, 03:02 PM
Ask yourself this question. Why does my character stay with these people?

After that you either leave, or roll something that fits the rest of the party. Because obviously you and the rest of the group had different ideas about how to play the game.

Whole lot of hardline alignment play going on in this one either way....

ellindsey
2016-09-25, 07:36 PM
This gaming group sounds like a toxic environment. I recommend finding a different one.

Jornophelanthas
2016-09-28, 04:41 PM
I may be late to this thread, but I support the advice telling you to leave this game.

If these people insist on treating you like a child, leave.

If you want to give it one last try, talk to the DM first. Tell them you are not having fun and do not want to be treated like this by the other players, and ask what he/she can do for you. If the DM does nothing to help or support you, leave.

My impression of the DM is that he/she is unable to assert his/her authority in the game because of the loud player who calls all the shots. And his/her strategy of dealing with a problem is waiting for it to go away. So dont get your hopes up.