PDA

View Full Version : My 8yo daughter completely railroads us - am I allowed to leave the group?



Kaibis
2018-03-22, 02:21 AM
So we are all slimes on a quest to find our true shape. We have a map to a spider village, which we follow. Unfortunately the entrance to the spider village is actually a portal - guarded by two snakes.

A large sign informs us that in order to get the key we have to travel across to the other side of the world to find a staff to give to the serpents to send us back to the other side of the world in order to find the key. It gets a bit convoluted. It turns out that there are actually 8 staff (staffs? staves?) and 8 keys and we need to bounce around between portals trying to find the right one.

I am only vaguely aware of how the plot went, because I concentrating on driving but I know that about every thirty seconds (after my beloved 8yo Story Master described the scene) I would say "I jump through the portal". Occasionally I would be told that I had created the portal yet, so I would spice things up by saying "I create a portal with my staff.... and then I jump through it". This seemed to please her very much, and saying anything else was met with groans of "Muuuummmmm".

At some point when my 6yo daughter was brave enough to say that she was bored, the Story Master took this surprisingly well and cheerily told us that we were almost there (we had found two keys, though I feel like we visited about 20 portals by then, only 6 more to go).

I may or may not have rebelled at this stage and decided to just fight the serpents.... it turned out that they had a copy of the key all along.

Judging by her hysterical laughter, I think that the Story Master found all this highly amusing... Is she out to get us? I mean, I feel a bit railroaded and I don't feel like this game was what we discussed in our session #0. Was my in-game reaction appropriate, or should I have just towed the line and spoken to her about it between sessions? NB. Don't ask what mechanics we play, there seem to be none.
:tongue::tongue::tongue:

Spore
2018-03-22, 03:33 AM
Ugh, terrible GM. By the sound of it you feed her and invite her to your house. She sounds abusive. Kick her out and discuss the game on another day.

Are you serious or trolling?

jayem
2018-03-22, 03:33 AM
concentrating on driving

Yes absolutely, their safety comes first.

More generally she's 8. She found it funny. [It meant the game was only a bit long for the 6 year old]. Sounds like an adequate outcome. She could always have said no.

Nifft
2018-03-22, 03:40 AM
I think you need to chase her around making monster noises, then catch her and tickle her.

Afterwards, you need to take her out for ice cream.

I was not bribed to say this.

Kaibis
2018-03-22, 04:15 AM
Ugh, terrible GM. By the sound of it you feed her and invite her to your house. She sounds abusive. Kick her out and discuss the game on another day.


Yeh, but the problem is that her sister is a really good Story Master, great story telling, lets us sandbox the world, and gives us a tonne of magical items (last game with her I found a room full of every magic potion you can think of, and we got to take as many as we wanted!!).

I think someone is going to get offended.... They share a house, they will talk!!




Are you serious or trolling?

I am just being silly. I was just watching a youtube video about railroading players and it reminded me of a couple of days ago in the car with my daughter - this was honestly how the game played out. She was enjoying her own story and we were merely the audience. My oldest daughter is an amazing pied-piper story teller. She always has kids enthralled by some tale she is weaving (as they play outside). However she is young and it is still very much *her* story, and the characters/players just have to come along for the ride.

Kaibis
2018-03-22, 04:17 AM
I think you need to chase her around making monster noises, then catch her and tickle her.

Afterwards, you need to take her out for ice cream.

I was not bribed to say this.

Well now that is a good idea. Take her out for ice cream and break it to her gently.

Do I have to pay for the ice-cream? Don't the DMs usually provide the snacks?

Pelle
2018-03-22, 05:15 AM
No gaming is better than bad gaming, etc...

:)

Cespenar
2018-03-22, 07:43 AM
The main premise (the very first sentence) sounds unironically really cool, though. Kudos to your kid for thinking that up.

Pleh
2018-03-22, 07:57 AM
Don't the DMs usually provide the snacks?

Actually, doing the work of hosting and running the game is pulling double duty. It can help to have a separate member handle space and refreshments. While one person can do everything (and elaborate DMs might prefer a one man show), you can often do more with your sessions by letting the DM focus on preparing the game and letting the host prepare the space.

Then it relaxes the financial burden if the host provides a main dish while everyone else brings drinks and snacks

GungHo
2018-03-22, 08:33 AM
Ask her if she wants to eat cake for dinner. Then give her broccoli because that was the only adventure you prepared for.

Cluedrew
2018-03-22, 08:34 AM
Actually, doing the work of hosting and running the game is pulling double duty.As I recall Grod's STaRS system explicitly calls out the Director (GM) role as separate from the Producer (host). Although I think it says either the director or a Star (... I think that is what the players where) can be the producer. Not actually necessary but a little insight I thought was nice.

As for the railroading GM. Unfortunately this might be the one time you might not be allowed to leave the group. However you have an unusual opportunity to help your GM grow here. It will probably take a while but you are already 8 years into it.

Kaibis
2018-03-22, 05:54 PM
The main premise (the very first sentence) sounds unironically really cool, though. Kudos to your kid for thinking that up.

I agree, I was excited to play. We are generic slimes in a sewer, we need to complete objectives (quests) in order to 'upgrade' ourselves, eventually we will have a recognisable form (and speech).

I am often surprised at what the kids come up with, but I suspect they will always outdo us with their imagination.

Kaibis
2018-03-22, 05:55 PM
Ask her if she wants to eat cake for dinner. Then give her broccoli because that was the only adventure you prepared for.

Ha, I am crying, I love it.

Kaibis
2018-03-22, 06:03 PM
As for the railroading GM. Unfortunately this might be the one time you might not be allowed to leave the group. However you have an unusual opportunity to help your GM grow here. It will probably take a while but you are already 8 years into it.

Yes, this is the conclusion I have come to as well. She is a pretty good story-teller. She understands basic story structure, she just does not know how to allow others to modify the story that she has planned. It is pretty cool watching the growth. We have been laying in bed telling stories to each other since she could talk. I was so excited, a few years ago, to discover RPGs as a story-telling medium.

Faily
2018-03-22, 08:39 PM
Do I have to pay for the ice-cream? Don't the DMs usually provide the snacks?

Bribe the GM with food. One of my groups had this as an actual rule at some point, with a table and everything over how much stuff was worth. :smallbiggrin:


Also, your 8-year old daughter still sound like a much better GM than half of the horror stories I read on this forum. :smallwink:

Dexam
2018-03-22, 09:10 PM
Bribe the GM with food. One of my groups had this as an actual rule at some point, with a table and everything over how much stuff was worth. :smallbiggrin:


Picture is relevant:
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SrZwB9CS-DI/Uo5ZEYhoKmI/AAAAAAAAADY/oqDkiltdqtM/s1600/Bribe_GM_With_Food.png

:smallbiggrin:

RazorChain
2018-03-22, 10:44 PM
Seems she is way too lenient, no PC's deaths and she allowed you to play amorphous blobs which I would never allowed. I still don't see the railroading though...she had multiple solutions to the problem of either find the keys or fight the Serpent Guardians.

I suggest you talk about this OOC as most problems can be solved that way. Explain why you were so frustrated with the game, a good dialogue goes a long way and may clear up what expectations you have to the game.

If that doesn't yield the results you want and you still feel you are being railroaded then you have an option that most other players don't have. You can give her up to adoption and hope her younger sister is a better GM

Kaibis
2018-03-23, 01:08 AM
Hahaha. Right on all counts.

FreddyNoNose
2018-03-23, 01:47 AM
I think you need to chase her around making monster noises, then catch her and tickle her.

Afterwards, you need to take her out for ice cream.

I was not bribed to say this.

winner
/thread

Spore
2018-03-25, 10:37 AM
Ask her if she wants to eat cake for dinner. Then give her broccoli because that was the only adventure you prepared for.

I see you train your children in the arts of villainy young. :smallamused:

Capt Spanner
2018-03-29, 09:22 AM
Bribe the GM with food. One of my groups had this as an actual rule at some point, with a table and everything over how much stuff was worth. :smallbiggrin:

Do you have a copy of this table, for research purposes?