New player, dilema.

[Stabber1010]

The whole party is good, the cleric being lawful good and 2 fighters being chaotic good. I decided to add a bit of drama via being a sorcerer that was chaotic neutral.

It's all with friends, and they're all nice guys. We play at my house, since that is the only place we can convene in secret.

That is the problem.

I thought I would enjoy DND but I suppose I don't. Should I just start over and be a paladin (re-roll and everything), to fit in? It's my first campaign, and I'm about 7 hours in and I'm only the first level but I thought DND was fun. It's coming off as really boring right now, and if I quit I don't want to sit there and watch the guys play, nor do they want to play and see me sitting there. Since my house is the only place, you can see the problem.

[Pharaoh's Fist]

What do you want from the game? Can your DM provide this?

[Mando Knight]

The whole party is good, the cleric being lawful good and 2 fighters being chaotic good. I decided to add a bit of drama via being a sorcerer that was chaotic neutral.

Being a CN sorcerer in a party of an LG cleric and 2 CG meatshields isn't "drama," it's "conflict" with Belkar and Qara's names scribbled all over it.

We play at my house, since that is the only place we can convene in secret.

D&D isn't a cult to Elder Evils. I don't really see why you have to convene in secret.

Also, is the DM new? That might play into it.

[Pharaoh's Fist]

Why *shouldn't* we convene in secret?

[Katana_Geldar]

I can understand the "secret" part, as some parents wonder why we "waste our money" on "such things". Chaotic Neutral does tend to clash with good characters though.

What do you want out of the game? What do your friends want? What does the DM want.

[Pharaoh's Fist]

You spend money on DnD?

[Katana_Geldar]

No, worse, Star Wars. But I'm the GM.

[Mystic Muse]

You spend money on DnD?

everybody has to spend a LITTLE money buying dice. Buying the books would have been unnecesarry.

[ShadowFighter15]

You don't need to spend money on dice either if you've got a graphics calculator (had to get one during high-school); the Texas Industries ones come with a probability simulator already installed.

[Katana_Geldar]

But dice are so PRETTY!

I have 5 sets, but three are very cheap.

[Sharkman1231]

Okay, I just had a thought, because it's Sept 1st and the OP's join date is sept 2009, they joined today! Yay, new member! I'm just kidding around... I'm really tired right now and can't go to sleep.

Okay now I'm being serious, being chaotic neutral doesn't mean you will automatically clash with the party. Playing TN & CN characters has always been a habit of mine, because I like the sense of not being restricted and forging my own path. My friend almost always plays a pally and the only scuffles we have had are minor, on the few times our ideals clash. All you have to do is try to get along. If you had said the you were going to be a CE character, then you might have a problem.

[Stabber1010]

I was looking for a healthy amount of combat and story. My friends are looking for the same thing.

The DM has been playing star wars D6 for 2 years. (or something...there's no levels)

So far we've left a town that was on fire, which had a necromancer that made everybody that got lit on fire, into skeletons. We ran out there, encountered pumpkins that were filled with blood and teeth...that deal no damage and were just silly. Got to a town over, heard of the "big" city to find information, and we finally encounter a boar, 5 hours into the game.

[ShadowsGrnEyes]

well it SOUNDS like your getting story. . . but you want more combat. just tell the dm you'd like a little more combat. throw a random encounter or two in there.

as for your alignment. . . i'm a GM and i play in games with 2 other gm's. of the 3 of us 2 have banned Chaotic neutral as an alignment, and the 3rd is considering it. . . . it's basically the alignment of "i want to be good somtimes and evil sometimes as it suits me"
Really easy fix though. Let one of the more religious characters "show you the path" get converted, be chaotic good. Still a little bouncy with regards to the law but always a good person.

also getting converted could be a really fun bit of RPing for you and whoever gets to convert you, maybe even the whole party.

[Lycan 01]

Thats not a bad game, that's just a bad DM.

I say stick with it and see where it goes. If you are having ZERO fun, you need to just tell them that DnD isn't your thing. But I think that with a good DM, you'd love it.

I had a similar experience. My first experience with DnD was a horrible one. It involved bottled Kobold piss, poo throwing French knights, a waiting line to file a complain with the DM's in-game representative, and finally I nuked myself by lighting mushrooms on fire.

I. Kid. You. Not.



Anyway, perhaps you should bring up the idea of alternating DMs every now and then? If nobody else knows how to DM... LEARN!! That's what I did! I went out and got my own DnD stuff, started my own group, and now a year I'm the DM for at least three different game groups, running games like DnD 4e, Call of Cthulhu, Dark Heresy, and even homebrew Superhero and Fallout games.


So yeah, don't get discouraged. You never know where you'll end up. Yeah, you may hate it, and years from now look back and laugh at how lame a game it was. Or you may stick with it, and years from now you'll be able to smile at memories of the game that started your love of RPGs and what-not. You never know...



Edit: Or... what he said.

[bosssmiley]

You don't need to spend money on dice either if you've got a graphics calculator (had to get one during high-school); the Texas Industries ones come with a probability simulator already installed.

Blasphemy! Dice are a totemic part of gamer culture (also the source of all dark matter fuel in the universe). If you play without dice then you might as well be (*shudder*) LARPing.

@Stabber1010: sometimes you just have a dud session, so stick with it mate. You might want to suggest some reading/viewing material to the DM that has the sort of stuff you'd enjoy in it, just so he can see what would appeal to his newest player.

If the sessions don't improve then stage a coup.

[Sipex]

I agree with most of the people here, this is your first session and your DMs first session with your party. Let him know what you guys want out of the game and I'm sure he'll adjust.

[sofawall]

I thought this was a DM asking advice about a player, when I read the title. The tables seem to have been turned...

Anyway, the question in the front of my mind is this. Why are you forced to convene in secret?

[Tallis]

Make sure you talk to your DM about what you're looking for out of the game. If he's a good DM he'll work with you to make the game better.

In the mean time stick it out for a few sessions. Some sessions are slow, some are all action, hopefully the game will fall into a good rythm that everyone enjoys.

Being chaotic neutral won't automatically lead to conflict, it's all in how you play it. I'd say don't overdo it though. D&D is a cooperative game after all. A little intraparty tension is fine but you don't want to make a player vs player situation.

[Temet Nosce]

I was looking for a healthy amount of combat and story. My friends are looking for the same thing.

The DM has been playing star wars D6 for 2 years. (or something...there's no levels)

So far we've left a town that was on fire, which had a necromancer that made everybody that got lit on fire, into skeletons. We ran out there, encountered pumpkins that were filled with blood and teeth...that deal no damage and were just silly. Got to a town over, heard of the "big" city to find information, and we finally encounter a boar, 5 hours into the game.

That... Seems to have nothing to do with your alignment. From the little you're telling it sounds like your DM is simply running a campaign that isn't giving you what you're looking for (personally I would not play in such a campaign).

I'll reinforce what others have said, have a chat with the DM and explain that you'd prefer a more serious game where you get the chance to do stuff rather than rampant railroading and schlock humor.

[Sallera]

Anyway, perhaps you should bring up the idea of alternating DMs every now and then? If nobody else knows how to DM... LEARN!! That's what I did! I went out and got my own DnD stuff, started my own group, and now a year I'm the DM for at least three different game groups, running games like DnD 4e, Call of Cthulhu, Dark Heresy, and even homebrew Superhero and Fallout games.

I'll second this idea, for what it's worth. I learned the game by DMing, didn't actually play until a few months later, so it really isn't as hard as it may seem. And almost every DM enjoys the chance to play once in a while, so I wouldn't be surprised if your DM was amenable to the suggestion.

[Ormur]

In my first game it took us a few hours to get to any combat and then we were promptly slaughtered. That first part was mostly our fault for interrogating the whole village before we went to the graveyard. Anyway, the next few sessions were loads of fun. It might take some time to get the story started and get fun, give it another chance. If the DM is new, just tell him how he can make stuff more fun.

[Stabber1010]

No, he is not new at all, he's the one that got us involved. I'll talk with him, and the other party members seem to agree that there need to be more action.

Thanks for all the help! You're much nicer than other forums I've been to.

Edit: And I do plan to learn how to DM...eventually

[Mystic Muse]

Thanks for all the help! You're much nicer than other forums I've been to.

well thank you! we do try.

[Captain Six]

Everyone has bad sessions and sometimes the first sessions of a campaign take a while to get rolling. If the idea of tabletop RPGs appeals to you then chances are it is fun under the right circumstances, you just haven't found them. Force yourself through a few sessions and see what you think. Unless you're doing one-shot dungeon dives a campaign *cannot be judged by one or two sessions alone, it's such a relatively short amount of time.

If you like combat maybe one-shots are your thing. While this forum tends to side with the storytelling aspects of D&D using it like an intricate board game is a legitimate playstyle. D&D started as a team-based wargame after all.

Also chaotic neutral is a very flexible alignment, for both good and bad. In my opinion unless you're the confrontational type Chaotic Neutral would be the easiest character to get along with, they're pretty much down with anything. "We're going to help getting food to orphans today? That's cool." "We're stealing the presents from under the orphans' Christmas tree? That's cool."

*Unless you walk away those nights with post ideas for "worst GM ever" threads.

[Dervag]

Being chaotic neutral won't automatically lead to conflict, it's all in how you play it. I'd say don't overdo it though. D&D is a cooperative game after all. A little intraparty tension is fine but you don't want to make a player vs player situation.

Yeah. It's not so much a question of "what is your character's alignment?" as "can your character get with the program and cooperate with other people?" If the answer to that is "no," then for you to have fun playing your character, you'll be forcing the DM and other players to not have fun. Unless, of course, the whole game is about being a jerk and destroying everything you can find... but the DM and other players have to cooperate to make that kind of game any fun for them.

[Mathius]

This simply sounds like a lack of communication.

Allow me to elaborate. One of the best things for a DM and his players should do is to sit down and learn what each and every player expects from the game and the DM and let the players know what you expect of them.

I do this with all of my players and it works wonders for me. A few jackholes sneak through, but overall I have a great time.

[Calmar]

So far we've left a town that was on fire, which had a necromancer that made everybody that got lit on fire, into skeletons. We ran out there, encountered pumpkins that were filled with blood and teeth...that deal no damage and were just silly. Got to a town over, heard of the "big" city to find information, and we finally encounter a boar, 5 hours into the game.

Maybe it's just me, but that doesn't actually sound bad. I'm sure it's not been the DM talking for 5 hours, while you were doing nothing. Maybe he was having some trouble, because he expected you to do something clever to stop the pyromaniac necromancer?
Or maybe he's simply so dumb to try running a horror game and attempted to create some eerie atmosphere through lengthy descriptions of strange things. Seriously, how can a character be even slightly intimidated by some bloody pumpkins when it doesn't even require a Will save??

[Myou]

Edit: And I do plan to learn how to DM...eventually

No need to wait. I'm learning by DMing.

Whenever anyone else was going to DM it always fell through, but really, as DM I get to have things just the way I want them, and I still have my own PC. It's a lot of work compared to just playing, which is what I really wanted to do, but if I was playing not DMing then I'd have to play under someone else's rules.

[shadzar]

No need to play in secret unless you are Amish.

Money is better spent on books that encourage math and thinking and developing reading and social skills; than say buying alcohol, drugs, cigarettes, etc.....

Give it some time. While story and combat usually come in good ratios to each other sometimes you will have games that is all story and little combat, then the next game could be all combat, then the next a bit more combat than story...so it balances out over the entire game rather than each time you sit down to play.