John Answers Questions

Have you ever had a band that has become so dysfunctional that you have had little to no progress with story cause the characters are not meshing together well? Like a group that argues over every little thing to do or one that in combat people go off and not follow a plan, sometimes leading to a 'Leeroy Jenkins!' charge. If you have, how do you as a storyteller try to salvage the game and make it better?


O god yes. I wish I could tell you there was some easy fix, but there isnt. Let me first break down all the possibilities for why this might happen. When I was a young ST/DM there was a great article in Dragon magazine(it might have been dungeon magazine) about logjams. Ive searched all over and cant find it, but if you are some how able to find it, it helped me get through many difficulties with the same problem as a youngin.


1. Players
2. Characters
3. Player/character
4. Virtues
5. Confusion in game
6. "Confusion" out of game
7. Everyone is being dicks


1. Often, there are player problems. Some players are at game for the wrong reason. Maybe they have a crush on another player. Maybe they're bored on tuesday and game fills that niche. Maybe they're hoping you'll stop playing scion soon and switch to another game. Sometimes they get off on ruining the game for everyone else. If this is the problem, you can nip it in the bud quickly. Sometimes that is incredibly difficult(socially). It often requires a lot of balls, but when figuring out how to fix a dysfunctional group, if you can realize the problem is a player from the start then you save yourself a lot of time and the other players a lot of suffering(and I promise you're a better ST for it).

2. Bad characters. I dont like saying that there are really bad characters, but more appropirately, some characters dont easily blend to the group setting of a multiperson scion game. Maybe they envision themselves more as loners, or their virtues dont mesh with the rest of the group so they are forced to act out. Maybe they see themselves as the alpha male but dont have the social stats to back it up and so they get butthurt when the charisma dude does stuff. I caught some flack when we posted our character creation for having "roles" in a group. People didnt like to think of their character having to fit a niche. They didnt like to think they couldnt have charisma cause someone else was the "leader" already. And while that certainly isnt true at all(and maybe is a talk for another time), one of the most positive things about the system that Ive seen in games is characters know where they fit. Lots of things happen in the story, but they arent JUST a band of heros each trying to figure out what to do with themselves(which of course they are), they also have roles to fill, things they know they have to do. They have a place in the world(and a leader to follow) and this eases a lot of potential character problems(although the remaining character problems can still be infinite).

3. Players playing the wrong character. Or playing a character they have a difficult time with. I encourage players to branch out into characters they havnt played before, or archetypes they maybe have a hard time with. Often this can have growth effects for both the player, and the rest of the game, and sometimes, it can even cause some real life character growth in the player outside of game. But even more often....it can cause horrible problems. If you dont have real life manipulation....playing the manipulation character can be impossible. If you dont have any actual wits, being super witty can be a chore in game. Often the ST can help with these problems and provide outs, but sooner or later you get the character with tons of charisma, and a player with zero social graces. No one does what he says, sometimes the players even subconsciously act against him(there is something about someone with no charisma telling you what to do that has the opposite effect). Sometimes this is an impossible hurdle, but often with ST help and the understanding and guidance of the other players, these situations can be made to work out fine. And then sometimes they cant, and they're horrible.

4. Virtues. Many virtues just dont get along. Or even if the virtues do get along, one character that is all about harmony vs another character who has a little harmony but ALWAYS rolls against it can cause trouble. These situations can create fun stories and interesting interaction, but just as often they can cause fighting and logjams.

5. Confusion about the goals in game. Or players/characters having different goals then the goals of the "story". Sometimes there are stories where the goals are purposefully confusing or nebulous. This can add a ton of frustration(but I still think good frustration). Sometimes players(or characters) may have forgotten a vital piece of info that makes everything make sense. Or maybe some characters have gotten riled up in their own subplot that everyone else is bored and trying to get the "main plot" completed.

6. Other times there can be some OOC confusion. Players misunderstood clues or actions of an npc. They could have misremembered or misread something vital to the game. They thought their goals were X but they were actually Y and they have no way of finding out. They've been digging in the mountains of chile for 4 game sessions but to further the plot they need to be in britian.

7. Maybe several players just arent getting along. Maybe people are spiting each other. People bringing their own IRL bullshit to the table and gumming up the works. If everyone is being dicks...you know it. Maybe you're being a dick too.


Solutions:
Sadly these arent actual solutions, but just some tips on how to handle the situation as successfully as possible.

1. If there is one player causing a problem already, you've probably already had a talk with the other players while that player isnt there. Kinda had a bitchnstich. This is good and can be cathartic, but make sure it isnt happening too much. You dont want a situation where after each game, you wait for that player to leave so you can talk about em behind their back, its not healthy for anyone. Eventually, to make the game table a better, happier place(which is one of your jobs as an ST, no matter how much you hate it) is to have a 1 on 1 talk with the player. If you try to have the talk in front of the group, s/he may feel ganged up on and become more defensive. Try to have a happy talk at some point away from game, maybe get some snacks and beers, maybe meet at a bar so its not like you're at game. Make it a light enviroment, but do talk about business. Come prepared with problems that have come up in game, and some ideas on how to fix them. Also, make sure to sprinkle in some good qualities of the player so they dont feel you're just attacking them. Listen to their thoughts and hear their side. End it with something like "I want to enjoy you at game, but currently its ruining things. If we can get past that and all start having fun, thatd be awesome, but otherwise I'll probably have to ask you to leave." Or something like that. Usually you're gonna get there during the convo, and the player might actually bring up leaving instead of you having to do it. Either way stay polite, professional and on topic and it shouldnt seem like an attack. WARNING: sometimes this leads to fixed behavior for 1 month, and then a fall back to bad habits. If this happens, jump on it immediatly, and attempt to correct it. Dont say "well s/he's been good for a month so its ok if they sabotage stuff for a while." They will read into this, even subconsciously and continue the cycle forever.

2. Bad character fix has an easy option. Talkin to the player, say the character isnt working out, and figure out a new one that would fit into the group better. This doesnt always work, and may not be an option you like. Another option is to work with the player on the kinds of things that could turn the character into a character that would fit the group. There is always a great story in "loner learns to work with group because of traumatic event X." Maybe something isnt motivating the character, and they need to raise the stakes, or get a different point of view. The best thing here though, is that you get to talk to the player about a character, not the player about the player. Its way easier.

3. Again, the role system works great here. "Hey, you're character isnt quite working out as the leader, what other role can he fill next time?" "you're having a really hard time playing the intelligence character, maybe next story this character could be more of a fighter. He has a bunch of physicals and could easily transition into that role." The main goal here is identifying that this is the problem and not one of the previous two problems. Once you have done that, this has the easiest fixes.

4. Different virtues in the group, especially VERY different virtues in high doses, can be a huge problem. The conflicts it creates can be fun and important to the story though. So they shouldnt be shyed away from completely. When a problem starts brewing(and sometimes you can have characters role perception empathy to notice if a problem might start), and you know its gonna cause a major fight, before the fight, or during the fight, just tell everyone to take a step back. Remind everyone of each others virtues and how they are a core part of that character. If its a 5 dot virtue(or if its less and they have low willpower or are just very passionate about it) let everyone know that and make sure the other players really understand what that feels like. My character has 5 valor, letting your character stab that defenseless human is like watching you kill his mother. Once everyone is on the same page....you have to let them make their decisions and let the cards lay where they lay. Sometimes this can cause pvp and character death....but thats something any good book or movie has at some point. The important part is getting past it.

5. I usually let this problem simmer for a while to try to give the character time to sort things out. Im happy to write fun side plots that happen while they're searching for the truth or following a red herring. Really, unless its becoming a big problem for some reason or the PCs are viciously fighting about it....its not actually a problem, its just a different part of the story. But, if it is a problem. Since this is characters, the only thing is to make sure you are giving clues and reminders to any high mentals people in the group. Rolling to find clues, remember important details, etc are important and the reason those people are playing those types of characters. Dont jip them just because they're players are confused...which leads me to:

6. If players are misunderstanding something, fix it immediately. If they misheard, misunderstood something, they are giving incorrect info to the character they're playing. They are actually living in a different world then the one you intended to create. Take a quick break, remind everyone of the facts, take questions and get everyone to a state where they feel comfortable and all have the same view of what happened(if this cant happen, announce "thats what happened" and explain the "truth" as the ST saw it. Which makes it the truth). Then set them off on their way. If there is any more confusion its part of problem 5.

7. If everyone is being dicks....its time to be mommy/daddy. Stop game, maybe end it for the night. Sit down with everyone and really hash through things. Maybe some people need a break, maybe you need a break. Maybe this story or these characters just arent working. There is no easy way around this. There is no easy fix for this and sometimes there isnt a fix at all. If you can come to a happy fix maybe you can continue playing or start a fresh story. Come back to this one later or not at all. Sometimes though, maybe friendships or games have to end. This is a tough one, but the sooner its dealt with, the more likely it can have a good outcome. If you wait to long....its gonna end badly.


So....there ya go. Storytelling has way too many responsibilities. You dont just have to write fun interesting stories and then run them, you also have to deal with this stuff. And its very important stuff. Practice makes perfect and a lot of these skills are life skills that will help you in any job/pursuit/family. But they are skills an ST sorely needs. Best of luck to you.