Re: [DL] The old Powergamer question

["Jeff Yates" <jyates@primaryfunction.com>]

Do some research.  Find something that will pose just as much threat to him
as everyone else.  Something along the spiritual plane, if he's such a
gunfire munchkin.  Or just use explosives -- blow him up.  Since he doesn't
roleplay well, or achieve the objectives you've set out, he gets no chips
other than his normal 3 draw at session start, right?  He should have few
chips to avoid damage, I'm guessing.

If he took any hinderances, use them mercilessly.

You say you have a rule against PCs killing PCs.  Tell the other posse
members that you lift the rule.  The powergamer will learn that the rule has
been lifted... eventually.  But by then his character will be dead.

But if he really is ruining the fun for you and everyone else -- tell him in
no uncertain terms to kiss off.  Its a game, its supposed to be fun, and if
he can't handle having a little imaginative fun with friends, he needs to
find another hobby.

Jeff Y.
Marshal for the Dynamite Gang

----- Original Message -----
From: <UriahGutsball@aol.com>
To: <deadlands@gamerz.net>
Sent: Saturday, May 19, 2001 10:33 PM
Subject: [DL] The old Powergamer question


>
>     Howdy, List. It's Ed's Brother, and I've got a familiar problem with
my
> game. A Powergamer, and a lousy bastard of a character to boot- how do I
run
> the game advantageously for everyone? I'll explain, entirely.
>
>     This one character, Trent Barkley. In my current game, the character
is
> revived from an older game of mine, where he burned down a town and killed
a
> dozen or so people, and got away. Now, he's wandered for a year(the old
game
> was back in '76.), and wound up in this new game. MY current game is
centered
> around an up-and-coming boomtown in kansas, Colby. It just got a railline
> from hellstromme industries, and it's getting the dodge city treatment.
The
> powergamer in question has recently aligned his character with the New
Town
> marshal, another player, Miles Long. This other character recognized
Barkley
> for the outlaw he was- but was also amoral, and has helped Barkley fake
his
> own death, in order to collect the two thousand dollar. The Hellstromme
> Industry Security chief and Mercenary coordinater in town also knows who
he
> is, but doesn't have any reason to do him harm.
>
>     Recently, (this most recent game session) The posse was investigating
a
> mine shaft south of town where two loggers and two dozen miners had
> disappeared a day or two ago.  First, he started a large bit of
player-player
> conflict, where he shot off Miles Long's fingers, and tried to beat him
into
> unconsciousness. Eventually, he stopped. (he claimed that not killing the
> other character was his concession to Gameplay(the minimum one possible)-
> because he knows that if he were to kill another character, I'd drum him
out
> of the Game in a second- I'm not running a
> Do-whatever-evil-thing-you-want-to-do game.) After that character had his
> fingers sowed back on, the posse returned to the mine, trying to
investigate.
> Barkley refused to go into the mine. He was asked to go politely by one of
> the Good characters. He then began making sarcastic comments about, "I
should
> go down the mineshaft and die or God will be mad at me." In hindsight it
> would've been better if he'd stayed outside.
>
>     Inside the mine, there was to be a combat session. I had geared the
> combat so that it would be more challenging to him, and maybe provide more
> danger. He then began complaining about how I, the marshal, had a "Hard
On"
> for his character. He is of the type that always rolls very well, and
draws
> cards very well. I have caught him red-handed cheating before, and I
suspect
> he does so without being caught fairly often. He has never missed a shot
> since I started the game. In fact, he becomes quite pissy whenever the
dice
> don't work for him. (Ex.- Earlier, there had been a bar-fight(two teams of
> two dozen each-ranch hands versus loggers), and he decided that to resolve
> it, he should threaten to shoot one of the loggers in the head. he then
> rolled Overawe. In 4 attempts, the highest roll he got was a 9. He was so
> angry he beat the table he was rolling on. To him, it seemed perfectly
> logical that if he rolled high enough, the crowd of people that wasn't
> listening to him should stop fighting.)
>
> This is the problem. He's evil. He's not at all a hero, and I don't think
> will work in the adventures I have planned. He will also inspire more
> player-player conflict. He's a powergamer- in combat, he cast Draw! and
had
> 11 action cards, and didn't miss a shot on one of them. He's a massive
power
> gamer, and off-sets combat- a threat that could worry him could decimate
the
> rest of the posse. And, he's pissy about the changes I have to make to
> challenge him.
>
> I already know some of the solutions that are going to be offered- tell
him
> to Kiss off if he doesn't like the game I'm running, tell him to Kiss off
if
> he doesn't want to be a hero like I had planned for the game, and some
such-
> But I'd like to hear the List's views, because I've valued your viewpoint
> before. You've also got much more experience than me, and my three games
of
> experience.
>
> Morgan Hirsch.
>
>
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