Help with a player that likes the idea of being a caster, but not the mechanics
https://lemmy.world/post/11298652
Help with a player that likes the idea of being a caster, but not the mechanics - Lemmy.World
cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/11298431
[https://lemmy.world/post/11298431] > I’ve been a DM for about 3 years, and have
predominantly run one-shots and short campaigns in DnD5e and PF2e. I have a
player who persistently builds primary caster based characters, but then won’t
do anything in combat but “I stab it with my dagger.” They rarely use cantrips,
and basically won’t cast a leveled spell unless I suggest it immediately before
their turn. They seem to enjoy playing despite the fact that they’re far too
squishy to be a front-line melee character and don’t utilize most of their class
features. I’ve talked with them explicitly about how their play style seems to
be discordant with the kind of play they want to do, and that maybe next time
they should try a paladin/champion or a fighter/rougue subclass with some minor
casting. They agreed at the time that sounded like a good idea, but low and
behold showed up to the next one-shot with a primary caster, and over 3 hours of
play and 3 combats never cast a single spell, including a cantrip. > > I enjoy
playing with this persons as a whole. They are engaged in the fiction, and are
particularly engaged during exploration activities. They tell me they also find
combat quite fun, and they are requesting I run a mega dungeon in the near
future. > > As a general rule, I like to let people play how they have the most
fun, but issues have arisen with this play style. Namely, all of my TPKs have
been associated with this player charging a squishy character directly up to a
significantly stronger villain and continuing to stab it with a dagger until
they went down, significantly hindering the party in the action economy and
resulting in a TPK. I feel I have to intentionally weaken all of my encounters
to keep the party feasible in the face of such mechanically poor combat choices.
> > What else can I do to help drive this individual towards melee builds,
and/or help encourage them to change their play style to better suite the caster
classes they choose?
Help with a player that likes the idea of being a caster, but not the mechanics
https://lemmy.world/post/11298431
Help with a player that likes the idea of being a caster, but not the mechanics - Lemmy.World
I’ve been a DM for about 3 years, and have predominantly run one-shots and short
campaigns in DnD5e and PF2e. I have a player who persistently builds primary
caster based characters, but then won’t do anything in combat but “I stab it
with my dagger.” They rarely use cantrips, and basically won’t cast a leveled
spell unless I suggest it immediately before their turn. They seem to enjoy
playing despite the fact that they’re far too squishy to be a front-line melee
character and don’t utilize most of their class features. I’ve talked with them
explicitly about how their play style seems to be discordant with the kind of
play they want to do, and that maybe next time they should try a
paladin/champion or a fighter/rougue subclass with some minor casting. They
agreed at the time that sounded like a good idea, but low and behold showed up
to the next one-shot with a primary caster, and over 3 hours of play and 3
combats never cast a single spell, including a cantrip. I enjoy playing with
this persons as a whole. They are engaged in the fiction, and are particularly
engaged during exploration activities. They tell me they also find combat quite
fun, and they are requesting I run a mega dungeon in the near future. As a
general rule, I like to let people play how they have the most fun, but issues
have arisen with this play style. Namely, all of my TPKs have been associated
with this player charging a squishy character directly up to a significantly
stronger villain and continuing to stab it with a dagger until they went down,
significantly hindering the party in the action economy and resulting in a TPK.
I feel I have to intentionally weaken all of my encounters to keep the party
feasible in the face of such mechanically poor combat choices. What else can I
do to help drive this individual towards melee builds, and/or help encourage
them to change their play style to better suite the caster classes they choose?
Resources for becoming a better player!
https://lemmy.world/post/9456278
Resources for becoming a better player! - Lemmy.World
cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/9456057
[https://lemmy.world/post/9456057] > tl;dr - What resources do you know of
(blogs, videos/youtube channels, books, etc) that cater to improving your skills
as a TTRPG player? I’m looking for the player equivalent of MCDM’s Running the
Game, The Alexandrian blog, etc directed towards players. > > Hello all, I’ve
been involved in TTRPGs for about 3 years now, and I’ve spent the bulk of that
time DM’ing D&D5e, but I’ve also dabbled in a number of different systems
including PF2e, Monster of the Week, and Scum and Villainy. During this time,
I’ve found a great many resources aimed at helping me become a better DM, though
I realized recently I haven’t seen anything aside from the book Live To Tell The
Tale by Keith Ammann (of The Monsters Know What They’re Doing fame) directed
squarely at players. > > Part of me wonders if this is a continuation of the
theme that DMs put in more work than their players for a game to exist, and
individuals who want to devote significant time to the craft are almost always
DMs. Maybe it’s driven by the fact that most of the things that can make you a
better player are things you learn to become a good DM. > > Regardless of the
reason, I see plenty of advice aimed for entry-level players about not having
their phones out and participating in the game, but no real resources of
substances for becoming the best player one can be. Has anyone come across any
good resources focused on deep character creation, player-centric role play,
etc?
Resources for becoming a better player!
https://lemmy.world/post/9456057
Resources for becoming a better player! - Lemmy.World
tl;dr - What resources do you know of (blogs, videos/youtube channels, books,
etc) that cater to improving your skills as a TTRPG player? I’m looking for the
player equivalent of MCDM’s Running the Game, The Alexandrian blog, etc directed
towards players. Hello all, I’ve been involved in TTRPGs for about 3 years now,
and I’ve spent the bulk of that time DM’ing D&D5e, but I’ve also dabbled in a
number of different systems including PF2e, Monster of the Week, and Scum and
Villainy. During this time, I’ve found a great many resources aimed at helping
me become a better DM, though I realized recently I haven’t seen anything aside
from the book Live To Tell The Tale by Keith Ammann (of The Monsters Know What
They’re Doing fame) directed squarely at players. Part of me wonders if this is
a continuation of the theme that DMs put in more work than their players for a
game to exist, and individuals who want to devote significant time to the craft
are almost always DMs. Maybe it’s driven by the fact that most of the things
that can make you a better player are things you learn to become a good DM.
Regardless of the reason, I see plenty of advice aimed for entry-level players
about not having their phones out and participating in the game, but no real
resources of substances for becoming the best player one can be. Has anyone come
across any good resources focused on deep character creation, player-centric
role play, etc?
