Managing "Skids"

Sometimes, a situation of strains may result from a situation of game. Reasons are various and numerous. Any Game Master must feel these strains and try to end them.

The Strains

During a scenario, strains may occur within Players or between one or more Players and the Game Master. These strains have numerous possible causes :

                            _ Death of an experienced Character..

                            _ A feeling of jealousy from a Player toward another. The cause may be real (No GM is impartial) or

                               fictive (The Player feel wrong because of an action or a situation).

                            _ A Player or the Game Master taunt another Player everytime and he bristle up.

                            _ A powerful Player Character kills another Player Character and this one get angry.

                            _ Players use their Character to express they dislike each other. (i.e. I don't like you so I kill your PC).

But many others are possible. These strains have a various range of expression : from sulk to brawl without forgetting insults! As a result, a group of friends may explode!

Ending Strains

Ending these strains is not easy. The best solution remains discussion. Silence is the worst solution because there's a risk of "pressure cooker syndrome". The unspoken remarks accumulate and an explosion always result, with verbal or physical agression. If such event occurs, it's too late!

When an experienced Player Character dies, the Game Master must explain why. Don't forget that the death mustn't result from a dice roll (except for young GM!) but because of a sequence of actions carried by the Player Character and whose result was only death. If a Player Character dies by another, have them explain calmly. If the Player is too affected buy the death of his Character, remember him that RPG is only a Game! If you notice that Players kills one another through RPG, avoid to have them together around the table and if you cannot, convince them to explain together, vecause such a behavior is toxic for the Game. Another solution is to kill the Character each time he killed another Character cithout solid reasons. As a last sanction, ban the Player from your table! It's pitiful, but you can't respect someone who does such things!

Jealousy can be recitified by balancing the gifts around the table. Don't cherish the spoiled Player or you will lose control of power increase. Be careful!

Good tricks on Players ar fun, but humor as one limit : respecting the other. Taunting somebody so as to offend him is not humor nor friendship : it's stupid! If you realize that you offended one of your friend, apologize and you will gain respect by admitting your error.

As a Game Master :

Ban Players who hit another Player for ever

Force Players who insulted somebody to apologize or ban them.

If you know that some of your Players hate each others, avoid to gather them around the table.

Try to keep into account these remarks. If strains occurs, the general atmosphere will suffer of it. At the end, your Players will flee your table. As a Game Master, if your table is empty; it's your fault. Then it's time to have an explanation with your Players to try to correct this  fact!

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