I think that's completely the wrong call.
No, the rules don't work like that,
absolutely the rules don't work like that.
You rolled a five, you can't hit me on a five unless you've got plus 10.
And I know you don't have plus 10,
because you didn't said that you've got plus 10.
And that creature wouldn't have plus 10.
Oh, and by the way, can we get some magical items?
When last did we level up?
You haven't given us enough experience points.
Look, if we calculate the amount of experience points that you've given us
we should be level 4 by now and we're only level 3.
You haven't given us enough experience points.
And you certainly haven't given us enough magical items.
Can we have some magical items?
Or just one level? A magical item or a level.
Or both actually, give us some magical items and a level.
Oh, you haven't given us us any gold,
so give us some gold as well
And we all feel that you're a pretty bad GM,
but we're going to sit here anyway and just
bully the hell out of you!
Are you a GM bully?
So we've spoken about players' habits before, in other videos,
which we received quite a lot of commentary.
This is not now about you personally,
in your own personal playing habits.
It's now about you bullying the GM.
And by bullying the GM, that can mean by being overenthusiastic.
Now I'm not gonna rant and rave and scream and shout in this video, most likely.
I am gonna, however, point out
that GM bullying is a very serious, serious thing, that happens around tables all over the place.
And what it is, is you wanting to get more stuff,
and you thinking that the GM isn't giving it to you.
Now, again before the comments start rolling in.
There are times where there are GM's, like myself,
where we forget to give out equipment or items or gold or experience points or leveling up.
We forget because it's not important to us,
the story is happening, the adventures are happening...
And what does it matter if your character's level 10 or level 3?
If they're having fun and they're doing awesome things what does it matter?
For us as GMs, we forget, sometimes,
that you get new powers and new cool abilities and stuff when you level up.
However, there is a difference between saying: "Well we've had a couple sessions now.
Uhm, do you think it's time for us to level up GM?
I mean, if not that's cool but, you know, just a thought."
And, every session going: "Okay, so do we level up now? Can I level up? I wish I could level up my character.
We're clear, I... Can I level up? I'm leveling up. We're leveling up.
Why are we leveling up? We said we were gonna.
It's been, it's been at least 10 minutes since we last leveled up."
The GM is doing a whole lot of things,
and you as the player, can derail all of those things by trying to be forceful or dominating.
If you hold rules at the DM, yes, you're a rule lawyer dick.
But at the same time, if you're badgering and bombarding the GM
with why you think the rules are more important, or better.
Or if you're trying to impose your own house rules, that you think are better, on the GM,
you're bullying the GM.
And GMs, when they get bullied, they either just give you whatever you want,
in which case you're no longer having a good game.
Well, you might be but everyone else isn't.
Or, they turn around and they start killing off your character repeatedly.
So by constantly questioning the GM, by berating the GM,
by saying: "Oh, I didn't think that story was very good".
Well then, why the hell are you at the table?
And if you are, run a game. All right?
So, ask yourself next time that you're sitting around the table:
Are you constantly telling your GM what they should and shouldn't be doing?
Are you constantly going: "Ah, this kind of story again."
"Oh yeah, I suppose it's a princess who needs saving from a tower. Yeah, alright, ok.
Let's get on with it, then."
Are you the sort who's going: "Oh, you want us to make another wilderness check?
Well, technically I don't need to make another one. No, no."
Alternatively you could be the one going:
"Okay, can I make an insight check to see if my inside check was right or not?"
"Can I make a detection check to see if I can detect anything?"
"Can I make a hide check to hide from anything that's following us?
Because I think we're being followed out in this field."
"Can I make this check? Can I make that check?"
"How about one of these checks?"
Again, if you're constantly bombarding the GM with requests, you're bullying the GM, you're forcing the GM.
Another thing to do, is of course when you start trying to predict the story,
or you trying to force the story. "Oh I look behind me, is anyone following us?
There's no one following us, really?
I would have thought that there'd be some street urchins following us or something.
I look for a street urchin, because you said there's no street urchins, but I want a street urchin,
because I want my story to play out."
That's another type of bullying.
It's where you are literally trying to direct the story the way you want it to go,
and where, instead of being intimidated by NPCs, and you should be,
you just stand up to them because, well, you want the story to go in another direction.
Bullying, bullying, bullying.
Doesn't matter where you are, doesn't matter how you do it.
It's not a pleasurable thing.
And if you're a player and you notice that one of the other players is a bully,
and you don't stand up to them or, at least you don't raise it with the GM and say:
"I've noticed how that player is. Are you all right? Do you... Is there something that we can do about that?"
Or if you don't show the bully this video and say:
"That's you, that's a bully. You, you badger and pester and constantly drive your stuff onto the GM."
If you, bully, try your hand at GMing
and see what it's like to have this constant yapping little voice, pushing and pulling
whilst you're trying to come up with a story for four or five people,
remember what rules you can and make it entertaining.
Not a lot of players are bullies so this is not aimed at anyone in particular,
and it's not something that does prop up often,
but I have recently chatted to a fellow who needed help on this exact topic
and it was great, as a chat, the situation was terrible,
the player was bullying everybody and everyone was feeling unhappy.
Now, bullying everybody at the table, telling them what to do,
describing what the character should do
trying to preemptively finish their sentences,
describing "Oh well, you're a double handed axe wielder,
you should buy this equipment you should buy that equipment."
"And you should do this and you should do that."
"And this is the best thing to do here and if you don't do it you're a moron."
Don't be a bully, and if you suspect you might be, ask your fellow people at the table:
"Do you think I'm a little bit of a push, a bit of a bully, do you?" Try and turn it down.
So, like the other video, this is a bit of a video on reflection,
and on deciding if you are or if you want.
And if you are, ask for forgiveness and for heaven's sake, stop pushing.
Just relax, enjoy the ride of the journey, and, if you feel you can do a better job, well, then do it.
Take that mantle of GM and run with it.
And if you're a player and you see someone else bullying the GM,
stand up for the GM. They're, they're busy doing everything that they can to make a good story.
Now bullying swings the other way as well, a GM can also bully players,
and this is where you've got to be aware as a player.
GMs can bully players in all kinds of ways: they can punish them,
they can give them ridiculous reductions, just because the GM doesn't like the player.
And if you're aware that the GM seems to be persecuting one player for unknown reasons,
you need to raise it, because that player is probably trying to have fun
and doesn't understand why the GM gives them negatives,
gives them penalties or, when the treasure is being doled out,
there's just never any treasure for that particular character.
All the magical swords and armor and wands and things are designed for the other characters,
and so it doesn't make sense for that particular character to get anything.
So GMs can bully players as well.
GMs can also put words into players mouth:
"Oh your character's feeling afraid and so your character doesn't do anything this round."
"Sorry, it's my character, I think my character does feel afraid,
but my character is a protector,
so whether they're afraid or not they're going to protect the rest of their party."
So GMs can try and force their way, now this is different from railroading,
railroading is trying to keep the story and the adventure going in a certain direction.
It's bad, but it's not bullying, it's not punishing or persecuting a specific player or a specific individual.
So bullying in general is bad and if you see it happening at your table,
as a player, raise the flag and say:
"Hey guys, I'm feeling uncomfortable. It feels like there's some persecution going on here."
It may lead to an awkward and a very, very uncomfortable conversation,
but it will air out all of the dirty laundry.
And it will get people to go: "Well, actually, I just don't like playing with you."
And that's fine, find another group where you will be happy
and there won't be any of that awkwardness.
With the amount of online role-playing that now happens,
what a pleasure, if someone's being obnoxious,
you just mute them, delete them and kick them from the group
and you ban them from ever coming back.
Real life, obviously, that's a little more difficult,
and that's up to you to try and figure out and work your way through it,
and to try and look at the reasons as to why that might be.
So, if you are a bully, or if your GM is a bully and you think that you have grounds,
raise it, change it, apologize for it,
sort it out and just get on with having fun in the game.
Well, there's my rant, it kind of happened.
Anyway, hit that like button,
or dislike button if you think I'm talking complete nonsense.
Hit that subscribe button if you want to see more
and of course you can join us on Patreon, as a player on one of my online games,
where we play on Skype every week.
Now, moving forward. So until next time,
I wish you and yours the happiest of unbullied playing.