I am the current DM of a Greyhawk campaign that has it's roots in the late 70's. One of my oldest players, who is also one of the chief suppliers of materials, has developed into a problem. First off, he has read just about all of the modules that we are trying to go through. Second, he has developed this knack of inundating me with articles, some from this website, and expecting them to be scripture. I have tried to explain the need for DM perusal and O.K. of such items, and that players are only cheating themselves when they know all about what they might face. Mixed results on that. Now, this player is an old friend. It might not be possible to save this gaming relationship. I've read through the DMG on dealing with certain types of players, but what I would like is fresh advice from neutral parties. Any ideas?
Well...
First thought, create an adventure that takes place off the map. Just what is south of (insert southern most realm known to your group) anyway? In a new area everything they find is potentially new stuff and some of the new stuff could even be the new toy the players saw online, plus or minus a twist they're unaware of.
Second thought, mix up "canon material" with original stuff...perhaps the staff they just found is exactly like "x" except it's made of the wrong wood...and it turns out to be a copy of the original made by someone else who shows up looking to beg, borrow, buy or steal it back. Feel free to demonstrate just how misinformed the last sage was about staff "x" when he talked to the party. Don't let them drag you (the DM) into a debate about how the staff "x " is really made of phostwood (or whatever) not black walnut and can do "y" 3 times a day...tell them that's what the sage told them (and get them arguing with the sage...complete with town guards showing up because the neighbors thought they heard a lot of shouting over at the sages place.)
Third thought, let the players draw their own conclusions even if they are the wrong ones based on player (vs PC) knowledge, but give all information to the players/PC's through NPC's. That way it's always the aforementioned sage, not you, who was misguided/misguiding when dealing with the PC's. Have fun with it...maybe the NPC who shows up looking for the staff has several more just like it except each is made of a slightly differing wood. Now you have a minor mystery for the PC's to investigate rather than a "non-canon" item.
Doomguide speaks the truth. If you really want to give your players an original experience, you have to come up with something original. Modules are fine, but I never use modules I know my players have read. As a DM, modules make my life easier, but I can't expect them to be the sole source of my material. I like to add in my own little tricks to the modules I read, change some names to add distinctive flavor to the campaign, and modify the villians somewhat. That way, I don't have to do quite as much work as writing up a whole new campaign would entail, but I can also rest assured that my players will be experiencing something new.
Another idea if you really like modules is to select a module that is WAY out of the party's league. A module designed for 14th level characters while they are level 5. If your players ever do read the module, they will be scared to death. Scale the module down to their level though. Keep the same story going but change the monsters to be more appropriate to the party level and make the NPCs lower level.
Also remember that even though your world is Greyhawk, it does not have to agree with everything that has been published in gazeteers and previous modules. I recently started a 578 CY campaign for the express purpose of changing history. I want to give my players the opportunity to alter the course of the Greyhawk wars if they are so inclined.
Do things like that, and your player won't know where to begin. And if his character pulls a magical staff out of his bag that he found on some website, it doesn't HAVE to work the way he thinks it does.
You are facing one of the tougher problems a DM can tackle. In my last campaign, I too had a player who was familiar with all of the prewritten material we used.
Similar to the two authors who posted above, I think the secret lies in tailoring the adventure and making it unique. Fortunately for our group, the player in question also had some DM experience, so he knew just how tough it can be to run a game that hits spots that everyone enjoys. That was a mitigating factor.
As with your situation, this person was a dear friend, my best friend actually. Not only was he as knowledgeable about the game and a source provider for adventures, but he was actively developing new areas of the world in his spare time. What finally came about, after a couple of clashes, was a long conversation where some rules of the road were settled between us. Over four years of playing, we found that we actually enjoyed the challenge of the semi-adversary positions we took during game play. For me, it was fun to think of new spins to put on the modules. For him, it was interesting to rise to the challenges in character and find some way to work with or overcome them.
This had some surprising results about two and a half years in and maybe they would be useful to you: we had a new player come in, a real "button-pusher" and they did their darndest to push the game in places no one wanted to go. Part way through, and because of our conversation, my friend was instrumental to putting a stop to the bad behaviour. He had seen some of his faults, magnified to an extreme, and he understood much more deeply what our discussion had been about. The result: a happier group and a game that was lots of fun for all. As for the button- pusher, he got fed up and left.
So, if you are friends, try showing him the contents of your post here and the replies. Being a good DM is hard work as well as fun. If he can understand that and really is your friend, then he will likely want to do what he can to keep the game going and to add to the enjoyment. When I say show him the posts, I mean do just that, copy them to a text file or print them out, hand them to the person and let them read for themselves. Then, after they have absorbed, try talking about it. People will sometimes deal with issues in print better on sensitive subjects, or so I have found.
Finally, one last point which your friend should gently be reminded of. A quote from the World of Greyhawk Boxed Set. This is taken from the last paragraph of the foreward to the Guide of the World of Greyhawk.
"The WORLD OF GREYHAWK Fantasy Setting is yours now, to do with as you wish. You can mold new states from old, or inflame old rivalries into open warfare, as you tailor the world to suit the needs of your players."
Carte blanche for the DM to accept or reject any material, canon or not, as they see fit. You friend may be an avid 'hawker, as are all of us here, but I personally view canon as a guide to enhance enjoyment, not a straitjacket to ruin it.
Regards and good luck. _________________ <div>Braggi, Swain and Varlet at Large<br /></div>
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