feeling stupid.. and tired of hunting.

[Silverthorne]

I have a few know it all players. Better than half the group to be precise. The know it alls want to play first age elves. I do not know how to handle this and hate to listen to them whine about not getting what they want. Anyone direct me to a helpful thread or give me a helping hand...

[Ineti]

How about just saying "No?" If you don't want to run a first age game and don't want them to play first age elves, seems like the solution to me.

[ReptileJK]

There's nothing worse than having whiners in your group (almost as bad is having a bunch of players who are "rule-nazis". You know, the folks that hold their character sheet in one hand and a rule book in the other, correcting your every mistake. Those PCs get the Balrog thrown at them real quick )

The first solution is to avoid allowing these people to play in the first place (too late now, I know).

What I've found also works is to talk to each of these players privately and nicely asking them to give it a rest. Tell them it's bringing down the quality of play for others and it's making things unenjoyable for you as well.

Most reasonable folks will respond positively to this. If they still give you a hard time, just start scheduling gaming session without them. Their charachters can magically disappear or become NPCs.

Good luck,
Reptile

[mcb]

http://www.dragondogpress.com/unclefiggy/guides.htm

Try the above link. Send it to the rest of the people in your game and tell them to read through it. This may help your specific problem and should help everybody be a better role-player. It's a good frame work to build your game and characters on.

HIH
mcb

[Silverthorne]

playing a third age game and the players want first age elves.

[Captain Novaes]

There's the time-honored way of resolving this: Power Word Fine!

"OK. You can be a 1st. Age Noldo elf. You came all the way from Valinor, you fought the wars of Beleriand, you rejoiced when Thangorodrim fell. You will still have only one Advancement, smartmouth. Next player!"


Or you could give them anywhere between 3 to 6 Advancements. It's not going to seriously hurt your series, I think.

[Meneltin]

Or let them make regular TN 30 Willpower test versus that undying desire to cross the sea to the West. Of course failure results in a -12 to all actions. :-)

[ben hur]

I'm sure you're joking Meneltin, but actually, that might be the way to do it! Give them a penalty on all tests (perhaps -6 or so to be reasonable) to represent their longing for the sea, but reduce the penalty if the player acts out his character's sea-longing appropriately (e.g. often glances west towards the sea, is aloof and detached, even singing songs composed by the player, etc).

In this way you'd make him earn his character; either he'd say "to heck with this crap" and just go with the penalty, or he'd put a good deal of his time and thought into it and make the game that much more worthwhile. Either way, everyone wins.

[Dan Gurden]

Looking at the system the Elves are so heavily unbalanced that I have a straight GM veto oever them. And all my players know that to play an elf I want to see a well written, well balance background. I want convincing that said Elf is not going to destabilise the RPG group and unbalance the game.

Provided that the player is a responsible player and I approve (after all, ALL GM's have first approval on characters)... the Elf is in.

Now even though they are immortal, they still only get Standard Character Gen, the same level as everyone else.

Such a deal may suit your problem?

Alternatively.

Give them what they want. Take a break from the standard game, and commence a fresh campaign letting ALL players play first age elves, with enemies matched as suitable. To spice it up, set the game during the first age... And watch the look on their faces carefully...