Save My BR Game: 1 player hogging all the time

[ausrick]

Hi, I am Dming a table top BR campaign, and have been doing so for some time now. It has about 9 players in it, and I am having a problem with one of them. Tell me how you would handle it?

When we started this campaign, one player was quite a bit older and a more experienced player. I thought his influence would maybe help the other 8 mature as role players, but instead it has come to cause rifts. The 8 players like rolling dice, like uncovering plots, like solving puzzles. But they like doing it fast and hate wasteing time. with 9 total players there are a lot of demands on my time. The 1 more experienced player is a total paper hound, keeping more notes than I have and I'm the DM. He also is turning into a total time sink, with totally irrelevent questions, such as "I use my druidic ability to find out what type of animal the fur came from on the nobles cloak" when I am describing an NPC and he will always butt in with conversation with NPC's that really isn't all that relevent either. I appreciate these aspects and feel I need to answer them because I try to game with a high sense of reality and don't want to break the illusion, but I see the other players become aggrevated more and more. Especially because they don't really speak up unless I say "Ok, what does your character do" where I never have to ask that question to the 1 player because he's answering that in EVERY single situation. In other words, I guess he will never take a back seat, and the other players aren't bold enough to grab for the front every once in a while. How should I handle this without hurting anybodies feelings? What would you guys do?

[graham anderson]

There isn't a huge amount of info on your party there but try doing something like take them to a place where his character cant take the lead. As a druid and I assume not a noble although you never know you could take the party to a law based noble court like avanil, diemed etc where they are not seen as important forcing one of the other characters to take the lead.

Have something befall his character like blindness forcing him to relly on the other players for a while, he can still ask his questions about things but he will be forced to ask the other players to ask the questions for him giving them a more important role.

[ausrick]

He is noble, though a noble Rjurik, so he gets plenty of hostility in Anuire, but he is just forceful, even in Marching order saying "OK we go this way, I get in the front". The rest of the group is pretty wierd. Dwarven Cleric of Moradin, Elven fighter, Anuirean Sorcerer, Khinasi Bard. All nobles because they're trying to move up in the court scene, carve out a space for themselves. I made the requirement house rule just when I started that they all had to be blooded and take 1 level of noble and then could take whatever else.

[Fizz]

Of course, you don't have to cripple him in-game. Tell him out-of-game that he's being disruptive and ruining the spirit of the game.

You can also gauge what to do by the other players' reactions. If the new players are frustrated, you've got more to work with when confronting him. If the new players don't mind him, then maybe it's not worth stressing over.

-Fizz

[ArchScarlettie]

He's a priest, so...

It could be fairly simple to deal with the character, though the player probably requires some out-of-game talk, carefully, to avoid hurting his participation.

For the character, you could simply have Erik appear to him in a vision, complimenting him on his service and loyalty... and then place a demand of a vow of silence, as a demonstration of his faith.

[irdeggman]

A Khinasi bard who is a noble?

Khinasi have little respect for bards so this just doesn't make any sense to me.

"As worthless as the word of a bard" a Khinasi saying.

[graham anderson]

I dont know the player but if he will take it in good form then tell him. Say you are worried that the other younger players are finding it difficult get involved in the game and that you would like his help in getting them involved more. Then make a few suggestions as to how he he could get each of the other players more involved.

[Benjamin]

I agree with the general consensus: tell the guy, away from the table. Compliment him on his roleplaying, play up to his ego. Ask him to help bring the others along to, allow them to take a more vocal/active part in the game. Ask if he can help them roleplay more, maybe give them hints and advice, then sit back a little. Hopefully he will get the hint.

If this doesn't work well, then straight up tell him: dude, your hogging the roleplaying, and the other players are unhappy, maybe will quit. Stop it.

Being a rather mature gamer myself *ahem*, that's what I'd like to have someone do.

[The Swordgaunt]

Well, another solution might be to split your group in two, and run two games with four-five players. I realize that this might not work for you, but its my two cents anyway.

Nine players is an awful lot of pepole around the same table. It gives you as a DM little time with each, and the players little time with you. Your hogger might just be reacting to this, trying to structure the group and avoid wasting time.

By dividing the group, you can give each player more play-time and influence over the plot. This usually has a positive effect on silent players.

[ausrick]

Irdeggman Wrote:

A Khinasi bard who is a noble?

Khinasi have little respect for bards so this just doesn't make any sense to me.

"As worthless as the word of a bard" a Khinasi saying.

Yeah, I follow you on that one, Duane, He wanted to be that so I made up his back story as pretty much being shipped off to Anuire to avoid embarrasing his family. He was the youngest of 9 children and a bit of a rebellious black sheep. He's been looking into joining the bardic college in Aerenwe. But I digress.

Thanks for what all of you are saying. You all have really good ideas. And its all things I haven't thought about or looked at before that much. Thanks and if you have more, keep them coming.