Dastardly said:
I say old chap said:
A good piece by Brian, disproving the adage that cheaters never prosper.
What I loathe though, is people that try to cheat in D&D. Concealing and mis-representing dice rolls, lying about hp rolls, forgetting rules conveniently, mis-interpreting and out-right not reading feats and special abilities.
There have been some giant cheaters in my gaming group. As I am often the DM, I wonder. Do they think I was born yesterday? I've already done plenty of cheating when I was a wee lad, and now these college-age friends are into-it.
A sad state of affairs, any stories people?
Thanks!
And agreed--cheating
others is a totally different matter. And your D&D stories are a good place to look very closely:
I'll agree that what they're doing is
basically cheating. It's sort of a reverse rules-lawyering approach, in which they omit a fact and hope that no one else catches it. Outright lying or hiding of rolls is a bit shadier, of course. And there's no doubt it's annoying and detrimental to the game... but, as I recommend in the article, there's always cause to look at
why they're cheating.
It's easy to say, "Because they like to win." And largely, it's probably the truth. But they're not getting a prize or anything... so there's got to be more to it than that, no? In the case of pen-and-paper games, I think that sort of cheating reveals a few possible truths about the players and the game:
Cheating is their way of saying, "I'd prefer if this had gone differently." It's about the player feeling a bit of control. They had an image of how they'd participate in this story/adventure... but the rolls or rules had other ideas. So they quietly rebel against them, and take back control.
Remember, the player is sometimes seen as the "low man on the totem pole." There's the rulebook at the top, then the GM/DM, and then the dice... and then the player finally gets to have a say about whatever's left. RPGs are largely about power fantasies, and yet so much of it provides the player very little power. Often, it becomes a power fantasy for the DM/GM, rather than the whole group.
Some rules just don't work for some groups. Keep tabs. If there's a rule that people are continually wanting to work around... or a rule that one or two want to work around, and the rest don't really care about... consider suspending it for a session and see if it improves the experience. Give players a limited number of no-questions-asked "fudge" points, where they can turn a near-miss into a close-shave. Let them feel like their vision is (occasionally) more important than the rules. They need it.
Dice don't care about what's good for your story or gameplay. No one enjoys failure. Challenge, yes, which does include the
risk of failure... but no one enjoys failure itself. Dice don't care about that. It's been said that the universe is "fair in that it is equally unfair to everyone." Sometimes, it's okay to help players impose a little justice on the proceedings--remember, the
player has a personal interest in having the game go well, and the dice don't care if your game dies a fiery death.
Different players want different things. For some, it's all about showing how strong a character sheet they put together. For others, it's all about the story. For others, it's an excuse to hang out with friends. Make sure your game design leaves room for different kinds of enjoyment. Leaner rules might take away some of the gritty realism... but they can also ensure you spend more time playing and less time measuring and bickering. If a player can provide a convincing reason why this change would fit (and benefit) the story as a whole, why not let 'em have it?
If your players know they've got a legitimate way of exerting control over the game, even if it's a limited number of times, they'll be less likely to try the illegitimate ways.
Hope some of this helps!
It is always good to get a well thought out response. Thanks.
The most common type of cheating I have seen is blatant omissions and not rules-lawyering, but convenient memory loss and ignoring rules. One guy takes quick draw, and forgets it only applies to weapons (not potions, scrolls). One chap takes a vow of poverty, loads up on food and equipment for an adventure, like some professional treasure hunter, and breaks his vow. One dread necromancer loses a bunt-load of cha in one combat, you know how some monsters are, and conveniently forgets that he now loses control of a lot of his undead. Does not inform the DM, that his unusual class runs off cha to keep the undead in check (undead motivational speaker?).
The worst was actually a new char, he put together a monk, we got him into a cool prestige class, and many games later I check over a few things and then have to do a complete "audit" since so much was wrong. I'll list, for lols sake.
He had cheated on the xp, somehow he jumped way ahead of what he should have. Actually past the most common attendee by far.
His ac was wrong.
He hadn't kept track of his items and enchantments (who knows what they actually were).
His monk damage was incorrect, it was too high. This was after I went through and worked it out with him and showed him what it was, how it progressed.
He had no alignment, despite his class having an alignment requirement.
He had interpreted monk bonus feats, to mean any bonus feat he wanted.
His hp was unusually high for a monk with lowish con.
I actually caught this guy cheating twice in articulate, if you know the game.
Now with that bit of amusement out of the way, we come to the why. I've DM'ed for many a year and I try to run a uncharted-like action-adventure game. Players die, but they do have some protection compared to npcs, and I have instituted a re-roll pool. In a way I wonder if fudge is superior, a fudge is a past, a re-roll can do diddly squat. Gives em another chance anyway.
The games can be hard and the games can be demanding. I certainly play the enemies smart at times (not always). However, these guys have traversed all manner of terrain, shattered all manner of enemies, they do really often come out on top, and there are always ample oppotunities to win. With all this experience witnessing my players, and gaming doesn't always bring out the best in people, I've got some theories on why they cheat, but first on power.
As for power fantasies, ah there is more to it than that simple psychological point, roleplaying has a lot of rewards contained within it. New roles to play present new actions to take, new cons to make (playing a rogue atm), new ways to approach situations (bluff, diplomacy, bluff, backstab, ha!). I have some sympathies since you can win and control the game a few ways (I wonder if you'll agree). First off you can be inventive, entertaining and charismatic. These types of players are almost always one step ahead of the dm, coming up with new solutions, entertaining all (but somewhat annoying other jealous players, something ive seen a lot of). Almost no matter the char, they'll come out one way or the other, or the dm spares them from death out of genuine admiration. Second is that lucky bugger whose dice really help him out, I've seen some really lucky players and that can lead to good control over actions and the game. Lastly is knowledge, one of the prime areas of player discontent. Knowledge of the system, what you can do, what you can try, what feats can aid you in your work. Basically how to make and use an effective character.
Finally back to why on the cheating.
I blame video games. Yep, I've noticed a trend, people that come to pen and paper games second after playing rpgs or action games on the computer or console can be quite the giant babies and hissy-fit chuckers. I think non pen and paper gaming changes people and pushes them along a predictable path. Some things I've seen:
1) Treating npcs as tools, xp, not equals. Reluctant to role-play with npcs, horrible treatment of them, and shame and anger if they are defeated, tricked or inconvenienced even a little.
2) A wish to game without learning the rules, to ignore inconveniencing rules, to bend as much as they can and get away with.
3) Save game mentality. After so long of re-loading botched missions on a pc or console, the gamer becomes highly frustrated if they have to deal with a negative situation over the medium term. In a com or console game they might cheat their way ahead, but in a collaborative rpg it ain't so simple, and they can really dwell on their losses or set-backs.
4) To think combat is all there is. So, used to combat games, or biffing their way through final fantasy the new player to pen and paper emphasised combat abilities and stats, and really stumbled when that is moved away from, or they simply have to make a diplomacy check. I make the world rich and multi-layered, but the requirement is that while important, combat is not all, this frustrates some greatly.
5) Cowardice. Common to spell-casters I've noticed supreme cowardice. These people aren't playing Conan, they are playing cowardly wizards who shoot and flee, expose the other party members, are concerned only with their own well being. It is a sad thing to see, a lack of team-work. In a solo game via keyboard and mouse or controller you privilege the one over the many, and I've seen that done time and time again.
6) Greed. While nigh-unwilling to learn the rules or accurately understand abilities, I've witnessed a lot of greed from green characters coming in. Oh loot there is plenty, its dnd, there always is; but the sheer greed can be amazing sometimes. This can be funny, and sometimes it can be a face-palm moment. Use to continuous accumulation in something like diablo or a final fantasy, the players become obsessed and other aspects of the game fall away. It becomes a grind for money or loot, and if they don't get it steadily they cry and become frustrated. The greed can also lead to the foolishness of grabbing all items and quickly donning them before the rest of the party. This happened once in game, and the laughs started when one hoarder later realised (because of no knowledge: religion) they had raided the temple of a cult that makes cursed items as a form of worship.
Gaming doesn't always bring out the best in people. I've seen a lot of greed and shallowness alongside good times and great fun. I attribute rampant cheating to attempts to fulfill greedy impulses, to maximise power in combat and satisfy the impulses brought about by a strong current of selfish computer/console gaming which can so easily go against the spirit of original party role-playing. It is just a game, and sometimes people can't step back and chill out, accept some losses and limitations. That is when they cheat.
