As the DM, I am becoming more and more deeply disturbed with one of our party members. Here’s a list of things he keeps doing.
- attacking party members
- tried to rape a widow (asked if he needed to roll dexterity)
- murders animals in cruel ways
- seeks out prostitutes
- chooses to have his character masturbate publicly when in his down time
- tried to grope female player AND have his PC grope her female PC
Personally, I’m freaked out and disturbed that he is doing some of these behaviors, like he may be some psychopath or something. I have a genuine fear in approaching this individual. Maybe he is just doing this for fun? As a game? Or maybe there is a deeper problem with him here; should I talk to him?
We are 8th-9th graders (13-15 years of age). Our parents are out of the home when we play, and I always host at my house. (It’s also worth noting the individual has an extreme fascination, obsession even, with knives and guns.)
Best Answer
It seems like there are 2 different problems in this scenario.
1. You have a problem player
If a player is doing anything to make you or any other person uncomfortable or not have fun, then they are a problem player. We have a large number of questions about problem players here at the RPG.stack. Here is one. If you search for problem players you'll find more. Most of them boil down to the following thing.
Talk to the player, not the character
Things you can talk about include:
You should note that sometimes people like to act out "evil" behaviors in games specifically because they are games and not real (I enjoy stealing, plundering, and murdering my way through Skyrim, btw). Many of the in-game behaviors of this player could be attributed to this. They aren't necessarily bad, but if they cause your group discomfort they should still be addressed. Out-of-game behavior is a different thing entirely.
Please be aware as well that your gaming group belongs to its members, not just you, the problem player, or any one else. If the group collectively decides that they can't deal with a single player, it is within the groups' rights to not allow that player to join in. If an out-of-game authority asks you to continue including a problem player you can consider it, but they can't force you to do anything.
2. You have a problem person
If a person (in any context) is making you uncomfortable or harassing you or anyone else, they are a problem person. If a person is sexually harassing another person, they are definitely a problem person.
Get help.
Who you get help from will vary depending on your circumstances, but possibilities include:
It's better to go through some awkward conversations than face physical violence or allow someone else to face ongoing harassment.