You should feel free to throw dice randomly behind a screen if you choose to, as well as kill-off PCs who are being run by problem players (but not as a revenge tactic), and single-handedly eject problem players from your group if absolutely necessary, but no player is nor should be an enemy. Many players, and certainly those you should strive to support, spend almost as much time on their characters as we do our worlds and the NPCs that populate them. And, yes, they should be rewarded for their enthusiasm and effort, but they should not be chosen to succeed where other PCs are designed to fail, nor should anyone be targeted, harrassed, or hounded... unless they should.
And that's the biggest secret to being a good GM: Knowing when and how to "break" the rules, and when and how to judiciously apply them for maximum effect. Unless you are running a straight simulation (for which wargaming is better suited), certain plots and storylines will have to be massaged or even forced into, or out of, play. Sometimes this is as simple as warning a player that her character is acting out of alignment; other times, it can mean banning a specific spell your players choose to spam instead of playing their characters and rising to various challenges.
Some dice rolls will have to be "fudged" or even overlooked entirely, whereas others may not be checks at all but simply dice rolls to engage the players or ramp-up tension amongst the group. Some amount of "railroading" will be necessary to keep the game on track - maybe just so you can finish it in the allotted session time! And players don't need to know any of this; it might hurt the game if they do, as it could give away plotlines, storylines, and other gotcha moments that would otherwise be truly rewarding when they are ultimately revealed.
But one of the problems with being "The Boss" ("The God" might be a bit much) is having to be the bad guy on occasion. No one likes being told no or that they (or their character) cannot do something, but sometimes it's necessary if you want to run a successful campaign or maybe even one session. Not everyone is an appropriate fit for every table, every game, or every person at the table. While mano e mano problems can often be handled simply by keeping the players from having to cooperate or spend much in-game time together, you still have to keep the rest of the party together and going on the right track.
This has been termed "railroading" by some, as being forced down a plot or storyline no one wanted is no fun. But, sometimes, the players do want to go on that adventure, they just need to know it's there (and they might need a little help finding it) and not get distracted by other features or possible plotlines.
Don't let these terms, nor these problem players, distract or bully you into running a game you don't like or running it in a way you disagree with. You have no obligation to "prove" to problem players that you rolled a Natural 20, and it won't help your case if you do; these types of players are seeking to sabotage a game, even if they don't realize it. Usually, it's because they prefer one system over another, or another way of gaming over yours. Either way, their behavior is unwarranted, unbecoming, and (at least at my table) unwelcome. Do not be berated into doing something you don't do.
Overall, it's a tightrope act but it isn't going to be a fun one if you have antagonistic players or Game Masters. As GM, if you are not the problem, it falls to you to handle the problem. Hopefully, you will do so tactfully and gracefully, and if I ever find out how that works, I'll make another post on it.
© The Weirding, 2024
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