Dungeons & Dragons appeals to players from all walks of life, some get into the game for the camaraderie, others just want to hack and slash stuff up! This fact can make balancing a game really tricky for the Dungeon Master.

Everyone at the table having fun DM? That guy hasn’t shut up yet.. Oh no, everyone’s looking at me to butt in…

Pressure can come like a boiling hot volcano waiting to burst! So when some dude rocks up with a cleverly thought out Captain America type hero, with zero flaws, epic weapons and an alpha male ego, dealing with the player while keeping it fun for everyone else can be a total nightmare. Though perhaps there is a deeper cause to their obvious power gaming tactics?

D&D can appeal to less socially confident individuals. Social interactions with them can also be challenging for the rest of the group, and how you deal with it will all come down to your table management.

House rules such as not interrupting fellow players or the DM are important steering devices you can use to keep everything on track. And never be afraid to punish players for breaking your house rules. Though these punishments should always in their own right be fair. You can’t for example deduct XP or only choose to attack said players character as this will be a form of bullying. Instead consider a penalty like, they can no longer use their inspiration or be awarded any for the rest of the session. Nothing harsh, but a reminder that if you do break the rules that are in place to make sure everyone has fun, then they can’t expect to get away with it.

A game I ran a while ago had a player who decided they would conduct all manner of odd decisions. Turns out they were trying to hack their character to make them the strongest they could possibly be and were oddly confused by the notion that the game is, at its heart, about teamwork.

And that sums up this blog post! If the player is too distracting for you and the other players… just tell them. Do not do this privately as it will feel like a “telling off” and do not do this in front of everyone as that will embarrass them, instead make a joke of it. Say something like…

“Barry, this character of yours seems to be hogging the limelight a little, you sure when you level up next you don’t fancy multiclassing as a bard?”

A great rule of thumb at the table is treat everyone with the levels of respect that you would wish bestowed upon you.