Chill Out

Going to be starting up a pen and paper of Mobile Frame Zero, im a bit nervous, not just for the fact that ill be playing with two newbies but that none of them even read the fluff.

One of them might be a That Guy and I wont be able to stop it...How do I not ruin this for two people who might want to be included into more pen and papers in the future?

I'm thinking about selling blood to buy a single player board game since no one wants to play the last few games I got. I'm broke because I just got a dog and I don't think it likes me.

>Has that guy got you down?
You got me right, chill-out OP. I've wasted enough energy listening to his shit and bitching about him. I just want to relax.

Here's a bit more chill music
youtube.com/watch?v=GfaAMbL2BWI

Forever GM checking in.

GMing four times in five days for different groups.

But hey, I like GMing at least.

Fellow Forever GM.

Are they all the same system?

Until I recently moved, I found running two systems or settings with different focuses kept me fresh. For my guys who only liked to smash things and aren't big into roleplaying: simple D&D 5e game. For my role-players over roll-players: Star Wars FFG.

Was better than me running one or the other and having me and others frustrated by different tastes.

> Learned how to play RPGs with best friend.
> Best friend died after high school.
> Stopped playing RPGs for several years.
> Recently have been trying to get back into it.
> Have read maybe 15 systems core books.
> Tried to play with people online - they're all fuckups.
> Found a local group that's been together for 5 years.
> Full of weirdo overweight guys and gals who are also part of a theater troupe.

Wish my friend was still alive...

>Wish my friend was still alive...
real life character death is dumb

GM here, had my first OOC fight between my friends last night.

We're playing DnD 5e and one of my friends tries to be serious and follow the plot, and the other two just dick around and cause complete chaos. It generally works because they balance each other out, but this time it went too far and he got pissed.
There was a barfight at the inn they went to, and the two goofballs intentionally provoked a giant that was staying out of the fight, and attacked him. By the end of it, the giant was just trying to run away while they hacked him to pieces and the serious guy just tried to get them to stop. And I'm the GM, but I can't really stop anything without it feeling like I'm directly pulling something out of my ass, and they end up murdering the giant while everyone's arguing OOC.
This is the first time we've had something this extreme happen, and I don't know what I should be doing and if I'm going to have to pick a side.

Forgot to mention, they were still bitching at each other today.

I don't feel too qualified to give advice, but you should take aside your goofballs and tell them that actions have consequences, and that their other friend isn't having fun because of what they're doing. Maybe make a comparison to a videogame RPG, and all the hassle that comes out of just doing random stuff and why people usually save before doing something stupid if at all.

With the fight, I really think you should've made the giant turn on those two specifically after enough goading, even if it was non-lethal damage. Or dunk them in a vat of cheap beer and toss them out the roof - don't let them die and make it kind of fun, but make it clear they could have died. Encourage them to try and work this shit out IC.

At the same time though, this is where we blow off steam, and I'm not sure if it's justifiable to tell them to knock it off, you know? It might be on the other player to take it easier. That being said, the way it played out was a little disheartening in how much unjustifiable shit they heaped on that giant.
And the giant definitely did turn on them, but one of them has a ton of enchantment spells and kept sending it into circles while the other just hammered away at it. It was so ridiculously outside their challenge rating, and I was planning on just having him participate a little in the fight, but they just kept relentlessly attacking him.
I guess I do need to have a sitdown for this shit.

The giant was the weaker cousin of a cannibalistic warlord. The warlord receives news of his cousin's murder and seeks the party out with his army of giants.

The giant is the servant of the town's warlock/wizard/mage. The master comes to collect on his compromised property -- with the now undead giant at his side.

Having a sitdown in of itself is important - you need to seriously ask your players what they want from the game and what they're willing to deal with for a compromise. If the non-serious players aren't willing to compromise on what they see as fun, you could ask the serious guy to take things down a notch and loosen up on story. Or maybe the non-serious players aren't aware of what the serious player finds fun, and they need to be reminded that not everyone has fun the same way.

>We can spend out lives fishing and whittling wood, and all the better for it
Except from when you die of exposure or scurvy. Or get arrested for not paying taxes for the land you squat on to survive.

>Had a gaming group
>Went to college in a different state, tried gaming there a bit but it never really worked out. I got depressed as shit and just couldn't be motivated to keep a game going
>End up getting a job across the country
>To socially inept to make friends that want to hang out and game
>Everyone I know has a family and doesn't have time/desire
>One of my friends in my old group died
>I didn't have the money to go to his funeral

I occasionally play with people online. But it doesn't capture the magic. They aren't my group.

But don't despair too much, I now have a wife, a son turning 1 year on my birthday, and a second child on the way. Outside of gaming things are looking up. Even a potential promotion in sight, or just extra duties.

Guy in my group is 350+ lbs, super salty, and super passive aggressive. Known him from my local MtG scene... Always trying to tell jokes or has some backhanded comment that he gets away with cause he's passive. Then there's me, I try and make people laugh and have a good time. I know when to make a joke and when to be serious. And everyone laughs and gets along but this tub of lard is always giving me dirty looks from the end of the table. Worst part is I could maybe respect the guy is he was aggressive with his insults. My motto is don't be a fucking pussy.

Other than that my group is super chill. Got a healer that always fumbles and hurts himself whenever he tries to heal and we laugh. Got a tank and she's addicted to a certain kind of berries. Got an elf rogue who has a friendly rivalry with my elf archer over who goes first in combat or who has the lost arrows. Got bard who gets us info and follows us to tell stories. Then there's the fat fuck who plays a hafling mage. Fucking manlets

>3 years playing game
>Just recently discover who are the bad guys but still don't know their plan
>Attacked by the liutenants while being sepparated from the group
>Roll utterly poorly and end captured
>Use me as bait and hostage to get what they want
>They don't keep the end of the bargain and attack my friends
>End freeing my self but it's too late, I'm not able to save them and after seeing the awful outcome of the combat DM calls for a hiatus to see how to fix this mess (chars are super important due prophecy)
>Game stops for 10 years
>DM tells me if I want to continue the game
>Fuck yeah
>He wants to try a new system
>Ok
>I have to translate my char, rest roll new ones, but my char is now super important for the story
>Ok
>It's literally impossible because the stuff my char focused on isn't supported by the new system in the slightless
>Literally throwing stones on my own roof if I go there
>Tell this to the DM
>He seems to not believe me
>Prove him that the translated char is a literally useless and worthless piece of shit
>DM "And?"
>Tell him I bail out
>DM "Fuck you, the game is suspended forever because of you!"

I want to end one of my campaigns strong, but DM fatigue is dragging me out, making it hard for me to focus, and I just don't want to continue. I'm in three games and I've got what I want to do with all of them, but I'm basically choking for what feels like no reason.

I'm going to be dm'ing soon and I just hope I can make a good campaign for everyone

My biggest problem is logistics/tieing the world together; making maps and stuff is not my strong suite

I'm also not good at doing voices. I always try to do them to make certain characters distinct but i have like 4-5 voices I can do and that's about it

I can make good encounters and make good characters but I'm not good at "downtime" stuff. By that I mean when the pcs are just shopping in a city or something like that

Managed to start GMing for some people at work. I'm having a blast, but am getting increasingly anxious that I'll start second guessing myself and begin self-sabotaging, like the last time I ran a game. Main difference is the previous game was full of Veeky Forums vets, and the work group is entirely new except for one guy; this somehow makes me more nervous that I might somehow ruin the hobby for them.

Young or do you just have an awesome workplace? How do you get a group of work people together to game?

The group (myself included) is made up of engineering contractors, so we're all fresh out of college. As for the how, it honestly just happened out of the blue: A bunch of guys/girls who I had hung out with after work a few times asked me if I knew how to DM; I must have mentioned that I did tabletop stuff at one point.

Anyways, their enthusiasm is incredible, and they're learning to slip into character and think on their feet in combat/RP situations after just about 2 months of play. I just want to make sure that they continue to have a blast, but I continue to stress that I'll mess something up due to (relative) inexperience and nerves.

Fuck, I have this problem too. None of my friends ever want to play with me, so I just quit buying games.

More so work is putting me down. So many negative people can really put a damper on the spirit. Even though through all the "FUCK YOU FUCKFACE GIVE ME FREE SHIT" or the "EAT SEVENTEEN DICKS IN A ROW YOU SHITFUCKER" I can still find solace when I come home to a warm house, sit down with some tea, and do what I love doing.

Thats probably just going to aggravate the serious guy even more.

I don't understand. I make my campaign recruitment post, get a bunch of enthusiastic people in discord... then they either go silent or stick around but just don't talk any more about their characters. Are... are they just happy with reading a campaign document and talking with people?

The GM who ran the first campaign I ever played 'took a break' almost half a year ago, and I'm starting to be okay with that. We had lots of fun, and even if we'll never know how the story ends, it was damn good while it lasted.

Thanks, OP. You're a good man. I haven't got much bad going on, but I hope your thread stays cozy.

The group I was in took 6 month breaks regularly, since we were all bogged down with school. If you're wondering if the game might get going again, contact your DM and ask him what's up. If he says it's dead, then you can thank him for the good times, and move on. If it's alive, you can be happy that it's going to keep going. Also, if you're into creative writing, or just want to try something different, and if the campaign is dead, you could try writing the rest of the story. It could be fun. Either way, be happy, user.

A chunk of the group has drifted off. Our GM's said he's working on stuff, and while I don't doubt him, I think he just really doesn't want to disappoint those of us who are left.

you will mess up if you think you're going to mess up

just keep doing what you think will be good for the campaign

also as your players get more experienced, let them drive the game a bit more.

One thing I always do for my group after 3~ months of play is giving them a property of some sort.

An abandoned manor they took over after defeating the wraith that was haunting the place, a dilapidated fort they took over after clearing out the bandits using it as their HQ, etc

The only seafood I've come across that I don't like is sea urchin. But I'm still too much of a coward to try pickled herring. Why am I such a fuck up?

>And I'm the GM, but I can't really stop anything

As the GM, you actually can. You have the power to say things like "No, your character does not shit on the scroll of mcguffin and wipe it on the princess' face." You have more authority than anyone else at the table in that regard.

Our GM told us that, in preparation for an upcoming campaign he wants to run in a few months, he wants to do a one-shot based in the setting with the group. Only a couple weeks away from when we were set to do the one-shot and, upon asking what level we'll be playing, GM says that he doesn't know and he hasn't managed to come up with "plot or encounters or setup or anything". Kinda killed all enthusiasm I've been building up for the game.

>Pickled herring
Nah, man, you're all right.
I fucking hate pickles. Call me unAmerican or whatever, I can't stand them, though I won't throw a bitchfit if I have to. I'll drink pickle juice, but only because I played football as a kid and we did as a team.
I mean, they just seem to ruin hamburgers for me, especially because the veggies aren't that great quality at most places anyways.

>hate pickles
>unAmerican

I live in the 'States, and I can say most of the people I know don't like pickles all that much. I like them myself, even the pickles they serve for free in diners. But not sweet pickles, I hate those.

This is so goofy, but I love it.

Old time GM of shitty post apoc system&setting.
New players come, they want to play that shitty system&setting.
Talked them into letting me homebrew it a little to make more sense.

Homebrew bits:

>every player starts with some uncurable, terminal post-war disease
>despite it being post war, pre-war meds can slow it down
>for some reason there's fuckload of meds left after war and everyone can afford them
Removed that shit... survival of the fittest. You would either separate diseased ones or kill them.

>takes place in post war USA, everything is a fucking desert
Changed that shit... nature can fight back and there is more than a single biome to that country. In addition making place for overgrown cities and stalker-like forbidden places. Atmosphere changes depending to where you go.

>factions are one-dimensional, either fighting some post-war ai or eachother
Gave them purpose, as well as forced taxation of controlled settlements for 'protection'. Bandits and mutants in no man's land. In addition to that, I also made use of google maps to draw logical borders and make use of facilities that wouldn't get destroyed outright.

>combat mechanics, roll 3d20 to hit once
Replaced with another system that easily covered all mechcanics and added more options.

Now, I thought that will make things all more believable and immersive, but instead I ended up having to explain why everything is not desert or build out of corrugated metal sheets. I could tell that they didn't seem too enthusiastic about general state of things.

Am I in the wrong here? Should I just roll with shitty, nonsensical system that Im fed up with just for players expectations sake?

Get really excited with character ideas, then never put them to paper for online games and miss out.

Want to play, can't stop procrastinating

Comfort zones are comfortable for a reason . Try and sell it as a 3-shot trial, and if they still don't like it you'll relent (no point forcing it if no one is having fun).

Then give em the old razzle-dazzle and change their minds

It was a week ago already, doesn't seem like anyone is up for next shot.

I guess, I should just give it up and try to play online instead.

>tfw I'm the DM
>started a new job this week
>tfw cancelled monday and wednesday session because I was tired

Just saw 13 ghost for the first time in 10 years and could not help but think that THAT would make a bad ass dungeon BUT i need help figuring out how any of it would work, so i ask you user of Veeky Forums how do i go about making a glass house/dungeon with constantly shifting walls and doors and roaming baddies/Ghosts.

vignette1.wikia.nocookie.net/evil/images/0/03/The_13_Ghosts.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20160426034504

Your random file name is almost exactly my most commonly used password.

I got a sweet internship on the other side of the country. It's unpaid but I'm working with such a bigwig that if I don't fuck up, this guy's letter of rec will get me any entry level job in my field I want.

But it means I have to drop out of two campaigns and put the one I was dming on hold. Also no more mini games.

It's only 3 months and totally worth it, but I'm still bummed

Sorry to hear that. Perhaps the players had some special connection to the original setting (like it was their first) or whatever.

You could always try to run something completely different for them, see if that's more enjoyable.

That sounds radical. I'm sure your group will understand.

You don't need an ingame excuse to tell your players to stop being antagonistic dickheads.

>>Am I in the wrong here? Should I just roll with shitty, nonsensical system that Im fed up with just for players expectations sake?

No, never compromise. Even in the face of oblivion.

It's the future man.
I want to take part in the analog game industry. I'm skilled at designing, evaluating and hosting games. But where does one go from there? How does one get a job he gets to practice his skills at.

Sure, "just put yourself out there", "don't give up"... Or "Do give up, find something more realistic"...
All good advice, but that doesn't change the fact that I still want something but I'm also afraid and overwhelmed by the great unknown and the prospect of crushed dreams.

It's a first world problem, but it does get you down.

Made me stop by the fire. Love you too yeah filthy heathen.

>My players expected Fallout having played Fallout for ages
>I gave them the Last Of Us
I'm not saying you're wrong to do this, because based on what you said a lot of it needed changing. However, there is bound to be a transitional period.

Stick with it for now, see if your players get used to it. But if they just aren't having fun, put realism aside and give the!m something both sides can enjoy. Also, if you want to fundamentally alter things, why do it all yourself? Ask for player input on the changes before you make them, maybe that would make the transition smoother?

I've been spending a good working at least an hour most days planning out our current campaign and I still feel as though everything I have is incredibly weak and threadbare.

It's a sandbox city based game and I'm using an established setting and campaign book to guide me and even with that amount of information all my actual planning and content seems lacklustre.

I'm burned out and we've only really done session zero.

I just feel kinda useless at this ? If I can put so much effort into something and still have nothing to show for it what is the point of anything?. I'm starting to see my dayjob and relationships suffer as a result. I have no idea what to do.

Are you the forced or Forever DM?

You need to consider how the game is going. A proper DM will give every player a chance to shine, but if you don't take advantage of the opportunity, well then...

Fortune favors the bold, my friend. Be bold.

I come onto Veeky Forums maybe once a week and every time I do there's a thread for people to complain about "That Guy" and at this point, looking back at the games I've been involved with, I can't help but think that everyone else likely thinks of me as That Guy.

I don't intend to be. I try to keep the group from getting too caught up with minutia which I know our GM hates, but the next thing I know I've derailed the plot to rather extreme degrees.

You sound like a chill person. I like you.

Man, kids are the light of family life. I'm so jealous, I wish I could have kids. You're blessed user! I hope you know how good you have it.

Three games is a lot user: you should do it like Mika and Take it easy.

Man, you're golden. Don't think about bad things, just think happy thoughts and it will work out: you've got this. Your players believe in you, why do you not do too?

If you have fun, they will also probably have fun. Just be yourself, you sound like a good guy: it will be alright man.

been playing WH40K with my friends for a bit now. haven't won any battles yet. i will say this though if you only look at it from a fluff perspective my guys are damn hardy.

I want to create in depth characters that seem like real people with defining characteristics but I can't figure out how much detail I should go into when I describe said characters to my dm.

An example is a monk who is bipolar that I'm currently playing who is trying not to succumb to his emotions because of his monk teachings and childhood events. I want to add in all this backstory about why he really WANTS to change and why he believes his life would be better without emotion.

Starting my second campaign ever. The first one was DnD 3.5: the system felt a bit clunky, and since I'd both never played a tabletop and nobody else was willing to DM it started out really awkward. Regardless, playing it with my old high school buddies made it way more fun. From befriending the first set of goblins and re-integrating them into society (all with the power of booze) to the rogue cauterizing shut a hydra's anus over and over it made me realise just how much more important it is to have imagination and improvising than it is to have a steadfast set of strictly balanced rules.

I'm about to start a one-off with fantasycraft, since it isn't too much of a departure from what we're playing and it feels a little more inspired. This will also be the first time I make my own original setting (I took over from the last GM who was a professional we knew and agreed to do the first two or three sessions) and also the first time I use Roll20 since meeting outside the internet has become a bit hard for uni students. I'm pretty nervous since I love the way the system is set out but my player's are allergic to change. With any luck I'll be onto a second campaign within a couple weeks.

lost it at cauterizing a hydras anus.

I'm fucking tired of having to constantly GM because I'm the only person that's good at it. Like at all.
Wouldn't be as bad if people didn't complain about me running a game with slight flaws in it. Can't make everything perfect, sure, but I do a better job than everyone else. And everyone is bitching about the smallest things.

I probably need better players or just a better group, yet I can't find anyone whenever I search. Shit sucks and I'm tired of it.

My weekly gaming session isn't on, so I thought I'd come hang with Veeky Forums. Anyway, I just realized that my character is a little flat, so I'm a bit put out by that, but not by much.

Having a chill corner is a great idea, and I approve. All you Anons are great.

I am but by choice honestly. I've always enjoyed DMing more than playing as the possibilities of creation are literally endless and I've always enjoyed the challenge of that. I've unfortunately also always let myself become entirely overwhelmed with that challenge. I've also only once found a game I enjoyed playing in myself as I felt, perhaps arrogantly, that most games didn't offer the kind of freedom and detail I try and put into my own games and as a long time GM myself I tend to see all the cracks everytime I know the GM is fudging , or has no idea where the game is going or is just straight up railroading so can't really enjoy playing. That's not to say they were all awful or anything , everybody else was usually having fun , I could just see behind the scenes from my own experience which took the fun out of it.

They did read through handbook and expected something on that image. So, yeah, I did fuck up on that regard.

The thing here is, they could easily find something like it inside that homebrewed setting (there are deserts in USA, plus areas with severe droughts).
I even asked them at the beginning: "What kind of climate / atmospthere do you prefer? Horror, drama, mystery, survival?". But, got no answer, or characters for that matter.

Only right before we started the bloody session, they decided to put PC's together and throw it out there that they want atmospthere of desert, misery and death.
However, at that time, I already had something prepared, throwing them into lighter, shrubs'n'bushes'n'trees'n'settlements region.

Please help, i am desperate.

Wow, are you me?
The truth is pal, we need a break from time to time or we burn out. Sure the other players may not do great gamesx but you can always helpmnthem do better. That's what I did. I won't lie, it took years, but its worth it. In tjhe meantime, take a much deserved rest from DMing and try and enjoy one of the other players games for a while. Or just suggest a few weeks of boardgames or whatever. The point is, you are reaching or at DM burnout. You need a break and you need it now.

pressure plates every 5-10 ft that open/close certain doors.
or
serpentine hallway with doors along side. hallway leads to main chamber. after 10 rounds one door behind the players closes and two in front open. eventually it goes from a serpentine hallway with all closed doors to a straight hallway with all the ghosts loose.

>VTNL

What?

This is how I bard/fighter. Nobody thinks this character concept and archetype is as cool as I do, but that's fine. What's your current pc like?

youtube.com/watch?v=7gphiFVVtUI

That's an advantage of tabletop games taking so long is that this can all come to light over time. You won't be able to stick to an extensive script the whole time anyway, so you might as well let this concept grow and develop as you go along.

The outer harmony, inner chaos trope is a strong one for a reason. Stick with it and let it grow. Will he give in to the beast, harness its strength or deny it absolutely? Give yourself room to look forward to the future.

I'm feeling a bit down because my character is, apparently, OP.

So my GM is going to nerf grappling...

I'm mildly annoyed. System is Mutants and Masterminds 3 for anyone wondering.

Perhaps it's a common issue amongst GM's. I imagine there's a lot of video game designers who stop enjoying video games, or magicians who can't enjoy watching a magic show etc. You're right I do need a break. Although I think it's actually a break from the feeling I have to keep writing and prepping stuff for the game rather than runnimg it itself which tends to be fine. We only really play for 3 hours once a fortnight because adult life so I'm likely prepping more than we will ever see.

I'm not familiar with the system but would you say this is an issue that is fairly widely discussed as an imbalance within the game that just hasn't been officially fixed ? Or is the grappler somehow detrimental to the whole table? If so your DM is likely being reasonable.

Alternatively your character may have just been able to circumvent one of your DM's Precious Encounters or Precious NPC's via the use of the grappling ability and he's making a snap judgement.

I personally can't imagine how in any game somebody being too good at grappling is overpowered , unless it's like a WWE wrestling game where players begin all fights 5 foot away from eachpther and can only choose to strike or grapple and grappling wins every combat. I mean , grappling can't effect enemies at range or incorporael enemies. It is difficult or impossible to do against things much bigger than you or with 4 legs or weapons with reach or who can fly or cast grease on themselves or just rub oil all over them or are very tiny etc.

What did you do?

>It is difficult or impossible to do against things much bigger than you

This is actually not a problem in M&M. You can in fact get stuff to grapple shit that is whatever size. It's a system supposed to let you be Thor wrestling Fing Fan Foom, after all.

My superhero has huge strenght (15, to be exact) and I also gave him a few advantages that related to grappling: improved hold (which gives a -5 to any person that I have already grappled if they try to escape), improved grab (which means I am not vulnerable when I try to grapple someone and I still have one free hand to hit someone else if need may be) and the one that the GM actually has a problem with Fast grab (which is a legit advantage to take for a character: it lets me attack an enemy and, if I hit, I can also grapple this enemy after my attack. So it's hit>damage>roll strenght to grapple against their dodge/strengt, whichever is higher)

What happened was that in the last fight I was confronted by a woman who tried to use her powers to make my character sit the fuck down (basically a compulsion effect that hits someone's will save: my character's will is shit so he almost got fucked even before the fight started, compelled to sit down and do nothing)
After this I basically hit her with an all-out attack (I have an advantage there too, that lets me take a -5 penalty to my parry/dodge defenses and add +5 to my to-hit roll) and I punch her in the ovaries. After that I grab her with fast grab and she can't get free of the grapple because of my +15 strenght modifier to the roll.

After this, it's basically her flying in the air to try and shake my character off and my character dealing crushing damage (you can basically opt to use your standard action to roll for damage against the enemy's toughness without having to roll to hit). She can't break free of the grapple, because of my +15 strenght and her -5 modifier to acrobatics/dodge/athletics needed to escape.

After 4-5 rounds of crushing her she finally goes KO and we crash on the pavement. No harm done because my character is also supertough. But of course the enemy he had grappled didn't even come close to getting out of the grapple in the first place

And the rest of the party did what?

They were busy fighting other superpowered guys someplace else

youtube.com/watch?v=q8ir8rVl2Z4

moar muzik

As someone who does GM M&M (second edition though), yeah, grappling is a very powerful option, especially with Improved Grab and Fast Grab. But the general problem is how binary it is, most of the time. Enemies will almost never ge as good at forcing out of a grapple as a PC built for it will be at maintaining it, so either the opponent has powers that make the grappling completely useless (such as a Kitty Pride-style phasing power or whatever), which makes the player feel bad, or the baddie doesn't get to do anything at all in the entire fight, which makes the encounter feel bad.

It's not an unmanageable power, but it kinda warps encounter design a fair bit. Some GMs can deal with that, and some are bothered by it.

I cant help but feel there's more you aren't telling us. But yeah, it does kinda sound like all your character has to do is hit and then a slow boring fight later, an enemy gets hugged to death. I don't think grappling is the issue, I think you or your character is, sorry. Otherwise, why would your DM have put you alone against a super tailored to your weakness?

Ah so you defeated your GM's Precious NPC, after what sounds like a tough fight that could have gone badly if you'd failed entirely against the compulsion, which seemed designed to be overpowered against you and he got upset.

Does he realise mostly the players are meant to win?

>have a huge IRL group of players that always want into my games
>all but two of them are kind of shit, and it makes staying motivated for any long term games impossible
>the two that aren't shit don't want to play with only 2-3 players. They want at least 4
>secretly run a game for Veeky Forums/roll20 dudes instead for a while, which the players love
>cancel that too because it feels bad playing with people I hardly know instead of friends

I think what is needed is an advantage that negates improved hold and helps the grappled guy to escape if the grapple goes on for more then one round.

Something like "Improved escape" or "Elastic limbs" that makes a more dextrous/smaller opponent gain +5 on their escape check the first round after being grappled and +1 or +2 for each round after that.

Besides, they do get to do something: an escape attempt counts as a move action, you know? So they can still attack the enemy that is grappling them with their standard action after.

To be fair, as I said to the user above, the grappled characters can try to escape and attack in one round.

It's true that if I had not used a Hero Point I would've been compelled to stay put, without partecipating in the fight but to the GMs credit, he doesn't have precious NPCs, not really.

What bums me out is that my character is superstrong, supertough and deadly in a 1 v 1 against a weaker opponent, if he manages to get a hold on them once and he wants to take that away from me.

There's supposed to win after a fun engaging combat and then there's supposed to win after rolling once to hit and the whole fight being a drawn out series of rolling damage. It sounds dull for everyone involved.

I would console you, but you are an ass for letting your roll20 players hang like that.

They are people too you know? Just make a choice you pussy: either your friends or your online game.