What are some red flags for players and GMs alike?

>depending on rules for a TTRPG
>needs rules for any RPG, Implying that said person cant just RP without rules to hold their hands.
big o red flag.

>My favorite superhero is Deadpool.
>Oh, my character sheet is already done.
>Uh, ackshually the rules say....

Exactly. And if there's something your player or character wants to do and there's no rule for it, you kind of have to make up a rule for it quickly.

Go fuck yourself. I expect the DM to follow the rules and if he changes some of the rules, then he better damn tell me before the game starts.

DMs that change the rules on the fly need to get gassed.

I think I've got just the game for you. It's called VTNL and it sounds right up your alley

>Oh, my character sheet is already done.
Oh god I know this one too well. I have a guy who always tries to break the system (basically was a guy who wants to try to Pun Pun every system) and from that fateful campaign on us alternating DM's always double and triple check his character sheet.

>Player doesn't read the rules and expects the DM to teach them while running the game
Fuck you Jeremy.

Rigidity of the rules are proportional to how friendly the playgroup is with each other.
Total strangers should start out sticking to RAW to ensure a common ground amongst people coming into the game with different impressions of how the rules should be interpreted.
Close friends should have the capability to bend the rules as they see fit to maximize the amount of entertainment in a way that satisfies everybody.

if you're on roll20 and someone had played with more than 200 people. if they got it from joining a game just to get it they are an achievement hunter and almost always bad players. if they got it from being in a lot of games, then there is a reason no one wants to play with them. either way, best to stear clear.

DM following the rules should be the norm across all tabletop games. Do you know what's it like to design a character and because the DM didn't understand how something work like sneaking and he reinvent how sneaking works in a way that made my sneaking character weak?

even better
>"you dont have to know all the rules, just make sure you're familiar with what your character can do."
>STILL doesnt know how to play
>i would have read the rules if it was mutants and masterminds
you're a piece of shit kylen

>Player character contains memes or references of any kind
>First time player wants to play a Batmanesque character
>Tiefling, Vengeance Paladin
>Parents died in backstory and he now seeks vengeance on those who killed them
>Literally tries to name his character Batman before I tell him no and he whines before settling on 'Ecurb'
>I don't realize until a couple of session later it's literally Bruce backwards
>Plays campy 50's Batman music during fights
>Doesn't pay attention to combat when it's not his turn
>Gets mad when people don't know who he is at level 1
>Beats the crap out of people, kills surrendering bandits and constantly squeezes poor quest givers dry because 'I'm CHAOTIC good'
>Whines when he doesn't get the finishing move on enemies in combat
>Always tries to insert himself into a scene when another character does something cool or stop them and do it himself

>10+ sessions in
>Player still doesn't know how combat rules work

>His DM changes rules which severely weakens his character
>Instead of telling him he complains on Veeky Forums

very sad.

>dmpc
>playing drow
>playing oathbreaker

>user you should make an interesting character instead of a boring old fighter.
>*The DM spends 30 minutes trying to figure out how my character works*

Fuck you Nate

gods i HATE this. although i rarely let it get that far, typically if you dont get it by 5 then you arent making an effort, considering combat comes up often enough in my games. i kick people by then.

Luckily it was a one shot so I didn't have to play with that shitty DM again

see i had the opposite problem with my nate.
i explicitly told him he could NOT make a character from the tomb of 9 unless we sat down and did it together and he obeyed my list of house rules that all of my players have a copy of. he showed up with a character that abused iron heart serge to pull some infinite shit then got mad when i told him he could only play it for this session and he had to bring a character that followed the rules next game.

rules in an RPG is like the manual for LEGO, they are there for a reason, they were designed in a specific way, and especially for beginners following them is a good idea since you will get an experience that matches the picture on the box

but you are under no obligation to follow them, its just a blueprint for fun, and if you understand how to play with LEGO or just want to make it your own, make the rules into origami if you want if its more fun

follow it the whole way, follow it halfway, dont do it at all
and while it is possible to play with a set of loose LEGO and still have fun, some people do want a bit more structure or a lot of structure
it depends a lot on personal preference, experience, and expectations that there isnt a true way to play

>When people are super paranoid about everything you do.
I don't like wasting people's time, look at the sheet all you want my dude.

>I hate it when people stop us from getting the rules wrong.
Some people are a dick about it, best way is to just pass the DM a note to remind them, because usually someone's just mis-remembering how it works. If it's critical info say it out loud.

>Basic backstory that gives a simple motivation and removes family members from the story so they don't need to be account for by the GM is automatically bad.

>I browse Veeky Forums

>DM: If I suspect you powergaming, I'll kill your character instantly

Fuck that jewish bitch

And the major problem is that a lot of GM are plain shit at LEGO and they should try following the damn rules.

>character has a "loadout" going into autistic specifications about his weapons

I had a guy in our group who always made a monk/sorcerer/rogue. Not a monk, a sorcerer or a rogue, but a monk with levels of sorcerer and rogue. All the time. He'd always play females, and was just generally as socially awkward in game as out of it. One time he tried to break the mold and play something other than a monk/rogue/sorcerer, so he changed sorcerer for bard.

He took "Performance: contortionism." He tried to use it to bribe the guards. I think he had some feat that let him use performance instead of a social skill, or maybe it was just his bardic music ability. I don't remember. It got awkward in a hurry.

You're nicer than I am. I'd have made him roll a new character. I don't mind optimization at all (if my players want a combat heavy game, that's fine by me), but if you want to win D&D by googling some dumb build, then you can fuck right off.

Rules are only flexible until implementation. Once the game starts or the players begin making whatever preparations they need to start, no rules should be changing.

I fucking despise this. I can understand not knowing some of the more in depth shit, especially if you're not running a combat centric character, but once we get a few sessions in you should know how to attack properly. You should definitely know which die to use, doubly so considering THE SYSTEM ONLY USES ONE FUCKING TYPE OF DIE.

>make simple character
>only real backstory is that he was originally from the aggressive military country/empire but left because he was exiled, seeks to find new purpose in a new country (where the campaign is set)
>by extension his magic powers mark him instantly as being an exile from there
>DM weakly tries to bait party into a fight with the guys my character escaped
>my character just stays on the train and rides into the city instead of hopping off for some fight he didn't want
>YOU HAVE TO PARTICIPATE!
>my character wouldn't do that unless he had a good reason
>OKAY THE TRAIN BLOWS UP! YOU ARE PARALYZED UNTIL A PARTY MEMBER CAN HEAL YOU.

>Player: user, I don't think you are playing your character correctly
Bitch, I'll play how I want to play my character.
>DM: I also agree that you are not playing your character correctly
Fuck you too, DM.

To be fair I can't tell you how many times I've seen a perfectly reasonable character I've read on paper be played like a complete lolsorandum or OOC moron. Of course I don't know the circumstances so it's very possible I'm wrong and you were playing your character correctly. Was there some sort of miscommunication which resulted in both the player and your DM thinking you were playing your character wrong?

>Roll for stats
>Roll for health OR take the PBH average. Choose now
and that's why I'm lieing about my paladin having 40-odd health instead of less then 20

>ask if your character can do something
>"Can YOU do it? :^)"

>getting to choose average
Lucky you, I've played with plenty of DMs who just let you get fucked by bad rolls.

>Be me
>A lawful neutral cleric who is like Frollo/Colonel Mustang
>Been given a quest to deal with savages on an island
>One of the players: I think you dealing with them too harshly
>DM: I have to agree, can you just educate them or something?
> All I ever wanted was to burn evil with a hellfire like passion
>The campaign ended over how my character should be played

I was doing so well until they stop being undead.

Yeah. nigga told me AFTER I'd done the rolls, looked at the selection of 3's and 1's and went "yeah ok I'm a frontline protector type class. I NEED more then 5-6 hp a level" So I'm not going to mention it. From 1-7 i think it would of been maybe 28 hp? from a starting 12

>Always talking to NPC's in third person
One of my players does this and it enrages me so much. I've told him multiple times to talk to NPC's in character and he just keeps fucking doing this. I'll be acting out this Guard Captain informing them that there's a bounty on the head of a nearby bandit leader and instead of talking to the guy he'll look at me and say something like "Does he want us to go kill him?" "Will he reward us?" I mean for fuck's sake he's right there, talk to HIM, not me

>Oh, my character sheet is already done.
i once ran a game for someone who did this. he also played the same character in a game he was playing with his brother. not just the same character, but also the same character SHEET. he was level 4 by the third session because god forbid he hits "copy" on the phone app character creator he worships.

>DM wants you to get off a train
>DM railroads you into getting off the train
!!MULTI TRACK DRIFTING!!

>Being a backwards tribal islander
>I'm inherently evil
This makes sense.

They worship an undead god and literally made an undead champion for that god. So yes they were evil and had to be dealt with.

>Player: That is not very original

>that's just like in x!

I hate that. Especially when they constantly try to accuse me of ripping off basic concepts from something, or stretching what's happening into being related to some shit they saw/read/played. And you know what? Sometimes it was, but that doesn't mean that you have to start sperging out about some element I lifted from something.

It legit does not matter. I hate when players care about this and expect me to be on par with actual writers and not to steal there shit when players do the same shit as well.

I had a legit green flag earlier when my players were making 5e chars for the first time
>one player barely needs any help, has already been reading from PHB
Felt great.

Anime.

I agree. If I want to roll up a monk that's totally Not!John Cena, I will and I don't give a single fuck.

Currently playing a Monk / Warlock named Matthew the Sundered.

I'll play whatever I want and they can go to hell.

>"My character is basically batman"
>Lawful Evil Wizard

Maybe he meant Miller's batman? Alternatively, pic related

>Miller's Batman
>Lawful

He literally points out to Superman that he's a criminal and always has been.

Oh man. I'm forever DM and about to play my first game with one of my players taking over running the game.
The "that guy" of our group has already created his character sheet before we started, and has his build planned for several levels. His background is literally batman, he's playing a variant human (PAM feat ) Conquest Paladin/Hexblade Warlock, and his characters name is the same name he uses for every character in every game he ever plays, every account name and everything.
I just want to have a fun game

>his characters name is the same name he uses for every character in every game he ever plays, every account name and everything
See, I'd legit give him a warning for this. Tell him to either make an original character for once, or you'll confiscate his character sheet and give him one you made yourself. An elf monk who worships bonsai or something.

So we've got Judge Fear and Judge Death moonlighting as Batmen.

It's more the opposite. All those dudes are Bruce Waynes.

Too many pussies who don't like it when I study the rules and make optimal choices. Screw those people. Of course I'm going to seek out better weapons/stats if you give me the chance.

Or when it comes from the other players. Like damn it's not my fault you suck at this game. Stop bitching that you keep making bad choices.

>What are some red flags for players and GMs alike?
an idiot talks about gaming red flags. that's indication that a GM or player looks for reasons to feel superior and to label others as That Guy or That GM.

>DM
opinion discarded

Self Inserts.

>player makes a character who's real big into shonen - it's a weeb game so whatever
>everything goes fine for a while, they're settling into trying to become a (Big Damn Hero)
>they start projecting themselves into this character, as them, and it really starts to show
>chases romantic interests where there is none, when one develops they're just dropped for the next
>I shit you not they went through four, where they didn't even get close to anything and immediately dropped them
>there was one where they -did- get close, but after realising they'd have to work to develop anything they summarily abandoned waifu #3 for another
>talked nonstop about their own character, their own story, their own business, both OOC and IC, steering any and all discussion possible towards themself
>by the time the player was kicked, the character was almost unrecognizable from the concept given

Player
>Obsessed with winning more than having fun
>Constantly on phone
>Refused to attend s0 (if lfg)
>Bitches about alignment restrictions
>Edgy character with dead parents
>Tries to invite others (esp. girl/boyfriend) into the game at the last minute
>Dyed hair, skinny jeans, or faggy lisp
>Complains about GM on Veeky Forums
GM
>Doesn’t know the rules
>Takes control of the PCs
>Railroads like shit from day one, but never seems to know where the story is going
>Complains about players on Veeky Forums

>iron heart serge
I'm pretty sure he didn't have a heart of iron.

>All those dudes are Bruce Waynes.
even the left one?

Hes the reason i startef telling people "well, I'm going to run the game with everyone else who followed the rules while you roll a new character, when you finish we'll work you in." In his case i hand him thd book and tell him "if its not in the books i have here, you cant use it. If i see you on your phone while making the character its getting rejected." Nate was a piece of shit.