God-mode

When having a long-lived group, we often find ourselves stuck in a rut with writers who don't like to let their characters show any long term weakness.Given our stance in keeping the group flowing in the best direction, we often end up with fairly powerful characters to keep the status quo, which can be hard when stubborn players want a godlike character.

As a Mod, how do you deal with players like this personally? Bop'em with the Mod Hammer, or do you try to write as a good example of character flaw?

(Myself, I try to do my best to keep a balance between the two above. I've gone as far as killing off my own characters to show that none are invincible.)

 

This is such a difficult thing to handle. Most people don't know they're god-modding or metagaming super hard. In my experience, the players that break the game like this are just obsessed with their character. The character can do no wrong because they love them SO MUCH. This is a dangerous thing to try to explain to someone when their character breaks the reality of the game and is too powerful, they have no weaknesses and is entirely infuriating to play with. I never confront a character or player like this head on because I don't want to steal the fun anyone is having, however, I do try to curb their behavior with 2 things.

1) I ignore it. Seriously, if I spoke up this person would either be hurt and get defensive and likely try to explain their god-modding away. They would probably cause a stir by asking or complaining to other players and then you just look like a troll (I HATE looking like a troll). If you ignore it, it will stop bothering you, or they will either stop doing it or maybe even get so powerful it is absurd and you have more than enough means at that point to point out how ridiculous their character is. (Superman got Kryptonited for a reason).

2) God-mod them back. MAKE IN-CHARACTER CONSEQUENCES. Either make a character or some sort of god creature they have no way of destroying obsessed with them. Let them know this thing could kill them at any moment on a whim. Put a wizard that is obsessed with their power levels, and just waiting in the background until they reach a certain level that he can nom on their brain for more wizard spells.

I usually make a character similar to theirs but WITH flaws. I roleplay with them, doing my best to outwit and outwrite them. In the end, it is usually a stalemate of their character unable to defeat mine or some other increasingly annoying idea. I usually bring suffering. I kill their loved ones, or I dig up the skeletons in their closets. I don't try to 1 up them, that's foolish. If they make a character that breaks the size barrier, I make a character that stays in all of the guidelines but that is more than crazy and willing enough to fight said giant. My character might lose, but he'll die smugly knowing the giant has shown their true colors. If they make a super charming character that touches people when they don't want to be touched, I make a character that does the same and then touches them.

It seems petty now that I'm writing it out, but when I'm actually doing it in-game it has a sort of "taste of your own medicine" finesse to it that isn't translating well to an explanation. Basically just make the world adapt to them. With every action, there is a powerful and opposite reaction. Be that reaction. Killing your own characters is all well-and-good, but if you're an admin - they might as well be NPCs. Hurting your PC characters is far more effective and rewarding.

 

You are brutal, and I love it.

 

When I run a site, I almost always have what I call a "God Killer." If you god mode, you better believe there's going to be some repercussions.

 

XD That's fantastic

 

I mean my main Character Serrus in the RP that I admin has had a character arch that has basically made him into a god. An alcoholic arrogant god that lacks foresight despite being able to see into the future. Given that I gave his race an average lifespan of 2000 years, I kinda wrote myself into a hole. Eh I will just have him turn himself into a cat, but I will keep it secret. That way when the RP "owner" asks me where he went I will be able to say he has been there waiting, sitting patiently for his time to strike right there on my next character's lap the entire time.

I personally RP to have as much fun and I try to find the most creative (and convoluted) way to solve OOC problems. Later I will return and say how well this strategy worked.

 

It's a fine line to walk.
I try to stop this issue from happening by including at least one (serious) character weakness in the requested character sheet. If superpowers are involved, I also want a weakness or limit on said power. That way, if they go over that I can point out to them they have to change their post and take out the god-mode. I also include a clause they have to discuss overcoming said weaknesses before doing anything with that IC. If people come to me with that, I demand another weakness or limit.

As the GM, I retain power that way and usually avoid god-moding or meta-gaming. If people keep pushing, characters usually die unexpectedly... And often brutally.


I don't want to limit people this way, but experience says it avoids drama that much more. I've asked people to please leave the RP in the past due to trying to explain away their meta-gaming or god-moding.

 

I hate this too but every time we've tried to pull this apart the players usually don't listen at all. We've tried to give or example to them why a lot of things wouldn't work but they usually go with some kind of rewrite. >_< Or go about something another way.

 

With this issue I have actually had to drop the admin hammer a few times. But most of the time I left my people know that if you want to God-mod you better believe I will make my character do the same and being that he's been my character since I started rping he's powerful as it is and I've made him have a move that could technically kill a God which is why I created that move just to stop God-modders from being that way.

 

Depends on the player. I run a game with multiple high-power entities - there's *always* a bigger fish around to bop them with if they start getting arrogant. That's the advantage of being the DM - when you control the setting, a player who's getting too strong can end up attracting the wrong kind of attention, especially if they're not subtle about it.

 

I have a "No God-modding" rule on my site and give an example of what it is. I also include weaknesses and flaws in my applications. Then, I simply hold characters to that.

If someone god-mods by taking over another's character's response, I drop the mod hammer (in form of a warning at first), but otherwise I just send them general feedback and remind them.If it becomes too much of a problem... well I do what I have to do, enforce the site policy. But I've never had it go that far. I find most people are reasonable when you point it out in a non-confrontational way. It's all about presentation ;) I just talk about the parts I like first, before telling them what needs fixing. Then they're more open to listening.

My psych degree's good for something after all xD

 

Have a bigger hammer, honestly. As an admin, I have access or play some very powerful characters, and having someone's Mary Sue or Gary Stu end up coming across a very powerful and versatile character doesn't end up well for them.

tldr; God mode and I throw Dr Doom or Thor at you.

 

I usually message people privately and point out that they're godmoding. If they don't respond favorably to that, it's hammertime.

 

I think a lot of the time it depends, too. If they're new, I'm a lot more inclined to talk through.

 

I either separate them from the rest of the group, so I can make them face something that will challenge them, without being a one-shot killer to the rest of the group; and then let the rest of the group face something equal to them.

OR...I lure the power gamer into a trap that is empowered by their own strength, so the more power they exert, the stronger the trap becomes.

I had this superhero player that was just relentlessly boastful about how he'd taken every regen power there was, and was virtually unkillable. It was true. So I opened a trap door under him and dropped him into a big pool of fast-hardening plastic. He choked to death...and regened...and choked to death...and regened...and on and on until the rest of the party rescued him.

It took them a while, as they were not power gamers, and had fight through honestly.

 

Its been many years since I did strictly forums,and that's where I had the pleasure of being the one all players had to submit their character bios to. It was an interesting task. I would explain to them that if they had strong physical traits, they would be weaker mentally, or elemental. This was for Marvel. I have encountered many players like that, web searching for a new partner on DA(DA is for immediate roleplayer, I have discovered. ),when My long time partners bailed.

I've tried to be patient with them, to a point. I spelled out what I wanted in the description ,but that didn't deter people from occsionally using god modes in the trial roleplay. If they continued to ignore my advice, I got my answer and ended the trial.

 

In my current forum this isn't TOO much of a problem--I'm not an actual mod on the forum, but the mods that do exist are quite polite and will pull aside the player and explain to them what they are doing. The biggest rule on our forum is 'you can only control your characters, not other people's'. So it's fairly simple to point out 'you said this attack hits, you don't get to decide that, it's up to the character's player.'

Most of the players are fairly advanced RPers, as well, so they won't bother trying to avoid the hits--I've actually seen (and done myself) threads where characters get practically torn apart, because 1) scars are cool and 2) character growth makes fun RP.

In my personal experience most people who god-mod are, like said above, obsessed with their own characters, and usually less-skilled writers. They don't know how fun failure can be to write out. So it's up to us as fellow writers and roleplayers to be excited about their characters with them, as well as show them the possibilities of how fun failure can be!

 

Over my roughly five years of role-play experience, I've found that most times if you explain to a person why god-modding a character is just not fun for people, they tend to understand. Though, for the players who refuse to realize the pain it can cause, you usually have to result to the Mod Hammer as they don't care otherwise.

 

I think the only godmode acceptable to police is when a player takes control of another's or their special toys.

On the part of no weaknesses or just being too strong, I'd say you shouldn't police that as it all comes down to different playstyles. If you don't like it, just stay away from them and keep with people you actually enjoy playing with.

 

I try and work with the people during character creation. I try and leave them room for growth, but also try and make sure they understand that there are limits. Now if after all that they continue to God-Mod I try to talk to them and and mentor them. I'll go awhile but eventually if they just continue then I'll tell them we need to go our separate ways.