@Wyatt: That’s interesting to know. I would even surmise that with the added benefit of internet anonymity griefers are probably more common.

@Jim: That’s very old testament/old School. I recall Gary Gygax talking in the 1e DMG about blasting PCs with lightning when players needed to be disciplined

@Galactus Brown: If the guy is a nice guy who just happens to completely missplay paladins (it often happens, especially with potential control freaks) I suggest that you ask him to make a new PC more in line with teh rest of the party.

@Rebecca: Hey there! I got your book and my wife, who’s right off Twilight, is going to read it over the weekend. I’ll let you know how it goes. Also re: Paragon of Asshatery, you should have seen my 1st draft, it was a lot worse than that!

@ZZarchov: Great suggestions for galactus!

Added both new entries, thanks!

http://www.greyhawkonline.com/urudnd/Shrine%20of%20the%20Rodent%20God.pdf

Saludos!
Gabriel
Gabriel´s last blog ..One Page Dungeon Contest

I think since the characters were created separately for Keep on the Shadowfell there was never any impetus to conform as a group initially.

But now that they’ve been all over together they should have more cohesion rather than less.

The overarching storyline is that they’re getting revenge on someone who betrayed them and I thought that the desire for revenge would bring them together but it hasn’t. Probably more my fault than theirs. Nonetheless they’re not as team-y as I would like.

I’m wrapping up a segment with a large scale invasion of a city and once it shifts into “war” mode I think I’ll try and take your suggestion and lay it on the line to the players about what the parties reason for staying together is. Because I have this feeling that the amoral bunch won’t want to fight this war and they’ll want to get out as quickly as possible. Whereas the Paladin will want to lead troops and go storming into the fray.

Hopefully it will work…

Have you tried sitting down and flatly explaining things to everyone involved? Laying it all out can be awkward, but it can be the simplest way out.

bring up the question, why is a paladin travelling with a group of ne’er do wells and why is a group of ne’er do wells hanging around with a Paladin?

Consider offering to shunt the Paladin (or the party) to the next campaign (he leaves to other adventures) or the same option with the amoral types.

Potentially run the “alternate campaign” once every 4 or 5 sessions as a change of pace (to try different play types)

But generally I’d reccomend a Group Template, require each new character to explain how he is connected to the group, why he wants to travell with him and why they want him travelling with them.

That averts alot of problems.

Simply telling people the type of game to expect helps avoid “off” characters (like the Pirate in the Ninja campaign).
Zzarchov´s last blog ..I make Bear Lore an impressive skill.

We have a group of mercenary type players, not completely amoral, but not out for the good of others. And then there’s the Lawful Good Paladin. As the game has been going on he’s been slowly exerting more and more influence where it has now got to a point where the rest of the PCS have become even more evil just so they don’t have to go along with the ideas of the Paladin. He’ll charge into any situation without consulting the group and it’s getting old.

His constant plan is: since he’s the Knight he should be the leader although there’s never been any indication that anyone else feels this way. And he seems completely oblivious to the other members in the party.

I’ve tried punishing him with getting hit hard if he recklessly charges in, but it doesn’t seem to stick. I don’t want to kill him because that seems like the easy/asshole way to get out of it.

The player himself is a perfectly nice guy so it’s hard to get mad at him. And I wouldn’t want to kick him out of the game since I’d feel bad since he loves to play. I guess I could just try talking to him but if he hasn’t got it by now I’m not sure what I could say…

The worst part for me, is that I’ve had trouble working on the story because he’s so polar opposite to the rest of the PCS. I’ve been trying to do encounters where he can do his thing and the rest of the party can do their’s but it doesn’t feel as coherent as I’d like it. My plan right now is put them into morally gray situations and force him to act against his nature and starting a bit of character growth for him…

Any suggestions? Anything people have done to help a situation like this? I just got back into rpgs wtih 4E and I haven’t ran a game in 15+ years, and back then it was with high school friends so it wasn’t quite the same thing.