I have a certain player, he's been with me for decades, who grows increasingly sensitive when he bonds with his PC.
At the moment he is playing a successful thief, the newly appointed Guild Master (Shadow King) of the Guild of Shadows mind you, and, well, problems arise.
When he isn't complaining about what the others do (he is a roleplaying nazi, big time) he is complaining about the burden of leadership, or the difficulty of our campaign, or whether his character should have heard the "Revenant Ghoul" undead approaching.
I have had plenty of such characters before. In fact, this particular player has made me master handling such players in RL (I have found that it takes too long to handle them forum-side). Yes, we all know these drama queens are also our greatest assets, because they truly care, but man I grow tired at times.
So, during a gaming sessions a couple weekends ago the party found their quarry trapped by tribal warriors in the tribal tomb pit. The warriors, decimated and beaten, having lost over a hundred men, had driven their relic-possessed warlord and his personal retinue of "Murderous Hounds" inside. Fear striken they witnessed the warlord and his crew battering the door from the inside, and so the tribesmen courageously prepared to make their final stand.
Well, the PCs grouped up with them and during the fight our dear Shadow King thief takes a sword in the mouth, his teeth crushing and his smile widening several inches. He crumbles down, bleeding profusely, dying, gurgling and soiling his pants.
Up goes the player. Striding upstairs to the mens room. Meanwhile, in his absence, another party member strikes critically at the relic-possessed villains skull, driving his two handed spear straight through his skull.
The PCs manage to rescue the player using magical healing. mere seconds before his soul ventures on to the beyond.
The player, by now properly infuriated, comes down, about to get into his car and drive home, 100 miles, and not participate any further in this game weekend. The atmosphere went from thrilled and enthusiastic to cautious and cold in an instant. Having learned his character survived after all he sits down and resumes playing, flustered but satisfied.
I know how to handle him, but it grows so tiring. All the time these same complaints about other players and their shortcomings. About erronous decisions on my part, about campaign difficulty. But when I confront him he doesn't want me to quit the epic campaigning, it is what he loves best.
Anyone have anything to say about this? Paper bag blowing techniques, yoga lessons or perhaps unique roleplaying nazi handling methods appreciated!
