Vent: My D&D group fell apart because one guy wouldn't stop rules-lawyering every session

We had a solid group of 5 meeting at my place every other Saturday for about 8 months. Then Dan started looking up every spell and feat mid-game, arguing with me for 15 minutes about line of sight on a fireball. Last session he pulled out a 3 page printout from some forum to prove I was wrong about grappling rules. Two players just stopped showing up. Now it's just me and my buddy Mike. Anyone else had a campaign die from too much rules debate?

3 comments

3 Comments

davidkim1mo ago

Is it just me or does this feel like the same kind of person who has to "win" every casual conversation by nitpicking your facts? It took me way too long to realize some people just care more about being right than having fun.

roberts.leo1mo ago

Holding a quick vote before each session to settle rule disputes in 60 seconds saved my group from the same fate.

adams.uma1mo ago

David’s got a point about the "winning" thing. It’s not always about that though. Some people just get hyperfocused on the rules and lose sight of the fun. They treat it like a board game instead of shared storytelling. Had a guy once who’d correct the DM on weather conditions in a fantasy world. Like, it’s magic and dragons, calm down. Kept the game on rails and we all ended up playing something else.