Edgelord Annoys Everyone, Lives To Regret It

[@mold3314]

"I remember being that fighter" PLOT TWIST OF THE CENTURY! Genuinely took me by surprise

[@derpyhooves4287]

It got me too, huge plot twist

[@dizzyheads]

YOOO

[@callmeriggy]

VAT A TWEEST

[@bendystrawz2832]

It got me even after the reveal. I thought OP was saying they remember being _like_ the fighter as a generic problem player brought to the light. Then it hit me like 8 full seconds later and I was flabbergasted! What a good story.

[@shadenox8164]

Huh. I picked up on it because he never mentioned what character he was playing. Plus the opening preamble.

[@clockworktri]

We need more "what would grandma do" kind of thinking in the world. Wish every overly aggressive dude could give it a try.

[@lawrencelopez9839]

my grandma would burn my dnd stuff, just saying

[@keltsune]

@@lawrencelopez9839, "what would _fantasy_ grandma do?"

[@clockworktri]

@@lawrencelopez9839 lol. Yeah, my actual grandma was pretty mean. Is there a platonic ideal of "grandma"? Let's go with that definition.

[@Pumpkinspicelatte777]

@@clockworktri Cookie-baking supportive grandma is the platonic ideal of a grandmother imo

[@clockworktri]

@@Pumpkinspicelatte777 seconded!

[@NegaHumanX]

I actually said "Oh s*it!" out loud at the fighter reveal. Didn't see that coming. Need more wholesome stories like this. it made me really happy.

[@hatempire]

Yes, please! Positive changes with problem players or just funny stuff (especially ones with crit fails, they're the most unforgettable for me, at least) are a good balance sometimes, especially with Critcrab being such a good storyteller!

[@SampoPaalanen]

I saw it right of the bat as the OP failed to say what was the character they were playing, so it was obvious there would be twist of the OP being the problem player in question. That said I do love how it went down, in my experience you generally have 2 kinds of edgelords, those who had never thought of any other kind of characters and those who have ego issues and always need to be the center of attention at worst way possible. The OP was clearly the first type and when forced to play a character that was as far from the edgy badass as it was possible they took it in stride and found a love for actual roleplaying and not just rolling stats.

[@jacobguevara3708]

Jerry! Jerry! Jerry!

[@sophria]

I did too! I loved that story

[@JJP1890]

I literally started slow clapping

[@lexcentrique2554]

Fighter: *Is annoying* DM: *Takes out the grandma sheet* "I'm gonna do what's called a pro DM move!"

[@buttonsfan]

Fighter: *Annoys a known goddess.* DM: You've activated my trap card.

[@samsolitaryroll]

Fighter turns into grandma Player : challenge accepted

[@dadatheartist-pt4th]

"What this player is evolving"

[@lexcentrique2554]

@@dadatheartist-pt4th "Congratulation! Player evolved into Player-except-he-is-less-annoying!"

[@kj117br5]

@@lexcentrique2554 "Player-except-he-is-less-annoying!" is trying to learn "Being-a-good-player", but "Player-except-he-is-less-annoying!" cannot learn more than four moves. delete a move to make room for "Being-a-good-player"? Yes No

[@Stillbourne42]

“How does anyone spend $4000 on DND stuff?” Let me introduce you to Dwarven Forge

[@Andres0082]

Laugh *and cries* in 40k

[@Tenlaius606]

and HeroForge, don't forget about HeroForge xD

[@KnicKnac]

@@Andres0082 Don't cry you'll smudge the paint. BLOOD FOR THE BLOOD GOD!! NOT TEARS FOR THE... UH .. SADNESS?

[@thefiresworddragon927]

Pretty much, but my god do they have good stuff. I think there's a reason why people let themselves buy $4k stuff from them; it's worth it if you can afford them for the minitature tabletop experience, it enhances it if used right.

[@callmeriggy]

@@KnicKnac Blood for the Blood God, but also Milk for the Khorneflakes.

[@axel4196]

First story: The DM has no spine. He should have locked that BS down immediately

[@DelphineTheWorstBladeEver]

He should have stuck up for his player, and told them what was what. It's clear there weren't very good rules to prevent this from happening, especially wanting to sa the character. DM did not create a safe space, and did not do part of their very important job.

[@NormalCardBoardBoxes]

⁠@@DelphineTheWorstBladeEverLet’s not forget that they were playing DnD in the OP’s own house! So it’s completely disrespectful for the DM to allow that to happen…and for them to do that in his own home as if they own it….

[@matthew-k8q9u]

it pisses me off bro was not a friend just a yes man

[@omnilisk279]

I gotta give props to former edgy fighter. That's some amazing turn around that I rarely hear about. So many problem players would have just scoffed or thrown a fit and left the table. Good on you my dude.

[@its_sisha_not_chair505]

I think theres a kind of people that enters the game thinking its gonna be like another rpg videogame but in a tabletop game. Like, expecting to just come and deal huge damage numbers and have an overpowered build, with the add on that now, the game allows u to be an asshole to your enemy. These people only need a little push into roleplay to actually understand the game, even if its a little forceful

[@Biblically-Accurate-Crow]

Same.

[@BluejaySerenade]

I love the wholesome turn around of the problem player, and the fact that the speaker was talking about himself but wasn't revealed until the end was amazing. This guy is a good storyteller and the plot twist surprised me

[@chickensky1121]

I kinda thought something was up when OP didn't clarify which of the characters they were playing as, but it was still great lol.

[@blazaybla22]

I’m glad this was the one video I wasn’t scrolling through the comments as I was listening to it

[@TigerW0lf]

The fact that the DM agreed that the bullies went to far and didn't do ANYTHING to punish them makes me rather disgusted

[@joaoguilhermeassim]

I was about to say that, what a horrible DM

[@TigerW0lf]

@@joaoguilhermeassim THAT WAS NOT A DM! THAT WAS A YES MAN WHO HAS NO LOYALTIES!😤

[@VernulaUtUmbra]

Yeah, if that had been my game I'd have flat out stopped playing with those players and found a new group with the OP. Sorry, I got bullied a lot as a kid, I'm not putting up with that kind of shit

[@chaoscrow27]

I think the main problem is the wife. The Problem Players are probably HER friends, and not the DM's. Their relationship is most likely already pretty rocky, and the DM is trying his best to not make the relationship worse than it already is while trying to keep his friend happy. So he's essentially stuck between a rock and a hard place

[@joecole4623]

How was the OP in story 1 still friends with the DM when one of the bullies was the DM’s wife?

[@fluidwolf]

I can confirm that good friends can be really nasty with insults towards each other but they don't start at that point. They started with being friendly with each other as normal. The insults later on aren't taken seriously because it is coming from a person they trust is just screwing around with them and poking fun. It comes from a place of trust and thus that trust needs to be built first

[@GarkKahn]

@Andhowdoesthatmakeyoufeel yeah it's the same as telling a friend "you're the ugliest bastard i've ever seen" It's awful, but it's fine if it comes from a friend since they know it doesn't mean any harm, it's the same as saying "hey, how are you?"

[@ozylocz4078]

One would think we absolutely hate each other if they read our campaigns group chat lmao

[@JakeyT1391]

the first story has such a simple solution, stop damage sponging let the "strong" characters go first so they can see how useless they are without the damage sponge.

[@TrueHylianKnight]

OP seems like a doormat to me, maybe socially awkward. Even after all the bullying, OP still let them play at theirs. I imagine it was for that same reasoning, not wanting to ruin their fun.

[@mask938]

@@TrueHylianKnight Let's hope Skinny and the rest of the Toe Ticklers meet a grisly end now that they don't have their meat shield.

[@MogofWar]

They were gaslighting in the first place. Nobody taunts the tank for getting knocked out in good faith. If he simply stepped they'd change tack to "Why aren't you tanking." And if his response was "You people were taunting me for getting knocked out" they would again privot to. "We were just heckling, stop being a bitch." Even the other player who was being bullied took the side of the bullies.

[@JakeyT1391]

@@MogofWar ehh a good response to “why aren’t you tanking anymore” would be a simple the stronger players and leaders need to go first since you’re obviously superior to me

[@lexaj6886]

@@JakeyT1391 Yeah, but the point is with those kind of people is: you can't outlogic them, because they create their own narrative and change that if necessary. The brother of my girlfriend is exactly like that (minus the rape stuff, he is not THAT bad AFAIK).

[@jordanmchighlander9365]

Crit crab: "message your grandparents today if you can" Me, who doesn't have grandparents: "Time to bust out the ouiji board!"

[@juliusnebulus7303]

🤣🤣🤣

[@marikaheinrich5522]

When I tell you I gasped at that Damn 😂

[@BlackReshiram]

loving that you actively call the group "the toe ticklers" EDIT: THE PLOT TWIST

[@vincejrar]

Something important to note about the switch of Fighter's character: they seem to have put a lot of efforts into making that new characters interesting, well-balanced and with a good backstory. Had they just given fighter a shitty character or forced them to make a new character, this could have been more easily viewed as bullying or unfairly punishing the player. All that work not only made it clear the DMD wasn't trying to get rid of Fighter, but it also helped ease a new player into a new playstyle. So yes, I do agree this was the mark of a great DM.

[@MashuTora]

I think making sure the new character was still useful in some way made the difference here. If it was anything else, I think it would've ended poorly.

[@akmi1931]

I think the DM saw that the Fighter wanted to play the game and wanted to to their character but just didn’t know that there was another way to play besides the stereotypical edgelord. The DM knew what he was doing because he saw something in the fighter the others didn’t. Hell, I know this because my first couple of characters were written as having tragic backstories as well. Took me a long time to think outside of having a tragic backstory as a way to motivate a character. (This isn’t to say I don’t still have characters with tragic backstories though. I just don’t only have them)

[@shanerasmussen5225]

@@akmi1931 I used to love flipping the edgelord trope on it's head. Like my Half-Drow Ranger Nightshadow. The child of a female elf survivor of a Drow raid and the product of... non-consentual relations. He dressed in black and dark blue, and so on. He was also gregarious, outgoing, friendly, part time party Face, and terrifyingly violent to those who hurt children. Multiclassed into Paladin of Eilistraee later on, her first Paladin in that DM's world, was a lot of fun.

[@bragnir]

It likely also helped (at first) that the original fighter sheet was not destroyed, rather put aside and kept safe. The DM also specifically gave a definite time to when he would get his original PC back, and stuck to his word about it.

[@kaneobscurum6016]

Honestly this whole story reads like Zee Bashew's story on "The Old Guard" Where a veteran DM did something similar to his edgelord half-angel half-demon fighter. I feel like more stories should be that way amd any Vet DMs should have a few backup PCs available just for any newbies who need a nudge or a do over.

[@mrroboshadow]

"and thats when Neko yelled at me in my own home to leave the game if i didnt like it" now this is tricky, if it was me in this situation, on one hand theres the classic "bitch this is my house, sit down, shut up or gtfo!!" or the more amusing "ya know instead of leaving i think i'll just invite more people, specifically the cops to remove the assholes now trespassing in my damn house"

[@hedgehoginacanoe5838]

Same here

[@SpaaloneBabaguus]

no that's when you walk out the front door, walk back in and go "Oh that's right, get out"

[@heyfell4301]

Just pretend you're going to leave, open the door and say: "now I'll repeat what you said. If you're so concerned about a name, feel free to leave. This is my house, you don't tell me to leave."

[@atlascove1810]

l'esprit de l'escalier

[@azurabbit12]

Look I agree that they were assholes, but you can't suddenly decide people you let in to your house are suddenly trespassers, and calling potentially dangerous people to get rid of these "trespassers" because of an argument is just stupid, petty, and assholey af

[@hummel6364]

Man if someone yelled at me in my own home like that I would stand up, point towards the door and say "leave". Simple as that. Think on what you did, and come back when you realize and are willing to apologize. Crazy how you have to treat some adults like children because they act like them.

[@Juju2927]

I dunno what baffles me the most. The fact that the DM agreed with the fact that the Bullies went to far, yet continues to play with them, or the fact that OP is still friend with the DMs even though he's still playing with the jerks.

[@ArcCaravan]

Not everyone is so willing to cut out people just because they associate with jerks.

[@BrokenHedgehog]

It's because DM is weak.

[@lawrencelopez9839]

given that a lot of players didn't like op either I feel like they were also a jerk but flavored the story to make them look more pitiable and logical

[@bassforhire555]

What got me is that even after being unfairly ejected from the game, the SAME PLAYERS are still coming into their HOME to use THEIR STUFF Baffling...

[@ayf449]

The Dam's wife was one of them so she definitely would cause a scene if the DM did and fight with him

[@chelseaadams5454]

I never liked the mentality of "We're friends, so it's ok if we pick on you". To me, there is a huge difference between having lighthearted jabs at one another and being an asshole towards them. If someone is picking on you, and you tell them to stop, and they say "But it's what friends do" instead of respecting your feelings/boundaries, that person is not your friend.

[@Maxwell_Twist]

Oh, yeah, definitely. I mean, I'm an asshole, but as soon as my friends ask me to stop, I stop. Notably, my friends are assholes as well, so we know that we don't mean any of the hurtful things we say about each other, though I do go out of my way to say that I'm just messing with them and don't mean it if I think I hit a sore spot. There's a massive difference between what was being done in the first story and the kind of asshole teasing friends MIGHT do.

[@DelphineTheWorstBladeEver]

If you are vulnerable with anyone, and they aren't concerned for how it's affecting you, you should take it as a red flag.

[@mackenziemoore5088]

As a bonified dice goblin and special edition collector, I can definitely confirm that $4k isn't hard to hit, especially if you like minis, statues, or cool gaming tables.

[@amaerajenson8341]

I'd literally price my collection as close to that. Minis, dice, all the official books of 5e, and multiple physical books from 4e, 3/3.5, and 2e. Between kickstarters, etsy, garage sales, and otherwise, it's not hard to very quickly achieve a huge and pricey collection of stuff. Especially if it's your only money-based hobby.

[@gabrielmajere8852]

And if he also had other editions mixed in with them.

[@TehDanxorz]

Yeah... I fell down a bit of a hole when COVID hit and... I get it too.

[@1Kapuchu100]

Books, modules, 3rd party material... D&D can become very expensive.

[@APerson-ws4cw]

I ended up with £200+ stuff in a couple months, so it's believable to me

[@steveunderwood9307]

1st tale: there's a difference between funny, good-natured teasing between friends and malicious, mean-spirited teasing.

[@annasstorybox7906]

Yea... It's like with rival sports teams, branches in the military or factions in Warhammer40k. There will be a certain amount of good hearted banter. Poking at the others quirks and specialties but deep down there is an overshadowing respect and knowledge, that without the other oneself couldn't function.

[@kitsunequeen2018]

WHEN I TELL YOU I GASPED AT THE PLOT TWIST IN THAT SECOND STORY. Definitely one of my favorites, good god.

[@emmadilemma4177]

i can say that yeah i gasped and said "NO WAY" out loud, SRRRRSLY this story is STRAIGHT. UP is one of those late 90s family films were a kid the main character is bratty and selfish but learns a lesson at the end from an old mentor, owning/caring for an animal etc but in the DnD coat of paint. Honestly? maybe it should be a short live-action story of some kind, shot and directed well too.

[@bendystrawz2832]

I literally was eyes-wide mouth-agape when I put it together, which was admittedly a bit delayed after the reveal.

[@notoriouswhitemoth]

Teasing is like boxing. If you're both into it, it's a sport. If only one of you is, it's assault. Once you are friends with someone, tease them all you want, if they're okay with it, but they're not going to thank you for hurting their feelings.

[@Eye_Of_Odin978]

That really comes down to being open and honest with your friends about how your dynamic works and what you expect out of the friendship. It doesn't have to be a huge, come-to-Jesus type thing that's all emotional, but boundaries DO need to be set. I think THAT'S the problem with most people. It's not that people just start bullying their friends because they want to one day, I just think that it usually comes from different expectations of boundaries for a friendship and a lack of communication on said differences.

[@alucardo2961]

@@Eye_Of_Odin978yeah i think a lot of people think of setting boundaries as being too sappy and personal. it can be something as small as, "please cut it out and dont do it again"

[@marybdrake1472]

I love those moments when a "that guy" turns themselves around.

[@sailorgallifrey1365]

That’s what it’s all about

[@marybdrake1472]

@@sailorgallifrey1365 I wish we had more such stories. That was the second one I have heard.

[@Skorak]

@@marybdrake1472 is the first one somewhere I can read/watch?

[@Eye_Of_Odin978]

Exactly We don't want "that guy" to abstain from playing entirely. We just want "that guy" to see that he's kinda cringe sometimes and work on it.

[@marybdrake1472]

@@Eye_Of_Odin978 Yeah. more of them than not can turn themselves around. It's just matter of recognizing and correcting the problem(s).

[@Jay-ei4cr]

That second story hits really different, it was really nice to hear something so positive. That DM giving fighter a new love for the game was so sweet and left me very emotional.

[@Jarethenator]

If a player in your game says they plan to SA another player's character and you, as the DM, don't immediately boot them from the game then not only are you a terrible DM, but you are also a terrible friend and, dare I say, not a very great person either.

[@Grukgrimskull]

There's a tricky situation there though given some people have a messed up humor enough that it's common,I speak from experience given those I played with all had no issues with things like that (mainly as we all weren't offended by such things and it was all in good fun) so it really all goes based on if the person it's done to making it clear that they don't like it/aren't comfortable with the activities another party members doing or if they aren't easily perturbed by such things as long as payback is allowed at some point (something I took great satisfaction of against the goblin PC in question)

[@ArDeeMee]

Not to mention, a terrible SPOUSE.

[@Floccinaucinihilipilificator]

If someone you're having as a guest in your house starts openly disrespecting you and yelling at you out of spite, ask them to leave promptly. If they do not leave promptly enought, expel them more directly.

[@robertcerniglia2616]

I just realized how bad the spelling is on the first story my heart goes out to you Critcrab

[@CritCrab]

Thank you I tried really hard lol

[@meijinx9673]

I've noticed that a lot of the stories on other videos tend to have bad spelling and/or poor sentence structure

[@Belphegorite]

@@meijinx9673 A huge amount of internet content is misspelled and poorly constructed. Our Friendly Neighborhood Crab gets a representative sampling of it.

[@violetsapphire952]

"Some commenters may say that forcing the switch was the mark of a bad DM." This guy tried to threaten an NPC he knew was an actual god. Three times in a row. As far as I'm concerned, he should just count himself lucky it wasn't a frog.

[@katheriner9970]

I love hearing a story about a player who outs themselves as the problem player and how they saw the change. Having been that person who had to confront themselves when I realized how bad I had gotten, I find this reassuring and heartening. It's humbling and comforting at the same time.

[@lucaluca111]

OP: "...and then the bad player learned his lesson" community: "didn't knew existed story like this"

[@brunoacosta6966]

What means OP?

[@lucaluca111]

@@brunoacosta6966 original poster

[@UmbraResistis]

the vine boom sound effect at 21:20 scared me shitless.

[@jvstice56]

First Story: OP's interest in the game dying is something I can resonate with. There were lots of games I played that were completely ruined by terrible experiences. Most recent example is WoW Classic: Gear drama and being felt like I wasn't being taken seriously because "LOL Paladins suck" (they lacked a taunt until Wrath of the Lich King) made me call it quits for well over 2 years. Only recently returned to check out Wrath Classic (Not expecting much besides the obvious nostalgia grab) What annoys me the most regarding this story is the DM. Had one obvious bully and did nothing about it, then when he suggested a new name and X be the leader, OP gets the boot. Personally, I would've threatened them to leave or be arrested for trespassing as they were no longer welcomed in my house. Don't care if that ruins the friendship of DM and Dragon, but I'm also the type to sever ties with enablers. Second Story: WHAT A TWIST! Good on That Guy to take what he was given and work with it, learning to become a proper role player in the process. Here's hoping more games like that happened for him.

[@ShinxyMuro]

Exactly! I'd rather be alone than have to lower myself to be used and abused by others

[@dr3dg352]

Damn I hate that "LOL that class/card/character sucks" mentality so much. I'm a proud gamer, mostly tabletop, and that type of attitude is one of my biggest pet peeves.

[@Mr.Smiley_J]

That second story was too heartwarming, got me actually shedding tears.

[@Konpekikaminari]

story 1 had me conflicted On the one hand, I can very much believe that a group of friends would turn out to be predominantly bullies- these were my friends for the better part of my school years on the other hand... something makes me feel OP is either oblivious to the better parts of his own wrong-doings or is outright lying to try and mend his ego with some Internet sympathy whatever actually happened was gravely mishandled by all parties involved, that much is clear, but OP does not feel like an entirely reliable narrator

[@DoctorOaks]

It seemed kind of weird to me too. I don't know if OP is lying or not, but something definitely feels weird about the whole thing (especially since both Dragon and the DM stayed friends with everyone else). I do think that they did those things, and likely as described by OP, it's just that them believing that they were justified could mean that they were acting that way in response to how OP was acting. I had a group of friends where my departure ended in a fire similar to that story, and it took me a long time to realize and accept that I was also to blame. I talked with them, apologized, had them apologize to me, and we agreed that it would still be best for me to not play with them even with everything aired out.

[@squattingheads]

Op said his character was edgy and he didn’t seem to ever play with the party but just do „what his character would do“. i feel like his barb didn’t react to nice things so the other players used negativity to get interactions. Or they thought that’s what the player was going for. But never actually said smth to them but only the DM.

[@Konpekikaminari]

@@DoctorOaks funny I did not mention it myself, because you're absolutely right there- the fact that the game is still going and DM/Dragon are talking to everyone very much implies OP was, inadvertently or not, the crux of this issue

[@maxb2244]

What makes me suspicious is that OP continued to let the group use his stuff. Either OP had no backbone or is leaving some things out.

[@Person01234]

100%. I don't think they're lying per se, I think a lot of these situations come from a place of someone explaining a story how they saw it and interpreted it at the time and being too wrapped up in their own opinion to see it any other way. I'd put money on it that the rest of the group would tell this story a very different way where OP was the problem player. People are making a big deal how the DM "agreed they went too far" and chose to stay friends but that's only if you think about it in the framing given by the OP. It's equally possible that OP provoked the blow up and whilst the DM does indeed think it went "too far", things were said that shouldn't have been said, it's just a case of everyone (including the DM) just not handling it the best it could have been handled. That would easily bring his continued friendship with the rest of the group into a different light, because you can certainly agree that things went too far in the end without the whole narrative of "nasty bullies" being exactly accurate. First story has all the hallmarks to me of being an unreliable narrative and neko's comment really put me into certainty that OP has some personality issues they don't recognise.

[@namkha209]

Awww... Finally, a good story to warm up the crab hearth

[@oldsoldier4209]

On the topic of $4,000 worth of materials, I'd say the key piece of information needed is HOW MANY years it was collected over. I know players, including myself, whose collections cost well beyond that. But, all of us have been playing and collecting since the late 1970s. It would take far more than 1 bad group to make any of us quit, though. We learned long ago that bad players, and bad groups, are easily replaced, as are bad DMs. Now, if we could only figure out a way to replace bad decision makers at WotC, we'd have nothing to worry about. 🤠👍

[@KnicKnac]

That last one is clever. It is definitely a leap of faith to give them a second chance with a NPC styled character. Glad the person learned something and ended up having more enjoyment. Kudos to them for changing their ways. I sadly cannot message my Grandparents. Both sets have passed.

[@bridgetmadden5716]

As someone who used to work in aged care, I can say confidently that old ladies can be the most badass people you will ever meet. Hell hath no rage like a 96 year old woman who's REALLY sick of the patriachy.

[@howlingarmadillo]

I expected the twist in the second story from the beginning, but I can't say it wasn't gratifying to hear all the same. Hooray for owning up to your mistakes! Hooray for personal growth!

[@aroundtheworld384]

DM: Screw you, you're a grandma now! The dude: *becomes the best grandma* DM: Well...I can't say I expected that.

[@BlueProphet7]

I did the EXACT same thing to one of my players once. He was playing a true neutral melee class who constantly acted evil at every opportunity but refused to accept an alignment shift after murder-hobo-ing half the universe with no justification except for fun. Anyhow, he would CONSTANTLY cause trouble for the party and got enjoyment out of getting his way over everyone else's. He regularly used the 'thats what my character would do' excuse. This was a relatively short, high power campaign. Not a one shot, but it was only meant to go on for a few months. The party were in the howling caves of pandemonium and they encountered some sort of powerful being (again, this was a long time ago and I'm not going to pretend I remember). It was probably near demi-god level and had an interest in mischief. It had been watching the party for a while and when they encountered it, the player mouthed off to it, not knowing (or maybe not caring) what it was. It cast a powerful spell on him that made him neutral good until he grew as a person (it was either going to be a set period of time in game or until he stopped justifying evil actions and thinly veiled narcissism with BS). If he refused to grow or at least adapt, I was going to have a conversation with him and if necessary, remove him from the campaign. I didn't take control of his character or anything like that, he had free reign to keep playing how he wanted, but any time he tried to do something truly evil, he had to pass a fortitude save or be traumatized by the event. For example, if he wanted to kill a monster that was no threat and begging for it's life, he could do it, but for the next day he might have a -1 morale penalty to attacks or something like that. (EDIT: I realize this sounds potentially biased. I only took action if the other members of the party unanimously agreed that it would be evil to do and he wanted to do it anyway). After a few hours, he was enraged, started screaming about how a DM has NO RIGHT to change a player character and quit the campaign. I thought I was being fair, especially considering that books he personally LOVED using (book of vile darkness and book of exalted deeds) offer numerous ways to forcefully change someone's alignment even without godlike powers. He had no problem doing that to others (even other players if given the chance). I think the method of forcing a player to work as a team by messing with their character in some way is fair as a last resort, but the success is ENTIRELY dependent on the player. If they simply don't see the harm they are causing, it might work. But if they are truly just a nasty person, it probably won't. Last note, I played with this guy a couple other times as a player years later in a friend's campaign. After about a year of playing, on his watch, he coup de graced one of the sleeping party members he didn't like. When the table erupted in anger at him, he smiled the nastiest smile I've ever seen and said (I *do* remember this word for word): "Welcome to a new kind of D&D". Ultimate dickbag edgelord. With the exception of one or two members of our large group, no one ever played with him again. I didn't even play D&D for like a year or two after that.

[@GreatestRedPanda]

Second story was amazing. Props to that guy, the plot twist feels so surprising yet satisfying and makes you have a little more faith in humanity.

[@Soviniy]

Hands down my favourite story in the end there. I live for fairytales and magical interventions leading to amazing redemption arcs, and this was that very essence, both in game and stretching into real life! It was heartwarming and I'm delighted.

[@nickolauscantor1572]

I don't care if OP in the first story was wrong, you do NOT yell at someone in their own home and tell them to leave a game being hosted in their house. If you have a problem with them, get up and leave if you must. You are a guest in their home.

[@savj4ever]

hi! hopefully first. Just finished a session with my poor DM controlling over 20 guards and orc NPCs as we unnecessarily made a battle. Luckily no cringe, well none that was uncalled for.

[@allenyates3469]

20 enemies is no big whoop. Well, no big whoop if you've DMd for a while. When I see younger DMs run huge groups of enemies one at a time like each one was an individual unit it makes me nostalgic for my own bafoonery lol

[@tarc3957]

When a player says "I will r*pe another PC", the GM should tell that player to cut it the fuck out or leave. Don't get how that wasn't the case tbh

[@SamLabbato]

the moment OP set up the "why do i put up with bad players so much", I immediately thought "because you used to be a bad one", cause I do the same shit. I've had my fair share of god awful playing and only through criticism, self reflection, and a ton of practice, have I gotten much, much better. now that i dm, i have a ton new issues sprout up all the time, but I always try to push those bad players in the right direction, cause I remember being just like them in the past

[@Wintermute01001]

Four things every DnD player needs to know: Lawful does not mean fascist Chaotic does not mean crazy Good does not mean naive Evil does not mean asshole

[@kylemendoza8860]

I don't understand how the towe ticklers are staying alive without their meat shield.

[@AM-yk5yd]

I have a feeling OP was not honest and he was *that guy* all along. He caught himself on doing stuff he had to apologize for. Who knows what he didn't caught. The fact that Neko yelled at him out of sudden regarding the name is.... strange? In his story everyone is bad, others worse than him. That's way too sus to be believable

[@DHTheAlaskan]

​@@AM-yk5yd that is likely the case but I have been bullied out of a group soely because one player didnt like that I wasn't already part of said group before him. He full on hated any new guy. I firmly believe the OP is an unreliable narriator but we cannot rule out the others just wanting to push OP out of the group. Hell there is a non-zero chance that both are true and everyone sucked including the DM for not putting his foot down.

[@sonicfanmanrealreal5629]

@@AM-yk5yd it doesn't matter what he did, a bitch telling him to leave his own house is actually infuriating

[@desthecoyote]

That second story, of the elderly healer grandma, is the absolute best. Cheers, that's a grand DM.

[@roehanostornsyn3367]

I feel like edgy characters are reviled, but I'm not really sure why. I kind of prefer making edgy characters myself, usually with some kind of unexpected soft side, or other redemptive quality. It just feels like edgelords are so hated. What if i don't wanna play the typical DnD campaign where we're all different races with the same mentality and values?

[@CritCrab]

Good question, there are many differences between a character with darker themes and an "edgelord" Primarily how they interact with the party and the world. A darker character can be a team player, knows when to share the spotlight, and has a backstory that is more than simply "bad thing happened so now I'm mean to everyone" Caleb from CR is a good example of a dark character that nobody thinks is excessively edgy, while hatred guy is the opposite.

[@Konpekikaminari]

it's less about the character itself being edgy, and more the fact those kind of characters are usually products of rather unpleasant players- which in turn sort of stigmatised the "edgelord" aesthetic

[@ArcCaravan]

I think the problem is edgelords tend to be the same uncreative schtick, generally shallow, and are pointlessly hostile. It can be possible characters with those descriptions can be done well, but usually it's just annoying for everyone else.

[@pj_spirit]

It’s one thing to be edgy with other character traits that you display that meshes well with the game. It’s another to be an active and consistent hinderance to the game because you think being dark and edgy means being overly aggressive, violent, uncooperative and uninterested in anything besides violence, looking cool and/or wrongdoing with no further depth or development. More often than not in these stories, the latter is what edgy ends up meaning

[@robertbryant8243]

If anyone is interested, another D&D KZbinr named Seth Skorkowsky did a very entertaining video about why edgelords suck.

[@FretboardToAsh]

Picking on your friends is earned, it's a trust-exercise in allowing yourselves to be mutually vulnerable and NOT taking advantage of it.

[@dr3dg352]

I've always loved the grandma story, but wow somehow I forgot all about the Toe Ticklers! What a trip.

[@geezydeezy]

Had a look on their faces that seemed to say "JIMMY JOHN'S". Gotta love a well timed add lol

[@lukaskubik4698]

The first story feels weird since most bully groups don't last very long because they always have to bully someone, and the OP mentions the game is going on long after him.

[@Eye_Of_Odin978]

I think OP might have been exaggerating the story somewhat. Remember that we only got ONE side of the story here.

[@dubiousinformation1756]

​@@Eye_Of_Odin978 I think maybe it's also possible a lot of what he described as bullying probably wasn't meant that way. The fact that the rest of the party was fine being called toe ticklers makes me think they probably wanted more of a non serious joke campaign, whereas OP probably wanted a toned down serious campaign. I think it just boils down to them being two totally different types of players, and everyone being bad at communicating what they would like in a dnd campaign.

[@topspartan117]

Bro, you straight up reminded me that I needed to call my grandma today, thanks CritCrab!!

[@techstorezombie9316]

11:18 Any "friends" who are okay with their friends being treated that way, are not real friends.

[@xanderf9234]

Man the last story of the elderly grandmother, I love it you can see the growth from the edgelord going from a fighter became a healer, this story is the kind that gets me giddy for lack of better term. seeing someone redeemed is great to me because i feel that. I was the shitty party member once. now im the dm.

[@musechan7069]

I usually put critcrab on split screen to let the audio play out when i grind in games cause i dont have friends to play DnD with. When the fighter reveal came out, I let out an audible gasp which made my girlfriend concern

[@Frozt001]

I can empathize a bit with the first story, in that back when i played DnD with local group of friends, the DM kept -insisting- he have the one 'that guy' constantly join in as he was the DM's roomate, as he wanted us to show "how rpgs can be fun!". buuut instead, said that guy has: tried to murder the party (on two occasions), ended one game by selling out the party to the BBEG, and threatened violence against my PC in another. The DM defended his actions saying the roomie was "really a good person, you just have to know him" before finally admitting the Roomie was a total jerk when one night, the roomie packed up his stuff and drove off, leaving the Dm with over $1k in bills. Also, very easy to get to 4k worth of stuff with miniatures, paint, glue, and more with shelves of books.

[@flyingturret208thecannon5]

That plot twist at the end! Hahaaa! Helps me feel justified for my own party members. I’m only a mediocre DM, I don’t know how to fix players, only computers.

[@zaleofsiteb]

Sometimes a player just needs a bit of tough love! That second story has me thinking about how stuck in a role I tend to be...always going rogue or tank. Maybe I should try something more support-oriented myself next time. ^^

[@silorion9967]

So, I'm playing a character who is a fighter, but with a twist. I've taken the fighter class and turned them into full support. By being a battle master and taking the healer feat, I've effectively created a combat medic-commander. He's got this shield that has a bunch of straps and vial holders and stuff on its inside, and that holds his medkits, so his shield doubles as a medical cabinet. He's actually really fun and is a decent healer.

[@zaleofsiteb]

@@silorion9967 That sounds wonderful! I ended up going paladin in this upcoming game [party ended up very 'Oops! All Casters!" before me] but I'm def gunna skew it towards protection and support. I'm excited!

[@rinkuraku5251]

That's not how you make friends in anime. You make friends by blasting them with a giant pink beam of doom.

[@ognyannedev5979]

I thought the ppl from the 1st story were all 14. Turns out my guy is sitting on 4k worth of dnd merch. I don't know how such childish behavior is possible for someone older than 18

[@Wizhurd117]

I like how you think $4,000 worth of dnd stuff would take up a whole basement. If you want anything pre painted (minis/terrain) it’ll cost an arm and a leg. Not including dice, maps, books, etc. It can be cheap if you DIY but even then buying the initial tools necessary is going to cost you. I easily have over $4,000 worth of dnd crap in my basement but it only takes up two 35x16 inch totes. I usually keep one in my trunk for on the go dm’ing. I suppose you could fill up a whole basement with $4k but it’ll be a small room

[@TierosIsBetter]

12:13 just buy like, two DND books, boom $4000

[@Ethan-hl3rf]

I listened to the fighter story at work the other day, and really taking the time to focus on it, I almost sobbed. That was such a good twist

[@lucas5530]

"I was that fighter" - Shaq surprised face

[@CADJewellerySkills]

I love that last story. Learning and growing for the win!!!

[@gummywormee41]

I never played DND before but if I was in a group where a DM allows bullying to occur I'd just never interact with that DM's campaigns. If they allow this sorts stuff in THIS campaign, then they might allow worse in others.

[@SadlyNotSappho]

at first I was thinking "oh, good on the dm for forcing fighter to play grandma for a few sessions", as i feel like giving the problem character a new personality, through whatever lore reason, is good if done well, and I could tell that the dm was doing a good job with it. "I remember being that fighter" got me. I'm writing down a new character idea as soon as I can: an old grandma, who for whatever unknown reason ended up with the adventuring party, is just a kind old lady, who also, oh, ya know, shoots a fireball every now and then!

[@tijnvd_224]

These stories are like an addiction to me, I just keep on cooking back to them

[@It_was_I_Alpharius]

I think alot of us started out as that fighter. Growing up with Neo, Aragorn, D, just to name a few. The brooding edgy hero that we wanted to be, because it was so cool. Some of us made our own way out, some never have. It may not have been a DM forcing a situation to push us to grow, but those of us that made it out did so because someone had the patience and the care to nurture us. Also 4k is easy between grabbing all the books, plus maps, minis, cards, if there are other editions (3.x anyone?).

[@Zider79]

I can't even begin to imagine the number of Drizzt clones that DMs had to put up with in the late 90s and early 2000s. I'm ashamed to say I was one of them. :/

[@benni3566]

As someone who still is in this habit more than I like to admit, at this point I realize I have created an edgelord character, laugh with my friends about how stupid they are, and then proceed to play them like Will Arnet's Lego Batman. Ironically edgey, but ultimately filling the role of the comic relief and still being a team player. But every so often I'll make a good character that is unique, and cling to them for dear life lol

[@vulgaritar48]

First story’s op is really striking me as an unreliable narrator. Not saying groups can’t go cliquey and turn on a singular member, but even with his admitted faults I’m supposing he was blind to more faux paus and irritations he was committing at the table. He doesn’t sound like a bad guy or anything, but the thing to remember with these posts always is that we only get one side of the story.

[@novasiri7809]

I've seen this happen in groups I've been part of. One player does a few minor things, and suddenly comes under fire from the 'clichy' friend group who joined together, who turned out to be the toxic assholes in the end.. Usually to cover their OWN bullshit. (One was a horrible power gamer and cheater, the other two constantly excused their bs and pulled their own bs like trying to control another players actions and sexual assault.. on multiple attempts to my character(I was playing a male drow wizard and their excuse for this behavior was 'You draw him SO HOT'...), The DM constantly calling them out but they'd argue 'Well we're playing by the books what's the problem'. And the player who made the few mistakes? Their 'horrible sin that caused the bullying'.. Talking over power gamer when he was trying to argue against using standard array for rolling, and accidentally saying a few flaudian slips in convos... (When one of the actual toxic players constantly made r@pe jokes.. :I ) They basically used someone's one or two genuine mistakes, which they apologized for, as a scapegoat to layer on what they did wrong, to oust the person and continue their bullshit. THANKFULLY... My DM saw through it booted their asses out, unlike the DM of the first story who gives me the vibes of 'Well they're my friends so I don't wanna rock the boat' sort.

[@ArcCaravan]

If we can't trust one side of the story, why should we trust what the other side could theoretically say?

[@SereneIceDragon]

That last one was so inspirational! I'm definitely going to keep that in mind for any future problem players I may have. It makes me wonder if I could have done things differently in the first two-session short adventure I ran...It was my first time DMing ever, and everyone took issue with one player in particular. When I talked to him about it, his only response was "K" so I just ran the second half without him. He didn't seem interested in changing or at all apologetic for making others uncomfortable though so I'm not sure if anything would have worked.

[@rex74t]

I surprised myself when I got more infuriated when Neco yelled at him, im still speechless about that

[@brettridings5594]

Im gonna be honest this feels like someone who was taking it too seriously while everyone else wanted to take it light heartedly, and then he got upset and everyone just got annoyed with him.

[@yourlocalcarrotdealer]

That was a surprisingly wholesome story

[@elodee3]

Story 1, guarantee you OP is full of shit and was in fact the problem player himself. Story 2, omg this guy is a GREAT storyteller with an even greater DM, I loved that

[@ckybfk]

"It's true, I was that fighter."😂

[@rando5708]

I was drawing with your video in the background so I didn't see the post title, and when I was hit with "I remember being that fighter" I was actually jumpscared with that reveal. Super awesome DM and story

[@hexbox2182]

I think the reason why close friends can pick on each other is because they know each other better and can better understand what the others are okay with and when to stop.

[@TheRenofox]

That fighter story was absolutely heartwarming.

[@MartmeisterPaladinHaven]

I am impressed with the player in the second story for committing to the drastic change. That could have ended so badly - he could have played her as a gigantic, self-serving coward, for instance.

[@Aravaris_Cosplay]

From the first story, I felt in OP's shoes. I've lost all of my friends and one character that I truly enjoyed over a spiteful little girl who wanted to date my boyfriend (and failed; then went for the second option: my best friend, who is a carbon copy of my boyfriend). She, along with the people who took her side and decided to kick me out from our dnd/friend group ruined the game for me and each day I feel like quitting forever. I'm trying my best to separate this bad memory from the game but in some days, it feels like a losing battle.

[@norik5242]

And what did you do

[@Aravaris_Cosplay]

@@norik5242 I cut the "friends" that took her side, including my so called best friend (I forgot to mention this, but I thought it was obvious: my boyfriend took my side and he also cut contact with them except for two guys, who stayed neutral, and my best friend, who's also his best friend) and took a break from D&D. I also went to therapy because the chaos that was brought by the girl turned my life upside down. Now, I'm not fully healed, but I'm going on a good path towards healing and I'm slowly getting back into D&D, but I'm not returning to my former group.

[@Fallenmonkd20]

What an amazing twist good lord Kudos to that DM for how they handled that and player owning up to it

[@YourFriendTheComputer]

$4000? Let's see: 45 books right now. About 40 USD per book. Easy $1,800 before tax/shipping and handling. Covers all the 1st party 5e stuff with half the budget blown. That doesn't even include getting adventurer's league stuff, special editions of things (latest example being the Spelljammer book with your fancy covers), or 3rd party stuff (such as...for example the Anniversary Edition of Kingmaker which has a 5e stuff, Rise of the Drow Adventure module for 5e, Starjammer for 5e, etc). If you're that deeply invested in collecting all the 1st party material you've probably matched it in 3rd party material you've either purchased with a Print On Demand option or printed out in dead tree edition to where the costs are comparable after everything is said and done. This kills 3600 of the proposed budget, and only really murders a single bookcase or box depending on how you store things. Then ya know....maps (erasable, flip map packs, dwarven forge piece parts), minis, and the true biggest money sink in a D&D player's collection: DICE. Single set of Chessex dice is about $12 USD, assuming you aren't doing some 'pound o dice' thing. TL;DR: Books be spendy, never underestimate the willingness of a dice goblin to buy more dice.

[@hungryburger1170]

that toe tickler one had everyone clapping at the end

[@ericlondon2663]

Oh....I cannot play a game in my own home? Get out, don't come back.

[@starwarsisgreat9130]

I really wanna hear these positive sorta stories more if possible, that's awesome

[@unoriginal_mp474]

I really appreciate you not only showing a negative but also a positive story. It is really much nicer to have a positive story but I understand unfortunately just positive stories dont get enough views. Keep up the good work!

[@KingsNerdCave]

Damn that plot twist at the end. Really cool the naturally edgy player was forced into playing a kind-hearted support player and eventually loved the role. I tend to make my character edgy more often than not I'll admit, but at the very least I make them able to work well with others and care about everything going on not just what pertains to them. I'm more a Vegeta than a Bakugo.

[@voxicore]

I actually got goosebumps and happy tears with the progression of the second story. That was incredible. The DM deserves an award.

[@Parktrizzle]

Second story was uplifting. This was a pro DM knowing their player. I loved it.

[@Konpekikaminari]

A stunt like this, rather than a simpler "rock falls, make new character" can only come from either a place of absolute malice or extreme faith in your player it really feels like the latter here

[@holyknight70]

"Message your grandparents today if you can" If only I was a necromancer. Sadface

[@andlien2175]

Getting rid of stuff collected over many years because some people you've considered close friends ended up relentlessly bullying you is something I can understand. I gave up on my dreams of animation entirely as a early teen because someone I considered a friend and looked up to for their art skill mocked and bullied a small insignificant gif I made while I was starting my journey. I have not finished a single animation since then and I'm 21 now. Being bullied by somebody you cared about hurts in a pretty deep way and can definitely ruin things that you enjoyed. The only thing I don't get about story 1 is how on Earth this person is supposedly still friends with the DM that did absolutely _nothing_ to help them and even kept playing with and even bringing the bullies into OP's house and the really high price tag that's just a flat even number. That's the thread that really makes me think this story is probably based in truth, but greatly exaggerated. Getting bullied out of a game and not wanting to play anymore is, unfortunately, a somewhat common horror. So how do you make it pop out? You triple the bullies and make them extra nasty, add a seemingly unsympathetic DM that "means well", and inflate the price of all the things you threw away. This story feels like a story a person would exaggerate, either for sympathy or for entertainment.

[@takuame7]

I can relate to. Loved traditional paper and pencil art as a kid all the way through high school, up till my senior year where I had some hag of a teacher that absolutely DESPISED me for what ever fucking reason. Those seeds of doubt she put in me kept growing till I gave up on art all together around when I turned 20 (I'm 26 now). Though as of a week ago I got into painting minis, loving it so far and honestly it's renewed my fun for art again.

[@DunantheDefender]

OP could fix that bullying shit real quick by simply staying off the front for one decent fight. Show them what happens when they're not the first one to go down.

[@mrfhd6227]

That's a good idea, but I think their reaction would be to complain more about losing their meat shield. They probably wouldn't have got any better.

[@DunantheDefender]

@@mrfhd6227 maybe. But it gives evidence that they're actually fulfilling their role in the group. If they wanna keep being little shits, then it's on them.

[@onimenno]

Story 1 smells like an entitled player whining about how his friends finally had enough of his crap and called him out on it.

[@jonathankleine6872]

Was thinking the same thing. Unreliable narrator vibes.

[@ArcCaravan]

If you can't trust the OP, why trust anyone in the story?

[@danieldrockr]

That first sound unstable. He had $4000, and he dropped everything for because of a bad campaign? Something smell like a kuo toa.

[@MsLuckoftheDraw]

The important thing is to be able to tell the difference between a new inexperienced bad player and a bad player who is straight up a bad person. I honestly get annoyed at people who immediately make fun of edge lord players. Ultimately we all want our characters to be cool and fun and special. Everybody needs the chance to figure how to do that and most of us don't get it right the first time.