My take on GMing is though I want to allow each player to play the character they want to play.. I am responsible for the fun of the whole.

If the player won't amend his ways I would ask him to leave the game. Granted with now only 2 players that might be difficult. I had to do that once in a Fading Suns game I was running. We were in the final arc of the game, so I had some friends show up to play a couple NPCs for the last month or two of the game. I even patched things up with the guy I removed and ran a solo finale for him (in which we had a big miniatures fight and he murdered his way to victory).

That being said, I am also a man who's had a gaming dry spell of almost a year, because I am trying to gather the right group of players. I figure quality over quantity when it comes to gaming. If I bring the kind of people to my table who share my take on gaming, knock their socks off in the first month.. I will have earned gamers for years and we will all enjoy the experience more for it.

So take my counsel with a grain of salt, some compromise may be in order.. but once it stops being fun what's the point in keeping him around.

*edit* the above situation was with friends I had since childhood. Doesn't matter, I take GMing seriously, my friends are giving me one day week (which is a precious thing, in the end all we have is time) to oversee the crafting of a communal story. If push comes to shove, we must do what is in the best interest of the group. A true friend, will either amend his ways and understand, or if not.. there's a deeper problem between you and your friend, my true friends would respect what I'm trying to do.

The sad truth is that the player might be a friend, but still not be an appropriate person to have as a player in the group.

When I started my Tales from the Fringe EotE campaign, it was with a group of players that I was largely unfamiliar with, and most were unfamiliar with FFG's Star Wars rules. Several of them also had only ever played computer/online-based RPG's and never tabletop RPG's.

One of the guys, while overall a nice guy (a bit obnoxious/neurotic) turned out to very much be a problem player. To the point that one of the other players/host was ready to physically throw the guy out of his home. Part of the issue was that the guy would not say what his character was going to do in ten words, if he could come up with a way to do it in 100 words. At one point, he spent nearly as much real time describing what he wanted his character to do, as it would take for the needed uneventful three hour game time travel from one place to another to take place.

The last session he was involved with, resulted in six hours of real time to get things into position for a fight which ended quickly. I had planned/expected it to only take about 15 minutes to get things into position. After that I and basically everyone else was done with him, and he wasn't invited back.

You can try talking to the player, to find out why they're playing the Wookiee character like that and to let them know that what they've been having their character do is derailing the game. It could be that the problem player is more of a roll-player, than a role-player, and measures how good a game or session is, by the number of things their character kills, things they destroy, and loot they get. If you have a pair of role-players and then a single roll-player... things tend to not go so well.

I'm going to quote a bit of wisdom from GM Chris of the Order 66 podcast.

"I know gamers that I'm really good friends with, but I won't game with them."

It sounds like this problem player is squarely in that category, and things have gotten to the point where it's probably best to politely ask him to leave the group, explaining that his antics are ruining the fun for everybody else at the table, and it's not fair to the rest of the group that their opportunity to have fun in what is a cooperative experience be soured by those antics.

If he wants to get pissy about it, that's on him, not you. As the GM, you have a responsibility to the entire group, and sometimes that responsibility means asking a disruptive player to leave, no matter how good of a "friend" they might be. If he really is a good friend, he'll accept that his style of play just isn't a good fit for this group and bow out gracefully. If he throws a hissy fit and tries to guilt-trip you into letting him stay and continue with his character's misanthropic ways, then I question just how much of a "friend" this guy really is.

Add my voice to the chorus of "Kick this guy to the curb". Sorry, there is zero excuse for being an A-hole and purposely being disruptive. That moves from being a problem player to being a world class jerk, and I would have to seriously consider if I wanted to be associated with someone who went out of their way to be trouble after being talked to.

That S wont stand at my table, and in my life.

One thing that may work and has worked for me in the past is to try and talk with the player in a neutral place like a coffee shop or something. Just sit down and explain to him how you feel the game is turning out and what you have noticed and heard from the other players. Offer up some suggestions on how the player could try to readjust their character or even offer for the player to roll up another character that is not a raging psychopath. If they want to argue you the point you can tell them these two things: 1. You have been causing a rift in the group and I will not allow the game to fall apart because of one player's attitude/character actions that are ruining the fun of the other players. and 2. You can either change your play style, your character, or you are done, plain and simple.

GM Chris (a host of the order 66 podcast) has said many a time that no gaming is better than bad gaming, and I have found that to be true in my personal experience, I have a friend who I can't game with, I quit playing in his RCR campaign (back before saga) because I couldn't stay in the game and stay his friend. Now I don't think it has come to that with your game yet... so I say it's time for a conversation... that should go something along the lines of the only psychopath characters in my (i.e. your the GM's) game are NPCs, so he has a choice his character can become an NPC or straight out die, personally I (you the GM) am favoring a NPC, see the thing is in one of his murderous rages he killed your new character's wife/sister/brother/father/mother you (the player) get to pick which, and your (the new player) is intent on revenge/justice. Now you get to choose whether your new character gets his revenge immediately killing your old character, or whether your old character becomes a recurring plot point, coming back after his former team because they betrayed him by siding with your new character, which would give your new character a motivation for hanging around with the other pcs, he's using them as bate to draw out your old character. Now if your new character also turns out to be a psychopath to, then your next character will get the opportunity to hunt this new character that you about to create down, and so on... the character you are about to create gets to start with half the XP of your current character, so if you go through character too fast you will soon be playing a total newb. But if you want to come to each session with a different starting character until you can find one that isn't a murderous psychopath I will let you do that.

I have a buddy that I gamed with for many years. For a long time we roleplayed, then eventually got into Warhammer 40k. He has always fudged his dice, when we rp'd he would constantly sweep his dice with out anyone seeing the outcome. Once we got to 40k it became worse. He cheated, argued a lot about rules, and just started to turn me away from gaming with him. I started running SWRPG and the same stuff continued into it. I finally had enough and just cut ties with him. Gaming with him made me angry and aggressive and I just wasn't having fun playing with him anymore. Sometimes you just have to move on from the caustic people in your life...

He gets invited to Kashhyk. A whole crew of Wookies is there to set him straight. "you are making us look like murderers and thugs. We were already enslaved once. get it right, or you are dead. We will kill you ourself. Swear an oath before our leader that you will honor this, no killing except in self defense.

That's how I would go.

Or you can take him aside and say "the other players can't stand your character. And it was okay before we seriously got into the game, and now as GM, I can see it's a problem," Rein it in, or I will have to write your PC out, because it doesn't fit the story which is of heroes, and anti heroes not vicious killer villains. Your guy is a villain, and it doesn't work. We are no longer a team, we are a half team and your guy."

If he ends up giving you lip over this or blowing you off, he's not playing the game to play, he's passive-agressively living out some kind of violent dark fantasies, and using your game as his vehicle.

The art of the deal is knowing when to walk away. If you allow him to be a good friend you could never ask to leave, and he's pissing everyone off, you're being manipulated based on the idea that you don't want to be seen as "the big bad GM, who told Johhny gamer to take his ball and play elsewhere." So unfair for Johhny, who really didn't care about the game or teamwork or making it work anyway.

If your team of other players is ready to shoot him in the bag, it's way past warning flags and signs.

From what you are saying, he doesn't care, and he might be going for the negative attention from the group focused on him, as troublemaker.

Tread carefully, but decisively.

I can't stand players that do that kind of thing. And I have run games for angsty dark Jedi, and murderous thugs and D&D assassins. but they played it in such a way as to not make or at least minimize problems for the group.

.

I'm surprised the other PCs haven't tried to address the situation... even in a fairly grey and gritty version of the SW setting, being a completely psycho lunatic isn't really productive... he's acting like the worst stereotypically juvenile old-era Sith, without any of the "reasons".

If all else fails, "forget" to let him know when the next session is.

Just some random thoughts...

He gets invited to Kashhyk. A whole crew of Wookies is there to set him straight. "you are making us look like murderers and thugs. We were already enslaved once. get it right, or you are dead. We will kill you ourself. Swear an oath before our leader that you will honor this, no killing except in self defense.

That's how I would go.

...

A large group of Angry Wookies has the advantage of driving home the idea, that this is not appropriate behaviour for a wookie...

It works a little better than the Bounty hunter scenario, as it allows the chance for reform...

It still isn't ideal.

Also, you also need to look at how you are running the game...

you consistently allows these encounters to occur.

In game you have to make it clear that there are consequences for actions.

Wookies are big scary creatures to start with...

Why are people hanging around long enough to get drawn into the fights?

why are shops not fitting plexiglass security windows inside to protect the shop keeper?

why are security forces not dealing with this Psychopath?

...

Or you can take him aside and say "the other players can't stand your character. And it was okay before we seriously got into the game, and now as GM, I can see it's a problem," Rein it in, or I will have to write your PC out, because it doesn't fit the story which is of heroes, and anti heroes not vicious killer villains. Your guy is a villain, and it doesn't work. We are no longer a team, we are a half team and your guy."

If he ends up giving you lip over this or blowing you off, he's not playing the game to play, he's passive-agressively living out some kind of violent dark fantasies, and using your game as his vehicle.

The art of the deal is knowing when to walk away. If you allow him to be a good friend you could never ask to leave, and he's pissing everyone off, you're being manipulated based on the idea that you don't want to be seen as "the big bad GM, who told Johhny gamer to take his ball and play elsewhere." So unfair for Johhny, who really didn't care about the game or teamwork or making it work anyway.

If your team of other players is ready to shoot him in the bag, it's way past warning flags and signs.

From what you are saying, he doesn't care, and he might be going for the negative attention from the group focused on him, as troublemaker.
...

But as others have said, this is Primarily an OOC problem...

have you figured out the 'why' of how this 'player' is approaching the game?

Is it laziness, or just a lack of Social skill?

Do they not really understand what a roleplaying game is actually about?

what experience have they had with roleplaying games?

Have they come at this with mostly experience of CRPG's, where kill everything is a workable path to completing a game,

with very limited experience of table top?

while this is not really an alternative to the 'Thanks for Playing, but this game is not for you' conversation,

it might make that conversation a little easier...

Tread carefully, but decisively.

I can't stand players that do that kind of thing. And I have run games for angsty dark Jedi, and murderous thugs and D&D assassins. but they played it in such a way as to not make or at least minimize problems for the group.

.

Thank you all for your responses. This is a good friend and there is really no option to tell him to leave....

There is always the option to tell him to leave... ( Harsh but true )...

Having only two players is no big deal. I've run many games with one player and me running a Gm/Pc. Think of it as an NPC who gets involved.

I would choose a middle path where I would talk to him that in the Star Wars galaxy you are mastering, it is frowned upon event by the Hutts to kill and hurt all peoples you meet. You can explain that nobody will deal with their characters anymore because words have spread on how dangerous this Wookie is. Several people have already put bounty on his head to avenge lost friends or business partners.

Once the player understand that his character is in deep trouble, explain that it also creates trouble for your campaign.

Discuss with him a way out such as a major change in behavior which will avoid more trouble and eventually you could reset some of his bad fame. Eventually, his character could be jailed for some time and next time it would be death penalty.

Or his character could go down in a major fight with bounty hunters.

I suppose that by such an approach you will make easier for the player to understand and accept his errors as you will mainly speak about his character and not him. At the same time, you will see if he is inclined to learn to play another way.

Here is my long time GM take on the situation. And Mind you I've GMd a very long time (Since 1980).

There is the Bazooka Theorem - If a Player has their PC step in front of the Bazooka, they get what they deserve. The threat of death of a PC is something that Player must contend with plain and simple, and is at the most basic the only way the reality of the play style is shall we say BORING, BRUTISH & BOORISH.

Next there is the What is good for the Geese is good for the Gander Proof - What ever the players can do if legal by the rules, well so can the GM, and they can even do it in game given enough pompous play style by the players -> little birds have a way of talking, 'There was this wookie just blazing away with this huge heavily modified bow caster, he just cut these guy down and killed their dog Rufus too just for looking at him funny!" When a group of PCs get a reputation even if from only one bad fur covered apple, well that's too bad. If a PC can use X,Y or Z, well so can the GM.

You do not have to put up with this, give the other stuff a try, it won't hurt. But do not lead on to what any other intelligent creatures in the wide world of Star Wars would do. Your wookie's bad attitude is nothing compared to the power of the FORCE!

KSW

Sounds like perfectly normal behavior, by Wookiee standards.

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KSW