RAGE AT PARTY! [Rant inside]

[Beelzebub1111]

I AM SO PISSED OFF!!

*deep breaths*
Instead of having a fun adventure where my party rescues me from where I was captured, while I had already escaped my prison and am running around the dungeon naked carrying a 2x4 as my only defense...the party decided to teleport back to greyhawk, buy a bunch of items, and then end up wishing me back anyways. Spending the ENTIRE SESSION on sitting on our ASSES micromanaging their gear making my personal escape USELESS.

I don't understand why they would do this? This isn't an isolated circumstance either. This happens ALL THE TIME! what is their malfunction that they would rather spend an entire session arguing over plans or purchasing items rather than PLAYING THE GAME! IT'S SO STUPID!

[Math_Mage]

Gear micromanagement should take place before they show up. Rescuing a party member should take first priority in most cases. The DM should put his foot down at some point to ensure these two things happen.

[gallagher]

maybe they enjoy the idea of playing the game more than playing it. it is like building a sweet character, basking in the glory of the sheet, and then losing interest once the campaign starts

[HunterOfJello]

It's usually a bad reflection on a DM if they split up a party in the first place. (Unless there is an assistant DM, of course)

You should have your character pay them back in-game, or make sure you're holding all the party's gold next time.

[huttj509]

"I was wandering round with naught but a 2 by 4 and you couldn't come get me? Even wish me back immediately? You had to go SHOPPING FIRST!?"

[IdleMuse]

It's usually a bad reflection on a DM if they split up a party in the first place.

I dunno, this seems a little locked into the dungeon-crawl paradigm. A lot of the best games I've been in have been non-party based, political games, and saying that a dynamic, involved game where the players aren't necessarily forced by fiat to remain in a 'party' makes the DM bad is kinda harsh.

[Umael]

I'm kinda curious how many people are in your group and how old everyone is.

[JonestheSpy]

Let's face it, between WBL and video game mentality, DnD is All About Shopping.

[Umael]

Let's face it, between WBL and video game mentality, DnD is All About Shopping.

*snort*

My gaming group is quite the opposite, thank you very much. To the point where I think they don't care at ALL about money, very little about equipment, and only passing with combat.

[ShadowsGrnEyes]

my group has done this from time to time and its usually started by one guy who everyone(even he) recognizes as the worst RolePlayer in our group.

all he wants to do is mircomanage. . . and build . . . an role dice. . .

theres nothing wrong with this, but it has its time and place. if this seems like somthing this group does all the time it may just be the way they do things. i dont know alot about your history with this group but it may just be a feature of gaming with them.

if you have a long history of gaming with this group and this is not a common occurance, then talk to the dm and point out that they have been doing alot of micromanaging and your not having fun. . . as the odd man out you may have to accept that your out voted, but the Gm may recognize it as a problem if you bring it to his attention and reign the group back in.

[Beelzebub1111]

I'm kinda curious how many people are in your group and how old everyone is.

Most of the group is in their mid 20s, the DM is in his 40s. There's six of us, three players that are the major problem with this, one is neutral and kind of passive about it, Me and one other player are bothered by it. It seems like we're the only ones who like adventuring for adventure's sake and taking risks because of it being more fun. while the others seem to be as previously described.

This wouldn't be so bad if it was once in a while, but this goes on like, every third week!

[Fortuna]

I dunno, this seems a little locked into the dungeon-crawl paradigm. A lot of the best games I've been in have been non-party based, political games, and saying that a dynamic, involved game where the players aren't necessarily forced by fiat to remain in a 'party' makes the DM bad is kinda harsh.

I would have said that it reflects poorly on the DM if the party is split, not if the party splits. The application of voice is extrememly important in these circumstances[/pedantry]

[The J Pizzel]

*snort*

My gaming group is quite the opposite, thank you very much. To the point where I think they don't care at ALL about money, very little about equipment, and only passing with combat.

My group is kinda funny in that they're both. They never care about money until they've all gained about three levels and somebody says:

"I wonder if I can get a better sheild?"

Then they forget about it for the session. Then during our two week break between sessions my phone rings off the hook:

"Hey dude, can I sell my +1 sheild for 40% of face value and get a new one"

"Hey dude, I just realized my +1 flaming sword for about same as a +2 sword, what's better?"

So luckily, my group doens't like to "shop" during sessions. We all agree it's boring.

As to your problem, typical response: talk to them out of character and let them know it was kinda a ****ty thing to do and deicide how to proceed based on their response.

[JeenLeen]

Tactically, the 'wishing you back' probably was the safest and most efficient means the party had to save you. I assume they had no way in-character to know you had escaped (unless Sending or some equivalent was used), so, although it's annoying that your efforts ended up being in vain, that wasn't a bad move on their part. Unless there is some other reason it would have been wiser for them to assault the base to save you, I don't see why your character should be upset at that action.

Now shopping before Wishing you back, unless they had to buy a scroll of Wish, is in bad taste and possibly risked your character's death. In-character, be ticked about that if your character finds out.

As for out-of-character: I'd recommend first talking to the DM about how it bothers you. Get the other player it bothers to come along or at least send an e-mail to the same effect, so you have some backing (it's not just you against the entire group). While shopping and such can be fun, it's best done between games and certainty shouldn't be done if one player can't participate.
Also talking to the others, or having the DM talk to the others, should be done. In my group, we generally find it best to bring complaints to the DM first, sharing them with the party directly only if necessary: a chain-of-command sort of thing. It might work better for your group for you to talk to the other players directly, depending on your group mentality.

[Escheton]

Sounds like you would have more fun if you split the party.
As in: split the gaming group.
Couch potatos don't make good adventurers. Nor do people who would be considered tight pokerplayers. It's just no fun.
When having a tactical lan-party, or playing some cardgame like magic: Lotta fun. Dnd, not so much.
If these are all good friend and dnd is a way of keeping the group together: play some other game every third week with the whole group and play dnd with the adventureminded during the other 2.
It's all a bit drastic, but it is something to consider.

[Morph Bark]

Most of the group is in their mid 20s, the DM is in his 40s. There's six of us, three players that are the major problem with this, one is neutral and kind of passive about it, Me and one other player are bothered by it. It seems like we're the only ones who like adventuring for adventure's sake and taking risks because of it being more fun. while the others seem to be as previously described.

This wouldn't be so bad if it was once in a while, but this goes on like, every third week!

How often do you have gaming sessions? Because if it is every week, remember that it is still only 1/3rd of the time.

If I may ask, what are the good parts of your party?

[okpokalypse]

Meh - they wished you back after all. If they had it at their disposal from the beginning, they should have used it right away.

What bugs me is that they used a 9th Level Spell and burnt 5K XP to retrieve you and you feel bitter that they didn't come hack you out personally.

As a side note: One thing D&D has been short of is the ability to maneuver one's allies. Yeah, things like teleport and dim door are nice and all, but what if an ally is in a town over and you need to "pull" him and he'd be willing? There really isn't an effective way to do that. Which is why one of my past PCs researched a Power Chain that let me do just that (among other things).

L2 Power "Xanthrope's Mark" was a power that had a 1 Day / Level Duration. It could ONLY be cast on a willing target. It's effect was that any powers affecting the target from the cast did so at +1 ML. But it was also a required "component" in a series of other spells...

L3 Power "Xanthrope's Viewing" was similar to Remote Viewing but couldn't be acted through and only worked on a Marked Ally. Could be augmented to include a Sending as part of the manifestation.

L4 Power "Xanthrope's Resurgence" was a custom Psionic "Cure" spell. Like Body Adjustment it healed 1d12 (though this is 2 levels higher) and cost +2 PSP to Augment +1d12. It affected all Marked Allies within Close Range. This was researched well before Mend Wounds was created in Complete Psionic and made it obsolete.

L6 Power "Xanthrope's Transferrence" allowed the manifester to use Personal powers up to L5 on marked allies w/ a range of Touch. The power was Swift and lasted for 1 Round. Mostly it was used to either Metamorph another PC or give the "tank" a linked Empathic Feedback / Freedom of Movement

L7 Power "Xanthrope's Recall" allows the manifester to effectively teleport a living marked ally (so long as they were on the same plane of existence) to within a medium range. The target must be willing. Manifesting time was 1 Minute so it couldn't be abused in combat. Augmentation: +3 PSP to Recall an Additional Ally in a single Manifestation.

There are a lot more custom powers researched by this PC - but these are a particular chain that was very useful in terms of blending some content over defined lines (Psionics Healing other than Self as well as Metamorphing someone else) - but mostly it was incredibly useful for the exact reason this thread started. The Viewing Power allowed me to located allies that got separated / captured or those that had to handle stuff away from the group. At the higher level, the Recall Power allowed me to pull them to me so long as they were willing. That was a key stipulation. A Charmed / Compulsed ally might not be willing and a rescue would have to ensue...

[Choco]

Meh - they wished you back after all. If they had it at their disposal from the beginning, they should have used it right away.

What bugs me is that they used a 9th Level Spell and burnt 5K XP to retrieve you and you feel bitter that they didn't come hack you out personally.

His problem seems to be that his group would rather micromanage their gear and go shopping than play the game. I would be annoyed too, why even bother playing the game if you solve all your problems by casting 1 spell.

I know how it is though, I have the same problem with my group. Everyone has access to all the books, but for some reason they spend all damn session sometimes looking through the books "shopping" because they "don't have the time" to do it between sessions (yet I see them on WoW about 6 hours a day). And I am the type of guy that doesn't even mind not getting to play in the session so long as someone else in the party is actually playing and I am getting entertained watching. I deal with it by bringing my laptop or a handheld gaming system. I come to the session with a list of what I want to buy, and if the DM doesn't see a problem with anything on my list I just sit there playing video games until we either start the game or go home.

[Beelzebub1111]

How often do you have gaming sessions? Because if it is every week, remember that it is still only 1/3rd of the time.

Weekly.

If I may ask, what are the good parts of your party?

Hmmm...The fellow role-player/adventure-lover that that I mentioned is my best friend. The rest of 'em do have good aspects to them. One is loyal, funny, and despite being crass at times, is fun to hang around with. The quiet one is actually a decent roleplayer. Another is a lucky bastard, sometimes you hate him for it, but it's hard not to like him. The last one...well...he's just him..

What bugs me is that they used a 9th Level Spell and burnt 5K XP to retrieve you and you feel bitter that they didn't come hack you out personally.

And no, they didn't waste any money or xp. they got Jelarsie and Otto to cast it for them, and it was 2 limited wishes.

[okpokalypse]

As for out-of-character: I'd recommend first talking to the DM about how it bothers you. Get the other player it bothers to come along or at least send an e-mail to the same effect, so you have some backing (it's not just you against the entire group). While shopping and such can be fun, it's best done between games and certainty shouldn't be done if one player can't participate.

Also talking to the others, or having the DM talk to the others, should be done. In my group, we generally find it best to bring complaints to the DM first, sharing them with the party directly only if necessary: a chain-of-command sort of thing. It might work better for your group for you to talk to the other players directly, depending on your group mentality.

I'm trying to think of this from both sides... I was recently in a gaming session that had zero dice rolling. 4+ Hours of nothing but role-play, NPC interaction, Plot Reveal and such. I loved it. I know people at the table that hated it. They were bored and felt ineffectual because they've specifically designed PCs that aren't interactive. The bad-attitude Psion who's in mourning over his dead brother and just wants to freeze skulls literally never said a word the entire night. He's a battle psion to begin with and had (rp-wise) zero interest in being involved with NPC interaction. He may as well have not showed up. The Albino Druid, being this took place in a stone-walled monastery, had very little interaction and was just itching to get back out into the open.

Sometimes you get a session that doesn't go your way, be it for power-gamery reasons, RP reasons or what have you. It's just like life that way. Sometimes you have a bad day.

I think it's worth bringing up to the party that if they wanted to go shopping, they could have at least ported you over so that you could also partake or perhaps interact while they did such - but that's really where your complaints should end. They DID rescue you after all - just not in the gloriously dramatic fashion YOU wanted.

Now, I'm not going to say I know you or your gaming style, but I will say we've have a bad experience with an overly-dramatic RPer in the past. He was a Wizard w/ a Bird Familiar and he would literally waste an hour every session TALKING TO THE DAMN BIRD - and worst of all he got cranky if we started doing other things while he was engaged doing such. He was an absolute RP Diva. He was mostly useless in combat situations because he didn't, as a player, understand the mechanics of the game. At one point he got knocked down to -6 HP and I (being the Cleric) chose not to heal him as we were in a really tight combat and one round of my inactivity could have cost us greatly. He pitched the fit of all fits. Stood up. Yelled. Stomped around. You name it. I still healed him when he was at -9, 3 rounds later, after we neutralized the threat - but he was completely unforgiving of it.

He later admitted he was angry because he couldn't do anything and thought it was unfair that we were actively fighting and he was unconscious and I should have put the party at risk because he wasn't having fun.

The point of this rant is that not everyone can do what they want all the time. You, as a player, have to realize you have times to shine and other times to let someone else step up. As another poster said, if you play every week, and once every 3 weeks or so the group as a whole decides to outfit and gear-game, well, that's fine really. It's part of the game getting outfitted. Your DM should find a way to incorporate RP into that and grow it if it's a recurring theme, even have specific information points be accessible through town tradesmen and such.

[Thinker]

If you had access to Wish, I question how you were captured to begin with. While not the best solution to this problem, at this level, rescuing someone from a dungeon is of trivial importance. Go kill some gods or something.

[okpokalypse]

His problem seems to be that his group would rather micromanage their gear and go shopping than play the game. I would be annoyed too, why even bother playing the game if you solve all your problems by casting 1 spell.

Well, truth be told, at the high end (which this campaign he's describing seems to be), if a combat is lasting more than 1-2 rounds and you've got two casters throwing out 9th level spells, something is wrong :). The vast majority of combats (especially at the high end) are decided in the first 2 rounds of combat.

I had a L20 Favored Soul / Sacred Exorcist that was part of a 5-PC group. The other caster was aL20 Cleric / Radiant Servant of Pelor. I'd always start by dropping Lion's Roars with a 40+ DC Save or Stun. We had 3 Melee PCs that could Coup de Grace as a Standard Action. Combats went FAST. If that first round didn't end it, I did a CL 32 Holy Word. That usually did it. The only battles we fought after L15 that went more than 2 Rounds with any regularity were either EL 25+ or Epic.

The thing is, the whole original scenario really comes down to the DM. If he said, "sorry, doesn't work" - then gues what. They have to go get him. He doesn't even need to give a real reason, but could easily manufacture some like an AMF, being Dimensionally Anchored, Inside a Disjunction, etc... Ultimately, when something breaks down because of things being "too easy" or "1 spell solutions" - it's always the DM who's at fault because S/HE runs the world :).

[Choco]

The thing is, the whole original scenario really comes down to the DM. If he said, "sorry, doesn't work" - then gues what. They have to go get him. He doesn't even need to give a real reason, but could easily manufacture some like an AMF, being Dimensionally Anchored, Inside a Disjunction, etc... Ultimately, when something breaks down because of things being "too easy" or "1 spell solutions" - it's always the DM who's at fault because S/HE runs the world :).

That is true. And if the game were really that high level, I fail to see why anyone capturing a known high level/powerful character, and having the power to capture him in the first place, would NOT dimensionally anchor, AMF, forcecage, etc. the character.

But from what he said recently, they were able to convince 2 NPC's to cast limited wishes for them, so perhaps they were not all that high level.

[Umael]

Meh - they wished you back after all. If they had it at their disposal from the beginning, they should have used it right away.

What bugs me is that they used a 9th Level Spell and burnt 5K XP to retrieve you and you feel bitter that they didn't come hack you out personally.

Translation: "Your OOC enjoyment of the game does matter as much as their bookkeeping."

I know you didn't say that, okpokalypse, but that is how this statement intially comes across. It wasn't that they didn't come and get him personally, it is the fact that they wasted most of the game session doing something mundane that should have been done between sessions, and that this isn't the first time it happened.

I think it's worth bringing up to the party that if they wanted to go shopping, they could have at least ported you over so that you could also partake or perhaps interact while they did such - but that's really where your complaints should end. They DID rescue you after all - just not in the gloriously dramatic fashion YOU wanted.

The style he wanted: 9.75 on the drama scale
The style he deserved: at least a 4
The style he got: maybe a 1.2

Arbitrary numbers, but I hope you see my counter-point. Just "wishing" the way the group did was... kinda anti-climatic. Dramatic rescue or not, if I was in the OP's shoes, I would be thinking "I gave up my Friday evening for this???"

Now, I'm not going to say I know you or your gaming style, but I will say we've have a bad experience with an overly-dramatic RPer in the past. He was a Wizard w/ a Bird Familiar and he would literally waste an hour every session TALKING TO THE DAMN BIRD - and worst of all he got cranky if we started doing other things while he was engaged doing such. He was an absolute RP Diva.

Sounds like he was pretty bad.

Also sounds like you are insinuating that the OP is something of an RP Diva himself.

At one point he got knocked down to -6 HP and I (being the Cleric) chose not to heal him as we were in a really tight combat and one round of my inactivity could have cost us greatly. He pitched the fit of all fits.

...okay. REALLY sounds like he was pretty bad. Ye-ouch.

He later admitted he was angry because he couldn't do anything and thought it was unfair that we were actively fighting and he was unconscious and I should have put the party at risk because he wasn't having fun.

OOC fun for everyone is better than IC safety in my book.

Please note - for everyone.

Had your action got him back into the fight but ultimately lost the battle to a TPK, I bet no one would have had fun. From the sounds of it, you made the right choice - but I still disagree with the broad generalizations that I infer from what you just said.

The point of this rant is that not everyone can do what they want all the time. You, as a player, have to realize you have times to shine and other times to let someone else step up.

So not the point of his rant though.

Sitting out for 3 rounds of combat because things are intense is one thing. Sitting around wasting most of the evening because people are doing something that they should have done before game even started is very much different.

As another poster said, if you play every week, and once every 3 weeks or so the group as a whole decides to outfit and gear-game, well, that's fine really.

...maybe for you.

Once every three weeks or so is understandable. Personally, I would find that a bit much, but I could handle it. The rest of my gaming group? Not so much.

But the shopping spree while one of our teammates is out-of-action due to being captured? Bad timing that.

If the group really was a group, I would think they would have at least made sure to wish the OP's PC back BEFORE they went shopping. Call it player courtesy.

It's part of the game getting outfitted.

Again, maybe for you. Probably likely for many others as well.

But not with my gaming group.

Your DM should find a way to incorporate RP into that and grow it if it's a recurring theme, even have specific information points be accessible through town tradesmen and such.

Not a bad idea.

[okpokalypse]

Translation: "Your OOC enjoyment of the game does matter as much as their bookkeeping."

I know you didn't say that, okpokalypse, but that is how this statement intially comes across. It wasn't that they didn't come and get him personally, it is the fact that they wasted most of the game session doing something mundane that should have been done between sessions, and that this isn't the first time it happened.

I can see that. It's not what I intended, but your PoV is absolutely relevant.

I just think that, for a lot of gamers - especially those brought up on the MUD (I'm dating myself) / EverQuest / DAoC / ShadowBane / WoW vein of gaming - gearing up is a vital aspect of the game that they actually like to do as part of the experience. I used to love going into a large sized town and hitting the shops - seeing what's in store (pun) - and then haggling my price or offering trades of the loot I've gotten. Sometimes I'd find some great RP along the way and even some informational nuggets for the adventure. I actually felt cheated when I'd be handed a list of what's available in a town after the session. It took all the fun out of the discovery.

Merchant: "That's all I've got to offer"
Player: "Really, there's not something a little more interesting in the back?"
Merchant: "Only what you see - my storage is mundane."
Player: (With Detect Magic on Knows he's lying) "I might be inclined to trade some things I was reluctant to mention if there's something a little more interesting involved..."

And you see where it goes from there... It's FUN.

The style he wanted: 9.75 on the drama scale
The style he deserved: at least a 4
The style he got: maybe a 1.2

Arbitrary numbers, but I hope you see my counter-point. Just "wishing" the way the group did was... kinda anti-climatic. Dramatic rescue or not, if I was in the OP's shoes, I would be thinking "I gave up my Friday evening for this???"

Agreed, but again, that boils down to the DM, not the players. If the players just want to ensure they rescue their friend in the safest, most efficient way - you can't argue that they did so. It was the DM who should have put some restrictions on how it all happened if he was indeed looking for more RP involved. But, by the same token - do we know how much RP went into procuring those two limited wishes to do it? Was there a long bargaining RP or perhaps a "side quest" that needs to be fulfilled for services rendered?

Also sounds like you are insinuating that the OP is something of an RP Diva himself.

Not really. Just relating an experience. I have played with quite a few people who view RP as FAR more "important" than anything else, even if it's counter-productive concerning the storyline and adventure. I've seen fits pitched simply because we (as a group) have tried to get a die-hard RP'er back on track and to stop the never-ending interaction with a tavern wench. RP for the sake of RP is as much a hindrance to a good adventure progressing as is a meta-gamer or loot-whore.

...okay. REALLY sounds like he was pretty bad. Ye-ouch.

You have no idea .

OOC fun for everyone is better than IC safety in my book.

Please note - for everyone.

Had your action got him back into the fight but ultimately lost the battle to a TPK, I bet no one would have had fun. From the sounds of it, you made the right choice - but I still disagree with the broad generalizations that I infer from what you just said.

Well, the thing is that, first and foremost, it's a game. Not everyone "wins" and gets their way all the time. If you have to spend an hour waiting for a combat to resolve because your PC is out cold - you deal. If 5/6ths of the party wants to explore the town's shops, you deal. When you get the opportunity to control the RP, other's deal. It's a give and take.

I know this will rub people the wong way, but when one person gets bored because they're not directly involved in the action be it RP, combat or what have you and then decides to make a stink about it, it pisses me off. It reminds me of playing monopoly with my nephews oh so many years ago where one would try and steal money from the bank if he was losing and the other would cry and throw game-pieces when things didn't go his way. It was always a mess, and I refused to placate them. After a while they learned how to play, but more importantly, learned how to Lose (or, not get their way).

Now I'm not saying anyone's Losing at D&D per-se, but Losing is one of many way in which a game may not turn out the way you'd want it to. It doesn't mean you can't have fun. It just means that, in that instance, you bear through it. Character's Die. Adventures Fail. It seems people are ok with this to some greater or lesser degree - but heavens forbid that the party doesn't do what I want and that results in my annoyance or boredom! Then the poop hits the fan!

That mentality I will not tolerate. If one feels so strongly about it, one should find another group that will cater to the experience one would want - however, I don't think that would ever happen since no two people always want to do the same thing all the time, let alone 4 - 6 people .

But the shopping spree while one of our teammates is out-of-action due to being captured? Bad timing that.

If the group really was a group, I would think they would have at least made sure to wish the OP's PC back BEFORE they went shopping. Call it player courtesy.

Agree 100%

[Amphetryon]

Random aside: This is labeled as a rant, and, as such, was most likely posted for cathartic reasons. Nitpicking the OP's viewpoint as not being 'the only way to see things' seems to ignore that, in my opinion. He already acknowledged that the post is blowing off steam more than trying to create rational discourse.

[Beelzebub1111]

As a side note, the wishes didn't cost anything, Otto and Jelarsie owed us a favor for saving Tensir from the moon.

[okpokalypse]

As a side note, the wishes didn't cost anything, Otto and Jelarsie owed us a favor for saving Tensir from the moon.

Gotcha. Being you earned the favor through previous actions, it's definitely reasonable. What really sucks then is that they didn't do it sooner so that you could at least be present for the session...

After all, were you there, you could have been seeking out NPC interaction in town or another vast array of things... Or, and this is pure speculation, do you think they did that apurpose to keep the DM from losing focus on the outfitting? If that's the case, that's messed up...

[Beelzebub1111]

After all, were you there, you could have been seeking out NPC interaction in town or another vast array of things... Or, and this is pure speculation, do you think they did that apurpose to keep the DM from losing focus on the outfitting? If that's the case, that's messed up...

Oh, we had enough focus lossed with a character that had been playing the same character for five years and was like a 16 Druid/17 Diviner failed her resurrection survival roll.

Oh right, and this is second edition by the way...forgot to mention.

[Umael]

I just think that, for a lot of gamers - especially those brought up on the MUD (I'm dating myself) / EverQuest / DAoC / ShadowBane / WoW vein of gaming - gearing up is a vital aspect of the game that they actually like to do as part of the experience.

Can't disagree.

Like I said, I like to go shopping myself from time to time. Building the character itself can be a wonderful and rewarding experience.

But it is something that seems much more a solo thing than a group experience. I can curl up with my copy of the DMG and look over the list for hours, trying to figure out the right combination. Sometimes I even put in a little character development into the experience, something to inflict on the rest of the group later ("Here is my list of equipment I bought. For an extra 50gp each, can I get them designer made? I was thinking Hello Kitty for my Mace of Disruption...").

Agreed, but again, that boils down to the DM, not the players. If the players just want to ensure they rescue their friend in the safest, most efficient way - you can't argue that they did so. It was the DM who should have put some restrictions on how it all happened if he was indeed looking for more RP involved. But, by the same token - do we know how much RP went into procuring those two limited wishes to do it? Was there a long bargaining RP or perhaps a "side quest" that needs to be fulfilled for services rendered?

While we are getting only one side of the story, and yes, the DM needed to both have better control and make sure everyone was enjoying themselves, players who run away and do their own thing, using up time, can be obnoxious and potentially game session killers. Without knowing the full story, it seems that the rest of the group was pretty much thoughtless of the OP's enjoyment, the fact that his PC WAS out of action when it was unneccessary (or at least, it seemed unneccessary).

I guess a more detailed story about those wishes is in order before we should judge any further.

Not really. Just relating an experience. I have played with quite a few people who view RP as FAR more "important" than anything else, even if it's counter-productive concerning the storyline and adventure. I've seen fits pitched simply because we (as a group) have tried to get a die-hard RP'er back on track and to stop the never-ending interaction with a tavern wench. RP for the sake of RP is as much a hindrance to a good adventure progressing as is a meta-gamer or loot-whore.

True, but in defense (as someone who was busy RPing when the GM wanted to move the story along), sometimes the GM SHOULD let the RP'er do his thing for a while*. (This GM has a tendency sometimes to push things along when they don't need the push. Of course, NOT pushing when things need a push is just as bad, which is a complaint I had with a different GM. Both GMs are very good, incidentally, just that it kinda irked me at the time.)

*Key words: for a while.

Well, the thing is that, first and foremost, it's a game. Not everyone "wins" and gets their way all the time.

Okay, I need to stop you for a moment before we go any further.

My first rule is: It's a game. The point is to have fun.

Furthermore, it is a collaborative, usually cooperative game. It doesn't have a "winning" goal explicitly defined unless it is given one.

As far as "getting their way all the time", the only thing that matters is that when the game session is over, everyone had fun, whether they got their way or not. Talking about "getting their way" is so NOT what my PoV is based.

If you have to spend an hour waiting for a combat to resolve because your PC is out cold - you deal. If 5/6ths of the party wants to explore the town's shops, you deal. When you get the opportunity to control the RP, other's deal. It's a give and take.

I can see your point and I certainly do not want you to believe that my point of view demands yours be invalid. But I see a certain lack of give and take on the part of the rest of the group.

If things are done in a reasonable manner, the attention is evenly divided with no one player being neglected for any extended period.

For the record, as GM, I would have tried to give the OP about 20 minutes out of each hour (1/6 of the group, 10 minutes, party split in two, 30 minutes, average them, 20 minutes). I also would have made sure to split those 20 minutes into bites so that he is kept entertained.

Of course, what the OP really wanted is for the rest of the group to come rescue him, but I'm not sure how much the OP told them that BEFORE his PC was teleported back to them.

I know this will rub people the wong way, but when one person gets bored because they're not directly involved in the action be it RP, combat or what have you and then decides to make a stink about it, it pisses me off.

Within reason.

I've been the odd man out before - in a Mage game, I was playing a Virtual Adept - the stay up late, sleep during the day kind of character. He was also something of a reclusive. My character kept an eye on the Chantry and its defenses during the night and was unable to partaking in a chunk of the RPing during the day.

Unfortunately, there were times when the rest of the group got involved in RPing some absolute minutia. Since everyone else was involved, I became forgotten. Everyone was having fun but me, and if I was patient enough to actually wait for my time, a lot of the times night passed without incident.

Adding insult to that, since it was generally considered bad manners to read a book or play on a laptop in the meantime, I was stuck... just waiting... for something to happen (and when they did, it was great, but when they didn't...).

Given that I was unhappy, you better believe I addressed the GM about this.

Now whether it was a "stink" or not is a matter of personal judgment, but if you have a reasonable concern and you bring it up in a reasonable manner, you SHOULD be heard out and have your concerns addressed.

Now I'm not saying anyone's Losing at D&D per-se, but Losing is one of many way in which a game may not turn out the way you'd want it to. It doesn't mean you can't have fun. It just means that, in that instance, you bear through it. Character's Die. Adventures Fail. It seems people are ok with this to some greater or lesser degree - but heavens forbid that the party doesn't do what I want and that results in my annoyance or boredom! Then the poop hits the fan!

After the game session is over, if I consider my evening wasted because I was bored, there was something wrong with the game, with me, or a combination of the two.

You make the analogy of little kids cheating at Monopoly because they don't want to lose, so let me give you an analogy right back - you're stuck in a four-hour drive and everyone else in the car wants to listen to the radio station you despise (news, country music, gospel, conservative talk host, whatever). Then, when you suggest a change, or worse, object to the current station, everyone just ignores you (if that).