We don't dictate; we facilitate. So if the boy wants to dig, he digs.
As I've patiently read through recent posts about "The Digger", I've noticed a conspicuous lack of practicality from the various respondents. As funny as I think it is to hear that "The Digger" inflicted himself upon numerous others, as much fun as I like to have, and as genuinely amicable and accommodating as I try to be when I GM, I would, without a moment's hesitation, have said, "Ok, then, Diggin' Dan, take your books, dice & shovel over to that other table and dig your way to Middle Earth if it satisfies your particular and perverse role-playing needs. Dig until your chubby little arms end in bloody stumps and your lungs are near bursting for lack of fresh air. When you are finished roleplaying your own little digfest, come back over and join "The Party", a group which generally consists of like-minded players, with PCs who prefer to struggle together-as a team- to spend their time engaging in more heroic tasks, performing acts of daring-do, and earning rewards and satisfaction for a job well-done and a game well-played. Now run along. You are sucking the joy out of my long-awaited game-night and wasting my very valuable time, as my wife expects me home by midnight, you self-absorbed anti-social nut-job."
I would have said the above using a kind and friendly voice, and with a warm but sincere experssion on my face. Then, without waiting for a response, I would have turned to the other "cooperative" players and said, "Let The Adventure Begin (and NOBODY better have a Shovel in their backpack)!!!"
But Hey! That's just Me. Gav ===== Post to the entire list by writing to tft@brainiac.com. Unsubscribe by mailing to majordomo@brainiac.com with the message body "unsubscribe tft"