D&D General Fighting Law and Order

[Micah Sweet]

What I would do is end the game.

I'd tell the players, "I'm not interested in having you be mass murderers and sociopaths. I play games to get away from all that sort of crap in the world. Simply put, this is my hobby as well as yours and I don't want this stuff in my hobby."

As a GM, I don't GM evil players. I don't want to do it and I suspect I would not be good at it anyway.

Fair enough. Given the circumstances described, if you were the DM sub that is perfectly legitimate.

 

[pemerton]

Because the first option doesn't rewrite history or pretend that actions taken in game and intended to have occurred actually didn't. Starting over closes that line cleanly and allows them to make something new, hopefully something that every one will potentially enjoy.

But what is wrong with "rewriting history"? It's all just make believe!

If everyone was happy with the game up until the great railroad-induced slaughterfest, why not go back and continue having fun from where they were having fun?

There's no special virtue in starting a new series of imaginings at one point ("a bunch of strangers meet in a tavern") than another point ("OK, so you've all just agreed to the mysterious stranger's offer. Now he shrouds you in magical disguises and leads you out of the prison").

 

[Micah Sweet]

But what is wrong with "rewriting history"? It's all just make believe!

If everyone was happy with the game up until the great railroad-induced slaughterfest, why not go back and continue having fun from where they were having fun?

There's no special virtue in starting a new series of imaginings at one point ("a bunch of strangers meet in a tavern") than another point ("OK, so you've all just agreed to the mysterious stranger's offer. Now he shrouds you in magical disguises and leads you out of the prison").

You and I care about different things. Our choices in TTRPGs show that pretty clearly. This is a matter of preference between us; no more than that.

 

[Flamestrike]

See, this is assuming that the DM doesn't want to allow the players to make the choice to murderhobo.

I don't want that.

Firstly, because it's totally unrealistic (people don't just go around causally murdering people over minor inconveniences unless seriously mentally unwell) and secondly (assuming a Good aligned PC) its in no way morally freaking good, so it's a double whammy of rubbish roleplaying.

I expect better from my players.

Sure, if we're playing an Evil party, and the rest of the group are OK with a 'deranged psychopath who kills for next to no reason' hanging around with them (and even in an Evil party, who the heck would want such a dangerous madman hanging around with them?)

 

[Vaalingrade]

What are the consequences if you were to punch a member of the Mafia, a street Gangster, an elected Politician, a Police officer or similar in real life?

What would happen if you punched a mob boss and his capo knew you could convert all the made men in the room to a fine mist that tastes vaguely of copper and iron?

 

[Oofta]

But what is wrong with "rewriting history"? It's all just make believe!

If everyone was happy with the game up until the great railroad-induced slaughterfest, why not go back and continue having fun from where they were having fun?

There's no special virtue in starting a new series of imaginings at one point ("a bunch of strangers meet in a tavern") than another point ("OK, so you've all just agreed to the mysterious stranger's offer. Now he shrouds you in magical disguises and leads you out of the prison").

There are very, very few cases where I'll do take-backs at this scale. But there is also an exception to every rule and this might be one of them. Personally? If I couldn't make it as a DM I wouldn't expect someone else to run the game in my stead, I'd suggest a quick one-shot or another game. Add in my zero tolerance for evil players and this isn't an issue. In this case if the main DM doesn't want to run a campaign for evil characters, there is no campaign going forward unless things significantly change.

I don't see a lot of options here - paying for raise dead either literally and/or by undertaking a very dangerous task might be the only one that keeps the continuity. But the reason this might be that one in a million rules exceptions for me is because it's quite possible that the players felt they had to jump on the train because it was the only option. Once on the railroad they may have felt like they didn't have any real choice.

So the main DM needs to discuss with the party what they want to do.

 

[Mort]

There are very, very few cases where I'll do take-backs at this scale. But there is also an exception to every rule and this might be one of them. Personally? If I couldn't make it as a DM I wouldn't expect someone else to run the game in my stead, I'd suggest a quick one-shot or another game. Add in my zero tolerance for evil players and this isn't an issue. In this case if the main DM doesn't want to run a campaign for evil characters, there is no campaign going forward unless things significantly change.

I don't see a lot of options here - paying for raise dead either literally and/or by undertaking a very dangerous task might be the only one that keeps the continuity. But the reason this might be that one in a million rules exceptions for me is because it's quite possible that the players felt they had to jump on the train because it was the only option. Once on the railroad they may have felt like they didn't have any real choice.

So the main DM needs to discuss with the party what they want to do.

This is why, early on, I suggested the original DM might want to "mirror universe" it. It's not the actual DM after all.

This might also salvage the alternate DMs (the OP) short run if they HAVE to do one more session. The OP can look at the group and ask if they want to experience the consequences of murderhobodom, essentially as their alternate selves. For all intents and purposes it's a separate campaign with different characters.

Heck, might actually be fun exploring such a funky concept.

 

[Maxperson]

Man. I saw the title of this thread and was like, "Are we taking out SVU or Criminal Intent?"

 

[pemerton]

You and I care about different things. Our choices in TTRPGs show that pretty clearly. This is a matter of preference between us; no more than that.

Sure. So you don't like the time travel/"just a dream" thing. That's not a reason why the OP and the OP's friends shouldn't think about it. For them it might be preferable!

 

[bloodtide]

Well, I have had no contact other then that single e-mail for the game. But it's not like I know the guy, anyway.

One player of the game did e-mail me to say how great he thought the game was, and he looks forward to "being on the run for the next game". He thinks the DM will be busy again this weekend...

So...maybe run the game again. I'm so tempted to start the game with Tyr coming down and ploymorphing all the PCs into deers and then seting a pack of wolves on them to rip them apart. Then maybe see if they want to play Munskin for the next couple hours.

But at my heart is a Teaching Railroad DM of horror...so, I have my forced game plan. Start off with the PCs hidding in the caves...and have some Dumb and Dumber bounty hunters after them(to set up some illusioniusm for the players). Then toss a nice...Adjustment Bureau, TVA, Timecop and "Put Things Right that Once Went Wrong" plot at them. Toss in some modrons "fixing reality" to attack the characters. Then have alternate copies of the PCs show up. They will claim to be from a "good" alt world where they are not murderhobos and are here to put right what once when wrong: The PC slaughter fest. And when the PCs fall for this....they discover the alt PCs are really from the "evil twin" world where the alts did the slaughter and are now out to slaughter all their alts across reality.

This lets me show them their characters made much better and like three times as more powerful. I can tell by looking they made their characters using only the 'core' 5E stuff. The players will either kill the double characters or, more likely have their characters killed by the doubles. Each way, they will see much better and more powerful versions of their characters.

If the characters die, and they players walk out...oh well game over for them. If they stick it out, I'll do the spin that they can "come back" as Alternative Alternative versions of their character, but offer them more class options, items, spell, ect to remake their character.

Maybe the players choose to Put Right What Once Went Wrong. Maybe they choose to run with their new and improved 'stealth' characters. Or something related......should fill up the game time.