A Moral Dilemma

[Turhan]

As a DM I see this as a set up to get the PC's investigating the obvious problems in town. Nobody does stuff like this for no reason. The town must ahve a problem, or had one and there is something for the players to learn.

Time to ask questions and see if their trust can be earned by deeds.

On the other hand, if the original post was really just to find out how many evil player groups are out there, I might try re-wording the poll. It seems to me that the situation is simple: IF you desperately need supplies or you might die, and the only option is to steal stuff, then you deserve to die and should not steal stuff to live. The great hand of Fate has smashed you down.
If you are unable to hunt, fish or just tough it out and live off your fat reserves for a while, then you are too weak to survive as an adventurer and need to pursue a job and a career in town...

 

[Henry]

Three Steps, in order of failure:
1) Entreat the Elder, or find a peer who will deal with us.
2) Ask the party Thief/scout to steal said provisions, and leave remuneration such as we have in its place.
3) Take it with minimal force (rescuing the Thief if needed) and get the heck out of town.

If I have no other means of resupply upcoming, then I have an obligation to my forces to resupply them, even if that means breaking the law to do it.

If I'm a paladin, my choices are fewer; however, I still would see if there's someone in town who can help us (even if it's a forester who could scare us up some game for pay).

 

[Voadam]

Varies by character. Some would say "very well, we will leave then" and then come back at night to steal the needed supplies. Others would say, "Please, we really need these." and go the diplomacy route or do without and curse the villager. I rarely play in games as a purely evil doer who would crucify anybody who gave him a dirty look. Although I've run such a game and had very evil players who would love the opportunity to run amok in a town of victims who provoked them.

 

[Jdvn1]

I ask questions. I find out if there's a reason for their mistrust that I can rectify.

If I'm not able to find out, then I go elsewhere.

Daniel

Seconded. It's weird that a guy won't sell me much-needed waterskins for no obvious reason, but I'm not going to threaten a guy's life over it.

 

[Lonely Tylenol]

The villagers are neutral. You don't know why they won't give you supplies. They just don't seem to trust you.

I don't know why he won't give supplies. Cause he won't tell me. And I can't make him trust me enough to explain why.

This is starting to sound a lot like
Player 1: Hmm...a door with a puzzle on it. I pick the lock.
DM: The lock breaks your lockpick.
Player 1: I can't pick the lock, let's bash the door open
DM: The door seems to be indestructible
Player 2: Okay, then I cast Stone Shape to take it off its hinges
DM: Um, the wall doesn't respond to your magic
Player 3: Okay, I cast dimension door to move us all to the other side
DM: A mysterious force blocks your spell
Players: ...

Look, unless there's a way to find out why this village is full of hostile commoners, there's no basis for deciding what course of action to take. On the one hand, they're obviously hiding something. On the other hand, I can't imagine that I care what they're hiding. This situation seems like a set-up, and it makes me think that it's not an in-game set-up, but a "DM contrived a situation to annoy his players" set-up.

My answer is, I find out what's harassing the village into making them distrust outsiders, and kill it, so I'm the hero and they'll sell me supplies. Or, I throw soda at the DM and find one that doesn't come up with such obviously contrived situations to "challenge" me.

 

[Lonely Tylenol]

Or maybe I'm reading this wrong. Maybe the poll reads:

What alignment do you usually play?

1. Good
2. Neutral
3. Evil
4. Chaotic evil

In which case I don't understand the window-dressing, since it distracts from the point. Also, this isn't much of a moral dilemma. Rather, it's a simple poll about alignment.

 

[Kahuna Burger]

Maybe they don't trust you because 1/3 of the adventurers they have encountered have been willing to take things by force if they encounter resistance?

 

[Kahuna Burger]

Or maybe I'm reading this wrong. Maybe the poll reads:

What alignment do you usually play?

1. Good
2. Neutral
3. Evil
4. Chaotic evil

In which case I don't understand the window-dressing, since it distracts from the point.

I disagree that neutral would just take what they want by force, minimal or not. Maybe some chaotic neutrals.

 

[Jdvn1]

Maybe they don't trust you because 1/3 of the adventurers they have encountered have been willing to take things by force if they encounter resistance?

And thereby encouraging more adventurers to have to take things by force?

 

[hawkwing2k5]

Ok this will work, three words

Burn baby burn

Dont look at me Im running an evil campaing for the last 3 years