Am I mean?

[ST]

I'm not a big fan of linear "but thou must" plots. At all. They're rarely, rarely needed, and like mal said above, as a DM it's ultimately a lot more fun to tell a story "with" your players than "to" them. If they want a story told to them, they can just play a CRPG.

But even if you're gonna do one, saying to the players, hey, I'm gonna throw you guys a plot hook, help me out here and have your guys play along, is a hundred times better than rigging things so the characters are forced to follow the plot hook.

Seriously, interesting situations, NPCs with interesting motivations, and some cool setpiece ideas for fights (that might or might not come up) are all you need for a story to 'just happen'.

Not even with new players, especially with new players! They don't have any preconceptions, they're gonna have neat ideas you didn't expect, and if you beat that down in favor of "But I prepped this so you're gonna do it, now here's the plot", both they and you will be missing out.

I'm not trying to lecture you, but seriously, consider it -- I really do think it'll be less stressful for everybody involved.

 

[nedjer]

Before a campaign kicks off I ask if they want 'cut scenes', i.e. the videogame staples including taken alive, press ganged, 'dramatic set' pieces and killer bosses.

If they say no I kill them all

 

[jimmifett]

If you are really intent with them being arrested, have them doing something fun first. A free for all bar fight breaks out and after 3-4 rounds, the local police show up and haul everyone down to the drunk tank, where they are taken aside and questioned and then given a mission. Have ppl thrown out windows, hiding under tables, throwing stuff, all good fun provided no one draws actual weapons. If an NPC draws a weapon in round 2 or 3, then it'd be safe for the players to do so. Start the fight in one corner, away from the players, and have it spin out of control across the bar as it begins to involve them. Some one throws thier drink, misses, hit someone else, that person flips his card table and turns to fight, but in doing so spilled drinks on other ppl and the party. game on.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Re:

I've experienced that as a player - my PC enslaved and tortured in session one - and I didn't like it. I was not a happy and satisfied player.

and other similar comments...

Whether its fun or not depends upon the interaction between the DM, the Players and the campaign world itself. Not every time I've done this has been a success...but its been successful more often than not for me and my players.* The last time I did it, the campaign lasted almost 2 1/2 years, with the players were sorry to see it all end...and they found the intro to be one of the best things that happened in that entire span.

Note- I'm not saying I'm better than the DMs that ran you through such situations. I'm saying I ran a cool adventure well for a group that appreciated it.



* FWIW, not the same group over and over again, but many different groups over the years.

 

[Myke17]

The barfight idea sounds good. I'll keep toying with it. I thought maybe if they got arrested and had to fight in low level gladitorial combat it would help them get used to fighting. also ther would be no danger of dying in this. The group hinted that they want to basicly have it like a movie or novel. I know them really well, (I live in a town of 800 people, and I related to them)and I think this would get them interested.

 

[buddhafrog]

Im starting a new campian with a group that has never played before, I plan on having them arrested and possibly beaten right from the start. Is this mean? I want to make sure I have their attention early on, possibly help them get into char. a little faster.

LOVE IT! I might steal a variant for the new game I'm starting.

Two of the three PC's have decided that they want to be the sons of slaves to a massive evil kingdom consisting of many races, but with a significant % of orc/ogres in the army. The 3rd PC will be a 1/2 ogre barbarian (my 9 year old son) that was captured but not made a slave b/c of his 1/2 ogre heritage. Instead, he was made a low level servant to the slave guards. The 1/2 ogre would help the PC's escape, and the campaign would begin some years later when the PC's are a little older, as they seek revenge upon their former captors.

Straight forward, easily done. But the players are expecting to start the campaign at the revenge phase. Nope.

Instead, I will start the campaign in the slave stage, with a brutal beating. I'll give them 1/2 level abilities with no weapons and let them fight a hopeless, humiliating resistance. Some beatings, humiliations, and punishment later (not too brutal - these are 4th grade students), then we'll jump forward to the "present" when they are older and seeking revenge. I hope this gives them a much more tangible desire for revenge!

 

[Diamond Cross]

My default position is that everybody's mean until they prove to me they're a nice person.

 

[buddhafrog]

I wrote my last post before I read the other comments -- now I have a comment for you other posters:

You're a bunch of weak-kneed pansies yeah, I'm talking to you, too.

I do get the point that if done poorly, this could suck. but give the original poster some slack - possibly he could do it well and avoid the pitfalls, no? This could immediately create group unity, identity, and motivation.

I'm assuming this poster will avoid a couple potential problems:

• make sure this beating/capture sequence doesn't take too much time! The fun will be how to escape or seek revenge.
• before you play, make sure your players know the game - I usually start all new players in a one/two encounter trial fight combining some skill checks to make sure they know the basics how to play first. But this isn't really part of the campaign save for the fact that they are using their characters.
• give them options once they are in prison. Slack guards, cell mate of interest, the rogue PC successfully hid his tools to aid in the escape, the window grate is rusty/shabby and the fighter might be able to bust it open, etc...

There is no railroading here. The DM just starts his campaign in prison, with a short scenario to provide some group bonding and set the campaign in motion.

I do agree with many of the general points posters have made, but I think we should give the DM some credit for being able to do this correctly.

Added point for any campaign: the opening situation/encounter should further the story of the campaign. If the PC's don't want anything to do with being outlaws, or at least outlaws in this area, but rather see themselves as this village's heroes, well, this would be a problem of course.

 

[Diamond Cross]

LOVE IT! I might steal a variant for the new game I'm starting.

Two of the three PC's have decided that they want to be the sons of slaves to a massive evil kingdom consisting of many races, but with a significant % of orc/ogres in the army. The 3rd PC will be a 1/2 ogre barbarian (my 9 year old son) that was captured but not made a slave b/c of his 1/2 ogre heritage. Instead, he was made a low level servant to the slave guards. The 1/2 ogre would help the PC's escape, and the campaign would begin some years later when the PC's are a little older, as they seek revenge upon their former captors.

Straight forward, easily done. But the players are expecting to start the campaign at the revenge phase. Nope.

Instead, I will start the campaign in the slave stage, with a brutal beating. I'll give them 1/2 level abilities with no weapons and let them fight a hopeless, humiliating resistance. Some beatings, humiliations, and punishment later (not too brutal - these are 4th grade students), then we'll jump forward to the "present" when they are older and seeking revenge. I hope this gives them a much more tangible desire for revenge!

there's a classic module called Treasure Hunt (I think, I might be wrong) in which it describes a system where all PCs start out at zero level without any class or even alignment. They start out as slaves who were aboard a ship who crashed on the island and they have to escape the island. Each action they take is kept track of which determines what class and alignment they quealify most for. You pick up a club and try to hit a beast, that's a fighting action which you could qualify for the Fighter class. You help somebody out in some small way like giving a starving person some food, that could quality you for the Lawful Good alignment.

So you might want to look into that module.

 

[radmod]

Im starting a new campian with a group that has never played before, I plan on having them arrested and possibly beaten right from the start. Is this mean? I want to make sure I have their attention early on, possibly help them get into char. a little faster.

Perhaps for newbies playing a new game.
For experienced players trying a new game, man up.
I'm not a mean DM/GM, but I am fair (some say it's the same thing). One world that I've run several times damn near requires a few characters to be arrested just to get them started.
I like the idea, if you have the time, of arresting each person individually; I hope that's what you were going for.
The beating part, well, that may be unnecessary.