"Assassinator?" WTF!

[ShrooMofDooM]

For the past couple of weeks, I've been preparing for a d20 Modern horror campaign that I'm going to be running in the neighborhood for my friends, the players. Now, this neighborhood is home to probably one or two other guys my age, but none are interested in roleplaying. The only guys who are are three twelve-year old boys who act like they're nine (don't get me wrong, they're still my pals).
Yesterday, the guys and myself were preparing the characters for the upcoming game which takes place in a small Texas town, and one of them asked could his character be an "assassinator." I guess I must have looked at him real funny after he said this because he changed his mind and settled for a SWAT team member. I still wasn't happy about this. I wanted the characters to be civilian class and to be somewhat. . .tamer.
I babble. My point is, how can I get three, rowdy twelve-year old boys to get interested in the roleplaying and not ready to just shoot anything that moves?

 

[BiggusGeekus]

My point is, how can I get three, rowdy twelve-year old boys to get interested in the roleplaying and not ready to just shoot anything that moves?

It seems like they've made a decision on what kind of game they want to play. You have to roll with it. Sorry, man.

What I'd reccomend is building a couple of factions within your setting and give game-mechanic bonuses to those factions. Give mechanical bonuses when players achieve role-playing goals that you lay out for them beforehand. Think of what roleplay goals you want them to achieve (e.g. relocate the orphanage) outline a combat adventure on how the PCs could do that in your head, and the PCs should start interacting with the NPCs as a means to and end (getting the phat lewt/bonuses).

You're looking at a roleplay campaign with the depth of the 1981 cinematic masterpiece The Road Warrior. Deal with that now rather than watch as your PCs cut down merchants who dare to charge 10% over retail.

 

[Jupp]

Sounds like you should go and have a good look at GTA San Andreas and convert it to D&D They could have a heck of alot of fun in there

 

[ShrooMofDooM]

It seems like they've made a decision on what kind of game they want to play. You have to roll with it. Sorry, man.

What I'd reccomend is building a couple of factions within your setting and give game-mechanic bonuses to those factions. Give mechanical bonuses when players achieve role-playing goals that you lay out for them beforehand. Think of what roleplay goals you want them to achieve (e.g. relocate the orphanage) outline a combat adventure on how the PCs could do that in your head, and the PCs should start interacting with the NPCs as a means to and end (getting the phat lewt/bonuses).

You're looking at a roleplay campaign with the depth of the 1981 cinematic masterpiece The Road Warrior. Deal with that now rather than watch as your PCs cut down merchants who dare to charge 10% over retail.

Roll with it. . .I guess that'll work. At least until they mature a bit. Thanks, man. Great advice.

 

[ShrooMofDooM]

Sounds like you should go and have a good look at GTA San Andreas and convert it to D&D They could have a heck of alot of fun in there

I couldn't help but laugh at that one because they've actually mentioned that before. XD I should think about it, I guess.

 

[WayneLigon]

SWAT Member, Assassin, not a lot of difference depending on the style you're going for there. You might want to talk with them about what they'd like to do and discuss a bit more about the roleplaying aspect of it - that's like to be an entirely new concept to them because it seems likely that they think they've been doing roleplaying because, well, the video game box says it's an 'RPG' when in fact it is not. Talk about the differences and approach it from that angle. I'll be almost willing to bet that they have some fundamental communications breakdown here.

 

[Psion]

Sounds like you should go and have a good look at GTA San Andreas and convert it to D&D

One of the forthcoming setting books for Spycraft 2.0 is supposedly STRONGLY inspired by GTA.

 

[Thotas]

WHAT?

That's the scariest thing I've heard in ages. It's been my experience that even the most immersion style players of D&D go on complete psycho rampages when they try an espionage (well, supposedly espionage) game. I don't understand it at all. I try playing a character with style and panache, I get "co-workers" who carry around flame throwers and custom-made 8 gauge shot guns that fire slugs instead of shot. I try running a game where the mission is to make a contact, and return with a report. The PCs want to requistion a van with concealed machine guns, an EMP grenade (the info they're looking for is on a computer) and a remote control car to load full of plastic explosives.

And Spycraft is coming out with GTA inspired rules supplements? I need to forget about a James Bond style game for at least 20 years, don't I?

 

[ShrooMofDooM]

I'm looking at Spycraft on Amazon and thinking about buying. My friends might even get into the whole espionage thing. Then again, I thought they'd get into the RP heavy campaigns, too.

 

[Thotas]

I have the first version of Spycraft, Shroom, and it's pretty cool. I'm not up-to-date on 2.0 (as in, is out, or just on it's way?) but I'm sure it's at least as good, changes probably based on player input. Pick it up, even if you don't know the right players now, maybe someday you'll get lucky. That's my plan, you can bet!