Spelljammer Could this mutiny have been handled better?

[Dragonhelm]

I missed a session of our weekly Spelljammer game last week due to starting a new job and not wanting to go out after tornado activity in the area. Everybody else played without me, which is fine.

Our characters just hired on a new crew recently. While I was gone, some of them mutinied.

I came back this week as they were trying to figure out what to do with the mutineers. They had already mangled the hands and cut out the tongue of the wizard among their crew. But what about everyone else?

A few of the other players wanted to execute them. I know that in some maritime traditions, mutiny can be punishable by death. My character felt very strongly that this was wrong. An eye for an eye was not right to him. The other crew tried to justify it by saying the mutineers would seek revenge. In the end, we executed two of them and opted to drop the others off at a port. We also communicated with the wizard telepathically to see what she wanted to do.

When I left the game that evening, I felt sad. Nobody should feel sad at the end of a game. I personally felt very uncomfortable about this.

I've talked with one of the other players about it and feel a bit better. I've been wanting to talk to the DM, but we haven't had a chance to connect yet.

In my mind, this was not handled well at all. I like my character in this game, but I dislike the actions taken by the other players. I just don't know what to do.

Is there a better path that could have been taken?

 

[Deset Gled]

Both you and the other players sound justified, just very much not in agreement about what type of game you're playing. It also sounds like people are willing to communicate, and no one is being unreasonable (yet).

Is this a new game? It sounds like an established group, but I don't really understand how issues like this wouldn't have come up sooner.

 

[Professor Murder]

I gotta agree. Feel like a tonal disconnect has occurred. I don't think it means anyone made a mistake per se. Sometimes we don't know our expectations until they are violated.

 

[Dragonhelm]

Both you and the other players sound justified, just very much not in agreement about what type of game you're playing. It also sounds like people are willing to communicate, and no one is being unreasonable (yet).

Is this a new game? It sounds like an established group, but I don't really understand how issues like this wouldn't have come up sooner.

We have been at this game for about 6 months, or a little longer.

 

[Deset Gled]

We have been at this game for about 6 months, or a little longer.

I see. I would've expected the problem to come up sooner, but I suppose that's really not that long in the grand scheme of gaming.

Sounds like you're on the right track with talking to players and the DM. I'd recommend continuing and seeing what comes of it. But if the rest of the group wants more of a murder hobo game and you want things closer to Batman style, it may just be time to politely part ways if an appropriate compromise can't be reached.

 

[LordEntrails]

My character felt very strongly that this was wrong.

What your character felt is not an issue. But I think when you look at this you will find that it was you as a person and not a PC that felt it was wrong. Maybe I'm wrong, but...

I felt sad. Nobody should feel sad at the end of a game.

If it did not bother you, then I don't think you would have felt sad.

Remember, our characters are pretend. They are allowed to do and feel things that we would never do or feel. And that's ok.

But if you are not ok with it, talk it out. With us or your friends.

 

[Horwath]

You should talk it out with your fellow players and see what is appropriate for your games, but for what is worth, IMHO they did the correct thing, mutiny is punishable by death.

also no half measures, either you grant clemency to all mutineers or you hang the lot of them.

 

[sevenbastard]

Sounds like you are in a group that has diffrent player styles than you.

I see you have two choices

Play your character as equally upset and have him try to influence the other PC/Player's to adopt a more humane outlook. Some great role-playing moments can come from being uncomfortable and moral choices. But you have to be comfortable with this.

Or

Leave the group. Explain why you are leaving, but It's not fair to ask them to play the game differently for you.

Also an maybe this is a unpopular opinion, but don't get your DM involved. I don't think it's the DMs job to hash out player conflict. They have enough on thier plate and shouldn't have to manage interpersonal conflict between players.

The DM put a reasonable scenario in the game, having prisoners, and the players should be able to work this out amongst themselves.

 

[AlViking]

Unfortunately I think @sevenbastard may be right. There have been times when I was with a group that just had an approach that was incompatible with mine. In your case I would still talk it out with the group before that happens and see if there's a way forward. There are are only a couple of options that I see.

If possible you could detach yourself a bit from your character and go along with the group, your character is in a world where punishment is harsh. You are not your character but at the same time you have to do what you are comfortable with. Personally I get it, I don't want to play characters that do things I would consider evil either. The question here though is to think through alternatives, was it really evil? The NPCs were mutineers after all, the rest of the characters may not have had much choice. For better or worse conflicts in D&D are often resolved with lethal violence.

Have your character react as strongly to this as you do. Tell the other characters they were out of line and that there should have been another way. But if I were to do this the other players would have to be okay with it.

In general I try to talk about this kind of stuff in a session 0 where you get together before the campaign starts and discuss campaign and preferences before creating characters. So at this point, I disagree with some of the others, I do think it is in part the DM's responsibility to only introduce scenarios that everyone else is comfortable with. In this case? It's kind of a trolly car problem - I don't think there is a particularly good or moral solution here. You aren't comfortable with the executions (which would have likely been the answer historically), you couldn't have them charged and thrown in prison. Letting them go isn't great either because of the revenge angle.

The question I would have for the DM is - is this the kind of thing that they will do again? Is the rest of the group okay with it? Some people are, some people aren't but it should be openly discussed. If you can come up with some limits on this kind of thing, great. If not? That's where it's up to you as to whether or not you want to continue playing with this group.

 

[Brendan Byrd]

If you decide to continue in this game, would establishing "standard operating proceedures" with the other players be possible? (Much like watches and marching order?)

I can't speak to 5e game mechanics, but in 2e "walking the plank" into the phlogiston was not necessarily a kill condition. I mention this as a potential "way out" for your gaming group...