ColonelHardisson
What? Me Worry?
Berandor said:
The closest I'm familiar with is "the horse is already out of the barn."
Crazed Substitute DM
- Thread starter ShadeMoon64
- Start date
The closest I'm familiar with is "the horse is already out of the barn."
sniffles
First Post
As a player I'd find the "it was all a dream" explanation very disappointing. Something similar actually happened to me once and it still irritates me.
I'd suggest a sort of mix of the dream explanation and the doppleganger idea. It -was- all a dream, but a dream with consequences. Maybe the PCs have the same dream every night, or they start noticing familiar-looking things from the dream in real life. Perhaps some of the loot shows up in their gear but they don't know how it got there. Keep the explanation minimal. Somewhere down the line you could come up with a story for it, but it isn't necessary now.
I'd suggest a sort of mix of the dream explanation and the doppleganger idea. It -was- all a dream, but a dream with consequences. Maybe the PCs have the same dream every night, or they start noticing familiar-looking things from the dream in real life. Perhaps some of the loot shows up in their gear but they don't know how it got there. Keep the explanation minimal. Somewhere down the line you could come up with a story for it, but it isn't necessary now.
DonTadow
First Post
Again I don't see a problem with it if there are certain guidelines and such. I was in a campaign that rotated between two dms. One would run a section of adventures and then alternate. I plan on having one of my players run an adventure in my campaign with the same characters, but we have been planning and going over things for two months. I've given her an instruction on how much treasure she can give out in the total adventure. I've excluded certain races as bad guys and told her others had to be indluced for continuity. I even gave her tidbits of future plot lines i plan on evolving so the pcs get a sense that this isn't some out of the blue thing.Mark said:I wouldn't be so quick to blame the substitute DM only. All of the players were there and assumably can tell the difference between what you would consider fair advancement and what they all allowed while you were gone.
Looks to me more like you left and one of them with the keys to the candy store. He opened the door but the rest of them didn't have to go in with him. I'd be sure to make it clear that you aren't singling any of them out right before you call the whole thing a dream sequence and bring them back to your own brand of reality. It's like the end of Time Bandits when you just make sure they all clean the place up and pick up the charred bits of evil.
I had a similar request from a potential DM one time when I was asking a group to allow me a hiatus. I told them they could use the same characters if they so wanted but those characters would be leaving my world, never to return. Or they could make up new characters for the other DM, which is what they ultimately decided to do.
I don't see a problem with it if the DM remains in control and makes sure the adventure run iis truly apart of his world. HOnestly it could end up being rewarding as it could make the player fieel more in touch with the game
WampusCat43
Explorer
ColonelHardisson said:
I think it's 'closing the barn door after the horse got out' (we worry about such things here in Kentucky
), but you've got the right idea.Replying to the thread: Reset. If my players did that to me I'd feel just as cheated as they will. You're the one putting all the work into this game, not them.
JohnnFour
Explorer
Ouch. I vote with the others in regards to hitting reset rather than dream. If continuity is important to your game (and it might not be) then you might have to explain how come all the PCs shared the same dream.
Another idea might be to game on. Try to fix things and see where they lead. If you have a lot at stake in terms of time investment and fragile plot threads and such, then reset might be better, but it would be fun to game your way out to try and restore balance.
Maybe start a thread here with essential stats and plot notes and see if we can come up with a few interesting encounters?
1) Top priority would be to restore the wounded PCs to ensure all players are on an equal footing again. That might be a fun 2-4 encounter, 1-3 hour side quest.
2) Next priority would be to strip the magic items. Word might get out about the group's new toys, and chaotic or evil NPCs might covet their loot. Maybe plan out a few NPC ambushes and a villain or two who tries to steal, capture, or trick the items away from the PCs.
Maybe have a couple of roleplaying encounters where the PCs are chatted up by NPCs who are scouting them out, testing for ability level and competence. A couple of encounters might consist of random attacks (by low level incompetents and from high level challengers). An evil NPC might hire a private investigator to get the names and locations of the PCs' relatives...
Just a thought. This might not be possible given your current campaign configuration, but it would be neat to see a campaign world try to restore balance via the greed of its citizens, power brokers looking to wipe out potential competition, and so on.
Another idea might be to game on. Try to fix things and see where they lead. If you have a lot at stake in terms of time investment and fragile plot threads and such, then reset might be better, but it would be fun to game your way out to try and restore balance.
Maybe start a thread here with essential stats and plot notes and see if we can come up with a few interesting encounters?
1) Top priority would be to restore the wounded PCs to ensure all players are on an equal footing again. That might be a fun 2-4 encounter, 1-3 hour side quest.
2) Next priority would be to strip the magic items. Word might get out about the group's new toys, and chaotic or evil NPCs might covet their loot. Maybe plan out a few NPC ambushes and a villain or two who tries to steal, capture, or trick the items away from the PCs.
Maybe have a couple of roleplaying encounters where the PCs are chatted up by NPCs who are scouting them out, testing for ability level and competence. A couple of encounters might consist of random attacks (by low level incompetents and from high level challengers). An evil NPC might hire a private investigator to get the names and locations of the PCs' relatives...
Just a thought. This might not be possible given your current campaign configuration, but it would be neat to see a campaign world try to restore balance via the greed of its citizens, power brokers looking to wipe out potential competition, and so on.
Mystery Man
First Post
Option 1 followed by sticking this player in a burlap sack and beating him with reeds.
