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<blockquote data-quote="kigmatzomat" data-source="post: 3758762" data-attributes="member: 9254">Another alternative to just brutalizing the players in combat is to brutalize them socially.&nbsp;&nbsp; Say they're riding along a small trail and find goblin tracks.&nbsp; The players can a) ignore them or b) go hunting.&nbsp;&nbsp; If they hunt, they can easily kill the goblins they find in a small camp with lots of trap-making supplies.&nbsp; Regardless, they get to the town the next valley over, who has some form of monster problem.&nbsp; The townies beg for assistance/offer reward/etc and when the players agree, they are told that the only people to meet the monster and survive are the goblin trappers that live back up the road.&nbsp; When asked, the townies agree that the goblins are ignorant and rude but smart enough to figure out that (X number) goblins isn't enough to really challenge the town.&nbsp; Plus, they seem addicted to java beans/cocoa/whiskey/other local product and find it easier to buy the stuff than make it themselves.&nbsp; It either indirectly punishes them for killing the goblins without at least a little Q&amp;A or gets them used to the idea that sometimes it's worth it to open discussion with the monsters. Another option is the &quot;ransom&quot; approach.&nbsp; Have an intelligent foe who's obviously on the losing end of the fight, throw down their weapons and yell &quot;I surrender and offer ransom!&quot;&nbsp; The players will be confused at first but essentially the foe will offer to buy his own life.&nbsp; Could be he has a cache of goodies too heavy to carry around, or his tribe will be willing to provide something of value for the hostage's safe return.&nbsp; This also gets rid of the problem some people have with giving out treasure.&nbsp; How do you justify an ogre carrying around a crystal mask, porcelain statue, or even a hundred pounds of copper coin?&nbsp; Much easier to say they are in the ogre's hoard, not their pack.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="kigmatzomat, post: 3758762, member: 9254"] Another alternative to just brutalizing the players in combat is to brutalize them socially. Say they're riding along a small trail and find goblin tracks. The players can a) ignore them or b) go hunting. If they hunt, they can easily kill the goblins they find in a small camp with lots of trap-making supplies. Regardless, they get to the town the next valley over, who has some form of monster problem. The townies beg for assistance/offer reward/etc and when the players agree, they are told that the only people to meet the monster and survive are the goblin trappers that live back up the road. When asked, the townies agree that the goblins are ignorant and rude but smart enough to figure out that (X number) goblins isn't enough to really challenge the town. Plus, they seem addicted to java beans/cocoa/whiskey/other local product and find it easier to buy the stuff than make it themselves. It either indirectly punishes them for killing the goblins without at least a little Q&A or gets them used to the idea that sometimes it's worth it to open discussion with the monsters. Another option is the "ransom" approach. Have an intelligent foe who's obviously on the losing end of the fight, throw down their weapons and yell "I surrender and offer ransom!" The players will be confused at first but essentially the foe will offer to buy his own life. Could be he has a cache of goodies too heavy to carry around, or his tribe will be willing to provide something of value for the hostage's safe return. This also gets rid of the problem some people have with giving out treasure. How do you justify an ogre carrying around a crystal mask, porcelain statue, or even a hundred pounds of copper coin? Much easier to say they are in the ogre's hoard, not their pack. [/QUOTE]

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