Ever gotten 'emotional' over a game event?

[xrpsuzi]

The story of the gnomes....

Thanks for the feedback. It is good to know that I'm not the only one that has ever gotten choked up during play

No, you're not alone.
*Stands up and clears throat*
"Hi, my name's suzi, and I've gotten emtional in gaming sessions..."

Our party was helping a gnome village out with humanoid raids, and the raids kept getting worse and worse. So eventually we figured out their must be something there more valueable for such resistance (ala 7 samurai)

So when we went looking, we found a dungeon and cleared it out, but every night, we would come back to the gnomes to check up on them. Well, one day, we couldn't come back because we had been teleported into an evil wizard's stronghold and clues in the story started added up. We hauled butt to get back, but when we got back, everyone was dead....

Even the Shiner gnomes!!! (We had gnome warriors that had levelled because they were our crossbow archery support in battles.... we didn't have any counters, but we had plenty of Shiner bottle tops )

Everyone around the table was really bummed out.... you spend 4 months gaming every week with these NPC's... attatchment occurs sometimes. But I giggle everytime I see someone drinking a Shiner....

suzi

 

[The Little Raven]

I've gotten emotional before... and influenced the emotions of others.

I had a character, a young human wizard named Aengus Silvertongue. Born to a strange young witch, he believed himself to be the son of a god of the forest. His arrogance knew no bounds, and he looked down upon all those around him.

While helping to defend a source of magical power from an evil king, he filled the source room with gunpowder barrels. After all the defenses fell, the king entered the source room victorious... in time to see Aengus shatter his staff and ignite the entire room... which brought down the entire keep.

This game was about 6 years ago... but the scene was of such intensity and emotion that my friend Jen started to cry after I died. It was great.

On the other hand... in many games I've run, I've influenced the emotions of my players dramatically. One game we actually had to stop and take a break because the air of defeat and doom was so thick that my friend Dustin had to go pop a Prozac.

 

[fusangite]

I've been in games when people have become emotionally invested in PCs and NPCs. It's always turned out very badly. If someone is choked-up in my game, it means something has gone very wrong. There should never, in my view, be anything that can happen in a game that can make someone feel like crying.

That's not to say my games are utterly emotionless affairs; I like giving people a sense of the thrill of discovery or deduction, the satisfaction of revenge or, often, just a really good laugh. Anything outside of that, you're playing with fire.

I was in one campaign in which a player got really emotionally caught up with in-game events and cried about them. We threw her out. I've gone back to gaming with her now that the games are run and played with more of a sense of healthy distance.

This is one of the reasons I'm working with D&D these days. The rules are so arbitrary they alienate people from the narrative as effectively as a Berthold Brecht (sp?) play.

 

[ph34r]

I've been so mad before that I threw one of my "perty" d20s and busted it against the wall. Needless to say that the others learned from the example he set, and rolled good for the rest of the night!

 

[xrpsuzi]

I've been so mad before that I threw one of my "perty" d20s and busted it against the wall.

My brother has this honker of a d20 (about the size of my fist and maybe a pound or so), called the "comical d20" at our game table. It's only pulled out when we have to asault the DM.....

suzi

 

[Skarp Hedin]

Emotion is common in my games, but unfortunately, only either humor or anger. I like the humor, but could do without the anger.

My players have a tendency to take their bad rolling personally, seriously, and indicative of divine omens telling them to give up roleplaying.

 

[GMVictory]

I've gotten my group to choke up three times.

1) During a Robotech campaign the players were defending a Robotech Factory during the "Zentraedi Breakout." Arriving a few hours before the Z attack, emergency repairs and ammo reloads are provided to the PCs. They met with the other destroid pilots to plan out the defense. The attack began and the destroids gun arms seize up! Sabotage! My players, began ordering the pilots to fall back. The pilots refused the PC orders saying that the could draw fire from the PCs who's mecha still functioned. Both pilots were killed. The PCs made damn sure to be at the funerals of those pilots. (Being an Army vet) I could detail the proper funeral events and, having a tape of "Taps," my players stood and saluted, getting choked up over it.

2) A Dragonlance campaign where I guess my description of refugees fleeing from the warfare of a neighboring kingdom were so graphic the PCs used everything they had to help and were overwhelmed by sheer numbers. They became choked up by the misery I was able to describe and their inability to stop it.

3) A Wormwood campaign where a judge who had been corrupted to evil finally became so horrified at what he had become after sentencing children to death for attempting to escape slavery, sought redemption. He stood and for the next hour (game time) listed the most horrible crimes he had committed and declared himself guilty of all crimes. He pulled off his robes and, with gavel in hand, stepped into the soul vat, crying, "Forgive me!" (The players were choked up at this point.) A few moments after he slipped from view, covered by the slime of the vat, a rumble comes from it. A column of light burst from the vat carrying a transformed man. A demon mask on his face and his gavel had became a massive maul. Stepping from the column of light to the ground he strode toward a cowering demon, shouting, "Guilty!" and crushed it. (One of my players dumped the character he was playing to play this Apok!)

There have been numerous times I've had the players mad or cheering. The moments I live for are when they are waiting to see what happens next. All eyes focused, attention fixed, silent, waiting for your next words that reveal triumph or failure. The reactions afterwards are bonus.

 

[caudor]

My brother has this honker of a d20 (about the size of my fist and maybe a pound or so), called the "comical d20" at our game table. It's only pulled out when we have to asault the DM.....

suzi

Wow, now that's intense. I have never been pelted with a d20 (fortunately), but I recall having some weebles hurled at me by my little brother. Those things are dangerous. If you don't know what a weeble is, take a look at:

http://www.inthe80s.com/toys/weeble.shtml

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As far as healthy play goes, I don't think our group is or was too emotionally involved in the game...it was just one of those moments that happened and ended before anyone left the table. It was an evening of fun, not tears...I just wanted to mention in case someone has the wrong impression here. We've had plenty of players bite the dust without a tear. Our group's play is healthy in that respect.

I would argue that it is not inherently bad for a group's emotions to be influenced during actual play...thrill, anger, sadness, dread, excitment, etc. People experience these emotions while watching movies. I don't think it necessarily unhealthy when taken in context of a good game either.

Of course, extreme cases (impact of one's emotion outside the context of the game) would certainly be a cause for concern.

 

[Knightfall]

I only get emotional when I write my Story Hours (still on Hiatus) or read P'Cat's story hour (yes, I'm a Defender's fanboy).

 

[caudor]

There have been numerous times I've had the players mad or cheering. The moments I live for are when they are waiting to see what happens next. All eyes focused, attention fixed, silent, waiting for your next words that reveal triumph or failure. The reactions afterwards are bonus.

I think you just summed up, very eloquently, one of the reasons it is fun to be a DM. I could not have said it better.