Ever run a serious/emotional/dramatic game?

[Mallus]

I've had that happen.

That's it a nutshell.

A 'serious', 'dramatic' campaign is something that has to come together organically. All the planning in the world won't make it happen (though there are plenty of things you can do to ensure in won't happen)

You just can't force/encourage people to develop the kind of emotional attachment to imaginary things (in a participatory social setting) that a 'serious' campaign requires. And that's with willing participants who want that sort of the thing out of the game.

And yes, I've run one. And its likely I won't again.

Oh well. We'll always have Narcoriel...

 

[Wombat]

In any given campaign I run there will naturally be some very comic episodes, some highly dramatic/emotional episodes, and then the majority in between.

I can prepare an adventure that is meant to be dramatic, but unless the players are really there with me, it will fall apart. Writing a comic adventure is usually pretty easy, but the serious ones are far more satisfying, mainly because they take so much more involvement on the part of the players.

I have had players gasp in wonder, call me a bastard for killing a NPC, suddenly have their characters do something truly heroic or dramatic, and, on three memorably occassions, cry. I have heard vengeance sworn with utter conviction, declarations of love, rousing speeches rallying people, and shouts of defiance that ring with the glory of Henry V's Agincourt speech.

This is what I live for in rpgs. I don't get it every session, but I get it often enough to know that the chemistry and the dream are both there.

 

[genshou]

Just about all of the games I have played or am playing in get serious at one point or another. Just how often it happens is entirely dependent on which gaming group I'm with at the time.

 

[Truth Seeker]

For ages now I've been dying to run a serious, emotional, dramatic game - in effect a mature game. Part of the problem is I don't think some my players could handle it (they're 30 something year old players but can be a bit childish at times) and I'm trying to find a good idea to run with.

Anyone out there successfully run a mature game? (And I don't mean one with lots of sex!)
HK

Yes...I have. Lots of personal drama, jokes, high-black humor, and one sex unseen scene in my two year run. Just referencing the inneudo was hilarious as is Especially after the barbarian was washed with horse soap, apple scented.

 

[francisca]

Anyone out there successfully run a mature game?

Not on purpose.

I'm a Dew'n'Cheetoes, kick in the door, take the treasure, light on plot kind of DM. But my homebrew got very intense toward the end. The players got attached to their characters, a really deep, involved plot sorta congealed on it's own, and everybody was immersed. When the campaign finally wound down, we all let out a collective breath, and were bummed that it was over, but certainly had a feeling of closure, and all of those involved really "felt" the experience more than we had in the past. I'm not describing this well.

Anyway, no. I didn't set out to, but it happened anyway.

 

[Shemeska]

Yes.

I've had players cry, entire species sell their future to save it, characters feel betrayed and that spill over to the players. I've had celestial PCs fall by what they saw happen in the course of the plot, fiends conspiring to slaughter one another in the name of power, dragging planar layers halfway the multiverse as a steppingstone to greater goals, deities die, lovers abandoned, PCs fall in love and go to the ends of the planes to save their beloved.

Beer and pretzels, minis wrangling and rules lawyering type of DM I'm not

 

[Queen_Dopplepopolis]

I played in a game that was *very* serious. Many players took it so seriously that they would become upset and angry at other players OOC for things that were happening IC.

For a long time, it was great, though. We had drama and passion and all sorts of incredible elements that all created a fabulous story that all of us were really in to.

In the end, the drama killed the game. We had a player that refused to accept the death of his character despite the fact that he was undeniably toast becuase he had "invested too much" in it. For some, it was just too hard to balance the drama and the rules.

 

[AIM-54]

I played in a game that was *very* serious. Many players took it so seriously that they would become upset and angry at other players OOC for things that were happening IC.

For a long time, it was great, though. We had drama and passion and all sorts of incredible elements that all created a fabulous story that all of us were really in to.

In the end, the drama killed the game. We had a player that refused to accept the death of his character despite the fact that he was undeniably toast becuase he had "invested too much" in it. For some, it was just too hard to balance the drama and the rules.

I would argue that campaign fell under "too serious", rather than serious, mature game that appears to be under discussion here. It had the potential to be that, but due to various circumstances it went too far in the other direction. It's the only campaign I've ever been in where I was happy to miss sessions. And I don't think it's because I don't like that kind of campaign. Judging by Shemeska's wonderful story hours, I would be quite happy to be engaged in that kind of serious campaign.

 

[Shemeska]

I would argue that campaign fell under "too serious", rather than serious, mature game that appears to be under discussion here. It had the potential to be that, but due to various circumstances it went too far in the other direction. It's the only campaign I've ever been in where I was happy to miss sessions. And I don't think it's because I don't like that kind of campaign. Judging by Shemeska's wonderful story hours, I would be quite happy to be engaged in that kind of serious campaign.

I should also point out that I've never had a longterm character die without any chance of being brought back*. I honestly don't want to know what the player reactions would be, given how much they invest in the characters. I don't water down the danger in the campaign, or play with kid gloves (oh boy do they know that), it's just never been out of the realm of possibility to raise/ressurect/true ressurect a PC.

* One character effectively 'died' sorta, but the player was moving away irl and they put themselves in harms way voluntarily to save the others, and it worked, brilliantly. Best damn ending possible for them.

At one point a long term PC was roleplayed into being an NPC, but the end for them was positive so it wasn't a shock, or a bad ending for them at all, so it wasn't a problem. And one longterm NPC was pretty much ripped apart and their soul largely devoured. The players were not happy -at all- and we spent the next two months in game finding what happened to them and managing to bring them back.

 

[AIM-54]

I should also point out that I've never had a longterm character die without any chance of being brought back*. I honestly don't want to know what the player reactions would be, given how much they invest in the characters. I don't water down the danger in the campaign, or play with kid gloves (oh boy do they know that), it's just never been out of the realm of possibility to raise/ressurect/true ressurect a PC.

* One character effectively 'died' sorta, but the player was moving away irl and they put themselves in harms way voluntarily to save the others, and it worked, brilliantly. Best damn ending possible for them.

At one point a long term PC was roleplayed into being an NPC, but the end for them was positive so it wasn't a shock, or a bad ending for them at all, so it wasn't a problem. And one longterm NPC was pretty much ripped apart and their soul largely devoured. The players were not happy -at all- and we spent the next two months in game finding what happened to them and managing to bring them back.

Yes, well, this is somewhat different as that particular character had had about 10 lives and had survived many times out of what can only be said was the kindness of the DM's heart.

Two other characters did die and did have the opportunity for coming back (one reincarnated and one was rezzed). It was also a matter of player choice. Due to some magical items and abilities that I won't get into here, he did not have to die. He essentially chose to sacrifice himself so that another PC could live. There were good role-play reasons for it and there was an element of bad luck, but we were dealing with one of the major villains of the campaign.

All this to say that the character was not ignominiously slaughtered for no reason.