D&D General Fighting Law and Order

[Micah Sweet]

I think a better idea is to kill the PCs with char-opped powered-up other-dimensional versions of themselves. If they survive that, I think that a god should polymorph them into deer so they can be torn apart by predators.

I mean, isn't that what the in-fiction logic of the situation demands?

I'm still thinking traditional wanted fugitives is the way to go.

 

[Flamestrike]

What would happen if you punched a mob boss and his capo knew you could convert all the made men in the room to a fine mist that tastes vaguely of copper and iron?

They'd send 30 hitmen to murder you in your sleep instead of 1.

 

[EzekielRaiden]

They'd send 30 hitmen to murder you in your sleep instead of 1.

Alternatively:

Congratulations! You have become a player in the mob-boss game. A rather good one, in fact.

The people at the next higher level now consider you an interesting game piece.

 

[Maxperson]

Okay… who still thinks a do over is a bad idea?

I dunno. I kinda gave up on a solution when the OP said on page 1 that he wasn't interested in talking to the players to work it out. That's exactly what is required, so...

 

[AbdulAlhazred]

Sure, but all of those things have the agenda of getting the PCs out of the consequences of their actions plausibly. To me, that makes the motivation for them not what I would want.

No, they don't. All you classic/trad GMs are all on about the authenticity of the living world and verisimilitude and variations on the theme of games that focus the development of the world on the PCs as unrealistic and whatever. This is what reality is like. Sometimes someone murders a bunch of people and walks away! Sometimes (and in a fairly chaotic low tech fantasy world filled with evil bad guys, bandits, orc tribes, wars, etc. this all seems pretty likely) authorities just don't have a lot of power. Sometimes they don't feel like doing something. Sometimes other authorities take advantage, etc. etc. etc. All this is stuff that happens in the REAL world, so why is it implausible in the fantasy world? I mean, sure maybe there ARE consequences, or at least there certainly are some people that would like there to be. Maybe some time in the future the party fighter will feel a shiv stuck in his kidney while he's drinking at the bar, and a voice will say "remember that guard captain! That was my father! Ain't paybacks a bitch!" Or maybe not.

 

[AbdulAlhazred]

I choose, as GM, to take a third option:
Frame situations such that, within reason, I am comfortable with anything they are likely to choose, and telling my players the kinds of things that make me deeply uncomfortable and thus essentially guaranteed to not be able to run a game for them that they would be able to enjoy. For instance, I love redemption arcs, so a character trying to redeem herself from legitimately awful deeds is fine. But an unrepentant evil character? I cannot honestly say I would be comfortable with that. Morally grey is fine; doing one bad thing "because I had to" or only after heartbreakingly fervent efforts to find a better solution, sure, that's the stuff good stories are made of right there.

But just blatantly, "sure I'd murder someone if it was to my advantage" evil? I just can't do that. I would not have fun, and I would be very likely to run the game more poorly because I wouldn't be able to keep my personal disapproval/discomfort separate from my adjudications as GM. I recognize that limitation in myself, and explicitly call it out, so my players know what they're getting into. Their agency is respected; they can choose to be anything they like, except absolutely unrepentant evil.

Both groups I have run games for have found this situation perfectly acceptable.

Yeah, I wouldn't even call this a GAME thing really. You simply have certain personal preferences for what you want to experience. That's cool. I mean, its obviously going to mean you won't run certain possible games. I doubt that's a very big burden. I'd just hope that all the people you play with are understanding.

 

[EzekielRaiden]

Well, I have had no contact other then that single e-mail for the game. But it's not like I know the guy, anyway.

One player of the game did e-mail me to say how great he thought the game was, and he looks forward to "being on the run for the next game". He thinks the DM will be busy again this weekend...

So...maybe run the game again. I'm so tempted to start the game with Tyr coming down and ploymorphing all the PCs into deers and then seting a pack of wolves on them to rip them apart. Then maybe see if they want to play Munskin for the next couple hours.

But at my heart is a Teaching Railroad DM of horror...so, I have my forced game plan. Start off with the PCs hidding in the caves...and have some Dumb and Dumber bounty hunters after them(to set up some illusioniusm for the players). Then toss a nice...Adjustment Bureau, TVA, Timecop and "Put Things Right that Once Went Wrong" plot at them. Toss in some modrons "fixing reality" to attack the characters. Then have alternate copies of the PCs show up. They will claim to be from a "good" alt world where they are not murderhobos and are here to put right what once when wrong: The PC slaughter fest. And when the PCs fall for this....they discover the alt PCs are really from the "evil twin" world where the alts did the slaughter and are now out to slaughter all their alts across reality.

This lets me show them their characters made much better and like three times as more powerful. I can tell by looking they made their characters using only the 'core' 5E stuff. The players will either kill the double characters or, more likely have their characters killed by the doubles. Each way, they will see much better and more powerful versions of their characters.

If the characters die, and they players walk out...oh well game over for them. If they stick it out, I'll do the spin that they can "come back" as Alternative Alternative versions of their character, but offer them more class options, items, spell, ect to remake their character.

Maybe the players choose to Put Right What Once Went Wrong. Maybe they choose to run with their new and improved 'stealth' characters. Or something related......should fill up the game time.

It seems to me you already knew what you intended to do, so I'm a bit confused as to why the thread was required.

 

[CleverNickName]

It seems to me you already knew what you intended to do, so I'm a bit confused as to why the thread was required.

It's led to a pretty good discussion, at least. I'm enjoying the different perspectives that people are sharing.

 

[GetInTheHole]

Seems 4 out of 5 participants at the table agree. Murderhoboing is fun.
You don’t have to substitute DM if that isn’t your cup of tea.

 

[Mort]

It's led to a pretty good discussion, at least. I'm enjoying the different perspectives that people are sharing.

I'm finding some really interesting links between this thread and the one discussing How much control DMs really need.

Like for example, some of the people advocating FULL DM control is preferable (in that thread) are advocating here, under NO CIRCUMSTANCES, should the DM exercise that control to retcon or otherwise affect an outcome perceived as undesired.