Help me capture my PCs

[Hussar]

This is a terrific solution. If the meat of your adventure begins *after* the capture, and you absolutely need for the capture to happen, then just be upfront with the players and make it so.

Really, the contrivance of having the game start in a prison cell is no different from having the game start in a tavern. The game-the puzzles, obstacles, combats, and decision-making--is what's important. Not the setup.

I once started a game with a crazy situation. I said "Okay, the game begins with your characters in the Thieve's Quarter. Bob, your character is panting. Paul, your character has his sword out, and it's covered in blood. Mark, your character is on fire. Josh, your character is sprawled over a dead body. Okay, how did you all come to find yourself in this situation, and what do you do next?"

They worked together to supply the details, and I ran with that. I didn't expect Bob to say that his character was panting because he'd just been polymorphed into a dog, but hey--whatever.

Point is, you can and should trust your players to go with the direction of the game. If you must railroad your players for the sake of the plot/providing them with a good story, then don't even try to fake them out. Just be upfront, ask them to trust you that it'll be awesome, and then holler "all aboard!"

-z

Zara - that's brilliant. I love that idea. Yoink! Gives the players all sorts of freedom and still gets me to where I want to go. Fan-freakin'-tastic!

 

[Ry]

Here's arule of thumb that's served me well:

Good game material asks the players to do something with it (see my sig, problems, threats, resources, rewards). There's another kind of game material that tells the players how it is and doesn't let them touch, despite the illusion that they can change it (i.e. no touchy! GM PC is slaying the dragon, not your dumb player PCs). But I like the good kind better than that other kind, on account of it being consistently good.

Doug / Hussar / Zara 's advice is the way to go. If you've got a great idea for the part where the players ARE active, set up the part where they get their hands dirty and make choices. There's no point in spending an hour of gametime in a combat that is essentially the illusion of a combat whose outcome is already determined (i.e. if they don't get captured it screws the game because that's not the scenario that leads to the action).

 

[smetzger]

blah blah blah...

how can I ensure they are arrested for this crime?

Do you use action points or hero points? If so, you can tell the players that you need to have them captured and in return you will give the characters X amount of hero points.

This also works well when you need/want a vilain th escape.

 

[JoeyD473]

Capture is not required for the plot, just makes my life easier. I have no plans on railroading them (nor did I ever). If they escape, they escape, but as I said, I prefer them not to

There has always been the chance that they can catch the assassin, or at least prevent him (or her) from making the kill.

Inhaled Poison that induces sleep. Make the DC high, and have the guards shatter a few vials of it on the ground to render the PCs unconscious.

I would do this, but the party has 1 Human, 1 Halfling, 1 almost dwarf (was an Elf but a magic effect is slowly turning him into a dwarf) 2 more elves and 2 half elves (half elves in my campaign don't require sleep and are immune to sleep effects like elves in my campaign)

Getting captured is one of those things that works much better in fiction than it does in games.

For the most part I agree, but every now and then the players need something different. Truth be told, my players wouldn't mind being captured as long as they didn't lose there items, or the many spell books in their possession

and one guard with a level of wizard/high UMD check and a wand of Charm Person, Sleep, or Color Spray waiting for anyone that comes out of the cloud of gas -- since it will be assumed that anyone strong enough to resist the gas will probably be weak-willed. (Note: Unlikely to work on divine-types. )

Already a wizard in the with the groups of guards, level 6, and the one w/ dimension door is level 7

The biggest thing, though? Don't railroad.

There's nothing worse than being railroaded into jail because THE PLOT MUST BE OBEYED. If, for some reason, it is absolutely vital beyond all reason that the PCs *must* be captured, then go with the advice up-thread and talk to the players. Otherwise, your players will probably be very annoyed with a railroad to jail.

As I said before, never was planning on it

This sort of thing is right up alley (so to speak). As a Police Officer, I can tell you that proof is the hardest thing to come by while evidence is always plentiful. Also, evidence doesn't lie. What you want to plant is solid and near damning evidence that the PCs were responsible. Usually, suspicion begins from what witnesses see as the behaviour of the suspect before the crime was commited. So, in your example, if an argument or open hostility between this guest and the PCs is obvious, the suspicion of their involvement will grow.

Though the PCs were escorting the victim to the city, it is obvious that they don't like him

And never underestimate the power of a good forgery in one of the PCs handwriting being placed at the scene as strong evidence of their involvement.

Good idea that I never thought of and also leads me to another idea

The only other way I could see it work is if the PCs are honorable types, and the guards come in to arrest them, and they surrender. Not usually too likely, but it depends on the characters and the way it's handled. Noble characters will want to submit to justice, believing that it works, or even if they were framed, that a case can be made to clear them.

Except for the one character they mostly are

I was going to agree with you until I remembered the time where we were forced into an adventure where we woke up in completely different bodies. That annoyed me more than being captured, because at least when I was captured I could use my own character and his abilities to find a way out.

I had a DM do that to me once. It was annoying except for the fact I call fly into an enemies head through their ear and stab their brain directly

Are Detect Lies, Speak With Dead, and such-like spells part of the legal process? Even more importantly, do the players know if they are or not? If the answer to both questions is 'yes', then they shouldn't have any problem surrendering to the authorities unless they are really paranoid. If the answer to either is 'no', good luck!

Yes it is legal, but characters (and players) don't know. Last town they were in where they had a problem it wasn't a part of the legal process so they have very little reason to expect to be here, even though it is

I'm curious, why does this situation have to happen?

I not once said it HAD to happen, would just prefer it

Do you use action points or hero points? If so, you can tell the players that you need to have them captured and in return you will give the characters X amount of hero points.

This also works well when you need/want a vilain th escape.

I don't like hero/action points, never had and I don't like bargaining with the players in that regard. If they escape fine, I'm looking to make it very hard though

 

[Thornir Alekeg]

What level is this party? It appears you have seven PCs in the group. The only way the entire party is DDing away is if the Wizard is 18th level, in which case I capturing them is going to be REALLY hard.

Inhaled poison: what is the problem with this? If is isn't a magical sleep effect, the elves gain no special immunity to it. The almost dwarf and halfling might have better saves, but if you can take down most of the party, the remainder should be simpler to subdue.

 

[roguerouge]

Follow the advice in this thread, but bring a side quest or dungeon crawl just in case. Simply having it in your back pocket will allow you to feel free to deviate from your plot. It's your security blanket.

 

[MonkeyDragon]

Divide and conquor. A large party as guests in a manse aren't likely to all be sleeping in the same room. Bring enough guards to make an encounter for each roomful of PCs. Some thoughts:

-You don't need to worry about the arrest looking contrived. It IS contrived. They're being framed, after all. Showing up with a force adequate to take the PCs but overkill in a normal instance SHOULD cause some susicion. Try to drop some clues that the fact that the arresting force happened to show up before the party even knew about the murder and just happen to be prepared to fight them IS kinda fishy and isn't a coincidence. Basically, the people after them are after them. t's not you that's after them.

-Don't worry if some get away. Catching any of them means that you have your prisoners. They won't escape as easily without the whole party there, and the escapees will have a harder time breaking their friends out than they would if it was the whole party trying to rescue an NPC. The captured PCs can be used as bait to try and catch the others later. You could do anything from stage an ambush, or just post a public notice that unless the rest of the fugitives turn themselves in, Something Bad will happen to the others.

-There should be dirty people in the justice system if you want to make proving innocence any sort of a challenge. Then you have people willing to arrest the PCs without much evidence, try to fix the investigation, etc.

-There should also be NPCs with a good sense of justice who believe the PCs and want to help them. Pitting the PCs against unsurmountable odds of rigged systems and powerful adversaries is going to look like you flexing your DM muscles even if you're not.

 

[Ed_Laprade]

Follow the advice in this thread, but bring a side quest or dungeon crawl just in case. Simply having it in your back pocket will allow you to feel free to deviate from your plot. It's your security blanket.

Now that's some good advice!

 

[Zaruthustran]

Zara - that's brilliant. I love that idea. Yoink! Gives the players all sorts of freedom and still gets me to where I want to go. Fan-freakin'-tastic!

Thanks man. Not my original idea, though--I snagged it from somewhere else on EN World.

I think from.... (search check)... here:
Meta-Mechanics Worth Stealing
http://www.enworld.org/showthread.php?t=186794

I really like this one: "instead of working everything together with lots of backstory, you start with your characters about to get into a fight, and then the players explain why they are about to get into a fight."

 

[Warren Okuma]

Never ever rail road a capture. Easiest way to destroy your game. Possibly forever.

Some players will harbor a deep resentment and go all paranoid on you. Some would ignore all your plots from now on. That all your plots and do what they want to do because following your plot=misery. Always give them a chance to escape. Play it out.