I need help with out of control Quentin Tarantino-esque gangster characters!

[shadow]

Help! I have a major problem with a player in the group that I play with. The said player has a habit of creating sadistic, out-of-control "thug" type characters. I have known the player and gamed with him for a long time. His characters always have been somewhat of an antihero, a little on the wild side. I never had a major problem with that; I always figured RPGs were a chance to create a memorable character that behaves in a way that you couldn't behave in real life. However, after getting into all the damn Quentin Tarantino movies and watching Sin City five times, his characters have become extremely psychotic and sadistic.
I expect the party to interrogate prisoners in a conspiracy scenario to find out information. However, for the last few games every single battle has ended with a lengthy and brutal interrogation, whether or not it is appropriate to the plot. Moreove, the player has begun to use torture methods right out of movies like Reservoir Dogs and Sin City. It seems that he's enjoying torturing NPCs just for the fun of it!
This player completely wrecked a game a few weeks ago when his nuetral good Druid started breaking fingers and cutting the tongues of a bunch of thugs that were hired to attack the party. I ruled that his alignment changed from the act. I also warned him that he wasn't acting like a druid. He got mad and replied that he could roleplay his character anyway he wanted to. Besides, he said, he just watched Sin City and wanted to do a character based on Marv (the strong, crazy character played by Mickey Rourke), but got stuck playing a druid because the party needed divine magic.
Last night we played a d20 Modern Game set in the pulp depression-era. I figured at least he would have a chance to play a gangster since it was appropriate for the genre. Surprisingly, his character was an big, strong, uneducated, farm boy on the run from the law (since he stole money from a banker who foreclosed his family's farm). He explained that his despite his characters brashness, roughness, he was working for justice and wanted to help the common man. Things went downhill from there. The antics started with him shooting an unarmed mobster in the back after an iterrogation. Then things got really out of hand. The party captured one of the mob hitman working for the BBEG. When the player started the interrogation he described in sickening detail all the things he was doing to torture the villain with a sadistic glee. Even the GM and the other players started to get a little freaked out when he described cutting off chunks of skin from the mobster.
Now I'm in a bind. I can't kick the player out of the group. He's my roommate afterall! He's generally a decent guy, except in game. He's also a dedicated gamer that brings a lot to the gaming table. Still, his characters have gotten out of control and ruining the game.

 

[freebfrost]

I hate to ask the obvious, but have you talked to him about this?

 

[painandgreed]

First, warn him his alignment is slipping from so much "interrogation". After that, have paladins hunt them down for torturing so many people and refer to the end of Reservoir Dogs. Gangster thugs die like gangster thugs.

 

[Ankh-Morpork Guard]

First, warn him his alignment is slipping from so much "interrogation". After that, have paladins hunt them down for torturing so many people and refer to the end of Reservoir Dogs. Gangster thugs die like gangster thugs.

Unless the character goes by Mr. Pink. But uh...try to avoid that.

 

[Black Omega]

I'd second talking with the player about what effect this is having on the game. You can play a sadistic thug without being THAT sadistic.

 

[Xombie Master]

What goes around comes around!

Treat others the way you want to be treated!

Basically see how he likes his beloved torturer being on the receiving end of a Marv style interrogation! I love Sin City, and hate to see someone over use it in an RPG scenario where it's inappropriate.

 

[HeapThaumaturgist]

TALK TO HIM.

Or

KICK HIM OUT

There's not exactly a lot in between. I guess I could come up with some more esoteric advice.

Hrm.

I advise you to buy a ballerina costume and a 'magic wand' at the local Target. Halloween is close, their displays are already out. While you're there, pick up several party strobe lights. Get some body glitter from the girls' make-up section. Next proceed to the Sporting Goods section. Buy yourself a pulley, a carabiner, and a section of rope with a test strength greater than your weight. Next, proceed to the electronics department. There you should purchase a portable stereo system with the largest wattage you can find, preferably one with some sort of enhanced bass boost and built-in extra subwoofer. Also purchase a Slipknot CD.

Take these things back to your apartment/dorm-room/rental home. Attach the pulley to the tree outside of your room-mate's window. Securely attach the carabiner to the rope, and thread the rope through the pulley. Get a strong friend, or group of friends (enlist the rest of the group, whom this player is disturbing!). They should hold the end of the rope not attached to the carabiner.

As he's your room-mate, you have access to him during the hours he normally sleeps. Make sure the window to the room is unlocked. Wish him a good night as he retires for bed. Feign that you, yourself, are leaving to do something entirely uninteresting, like buy hemrhoidal cream at the local all-night department store. Sneak outside and slip into the ballerina costume you purchased earlier. Liberally apply body-glitter to any areas of exposed skin, including your face, hair, and facial hair. Grab the strobe lights and the stereo (with Slipknot CD). Turn the volume knob as high as it will go, make sure the bass boost is enabled. Turn everything else to 11.

Attach yourself to the rope with the carabiner and have the rest of the group hoist you up to your room-mate's window ... or, if it's a 1st floor room, just walk up to it. Open the window and carefully, quietly climb inside. Then, before your room-mate awakens, engage the strobelights and hit PLAY on the stereo. Jump onto his bed and scream as loudly as you can with the music, then fall to your knees, pinning his arms to the bed. Get in his face and scream:

"I AM THE RPG FAIRY!! Your play style is bogarting the fun for everyone else in the group. You will immediately cease and desist playing sick, depraved, psychotic killers. You will STOP watching Sin City. You will play characters whose personalities and actions aid and add to the fun of every other member of the play group. If you do not, I, the RPG FAIRY will return and totally kill you like Marv did to that Spiderman/Charlie Brown lookin' dude in Sin City. It will NOT be cool."

Then, real quick, grab your strobes and the stereo and JUMP OUT THE WINDOW. Everybody on the other end of the rope should then hoist you up out of sight so it looks like you're flying.

This should be sufficient to solve your issue.

--fje

 

[KenM]

Have a bunch of thug NPCs capture him and do the same thing to him. For the whole game session. You can do this buy just passing notes to him and the session ends with the other PC's finding him witht he crap beat out of him. His character will loss alot of his "bad ass rep" once the other PC's see him like that.

 

[Ralts Bloodthorne]

Have Johnny Law start looking for him as his actions mirror a rather famous series of killings awhile back. (Ala, he's stealing Marv's shtick, he's a copy-cat)

In fantasy, it's a bit simple. Enact the Ravenloft rules. After each of these horrific scenes, give his a power a little better than before.

And don't tell him the off side.

After the 6th one, have the demon burst free of it's human skin and tell him to roll up a real character and quit copying movies.

 

[Zaruthustran]

If you don't want to address the issue directly ("Dude, you're creeping us out."), then make him DM. No more sadistic character, his NPCs and monsters provide the vent to this guy's disturbed mind, and player characters get to beat up on all the creepy bad guys. Everyone wins!

-z