If you were the GM, would you accept this behavior?

[DragonLancer]

If the players don't say they are doing it when there and don't at lerast roleplay finding the site setting them, then it doesn't happen.

 

[Flexor the Mighty!]

I would have allowed it, then had the remains of a Soviet armor column ambush them on thier way out of town. A few T-72's will shake 'em up a bit.

 

[Zappo]

I don't have time for DMing adversarial groups. I don't have time for imparting lessons either. I'd tell them so, adding that the next time anything like this springs up, the game is over. If they argue or say they don't understand, there are two possibilities - either they really don't understand, or they do but they are playing contrary again. Either way, the game is over. Life is too short to put up with that.

 

[radferth]

I'd probably tell them that the need to actually tell me what they are doing if they want to do it. They'd say something about "but we wrote it on our sheets." I replay "Yes, but you never actually said you were planting bombs, so now there's ogres. Um, I mean, so you're standing there thinking "Dang! We forgot to plant the bombs."

 

[ForceUser]

I would not have allowed it, because players don't get to keep secrets from the DM regarding what their characters are up to. The DM gets to know. If he doesn't know about it, it didn't happen.

 

[Voadam]

I would explain that since I am running the world they have to bring things like the fact that their trade goods contain explosives to my attention as it can affect what happens in the game.

I would also explain that players only tell me what their characters try to do, not what actually happens in the world as a result of their actions.

 

[Mercule]

I do not put up with players keeping secrets from the GM -- either as a player or a GM. I have no interest to be on either side of the screen in an adversarial game.

That said, the story does leave some room for an honest misunderstanding.

 

[wingsandsword]

I'm not sitting on a plethora of RPGs at the moment, but I'm pretty sure FASA's Mechwarrior game didn't have anything (I have the books at home). Nor can I recall if ShadowRun had it? Start a list, include Twilight 2000. I suspect game design didn't help the situation.

Well, Star Wars (d6) certainly had a Search skill (under the Perception attribute), and it was a pretty common skill. The d6 SWRPG dates to 1989, so it's even got a (late) 1980's design credit.

 

[Lord Mhoram]

A few years ago I was running a 3rd ed game. I told the players the the DM sees all notes between players. Last game the players started toi pass notes between them for 10 minutes. I asked to see the notes, the players refused. I stoped the game right there.

I don't even allow notes to be passed. Anything said between characters is said to the group, and I fully expect the players to seperate character knowledge from player knowledge. I run team games, and that helps avoid any PC vs PC plotting, which I let players know that I will not tolerate at my table as part of my "intro" speach.


As to the original question-
I would have let it go off. Then survivors would come looking for the PCs. I would also inform the PCs from that time forward, that if I didn't know anything like that in advance, it didn't happen.

 

[Bardsandsages]

They had all the stuff written down on their character sheets, but they sprang their move on the gm after the fact. How would you respond to this?

by telling them to lay off the wacky weed.

I don't care WHAT you have written on your character sheet. I would expect that sort of stuff to be told to me. The fact is, there were dozens of opportunities for the bombs to be discovered, accidentally go off, have the PCs searched, etc. Planting the bombs should have been roleplayed, with proper checks made to plant them and insure they were not detected and actually went off. I don't care what game system you are playing. You don't just declare, "Oh, BTW, I left twelve bombs in town and the town is leveled."

That's like saying "Oh, BTW, when we were in town, I killed the mayor." Well, unless you made all your skill checks and attack rolls, you didn't. You can't just declare that you did.