FitzTheRuke
Legend
You've never seen a penguin? Cute little critters. Weird, too.
IRON DM 2021 Tournament
You've never seen a penguin? Cute little critters. Weird, too.
Gradine
The Elephant in the Room (she/her)
I've played/DMed a few morally grey/bankrupt games, but with the exception of a particularly uproarious and unscrupulous campaign of Star Wars D20 (a game that, amusingly, assumes heroics), they've never lasted too long and never felt particularly great. That Star Wars game was enough for me to understand the appeal of a mercenary campaign of skullsuggery, but even then our acts of genocide were usually unintentional (in one particularly memorable adventure we ended up selling out Mara Jade (and incidentally, the entire populated planet we were stationed on) to the Ssi-Ruu to save our own skin... by the end of that campaign we did not have many friends left...)
When I DM though I almost always assume generally heroic PCs, and with my players they almost always don't require me to enforce that rule at all. Oh, they often have other, more personal (and sometimes selfish) motivations, but in the end I can usually count on them to at least try to do the right thing (though I will, at times, throw a good moral dilemma or three at them). We're all generally idealists in real life though, so that explains quite a bit of that.
Oh, and I looked it up; penguins not only have feathers, they have the most feathers.
When I DM though I almost always assume generally heroic PCs, and with my players they almost always don't require me to enforce that rule at all. Oh, they often have other, more personal (and sometimes selfish) motivations, but in the end I can usually count on them to at least try to do the right thing (though I will, at times, throw a good moral dilemma or three at them). We're all generally idealists in real life though, so that explains quite a bit of that.
Oh, and I looked it up; penguins not only have feathers, they have the most feathers.
Rune
Once A Fool
Well, he did say “in the flesh”.I'm not sure which I find more odd - the idea of never having played with heroic PCs, or not having ever seen a penguin....
Wicht
Hero
I feel like we should take up a collection to buy someone a zoo membership somewhere...
True story... this year taking the kids to the zoo, three of them (ages 2 and 3 and 5 at the time) were noticeably more interested in the Penguins than the Lions. Granted, the lions were mostly just sleeping, and the penguins were waddling around somewhat comically, and swimming, but when I was a youngin, the African animals were always the most interesting for me to watch. Not sure why that is. But apparently the newest generation (Generation Alpha??? Who names these things?) is very pro-penguin.
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FitzTheRuke
Legend
I'd say it's from Penguins of Madagascar, but your kids are too young for that by far! Mine are just right, and they are older teens now. My daughter's going into grade 12! Makes me feel sooooo old!I feel like we should take up a collection to buy someone a zoo membership somewhere...
True story... this year taking the kids to the zoo, three of them (ages 2 and 3 and 5 at the time) were noticeably more interested in the Penguins than the Lions. Granted, the lions were mostly just sleeping, and the penguins were waddling around somewhat comically, and swimming, but when I was a youngin, the African animals were always the most interesting for me to watch. Not sure why that is. But apparently the newest generation (Generation Alpha??? Who names these things?) is very pro-penguin.
Wicht
Hero
My oldest is 25 this year. I have 21 yr old daughter engaged to be married. Wait till you have to start talking to your daughter about how she needs to be setting a wedding date so you can actually budget in her wedding. Anyway, I can sympathize with your sentiment.
But, after having four grow up and heading out to college and whatnot, and having an empty nest for a couple of years we bit the bullet and began fostering. We're waiting to adopt one (currently 6) but also have three in home younger than he, including one turning 1 in two weeks. As my sister observed, it's like my wife and I are starting all over again.
Which means, I am realizing once I think about it that I have been watching children's shows for six decades, counting my own childhood. I can knowledgeably pontificate on the joys and frustrations of trying to watch the Dungeons and Dragons cartoon pre-DVD, Joe vs Steve in Blues Clues, the foolishness of Paw Patrol and how Dino Ranch reminds me of Bonanza.
Iron Sky
Procedurally Generated
Ironically, one of the most moral groups I've had was a crew of Blades drug dealers. When the creepy probably-a-vampire dude who hijacked a lightning tower wanted to sell them ghost drugs in exchange for virgins, I was surprised when they never once even brought up the possibility of actually complying and jumped straight into the heist to break in and mug him.I'm not sure which I find more odd - the idea of never having played with heroic PCs, or not having ever seen a penguin....
Rune
Once A Fool
That sounds like a story worth elaborating on!
