I've just been made the conductor...

[Hussar]

... of my very own railroad.

Here's the situation. The party, gallant as they are has joined the garrison of a small fortress under siege by vastly numerically superior forces. Great. However, I just realized something. As the DM, I control the garrison commander who is now their commander. This basically gives me entire control over their actions, allowing me to railroad them as I see fit.

And I don't really like that.

What should a DM do when the party hands the keys to the campaign to him and tells him to drive? Should I gloss over consequences if they choose to ignore orders? Should I play this to the hilt and simply order them to do this or that? I'm in a bit of a bind and I'm not really comfortable with the straps.

 

[Mouseferatu]

Option A: Let the party decide for themselves what they're doing, and assume--as long as it makes sense--that the commander orders (or at least allows) them to do it.

Option B: Have the commander give them general orders (accomplish Task A, eliminate Enemy B), but leave it to the PCs exactly how they're going to go about doing it. Ultimately, it's not much different than the old guy who hires them in the tavern, only there's no gold involved.

 

[Agback]

Option C. Portray the commander as incompetent, senile, insane, or even treacherous, so that the PCs have to take over or die.

Option D. Have the fortress fall, and let the PCs try to escape the wreck. If they fail, drag them off in chains to some sort of villain's base, where they learn the secret of the villain's plan/vulnerability, and then have to escape from the Human Sacrifice Centre, cross a thousand miles of occupied territory, make their way past the bureaucratic/court intrigue to tell their secret to the commander-in-chief of their saide--whom they discover to be incompetent, senile, insane, or even treacherous (but who has a rockin' hot heir/heiress of the appropriate sex, who, being in disgrace with his/her parent, has been posted to command of an elite unit at the forefront of the battle).

 

[Dog Moon]

E. Assuming the PCs are in any position to gain command after the death of commander, assassination. Then, you not only solve your problem, but also causes them to have something to worry about. The assassin had to be inside the fort! That's very dangerous.

F. Spontaneous Combustion, but probably not recommendable.

 

[Agback]

Option G. Have the fortress fall, and the PCs held as prisoners of war for six years. After their country is conquered, have them sent home to their occupied homelands, where they will naturally form a resistance cell of merrie men in Lincoln green.

Option H. Have the fortress fall, the PCs be taken as slaves and used as 'human probes' in the exploration of a magical gate throughto some bizarre and hostile other plane of existence.

 

[TheAuldGrump]

Option C. Portray the commander as incompetent, senile, insane, or even treacherous, so that the PCs have to take over or die.

Darn, beaten to it! I would lean toward the treacherous myself, more chance for some good gaming that way.

The Auld Grump

 

[Corsair]

Option I. Commander gets killed by an assassin, fireball, or just a really well aimed catapult shot. Chaos ensues. Party has to keep the men from breaking.

 

[Hussar]

Well, I guess it's my own fault for not giving more information.

This is in my World's Largest Dungeon game. The garrison is run by Angels - their commander is a planetar. Senile/stupid isn't really going to work.

Actually, my problem isn't really with sending them out to do the things they need to do. That's fine. They want to help and that's not an issue. My problem is more along the finer points of military life. For example, the halfing paladin/monk of Ehlonna decides, in a lull in the conversation with said Planatar that he feels sleepy and heads off to bed. Doesn't ask, doesn't really say anything other than "Gnight".

Now, this isn't going to fly in a highly lawful army. I'm letting him off with a warning this time, but, I'm afraid of other things like this coming up and having to slap down the PC's for it.

 

[Deng]

Option J.

You could just go with it. Maybe it will only last for a few sessions but you could use it as an oportunity to nudge the group in a new direction that would interest you as their DM but they wouldn't be likely to go. Or you could use it to make a PC shine and take the spotlight that hasn't been previously. Don't think of it as railroading but as expanding everyone's horizons. You can always use any of the above options when you (or the players) want it to change.

EDIT: Arrrggghhh... 'cos I missed your above post this doesn't really make much sense any more!!! Still you could just go with it.... how much fun would it be to play a gruff disciplinarian now and again!!

 

[D.M. Punks]

I don't know about you, but even a lawful army doesn't have to be as ultra-rigid as some present-day military (or some people's conception thereof). I find nothing wrong with just saying "G'night".