Playing the PCs for suckers

[Geoff Watson]

Sounds like it could be too easy.

Often, players will go along with the DMs plot, because it's the only plot around, even if it isn't really that great an idea, or particularly in character.

Eg, in a Shadowrun game, we always agreed to do runs for pathetically poor amounts of money and never checked out the employers, because the GM thought that was how the game was supposed to be played.

Geoff.

 

[maddman75]

Had a grand campaign go in that fashion. Its one of my best DMing moments actually.

The characters were in a feudal kingdom, ruled by knights and lords and very big on traditions and honor. One PC was the adopted daughter of the village's lone knight, an old man who retired many years ago. The other PCs happened to be wandering by. In the first game there was a suprise attack by goblins, who managed to poison the old knight before being dispatched.

The new band of characters ran off the goblins, and went to see the Baron for aid. Baron Kartark was most helpful, sending a dozen knights, his cousin to act as interim lord, and his personal healer to see to her father.

The new lord set up shop while the old knight recovered. The lord Kartark sent the PCs on some missions to investigate these goings on, and they found messages, weapons, and evidence that someone was building an army in the mountains. Finally they get sent to a cave the Lord says his scouts spotted goblins moving into.

The cave held a dragon, and as they were fleeing they saw some goblins cut the rope bridge that led back to their horses. With no other options they leapt into the river, washing up several miles downstream, lost and with little gear.

It was then they made some realizations.
- Kartark wasn't trying to battle the goblins. He was trying to get them killed. The previous missions didn't do it, so he pulled out the big guns.
- He was probably working for whoever is building an army, and wanted the knight's daughter done away with in a manner no one could question.
- In that same vein, they are probably not giving her father any real medicine at all, and just waiting for the old man to die.

Turns out the Kartark family was very large and owned a lot of land. In fact, if they could seize the small village the PC's hailed from, they'd be the largest landholders in the Northern Duchy. And if something were to happen to the Duke (who had no heir), a replacement would be named from the family with the largest holdings.

It was a great campaign.

 

[BiggusGeekus]

In shadowrun this happenes more often.

That was a problem with a lot of SR adventures, IMHO. There was so many betrayals, secret motives, and double crosses that the players simply assumed that they were being set up every time. It wasn't dangerous, exciting paranoia, it was annoying.

Plus, it became difficult to justify why all these powerful shadowrunners were in a profession where they could expect to be betrayed when they could easily enjoy a higher standard of living by opening up a coffee shop or something.

So put me down in the "only betray the party once or twice a campaign" column.

 

[DragonLancer]

In Vampire games, all the time, every session. Heh. And they still fall for it.

In D&D, when they played The Standing Stone module last campaign they fell hook line and sinker. They are a bit more distrustful these days.