D&D 5E Rime of the Frostmaiden Post-Mortem (Spoilers)

[billd91]

The terrible thing about it is that Auril is not coercing anybody - not according to the adventure that I can find anyway. It's not said that her agents (or she herself) is requesting it. It's just happening, apparently for no reason. It isn't proven to be effective. It's completely random. It is even rumored to be rigged.
This is an evil institution.

Well, there's no explicit quid pro quo. But if you're suffering a disaster of titanic proportions being visited on you by a mean goddess in a bad mood, are you not going to at least try to propitiate her?

 

[Retreater]

Well, there's no explicit quid pro quo. But if you're suffering a disaster of titanic proportions being visited on you by a mean goddess in a bad mood, are you not going to at least try to propitiate her?

Well, okay. Yeah, you'd do something. But when the module writers jump to that something being ritualistic murder and human sacrifice, that's quite a leap.
Several of the towns are offering food or fuel. I think that is enough to convey the desperation and hopelessness of the situation rather than killing people at random. Especially when the adventure doesn't give you any more details about why, how, who, etc., is behind the sacrifices.
It's a very instant red herring - the party is going to be suspicious (to say the least) of any town that is killing its citizens - especially when other towns are not going to such extremes.
"I guess they just like killing the people in Village Y, even though the people in Village X are getting by with burning firewood."

 

[billd91]

Well, okay. Yeah, you'd do something. But when the module writers jump to that something being ritualistic murder and human sacrifice, that's quite a leap.
Several of the towns are offering food or fuel. I think that is enough to convey the desperation and hopelessness of the situation rather than killing people at random. Especially when the adventure doesn't give you any more details about why, how, who, etc., is behind the sacrifices.
It's a very instant red herring - the party is going to be suspicious (to say the least) of any town that is killing its citizens - especially when other towns are not going to such extremes.
"I guess they just like killing the people in Village Y, even though the people in Village X are getting by with burning firewood."

Just like killing people or are bearing a disproportionately heavy burden of appeasing the goddess because they are better equipped to do so?

 

[Paul Farquhar]

I mean, is it illogical to find random human sacrifice an abhorrent idea that should be stopped by heroic characters?
We're talking ritualistic murder.
How in the world is this acceptable among the posters on here?

I find the death penalty abhorrent. But that doesn't mean I'm going to invade Texas in order to stop it.

 

[Retreater]

We're clearly at an impasse in this thread. I think that the human sacrifice element is an evil action on the part of the towns, a red herring to the real issue, and poorly developed by the module writers. Some others in this thread, this doesn't bother them at all.
I don't want to keep beating this dead horse. For my part, I'm ready to move on to the myriad other discussions about this adventure, and how it is the worse 5e campaign I've run in the past year.

 

[Retreater]

I find the death penalty abhorrent. But that doesn't mean I'm going to invade Texas in order to stop it.

If you were a heroic adventurer, and they were pulling names out of hats to determine who to kill, people were trying to flee for their lives, there were hints of corruption about the process, and you had access to fireball, ... maybe you'd be tempted?

 

[Paul Farquhar]

If you were a heroic adventurer, and they were pulling names out of hats to determine who to kill, people were trying to flee for their lives, there were hints of corruption about the process, and you had access to fireball, ... maybe you'd be tempted?

The conquistadores thought they where heroic adventures when they were abhorred by the Aztec's human sacrifices. So they killed all the Aztecs.

I don't think that was a victory for the good guys.

 

[billd91]

If you were a heroic adventurer, and they were pulling names out of hats to determine who to kill, people were trying to flee for their lives, there were hints of corruption about the process, and you had access to fireball, ... maybe you'd be tempted?

So, if you were Galen in Dragonslayer, you'd kill the town leadership instead of the dragon? That's heroic...

 

[Retreater]

So, if you were Galen in Dragonslayer, you'd kill the town leadership instead of the dragon? That's heroic...

Haven't seen it, so I can't comment directly.

The conquistadores thought they where heroic adventures when they were abhorred by the Aztec's human sacrifices. So they killed all the Aztecs.

I don't think that was a victory for the good guys.

I think it's okay to be horrified by the actions of both sides in that case.

 

[Irlo]

"I guess they just like killing the people in Village Y, even though the people in Village X are getting by with burning firewood."

A few last comments in summary, and then I’ll let it go.

1) Yes, agreed, the adventure could use a human sacrifice sidebar.

2) You seem to be resistant to the themes of the adventure, at least in the way you envision the NPC motivations. No one should be as lackadaisical and uncaring as you suggest.

3) Watch one of those old Twilight Zone episodes where the reasonable, friendly neighbors get into fights about bomb shelter access during false alarm nuclear strike warnings. Desperate people do unreasonable things.

After this conversation, I’m almost tempted to run the adventure, but then I remember everything about it that I didn’t like. And my players would hate the parts that I do like.