Quasqueton
First Post
TMNT.
Just so you know at least one person got it.
Quasqueton
Role playing is not the opposite of combat
- Thread starter Quasqueton
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Just so you know at least one person got it.
Quasqueton
Hmmm ...
As a DM I give out more XP for role-playing then combat. A warrior NPC can do that, doesn't impress me, but role-playing is the essance of getting together and should not be exclusive. My players have learned that, expecially since I don't give out XP too often.
In that aspect I guess I'm a lucky. All the people I play with do not stop role-playing even in combat. One of the most memorable experiences I had was with a party that was taunting the NPC warrior (Bob Dole; don't ask to long to explain) that was assigned to provide us with info about the current situation (the party was helping a town with a Orc problem). For what ever reason, we turned the NPC into a wench, making him get water, maps we really didn't need, etc. During an encounter, the party was still ordering him around, and the NPC was so frustrated at one point turns to the party and tells them to go to hell, and continued that if we didn't stop with the non-sense he was going to have to hurt us for the injustice brought upon him. At which point the player of the halfling Barbarian turns to him, without any hesitation and complete straight face and says, "I highly doubt that Bob." It was priceless. Our battles consist of many insults, pranks, and other non-combat role-playing, giving some trully great moments.
Thus, role-playing shouldn't stop with combat, otherwise you're missing out on the best part of this game, the actual role-playing. This goes double if you're running a swashbuckler campaign.
As a DM I give out more XP for role-playing then combat. A warrior NPC can do that, doesn't impress me, but role-playing is the essance of getting together and should not be exclusive. My players have learned that, expecially since I don't give out XP too often.
In that aspect I guess I'm a lucky. All the people I play with do not stop role-playing even in combat. One of the most memorable experiences I had was with a party that was taunting the NPC warrior (Bob Dole; don't ask to long to explain) that was assigned to provide us with info about the current situation (the party was helping a town with a Orc problem). For what ever reason, we turned the NPC into a wench, making him get water, maps we really didn't need, etc. During an encounter, the party was still ordering him around, and the NPC was so frustrated at one point turns to the party and tells them to go to hell, and continued that if we didn't stop with the non-sense he was going to have to hurt us for the injustice brought upon him. At which point the player of the halfling Barbarian turns to him, without any hesitation and complete straight face and says, "I highly doubt that Bob." It was priceless. Our battles consist of many insults, pranks, and other non-combat role-playing, giving some trully great moments.
Thus, role-playing shouldn't stop with combat, otherwise you're missing out on the best part of this game, the actual role-playing. This goes double if you're running a swashbuckler campaign.
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I think combat offers some great opportunity for role-playing. I will use a few scenarios from my past experience, and also modify a few.
Scenario 1) Paladin PC is a devoted slayer of the undead for his patron and mentor, Lord BigWig, who found Paladin PC as an orphan and brought him in to the Church of Holiness, who then raised him and trained him to be a paladin. When he grows up, Paladin PC returns and pledges to serve Lord BigWig and helps him hold back the growing undead problem in the region. Paladin has much success, and hears about a new, bigger horde of undead threatening to overrun a small town. Paladin rushes to the town one evening and sees Lord BigWig leading the horde of undead. BigWig announces, “These are lost souls who cannot rest until we cleanse this town of evil – every one in this town has been possessed by the evil necromancer! Hurry, there is little time.” What does paladin do? Does he give up his allegiance to Lord BigWig thinking this is an atrocity? Does he think BigWig may have a good reason for doing what he is doing and join him in cleansing the town of ‘evil’? Has Lord BigWig, just out of “detect evil” been corrupted by the dark side?
Scenario 2) PCs sneak in to hobgoblin camp to free prisoners, including a few important people (noble’s children, rich merchant, whatever?) – PCs are discovered but do a good job of holding back the hobgoblins. In desperation, one hobgoblin dives into the prisoner’s cage and manages to get a knife to the throat of one of the important people and cackles in halted common, “Throw down your weapons or she dies.”
Scenario 2A)
Same situation, but instead of a desperation dive by a hobby, noble’s child or rich merchant yells to the PCs to throw down their weapons.
Scenario 3)
Powerful PCs, with “shades of grey” alignments, are in the Underdark trying to hunt down some drow, get caught in a tough situation – a beholder gets them in an area where it can get them in its anti-magic ray, robbing them of being able to use some very potent magic and magic items/weapons. However, PCs – led by one fighter who rolls extremely well - still manage to cut through many of the beholder’s minions. Beholder then says, “Most impressive, join me and we can rule the Underdark and stamp out the drow plague…”
Scenario 1) Paladin PC is a devoted slayer of the undead for his patron and mentor, Lord BigWig, who found Paladin PC as an orphan and brought him in to the Church of Holiness, who then raised him and trained him to be a paladin. When he grows up, Paladin PC returns and pledges to serve Lord BigWig and helps him hold back the growing undead problem in the region. Paladin has much success, and hears about a new, bigger horde of undead threatening to overrun a small town. Paladin rushes to the town one evening and sees Lord BigWig leading the horde of undead. BigWig announces, “These are lost souls who cannot rest until we cleanse this town of evil – every one in this town has been possessed by the evil necromancer! Hurry, there is little time.” What does paladin do? Does he give up his allegiance to Lord BigWig thinking this is an atrocity? Does he think BigWig may have a good reason for doing what he is doing and join him in cleansing the town of ‘evil’? Has Lord BigWig, just out of “detect evil” been corrupted by the dark side?
Scenario 2) PCs sneak in to hobgoblin camp to free prisoners, including a few important people (noble’s children, rich merchant, whatever?) – PCs are discovered but do a good job of holding back the hobgoblins. In desperation, one hobgoblin dives into the prisoner’s cage and manages to get a knife to the throat of one of the important people and cackles in halted common, “Throw down your weapons or she dies.”
Scenario 2A)
Same situation, but instead of a desperation dive by a hobby, noble’s child or rich merchant yells to the PCs to throw down their weapons.
Scenario 3)
Powerful PCs, with “shades of grey” alignments, are in the Underdark trying to hunt down some drow, get caught in a tough situation – a beholder gets them in an area where it can get them in its anti-magic ray, robbing them of being able to use some very potent magic and magic items/weapons. However, PCs – led by one fighter who rolls extremely well - still manage to cut through many of the beholder’s minions. Beholder then says, “Most impressive, join me and we can rule the Underdark and stamp out the drow plague…”
BelenUmeria said:
We played a lot of <look about to make sure no one is listening, then whisper> GURPs, before we got into D&D 3.0e, I have found that our discription are lessened.
Example- "run at him, put all my force into planting my feet into his chest," while in D&D its more like "move up to him, and kick him."
Not sure why that it, but it seems to have changed in some (not all) of our players.
Dark Jezter said:Hear ye, hear ye!
From now on, all D&D campaigns that are low-combat heavy-roleplaying shall be known as "tea parties". As opposed to "hack & slash", which is the most common term used to describe heavy-combat low-roleplaying campaigns.
ROFL
I am going to have to remember that one.
Dark Jezter said:Hear ye, hear ye!
From now on, all D&D campaigns that are low-combat heavy-roleplaying shall be known as "tea parties". As opposed to "hack & slash", which is the most common term used to describe heavy-combat low-roleplaying campaigns.
Now we just have to get it used in a few Dragon columns.
Hrm...
"At one extreme of campaign design we have hack-and-slash where everything is combat-oriented, and at the other we have tea parties, where the DM avoids combat almost entirely, if possible."
Hypersmurf
Moderatarrrrh...
Quasqueton said:
'ppreciate it
-Hyp.
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