Kyoni said:
It's up to gabrion to decide whether this is openly discussable or not:
It's fine for everyone to be in on this, since it relates to the way the NPCs will relate to the PCs and what players should expect from my NPCs. Everyone feel free to read the above sblock and, if need be, the relevant stuff from the IC thread (it shouldn't be to big of a problem, just don't let any info you garner affect the way you relate to other characters).
Ok, now to address your points kyoni...
Generally speaking, when an NPC is dealing with your characters (and visa versa), I'm not going to be big on super subtle word choices. In the current situation, it is fine to read out of what the dwarf said that 1) Harbromm does have a reputation for being hot-headed (even for a dwarf) and 2) The guards are engaging in some kind of "extortion." Of course you don't have to read very far to get that, since it's pretty much what he told you.
Now on the topic of
drawing conclusion from that info, it's totally up to your character. Since you know Harbromm has (reputedly) a horrible temper, and people who lose their cool don't always use good sense, you could use that to your advantage. He could easily spill some important info while in a fit of rage, or decided to start swinging an ax at people. Hell, it could even be D+D mechanic that makes his temper so much greater than those around him.
As for the guards, ya you could use that info when dealing with someone in charge, but you'll have to judge for yourself whether or not that person would care, or if they will just be mad at you for snitching.
Now let me revert to the simple claim that as a DM I really love the rules of D+D and as such I use them to solve a lot of my problems. While your character can conclude anything they want, if an NPC is saying something that I mean to be a subtle hint, I will prompt a check of some sort from your PC. If the PC makes a mistake, or says something that make take some metal processing, I will probably use a check to see what the NPC gathers from it (although generally I will just ask you what you are trying to say).
In the particular example kyoni used, you won't see my NPCs reading into it at all. Speaking in third person plural vs. first person plural would not cause even my smart NPCs to become suspicious, unless kyoni says that she was trying to give a hint to them (in which case I would roll to see if they caught it).
Basically keep the following things in mind...
- I will ask for a check if your character could gather some important info from a situation.
- You can draw whatever conclusion you want from speaking with an NPC, just don't expect them to always be right
- I'm not a mean DM, so I will usually try to figure out what your intent is with a particular action. Of course I'll draw the line someplace (saying "I kill babies" can't be construed to mean, "of course I'm friends with a lot of paladins"), but as long as we try to be clear on both sides, there shouldn't be too much of a problem.
- Lastly, if you have any confusion about an IG interaction, just ask here so we can sort it out!