Typical Player Behavior, or Bad Roleplaying?

[ptolemy18]

But why did he then agree to play a cleric of a God of Supreme Good?

Exactly! (This seems in line with a pseudo-Zoroastrian "Good" morality, too... it's not so much that you're supposed to go out of your way to do good things whenever possible... it's that you're supposed to pay back favors and be "honorable." Ancient legends are full of people giving their life for people who just gave them a meal or crash-space.. if someone gives you magic items that's obviously debt-worthy. )

Anyway, this is what I decided to do: I e-mailed the player and told him that I feel his character would feel "a debt" to the old PC for giving him so much stuff, but it was his own choice of how to roleplay that.

And then I pointed out that of course it was my mistake for allowing him to inherit the former PC's stuff in the first place and I apologized for making it difficult.

Jason

 

[sword-dancer]

We role-played that out. It pretty much ended up with the interrogators asking "Did you or did you not help the rebels?!" and the soon-to-be-former-PC going "Err, ahh, um, I did what I had to do", at which point, of course, the interrogators realized that she was evading their questions and arrested her.

And the interrogators don`t believe in the pantheon,punishment of the gods or the churches, like burning them included chief of police, chief of town on the stake?

Sorry in egypt church was a major political player.

OTOH there is confession, which in the christian church is absolutely secret, now how do you force a priest to break that, and if you do in egypt there you`ve declared war n the church...

 

[sword-dancer]

Anyway, this is what I decided to do: I e-mailed the player and told him that I feel his character would feel "a debt" to the old PC for giving him so much stuff, but it was his own choice of how to roleplay that.

That would be definitely over the top, where I this player you would play without me!
Nobody says a Player how his PC feels about his own decisions.

 

[Andor]

That would be definitely over the top, where I this player you would play without me!
Nobody says a Player how his PC feels about his own decisions.

Complete and total BS. Characters are shaped by the society they are part of. The GM is informing the character how his actions look from the standpoint of a society the player may not be familiar with. What the player does with that info is being left up to him. If you objected to that at my table you would be welcome to leave.

 

[ptolemy18]

And the interrogators don`t believe in the pantheon,punishment of the gods or the churches, like burning them included chief of police, chief of town on the stake?

Sorry in egypt church was a major political player.

Of course. In fact, the interrogators were ALSO Egyptian priests!!!

(Of a different, equally powerful god who happens to support the corrupt, evil government.)

Jason

 

[ptolemy18]

That would be definitely over the top, where I this player you would play without me!
Nobody says a Player how his PC feels about his own decisions.

It's not different than if you told the player of a Lawful Good paladin that he was acting outside his alignment.

(Keeping in mind that this is the only PC in the group who I'm forcing to act under an "alignment"-style code, and that he agreed to it beforehand.)

Jason

 

[swrushing]

Anyway, this is what I decided to do: I e-mailed the player and told him that I feel his character would feel "a debt" to the old PC for giving him so much stuff, but it was his own choice of how to roleplay that.
Jason

Ok so much for all the advice.

If it were me, your next comment from me would be face to face when I thanked you for the game and told you i was bowing out.

If a player asks you questions about "how would my character see this" a Gm should give answers about local customs and such in thw world. If a Gm thinks a character is doing something way off, he might explain about local customs and perhaps what the character knows people's reactions would be like "your character knows this is against church dogma as he recalls the parable of Eloise and the Dragon turtle..."

But IMO and the way I run things a Gm shouldn't EVER of his own volition take it upon himself to TELL the player what his character feels, barring of course the impact of mind control or comnpulsion magics or maybe strong social skill use by others.

I hope it goes well for you and yours, but definitely our gaming styles are so different as to make further advice/discussion rather pointless.

enjoy your games.

 

[ptolemy18]

Complete and total BS. Characters are shaped by the society they are part of. The GM is informing the character how his actions look from the standpoint of a society the player may not be familiar with. What the player does with that info is being left up to him.

Yeah, I'm not forcing him to do anything. Although I *have* been basically telling him that his in-character justifications seem kind of weak, so that's probably annoying. Oh well. :/

Jason

 

[Agback]

Anyway, this is what I decided to do: I e-mailed the player and told him that I feel his character would feel "a debt" to the old PC for giving him so much stuff, but it was his own choice of how to roleplay that.

And then I pointed out that of course it was my mistake for allowing him to inherit the former PC's stuff in the first place and I apologized for making it difficult.

I think that was a good choice. Criticism (ie. constructive criticism) always goes down better wrapped up in an apology. So much so that I sometimes make up having something to apologise for.

 

[ptolemy18]

But IMO and the way I run things a Gm shouldn't EVER of his own volition take it upon himself to TELL the player what his character feels, barring of course the impact of mind control or comnpulsion magics or maybe strong social skill use by others.

I hope it goes well for you and yours, but definitely our gaming styles are so different as to make further advice/discussion rather pointless.

So you're spanking me for using the 2nd person ("you, as a lawful good cleric, would probably feel this way") instead of the 3rd person ("a typical lawful good cleric would probably feel this way").....?

Yeah, it's a little bit of a presumption on my part, but I wouldn't call it a campaign-killer. (Whoops, I guess it doesn't matter since you're not reading the thread any more....) :/

Jason