Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="twofalls" data-source="post: 2143486" data-attributes="member: 23718">I've been running a 3.0 FR game now for just over 3 years (the characters are now 13th level), and a year ago I had a situation that really bothered me and nearly broke up a game group that has been strong for over 8 years. I handled it poorly, and it's water under the bridge now, but I wonder how other GM's would have dealt with it.I run a game that addresses moral issues, and the overall story arc is about the evils of the Zhentarim and their slave trade/evil practices. The party was adventuring in the Spiderhaunt woods going through a heavily modified version of the Sword of the Dales/Randal Morn adventure series. They were camped out in a bog in a ramshackle hunters shack when they were quietly cut off by one of several groups of Zhentarim combat squads sent out to eliminate them. After a long bloody fight the PC's prevail and take three captives. One was a Zhent mage, and two were Zhentarim soldiers. All were tied up with rope and forced to their knees in the muck. Keep in mind, all the PC's are of various "good" aligments save one who is true neutral. ALL the PC's had taken grevious wounds in the fighting and were tired, dirty, and in pain... and very angry.They began to question them by threatening to torture them if they didn't talk. The Neutral character (a fighter called Gnaut) brandished a wicked looking dagger before them. The mage silenced the two soldiers by invoking the name of the Diety of Tyranny Bane, and Gnaut quickly slit the Mage's throat. He gurgled pitiously and then after a few seconds dropped over and bled to death in the muck. The two soldiers reacted differently. One, a young fellow began to weep silently, the other a grizzled vetran sat up stiff and straight and refused to look at any of the PC's. They turned to the vetran, told him that if he talked they would free him, otherwise he was worm food. They asked him questions about his masters and the number and compliment of the forces sent out to find them. He answered with his name, rank, and the regiment he was attached to but nothing else. Gnaut slit his throat. By this time I was extremely upset, but was holding my tounge. Next they turned to the young soldier and asked him the same questions. So terrified that he lost control of his digestive system he told them everything he knew. Once they had soaked him for all the info they could, they cut his bonds, gave him a waterskin and a short blade and turned him loose into the Spiderhaunt (essentially consigning him to a slow death). I was beside myself as a GM, I couldn't believe that my party of "Heroes", all friends of mine who are 30 - 35 in age would behave in such a barbaric manner when claiming to play good characters. I let them have it, but good. I ended the game session, told them that I thought their behavior was cowardly and reprehensible and asked for an explanation. I was told that even American soldiers would do such if in the same situation (in enemy territory, hunted, and in need of intelligence). We have a two campaign US war vet in our game group, but he was absent that day to refute these claims (which he did do later in absolute disgust). Everyone went home and I fumed over it for some time.I wrote an email to the group explaining that every good character in the game was in alignment violation, and that I was only going to award 1/4 xp for the fight they had worked so hard at during that session. The neutral character didn't have a history of such behavior so I wasn't going to doc him xp unless it became habitual. I wasn't going to force alignment changes over just one incident, but the priest and the aspiring Paladin (wasn't a Paladin yet) needed to atone for their actions.I was later told that my reaction to the situation had offended my friends on a personal level, and that several of them had thought about leaving the game group entirely after my email went out. I did really let me fury and disapointment show in that email (I took it too seriously... but I suppose I do that with my games as I invest a lot into them). After hearing this, I realized that no game was worth pissing off my friends and wrote an apology and dropped the whole affair. Since then they have been very careful in dealing with enemies that surrender on a battlefield and their treatment of captives.What would you have done?</blockquote>

Verification