Would you drop this player?

[ravin_raven]

I started a PbP asking for 'Heroic characters, willing to risk personal harm to jump in and help a stranger in trouble.' I have a large group, and in the first scene, as three thugs broke into a shop and attacked the owner when he arrived, most of the PCs ran to his rescue. The (only) rogue, however, decided to climb up to the second story window. I told him that he heard the voices of people within, and that it appeared to be a middle-class apartment. His response was "Help people I don't know, or take their things? No contest really." He's lurking upstairs while the heroes are questioning the battered thieves below. The city guard is about to show up.

Do I cut this guy loose? He's already heard voices, when the Guard shows up I'm considering just having the lady who lives there walk in and scream, and that will be the end of it one way or another. He refused to make introductions or take the first hook.

Any suggestions?

Any idea why people do this (i.e., spend hours making a character and then refusing the basic premise of the game)?

 

[justanobody]

I would say you are asking a lot from your

Heroic characters, willing to risk personal harm to jump in and help a stranger in trouble.

If you are not giving them much room to act in a way other than your prescribed method in the first bit.

It would really be too early to say if this is the beginning what is going on. But it is your PbP, and if you think someone misunderstood, you should try to clarify the intent of your game to this player, or maybe ask why they chose not to help the rest of the party and went into burglary right off.

 

[Doug McCrae]

Do I cut this guy loose?

No. Looks like just a communication issue. Ask him to make his PC more altruistic.

 

[Darrin Drader]

I don't think roleplaying a specific character should be punished, so I don't think you should drop him. I do think you should let the players chastise him for his obvious act of cowardice, however. Eventually he will either act in concert with the party or he will be driven from the group by the other players.

 

[Thasmodious]

Maybe you aren't giving the guy enough credit. How much do you know about him as a player? Perhaps he's built a character that isn't already heroic so he can grow him into a hero over the course of the game.

Communicating with the player is the only way to know.

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

I started a PbP asking for 'Heroic characters, willing to risk personal harm to jump in and help a stranger in trouble.'

Ask him if he accidentally misread this part of your intro to the campaign.

Any idea why people do this (i.e., spend hours making a character and then refusing the basic premise of the game)?

I always assume incompetence before malice. I wouldn't cut him lose just yet.

Depending on his reaction to the question above, I'd consider the following options:
1) Ask him: Does he want to have a subplot with his character becoming more altruistic?
2) Ask him: Will he create a different character fitting it better?
3) Ask him: Does he rather want to go instead of adapting his character or recreate him?
4) Throw him out.

 

[(Psi)SeveredHead]

I would say you are asking a lot from your


If you are not giving them much room to act in a way other than your prescribed method in the first bit.

????

I thought herois was the essence, nay the entire point, of playing most RPGs.

Like most other repliers, I suggest talking to the person first.

 

[Andor]

The guy is deliberately dodging the 'the party meets' intro to a pbp campaign.

Ask him to shape up or his character won't have any plausible way to link up with the party.

As it stands it's going to be a stretch for a bunch of robbery stopping heros to adopt a would be burgler.

 

[justanobody]

????

I thought herois was the essence, nay the entire point, of playing most RPGs.

I just checked my 4th edition character, and it seems theft is still something the players are allowed to do. Same with most every other edition of D&D and its incarnations.

If a rogue was not seen as heroic, then maybe that class shouldn't have been allowed, and shouldn't be part of a heroic game?

Also no. Playing anti-heroes, or even villains is a part of most games, but a real good chance in D&D.

Marvel RPGs may have people playing heroes where no "illegal" act can be done, but everything in D&D is pretty much unheroic with rogues involved...sneak attack!

[/aside]

 

[Herremann the Wise]

The guy is deliberately dodging the 'the party meets' intro to a pbp campaign.

Ask him to shape up or his character won't have any plausible way to link up with the party.

As it stands it's going to be a stretch for a bunch of robbery stopping heros to adopt a would be burgler.

This! Communicate with him as to where he's going with his character. If it is as you suspect, then yeah, tell him that you don't think his style of character will fit the adventure. Starting the game by robbing the NPCs the rest of the party is saving - in a "heroic campaign" no less - is not fun. However, if you think he has a valid contribution to the game after talking to him, try to meld it into the campaign. Sounds like trouble though.

Best Regards
Herremann the Wise