The stiff Neck of Dwarves

[Stilts]

The funny thing is, this IS a system where you could have a legitimate reason for a PC attacking their fellow PCs or something else unusual (with a bout of madness), and the game already has consequences for this happening (permanent points of shadow, negative traits, all leading to eventual loss of PC entirely).

This is the system I was relying on, but it took too long for her first bout of madness, and she ran away with massive bonuses to all her rolls until then. The victim of her attack roleplayed quite well as a response, remaining appropriately terrified of her for a while. I might have done something small, but not nearly enough. Like I said, I should have enforced a stronger consequence.

[Cawdorthane]

This is such a dreadful example of a player trying to break the system, I do not quite know where to begin....

Perhaps the player was inexperienced? And if so, I would take them to the side and suggest in a friendly way that ToR is not a competitive RPG, unlike some iterations of D20 or its offspring, and deliberately gaining Shadow gratuitously is not a good way to start a character in the Middle Earth. Not at all what a character seeking to emulate a member of Thorin's company would do, let alone a member of the Fellowship of the Ring, but an Orcling in a pack of bonepickers from the bowels of the Misty Mountains, well maybe...?

But if the inexperienced player persists, or it is someone who really should know better doing this, I would have either Gandalf, Radagast, Beorn, Gloin etc happen to wander along just in time to prevent the attack and then to give a very stern talking to the said Dwarf. This may then pose problems for future dealings with this major NPC, but you can at least then turn the episode into a funny learning experience from which the Dwarf can ultimately gain the respect (much to everyone else's surprise) of the said intervenor.

If even the more gentle Deus ex machina approach does not work and the player persists in such behavior, then sooner or later the first major nasty that the Fellowship encounters, be it a Wight, Greater Orc, Troll, or even a Nazgul would have no trouble in recognising the source of corruption and weakness in the Fellowship, and would strike there quickly and without mercy. In the interim, I would also not allow the Dwarf to select a Fellowship Focus until some appropriately significant act of contrition has occurred.

But heh, that's just me - as LM I am happy for my players to exercise their free will within the game, but once game mechanics are elevated over story and are deliberately manipulated, then I have little hesitation in imposing appropriate consequences if other encouragements to desist fail - free will is a privilege as well as a right which should have consequences if deliberately abused. Alhough I fully accept that if you and your other players found this conduct funny and acceptable, then it is not for me or anyone else to judge - your game = your rules. However, and to be blunt, I would be surprised if too many others who like to deeply immerse themselves in Middle Earth would share your particularly robust sense of humour and your extraordinary patience...

cheers
Mark

[Pangea]

Going back to the original post, this is a question we had in the main tabletop campaign I am in, where one of the Dwarves has The Stiff Neck.
The LM counts all Shadow points (permanent and not) but does not give the bonus to all Skills as per the rules. The feeling was that having such a bonus was quite overpowered, so he simply awards the bonus to actions where he feels the player gives a good reason (for a Hunting roll he might not give it to simply find game, but might give it if it were to follow the tracks of some beasts linked to the Shadow, but not if the tracks were of some "normal" animals etc.).

[Stilts]

This is such a dreadful example of a player trying to break the system, I do not quite know where to begin....

Perhaps the player was inexperienced? And if so, I would take them to the side and suggest in a friendly way that ToR is not a competitive RPG, unlike some iterations of D20 or its offspring, and deliberately gaining Shadow gratuitously is not a good way to start a character in the Middle Earth. Not at all what a character seeking to emulate a member of Thorin's company would do, let alone a member of the Fellowship of the Ring, but an Orcling in a pack of bonepickers from the bowels of the Misty Mountains, well maybe...?

But if the inexperienced player persists, or it is someone who really should know better doing this, I would have either Gandalf, Radagast, Beorn, Gloin etc happen to wander along just in time to prevent the attack and then to give a very stern talking to the said Dwarf. This may then pose problems for future dealings with this major NPC, but you can at least then turn the episode into a funny learning experience from which the Dwarf can ultimately gain the respect (much to everyone else's surprise) of the said intervenor.

If even the more gentle Deus ex machina approach does not work and the player persists in such behavior, then sooner or later the first major nasty that the Fellowship encounters, be it a Wight, Greater Orc, Troll, or even a Nazgul would have no trouble in recognising the source of corruption and weakness in the Fellowship, and would strike there quickly and without mercy. In the interim, I would also not allow the Dwarf to select a Fellowship Focus until some appropriately significant act of contrition has occurred.

But heh, that's just me - as LM I am happy for my players to exercise their free will within the game, but once game mechanics are elevated over story and are deliberately manipulated, then I have little hesitation in imposing appropriate consequences if other encouragements to desist fail - free will is a privilege as well as a right which should have consequences if deliberately abused. Alhough I fully accept that if you and your other players found this conduct funny and acceptable, then it is not for me or anyone else to judge - your game = your rules. However, and to be blunt, I would be surprised if too many others who like to deeply immerse themselves in Middle Earth would share your particularly robust sense of humour and your extraordinary patience...

cheers
Mark

As I've said a couple times, I disagreed with this action and it was not in my humor or style at all. I expected the system would do its work and provide the necessary consequence of a quick bout of madness, but it took too long. I can't completely fault the player though, since the decision was made because of this rather silly virtue that rewards shadow points. It would not have happened otherwise. I understand it thematically, but it should not be purely beneficial. In fact, if anything, it should function as a shadow flaw as a drawback.