Off the Beaten Track

[mica]

I think the group I GM for goes out of its way to thwart even the most straightforward adventure.

The adventure (Kinslaying - Tales from Wilderland) went to great lengths detailing how to avoid the patrols in order to reach Oderic, deal with his guard and then determine whether he will go with them or not.

My group ambushed a small patrol in order to use them as hostages in order to get a face to face meeting with the king and negotiate the transfer of Oderic while flattering in the king and proposing to support his cause. So of course there were issues over how to create entangling traps, how to get the enemy to surrender and how to strike a fleeing person in the back so as to put them down without killing them (because we don't know if they are truly brigands and bandits so don't want to ambush possibly nice people and get shadow points - not after the previous week's fiasco burning down Stoneyford and running through Willeferd).

Have others encountered similar tangential divergences when running Tales from Wilderland, please share.

Also, how to others deal with subduing and surrender.

[Mim]

They burned down Stoneyford? Wow, you were right to issue them Shadow Points.

[Beleg]

How did they burn down Stoneyford?

[Trotter]

Mica, this doesn't sound like the game for your group. Frankly it sounds like they have some real-life shadow points, or at least wish they did. I always thought one of the points to playing this sort of game was to play a character you might aspire to be. I know that's not always the case , particularly with some other settings. But this is Middle-earth, a world in which good and evil is more clearly defined than other settings.

I've done a lot of thinking about this type of otherworldly behavior (behavior which literally fits better into some other world, but not he game world) after one boy in my Mose Guard game went to town on the player's turn, said a townsmouse punched him and so he punched him back. Stunned, I said that actually no witnesses support his side of the story, and that he started and ended the fight before the townsmouse got a chance to fight back. The sherrif locked him up, word was dispatched to Gwendolyn, and he has lost his cloak and rank but gained the choice of being expelled from the Guard or submitting himself to recruit training once more. Out of character I reminded him he controls his character, I control NPCs, and this is not a shoot 'em up video game.

I don't recall from my read the town you mentioned they burned down, but unless it was a haven of brigands I think I would've raised a posse from the town to hunt them down. Simply put, if you wish to behave like villainous NPCs, expect no virtues, no rewards, and that the NPCs will behave like heroic PCs whose mission is to bring you to justice. There's nothing wrong with that type of game, but it's not fair to the GM to plan for one type of game and get this. Alternatively you can always ask which player would like to run that game. You are certainly under no obligation to do so.

Yours in fellowship,
Stephen "Trotter"

[Corvo]

Well, looks to me your fellowship did a bit of a mess at Stoneyford, yet they are commendable (not condannable ) in their care to avoid attacking some maybe-innocent-fellow this time.
I would simply play along, keeping in mind that the bad guys aren't omniscient about the fellowship's background and intentions: maybe they will fall for their ruse, maybe they think they are badass bandits ripe for recruiting ("hey, they are those that burned Stoneyford!" "Scary, heartless dudes. Sure they can be put to good use...")

[mica]

The burning - well, not the town, just the nearest house after an altercation with Ava.

A player got a bee in his bonnet from the rich rumour-fest that there was a conspiracy about the death of Oderic's parents and Eva knew but was refusing to tell, therefore had to be bound and taken back to Beorn. People, including her father tried to stop them. Weapons were drawn injuries dealt...

The house went up in flames apparently out of frustration that some people in the town was in on the conspiracy and nobody was telling the truth. The character responsible, a big ol' warrior and stern to boot, threatened them that no nonsense would be tolerated and felt the need to demonstrate as such when he believed they were 'taking the piss'.

As for not allowing these sorts of characters - I disagree. The system has geared itself up to deal with them. What's the point in including the mechanics if the only characters permitted are straight out of the Dungeons and Dragons the cartoon? Either the character will learn or will quickly become either dead or an NPC.

I suspect that when the mechanics was designed, Turin was the test case.

[Trotter]

Like I said, trees nothing wrong with that type. And you were complaining about what happened it seemed. I thought I was taking your side!

Sorry for the misunderstanding.

[mica]

Not so much complaining about my group as inquiring how many other GMs' groups seemed predisposed to ignoring 'scenario this way' signs in favour of 'blind alley to the right' while running the Wilderland scenarios and what sort of antics they got up to.

Also wondering if any other GM's have created rules for trapping opponents and getting them to surrender.

[Gweinel]

What about a hunting check and after an awe/persuade and maybe inspire check?

[Chris Gardiner]

Not so much complaining about my group as inquiring how many other GMs' groups seemed predisposed to ignoring 'scenario this way' signs

God, yes. But that's the point of playing with other people, right? The surprise, the twists, the stories.

Also wondering if any other GM's have created rules for trapping opponents and getting them to surrender.

I think the basic rules have your covered: I'd just ask for a Hunter test to make a trap and Awe to get someone to surrender and co-operate. I'd want to know how they were going to lure their target into the trap too, though, and want an appropriate test (possibly Riddle, which makes a good catch-all "do something devious" test).

Taking hostages, negotiating with the king, and infiltrating his band is brilliant. The possibilities there are amazing.

After all, there's no way that can go wrong, right? Especially when the bandits decide to march on the Carrock, and the players find themselves on the wrong side. Or when Beorn raids the bandits' camp in bear form and the players have to decide how to keep their cover, or whether to take advantage and strike in the chaos. Or when the king sends them to infiltrate the Beornings (with a lieutenant to keep an eye on them). Or when he demands they kill Oderic to prove their loyalty. Or when Oderic starts a fight with them. Or when the Gibbet King sends an emissary to recruit the bandits, with a severed head in a box through which he can communicate. Especially when the head belongs to someone the players know.