Harsh Reflections: Part Fourteen
Chapter: Season Six
Brett isn’t a fool, I think we all know that and he is keenly aware of how deep he steps into these situations. In these moments, Brett is very much me. My typical approach to sessions as a player is to see just how much trouble I can get into and still make it out alive. I’m not disruptive or an asshole or anything like that, but if there is a chance to advance things by pissing off the wrong NPCs, then I am all in. There’s a beholder down there? Let’s go say hello! You get the idea. It’s fun and it keeps the sessions moving.
More on Wednesday!
HOVER-TEXT: The dice go clatter clatter clatter and if they hate you, your characters go splatter splatter splatter
That, my friend, is a potential t -shirt.
Man, Brett really has matured in his time away. Back in the day, he would have just gotten all pissy about story driven points in a session. It’s so good to see that he’s grown up more after bearing the mantle for so long.
I am now hearing this hover text in Frank Sinatra’s voice.
I love how far Brett has come as a player. I also love players who keep me on my toes like this. Interested to see how things play out.
I have to say, though, his character talks like a modern person dropped into that world, and a bit less than one who is the product of a truly feudal environment. Sure, it’s gaming, but that’s always something that I think gets conveniently forgotten when someone plays even a variant of the “I bow to no man” card, which this is to some extent.
I think I need to take a step back and reread this conversation real quick…
Well, I’ve read it. Reread it. And I have no idea what’s going on. Not literally mind you. I just, I’m not sure how to better phrase that. I dunno, I guess I mean I don’t know how this is going to play out, which is kind of the point I suppose, I’m just going to have to come back here in a couple days and see how things go down. So, is it Wednesday yet? Or probably better yet, Friday?
I am so glad we’re back on a Gaming story arc.
I’m a bit disturbed by the idea that the Iron King’s reaction would be determined by a dice check.
Brett’s character wasn’t attempting an action as far as we know. He wasnt trying to charm or intimidate. He wasn’t even trying to goad. He was just being an ass. Why would that require a roll to adjudicate?
Randomising the Iron King’s reaction is a good way to keep players on their toes. It also eliminates any accusation of bias for/against certain players.
I can see where Sam’s coming from both as a player and as a potential DM (writing up a small custom adventure for Pathfinder using Lycanthropes and some homebrew material because I can.)
I agree, this was a great bit of roleplay, why ruin it with a role? Unless all of the Iron King’s reactions are determined by rolls then he should just react how the King would react. He made and runs the NPC he would know his motivations and ideology to gauge how the remark would make him feel.
If I were Brett I’d call horsepucky on having to roll.
Given the Iron King is, in effect, outright asking the PCs to
murderassassinate a sitting official, I don’t think that questioning the motives behind such a request really constitutes “being an ass”.Accusing someone to their face of “moving heroes about like pawns” and only caring about their “iron ass” is pretty confrontational, don’t you think?
Brett’s assery is (as usual) in his delivery, not in the question itself.
Why, exactly? If Sam isn’t sure exactly how he should react to that, what’s wrong with him assigning numbers and rolling for it? Like, a 50% chance he lets Jeda vent, 40% he explodes at him, 10% he breaks down into tears (Even a badass will have some weaknesses).
The only difference between Jeda and Bo Buckman is an eye and about 4 feet.
Sounds like youd make an amazing Kender.
You my friend, are an instigator (like I am). It’s a great role to play in a gaming group… unless you’re playing selfishly. Knowing you, It’s not a problem at all. I envy your gaming group. š
I like the RP of this, although as a few others have said I’m not sure about the roll, unless it’s a will roll to contain himself from ripping the PCs head off, one thing I would like to say is there is a fine line between RPing a hard attitude and being disruptive to the game. I am currently dealing with a player who tries to RP a lot and too often becomes a disruption to the flow of the game. He’s not trying to be an ass, he just hasn’t learned how to get his jabs in and let the story keep moving yet. As a DM I’m trying to gently coach him in this skill along side one of my better experienced players. My point in all this being if you’re doing this great and wonderful, but keep an eye on the DMs and the other players reactions, if you start to see people rolling their eyes maybe just let the game play on
There’s many reasons to make this a roll. First off, this would determine his reaction, using tables similar to the D&D type of diplomacy tables as people mentioned above, or it could be to control himself from going into a rage. As a GM, I have sometimes used dice rolls to determine the NPCs general response, because there are so many ways a scene can go and the players could, as someone else commented, call bias for or against. However, as a major NPC, his attitudes should be well known so it is more likely a mix of how well can he keep his emotions in control and how is this speech from Brett’s PC going to move him.
As for being a general troublemaker, that is what the game is about. You’re not out to piss on anyone else’s game, but you’re there to make the game interesting by making moves to push the story in unique directions. Tracy Hickman mentioned in one of their gaming sessions as his party was trying to decide how to solve a puzzle, he was getting bored out of his wits. At the end of the session, one player said ‘You’re a barbarian, do something barbarian-y’. Next session as they went back to figuring out the puzzle, he walked up to a door, opened it and charged in. A fight ensued with the monsters there, and once done, he went to the next door and opened it up and began again… It makes the game interesting and fun, and it keeps people on their toes, more than just a ‘We poke it with a ten foot pole’ style of ‘safe gaming’.
Glad to see you back at it Brian. I’ve missed the strip and have enjoyed getting caught back up. Go Brett!
To the naysayers; diplomacy/reaction is always supposed to be a check; you do not play the NPCs, you referee them. A bad roll would be death for the party, a TPk by godlike wrath. A good roll would be discussion of the matter, or (best still) him outright accompanying them. Helps balance the game out.
If this were a fleshed character, or a ex-PC, or some such, it might be different, but they’ve no history to judge based on, really, so a roll is probably more fair to the expectations (remember: let the punishment fit the crime. Someone failling a traps roll should take some hurt, but someone failling *to* check for traps dies instantly, is always a classic).
That said, I’d love the line to be in reference to the upcoming slaughter of the PCs (or the king) instead.
Seeing some of these other comments, I’m actually on the side of Sam making the roll, because while, yes, it is the roleplaying, the GM is choosing, deliberately to give his players a chance at not getting killed for hitting a sore spot by having the King make a Will save, Composure check or the like. It makes sense.
That, or the GM is wanting to keep the tension up.
ive had a few GMs roll only to freak out us players with no intention of actually using said roll
I like this. I’ve got a half-orc barbarian that is very much that guy. NPC we can’t possibly beat? Let’s hit him in the face. Nobody told me to shut up? I’ll be doing the talking, thank you. I spend half the game getting us into trouble, and the other half digging us back out. Good times.
And in Wednesday’s installment…Brett has to create a new character.