Forum > General Discussion
How many player characters in your typical group ?
MisterK:
--- Quote from: Vladimir on February 22, 2022, 06:07:09 AM ---I could never RP under the same conditions but the group chose the conditions, so you never know.
--- End quote ---
Well, it's a free world, you always have the option of walking away and say "sorry, but I don't want to GM *that*".
I know I would, honestly. But thankfully, I play with people who have tastes in roleplaying that are fairly similar (though obviously not *identical*) to my own.
Vladimir:
--- Quote from: MisterK on February 22, 2022, 06:21:17 AM ---Well, it's a free world, you always have the option of walking away and say "sorry, but I don't want to GM *that*".
I know I would, honestly. But thankfully, I play with people who have tastes in roleplaying that are fairly similar (though obviously not *identical*) to my own.
--- End quote ---
I found it a challenge. The lack of role playing made things a lot easier as I never had to deal with clever players with high negotiating skills. The party was also an easy, I mean EASY target for Machiavellian intrigues as they were often clueless about the politics around them. The mercenary organization was a combination of Kelly's Heroes and the Archer cartoon series with the party being unknowing pawns in a larger game of which they had no clue. I took an old PC from another campaign and made him their nemesis, who was an expert at political and economic intrigue and would trick the players into making absurd bets that often resulted in public humiliation...which was aimed to make the players fight while angry and fall for the most elementary of ambushes.
Despite being handed humiliating defeats, including being taken prisoner and paying huge ransoms after months of imprisonment, the player always came back for more. They had no clue they were being underpaid, and that their NPC boss, who was a very wealthy noble, was getting more wealthy with every contract. Make no mistake, the players were very capable on the battlefield. They splurged their own wealth on getting the best equipment available but they also had a bad habit of biting off more than they could chew and relied on their boss to bail them out of POW camps as well as the local jail.
For some reason, the players loved the infamous AoD campaign, which was a play on Army of Darkness with "Dark" being replaced by a less printable word and while the other GMs shake their heads over the absurdity, the racism, and misogyny prevalent in the campaign, I gave the players plenty of rope with which to hang themselves. Mostly US Army and Navy veterans, gameplay was nonstop pranking and acts of minor sabotage between the players.
BTW, the AoD campaign was an obvious parody of the campaigns run by another GM, who was known to be a control freak. He would tell players "Your faction would never even consider executing prisoners." when faced with ambushers who fought tenaciously and then, at the last minute, threw down their weapons and taunted their captors, "Nya, nya, you can't kill me!" More than one player had to leave the room to cool off. Furious soldiers do what furious soldiers do, like abuse and kill prisoners then accept the consequences...or at least cover up the incident. I would never tell a player what he cannot do, only advise them on possible consequences.
Cory Magel:
--- Quote from: MisterK on February 21, 2022, 11:59:09 PM ---
--- Quote from: Cory Magel on February 21, 2022, 11:00:03 PM ---Thinking about it more, unless the party really needs a Healer, my opinion is that an NPC needs to drive the plot/story somehow, otherwise it's just the GM playing a character.
--- End quote ---
But isn't it a bit of a letdown when the NPC is driving he plot/story, and your PCs are just along for the ride ?
I'd rather turn it around and have the PCs drive the plot/story, and the NPCs being caught in the whirlwind because they are linked with the PC in some way (friends, family, best rivals, assigned bodyguard or servant, romantic interest, whatever). It gives you the opportunity to have the NPCs come and go (because they have their own life) and still have the main cast drive the plot.
--- End quote ---
Well, not really drive it, but contribute to it is a better way to put it. There should be a purpose for the NPC (other than the GM just playing a character).
EltonJ:
--- Quote from: Vladimir on February 22, 2022, 01:03:08 PM ---
--- Quote from: MisterK on February 22, 2022, 06:21:17 AM ---Well, it's a free world, you always have the option of walking away and say "sorry, but I don't want to GM *that*".
I know I would, honestly. But thankfully, I play with people who have tastes in roleplaying that are fairly similar (though obviously not *identical*) to my own.
--- End quote ---
I found it a challenge. The lack of role playing made things a lot easier as I never had to deal with clever players with high negotiating skills. The party was also an easy, I mean EASY target for Machiavellian intrigues as they were often clueless about the politics around them. The mercenary organization was a combination of Kelly's Heroes and the Archer cartoon series with the party being unknowing pawns in a larger game of which they had no clue. I took an old PC from another campaign and made him their nemesis, who was an expert at political and economic intrigue and would trick the players into making absurd bets that often resulted in public humiliation...which was aimed to make the players fight while angry and fall for the most elementary of ambushes.
Despite being handed humiliating defeats, including being taken prisoner and paying huge ransoms after months of imprisonment, the player always came back for more. They had no clue they were being underpaid, and that their NPC boss, who was a very wealthy noble, was getting more wealthy with every contract. Make no mistake, the players were very capable on the battlefield. They splurged their own wealth on getting the best equipment available but they also had a bad habit of biting off more than they could chew and relied on their boss to bail them out of POW camps as well as the local jail.
--- End quote ---
Sounds like you have thick players.
jdale:
Some of my players are like that, in one of my two campaigns. But fortunately not all of them. It wouldn't be very satisfying to GM for a group all like that.
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