Jan Mattys
2009-09-08, 07:47 AM
Hi everybody.
I've been a lurker in this forum for quite some time now, mainly posting in the OOTS section, with one-liners more often than not.
Today I'm so excited I've decided to post something a bit more complex: a review of the immense satisfaction I've felt as a DM in my last session this Sunday.
Feel free to add your own story in this thread. It is intended as a space for DMs to tell happy tales. :smallsmile:
We've seen a lot of "I'm a DM and I have problems with my players" threads... I think it's time to give our good players a pat in the back, too.
I'll start. Here's my story, which I've spoilered to avoid the wall-of-text effect.
So, I'm the DM of this two-years long campaign of Call of Cthulhu.
My players have proceeded to uncover many mysteries and somehow managed to keep their sanity, too (well, more or less). They helped the authorities in destroying various cultist organizations, and even managed to kill some head-cultists while advancing the main plot. Turns out there's a grand scheme in all their adventures, and they start collecting stuff and investigating. Now, after about a year of in-game adventure, they possess quite a few artifacts, a decent knowledge of the worldwide cultist conspiracy, and the means to try and end it, striking at the very heart of the evil guys' organisation.
They've been climbing the ladder in true rpg style: first they fought off a local cultist in the United States, then sailed to old Europe and started to sistematically dismantle various centers of Power.
So, now they have three or four BBEGs heads in their bags, and they are approaching the top of the power pyramid...
...and they assault the HQ of one of the last remaining powerful bosses before the final showdown.
Quite standard approach: they make friends with other people who dislike him, investigate, suffer some setbacks and ambushes in the process, make friends with other people who can help, burst in the BBEG's house guns blazing, and manage to corner the guy. All coupled with an impressive display of tactics that leaves the poor bad guy without his usual handful of cultist meat to throw at the invaders.
In pure rpg style, it's now time for the monologue by the bad guy. You know, the short dialogue between the heroes and the villain before the whole place blows up due to tnt abuse, spells, and the occasional Elder Horror showing.
...and this is when my players surprise me. They decide to play some mental tricks on the evil guy. He's telling them that they're just a lucky bunch of unknowing and misguided heroes, that the plan can't be stopped, that it's too late for them, and that no matter how lucky they got in crushing the various cultist cells in europe, now it's time to die. Standard stuff, really... to which my players answer, pointing out that maybe, just maybe, there's something the evil guy is missing. Maybe, just maybe, they're not just "a bunch of misguided and unknowing heros". That maybe, just maybe, they know what they are doing all too well, and that the evil guy's Master, from his unspeakable places of horror and doom, can't be satisfied with the incompetence of his followers. They use the artifacts at their disposal to convince the evil guy that they know the plan and are ready to take over, and that what appears to be just a bunch of useless investigators is a magically powerful, prepared and angry commando.
They suggest that maybe, just maybe, the evil guy should be SCARED of calling the power of the Elder Horror by his side, because its favour is far from granted.
...All this makes too much sense for me to ignore, so I decide to follow and see where this new approach takes us. A few lucky rolls later, my players are growing in confidence and making all-too-appropriate comments (some of which are so perfectly worded that they go far beyond their intended purpose in the mind of the evil guy) while the dude is totally psyched and ****ting in his pants, asking himself "is this possible? Am I not appreciated for what I've done? Can't my Master see that it's not my fault?"
Long story short, the evil guy ended up messing up big time, putting everything at stake in an ultimate attempt to gain *back* the favour of Nyarlatothep, and got destroyed pretty easily after a fairly quick fight that could have been handled much better.
First time in my life I see a BBEG destroyed by RPG instead of guns.
My players enjoyed that kind of victory immensely, and so did I.
I'm not sure it can be done again, and I'm not sure it would work *that well* if overused, but this one time was just priceless.
:smallbiggrin:
Ok, rant over :smallwink:
I've been a lurker in this forum for quite some time now, mainly posting in the OOTS section, with one-liners more often than not.
Today I'm so excited I've decided to post something a bit more complex: a review of the immense satisfaction I've felt as a DM in my last session this Sunday.
Feel free to add your own story in this thread. It is intended as a space for DMs to tell happy tales. :smallsmile:
We've seen a lot of "I'm a DM and I have problems with my players" threads... I think it's time to give our good players a pat in the back, too.
I'll start. Here's my story, which I've spoilered to avoid the wall-of-text effect.
So, I'm the DM of this two-years long campaign of Call of Cthulhu.
My players have proceeded to uncover many mysteries and somehow managed to keep their sanity, too (well, more or less). They helped the authorities in destroying various cultist organizations, and even managed to kill some head-cultists while advancing the main plot. Turns out there's a grand scheme in all their adventures, and they start collecting stuff and investigating. Now, after about a year of in-game adventure, they possess quite a few artifacts, a decent knowledge of the worldwide cultist conspiracy, and the means to try and end it, striking at the very heart of the evil guys' organisation.
They've been climbing the ladder in true rpg style: first they fought off a local cultist in the United States, then sailed to old Europe and started to sistematically dismantle various centers of Power.
So, now they have three or four BBEGs heads in their bags, and they are approaching the top of the power pyramid...
...and they assault the HQ of one of the last remaining powerful bosses before the final showdown.
Quite standard approach: they make friends with other people who dislike him, investigate, suffer some setbacks and ambushes in the process, make friends with other people who can help, burst in the BBEG's house guns blazing, and manage to corner the guy. All coupled with an impressive display of tactics that leaves the poor bad guy without his usual handful of cultist meat to throw at the invaders.
In pure rpg style, it's now time for the monologue by the bad guy. You know, the short dialogue between the heroes and the villain before the whole place blows up due to tnt abuse, spells, and the occasional Elder Horror showing.
...and this is when my players surprise me. They decide to play some mental tricks on the evil guy. He's telling them that they're just a lucky bunch of unknowing and misguided heroes, that the plan can't be stopped, that it's too late for them, and that no matter how lucky they got in crushing the various cultist cells in europe, now it's time to die. Standard stuff, really... to which my players answer, pointing out that maybe, just maybe, there's something the evil guy is missing. Maybe, just maybe, they're not just "a bunch of misguided and unknowing heros". That maybe, just maybe, they know what they are doing all too well, and that the evil guy's Master, from his unspeakable places of horror and doom, can't be satisfied with the incompetence of his followers. They use the artifacts at their disposal to convince the evil guy that they know the plan and are ready to take over, and that what appears to be just a bunch of useless investigators is a magically powerful, prepared and angry commando.
They suggest that maybe, just maybe, the evil guy should be SCARED of calling the power of the Elder Horror by his side, because its favour is far from granted.
...All this makes too much sense for me to ignore, so I decide to follow and see where this new approach takes us. A few lucky rolls later, my players are growing in confidence and making all-too-appropriate comments (some of which are so perfectly worded that they go far beyond their intended purpose in the mind of the evil guy) while the dude is totally psyched and ****ting in his pants, asking himself "is this possible? Am I not appreciated for what I've done? Can't my Master see that it's not my fault?"
Long story short, the evil guy ended up messing up big time, putting everything at stake in an ultimate attempt to gain *back* the favour of Nyarlatothep, and got destroyed pretty easily after a fairly quick fight that could have been handled much better.
First time in my life I see a BBEG destroyed by RPG instead of guns.
My players enjoyed that kind of victory immensely, and so did I.
I'm not sure it can be done again, and I'm not sure it would work *that well* if overused, but this one time was just priceless.
:smallbiggrin:
Ok, rant over :smallwink: