A New Start

[Cole10000]

A few months ago, my old D&D game group fell apart, in this group I was a Player playing D&D for the first time.

Now some of the old guys a few new guys, as well as myself have started up a new D&D session a few weeks back this time with me as GM.

I'm very new to the GMing business, so (if this thread lives long enough) I would like to ask for advice from the playground, because the only other people who play D&D in real life are the ones im currently playing with, and i really can't ask them or give away too many secrets.

So the first thing I would like to ask is how things should go on from here.

I have Created my own world and setting for this game, it's open sandbox with the players going off and doing whatever they want.

Now what happened was this is an evil party made up of

1. A Half-Giant Anti-Paladin LE Level 6
2. An Elf rogue LE level 6
3. A Human Soldier CN level 6
4. and a Dark elf Wizard LE level 5

now this dark elf we have here enjoys torture and i had a pair of yound boys due to circumstances poorly hideing in the bushes watching the road because they thought they saw a dark elf earlier.

Now being the evil bastards that they are, they capture these two boys and take them to a dungeon they had just cleared, for torture.

I should have expected this but i didnt so on the spot i rolled a percent die to see what would happen based on this.

I got a 100. So i had to have something awsome happen. What then happened was the big mamba jamba of a powerfull paladin order showed up, he didnt kill them in exchange for the children's whereabouts because they had hid them, but as they left the dungeon he swore an oath to track them down and deal out justice.

Right now this isn't a problem, because right now the group is off in a dungeon getting something for a dragon so it doesnt roast them. what happens after is what im more concerned about

but this paladin i mentioned earlier was on his way to the capital of the country the pcs are currently in, he would obviously demand aid in their capture and the king would most likely comply because of the paladin order's influence.

So what happens now, i dont want to screw them over that badly just yet, even if they do deserve it for tortureing two kids. but i also dont want them to think the paladin's words were empty threats.

So playground what do you think should happen next.

[SamBurke]

A few months ago, my old D&D game group fell apart, in this group I was a Player playing D&D for the first time.

Now some of the old guys a few new guys, as well as myself have started up a new D&D session a few weeks back this time with me as GM.

I'm very new to the GMing business, so (if this thread lives long enough) I would like to ask for advice from the playground, because the only other people who play D&D in real life are the ones im currently playing with, and i really can't ask them or give away too many secrets.

So the first thing I would like to ask is how things should go on from here.

I have Created my own world and setting for this game, it's open sandbox with the players going off and doing whatever they want.

Now what happened was this is an evil party made up of

1. A Half-Giant Anti-Paladin LE Level 6
2. An Elf rogue LE level 6
3. A Human Soldier CN level 6
4. and a Dark elf Wizard LE level 5

now this dark elf we have here enjoys torture and i had a pair of yound boys due to circumstances poorly hideing in the bushes watching the road because they thought they saw a dark elf earlier.

Now being the evil bastards that they are, they capture these two boys and take them to a dungeon they had just cleared, for torture.

I should have expected this but i didnt so on the spot i rolled a percent die to see what would happen based on this.

I got a 100. So i had to have something awsome happen. What then happened was the big mamba jamba of a powerfull paladin order showed up, he didnt kill them in exchange for the children's whereabouts because they had hid them, but as they left the dungeon he swore an oath to track them down and deal out justice.

Right now this isn't a problem, because right now the group is off in a dungeon getting something for a dragon so it doesnt roast them. what happens after is what im more concerned about

but this paladin i mentioned earlier was on his way to the capital of the country the pcs are currently in, he would obviously demand aid in their capture and the king would most likely comply because of the paladin order's influence.

So what happens now, i dont want to screw them over that badly just yet, even if they do deserve it for tortureing two kids. but i also dont want them to think the paladin's words were empty threats.

So playground what do you think should happen next.

They're playing an evil campaign. In a mostly good world (or so it seems from your descriptions). IT HURTS. They are the primary antagonists for someone. Give this guy an adventuring party, and tell them that they're playing as the villains to this guy. Cool, original idea.

Then, when the campaign ends: Tell them that time has been re-wound. They now have to fight THEIR OWN OLD CHARACTERS to save the world. (this time as good players et all).

Note: make the "good guys" in the first game pretty neutral, so that the players can have some leeway in character creation for game 2.

[Aegis013]

Let them see the guy and a host of mounted City Guards (make it obvious from the numbers that fighting would be dumb... 12 or more City Guards) forcing their way through the city folk with enough time and meatwall (city folk) for them to get away.

If they choose to engage, how tough the battle is, really, is up to you, if they fight and lose have the Paladin or a City Guard pay the innkeeper or whatever NPC makes the most sense for tipping them off, so they know it was just random "OH HE FINDS YOU." shenanigan.

It'd be best to avoid a TPK, maybe have the paladin get some of them (1 or 2) and give the others ample opportunity to escape or hide. Then the paladin is going to have them executed to make examples of evil doers and they can try to stage a rescue... but they might not considering it's an evil party...

Up to you... this is just off the top of my head so hopefully you can glean some benefit from it.

[croaker]

Hi so the paladin gets the king to help, how would the king help? would he have a wizard adviser able to scry them out, would he assemble the guard on a man-hunt, put wanted posters about... there is alot of ways for this to go down. and if you go with the man-hunt idea or posters with likeness then they players would be given a fair warning that they are being hunted.

you could have them in a tavern for example and have some off-duty guards having a good time and see them and find them resemble the descriptions their superior gave them earlier that week.
hope these ideas help.

[Diefje]

Have the good Paladin bust down the door of where they are staying, with a bunch of city guards. Apprehend one or two, but not all, make sure they are split up (upstairs/downstairs, different rooms, asleep/awake) when it happens. And then you can set yourself up for a jailbreak!

I love me a good jailbreak.

[Medic!]

I'd draw up a good adventure party based on the the intel the paladin has on your PCs, if enough info is available, make an "anti-party." Then have a confrontation where the good guys deal only non-lethal damage to bring the party in for trial. If the fight goes well for the PCs, the good guys can escape to dog their steps later, if the PCs lose, they get to try the jail break mentioned above, or take their chances in a fair trial. If the dice/evidence lets 'em loose, the good guys can dog their steps anyway to attempt to "prove" they're dirty evil bastards. If the party loses the trial they can be afforded opportunities to escape or be made to suffer some non-lethal consequences.

It's a great chance to set up a recurring challenge for your PCs.

[Malachei]

Although I generally avoid playing evil groups, it can be interesting for a change. Back in old D&D times, there was an official adventure called "Reverse Dungeon", in which a party of evil monsters defending their dungeon against the raids carried out by the stereotypical good adventuring party.

I'd consider having the evil PCs recruit more monsters and grow into a factor in the region's power structure. With a kobold tribe or perhaps some ogres following them, a single Paladin or a Paladin plus a small adventuring party will have a harder time.

But in the end, D&D is about happy endings -- it just feels better when the good guys win. So I'd absolutely second the idea of letting them play the party that eventually brings down the evil group.