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View Full Version : Player Help I did a bad thing (and my Party's upset)



Ninjadeadbeard
2015-05-31, 03:34 PM
I'm currently a player in a weekly Ironclaw game. We are a three-person party at the moment, composed of a Rhino Champion, a Raven mage (Purple robe), and an Otter Mercenary (my guy).

Now, from the outset, I explained to the GM and my party mates that my character Raegar was going to be kind of evil. I based him off Bronn from Game of Thrones, in that there is nothing he wouldn't do for the right price, but some things cost extra. He's built as a master swordsman and archer, with some skill being sneaky and cunning. And though he's been honest with the party about how he would betray them for the right price, he's qualified that saying the required price would be quite nearly impossible to attain anyway.

We opened with a prisoner escort. While dragging some wolf nobleman south back to Harrowgate for some sort of ill-described treason, and purging the local woodlands of banditry, the prisoner propositioned each of us during our watch. He obviously tailored his line of questioning to each of us. For the Rhino Jihro he played up the fact that he'll be tortured (Jihro survived a slave pit and didn't preferred quick and painless executions over torture). For me he offered coin. For the Raven Elly he offered knowledge (which she belligerently told him to shove somewhere unpleasant). He didn't want us to free him though. He wanted us only to go to a tavern and ask about "Wind Howling In the Mines", which would get us some coin and letters. What we did with them was out own business from then on.

So we delivered him to a spooky keep, and then we went about getting the package. Raegar came clean immediately about being bribed with that knowledge (party cohesion is important for one's protection after all, and lies never work out for anyone), but Jihro stonefaced him until they both asked for the package, and then got upset with Raegar. When Raegar admitted straight out what happened.

So the Rhino was upset for some reason.

We sorted through the package, which was filled with patents of nobility and land deals. In short order we realized these were proof that the Regent was forging paperwork to claim legitimacy over other lands, either in order to take over the realm's enemies or to unseat his own rivals within the country. We also realized we were effectively deadmen if we were caught with these documents.

Raegar caught wind of the guard heading up to arrest us, but Jihro decided he didn't want to fight anybody today, and hid the paperwork in his rolled up tent. Instead of escaping or making a sneak attack, as he thought prudent, Raegar ended up surrendering himself and the party to a group of four guards and one Black-armored wolf that smelled like a gestapo from ten paces. We were frogmarched towards the prison where we'd recently dropped off the prisoner, and so Raegar/I assumed we were about to be tortured and/or executed. The GM made it pretty clear that as peasants we had no rights and could expect nothing pleasant to happen in there.

There was an explosion up the street, possibly an attack of some sort or an accident. Raegar didn't have time to think about it as the Guard Captain took that opportunity to aim a pistol at the back of his head. Assuming an execution was about to take place, he spun around, beat the captain at a Speed check, and then got him into a hold with a concealed dagger up against the official's throat. A standoff ensued, where Elly flew away and Jihro later admitted he almost reflexively killed Raegar in order to stop him, and the guards stood around us with spears readied. A few minutes of insinuations and negotiations ensued, where the captain refused to answer my questions while acting like he was a meaningless cog in the machine and that others would avenge him (blah blah blah).

At one point Jihro used his Presence to intimidate the guards into simply walking away before he had to wipe them out (Raegar has a friend!). This failed only because they would be killed if the Captain lived to tell of their cowardice. They could not leave, and their Captain made sure to order them not to let us go.

So Raegar sliced his neck open.

The guards took that opportunity to run, and so did we. We're currently on the road looking for somewhere to hold up until we can figure out how to make some coin off the paperwork.

But in the meantime, I don't know if I did the right thing. Jihro's player is pretty upset with what I did, despite the GM backing up my assumptions (we were totally getting tortured and thrown into an arena). Elly's player doesn't care, though she's roleplaying Elly caring. I don't like making other players upset, so is there some way to mend fences here? Or am I looking at rolling a new character soon?

tl;dr: I slit a Gestapo Wolf's throat instead of accepting likely torture and execution, but the party tank is a Martyr who is now upset I prevented that fate. Did I do something wrong? And what would your reaction be to such a situation in-game?

Keltest
2015-05-31, 03:38 PM
It sounds to me like the problem player is the one getting upset. He has no right to force you guys to let yourselves get maimed/killed. If he wants his character to get killed, he should do it on his own time, not in such a manner that results in bad things happening to the rest of the party.

Eisenheim
2015-05-31, 03:51 PM
I don't really understand enough of the setting and characters involved to assess whether IC upset is reasonable, but I don't see any justification for OOC anger about this. You played a character that had previously been acceptable to the group in an entirely reasonable manner, at least from your account.

Is the player mad he didn't get a martyrdom character arc, or is the Rhino looking for martyrdom IC?

Honest Tiefling
2015-05-31, 05:02 PM
1) You told the other player what your PC was like. I assume this was not the first session, so while I think the player is allowed to be upset at the character, he or she really should have brought something up a while ago if they were uncomfortable with this.

2) PCs really need to be capable of making mistakes, this is what makes the story go forward and lets character develop. That is even assuming this was a mistake.

3) It seemed very likely given IC information that your character would genuinely believe that if the captain lived, himself and the only other two people he has been mentioned to care about would die in excruciating pain over the course of weeks. I am kinda on the side of 'OF COURSE THAT HAPPENED', especially if it is a more gritty game.

Through I must ask, what is this Elly character like? I feel if it is a case of 2 versus 1, maybe you should change your character for group cohesion. Else, I think this Jihro character is being very unreasonable, if not outright silly. What, did he expect the group to consent to likely torture? Given that your ruthless mercenary has made it clear it is unlikely to ever be paid enough to betray them, you have shared information and made him think highly of group cohesion, you're oddly enough the one being far more adaptable and conceding to the needs of the party then the guy who apparently doesn't want torturers currently threatening the party (and his own people no less!) to die.

Mr.Moron
2015-05-31, 05:15 PM
Sounds like it's on the GM more than anyone else. The GM let the you guys put together an incoherent group with incompatible characters without getting everyone on the same page in terms of overall direction.

"Kindly Scholar", "Martyr Warrior" and "Scumbag Merc" is a group that's going to have a hard time staying cohesive and fun for everyone with even with a heavy-handed GM going out of their way to prevent conflicts. Throw those three into the meat grinder of politics and gritty social orders and it's not a matter of "If" one player's engagement starts stepping on the toes of another it's "When".

Even if you get past this hurdle I just don't see a game with that mix staying healthy for very long.

Oddman80
2015-05-31, 08:31 PM
I do t think you did anything wrong. It seemed like the obvious choice for your character. Let the upset player (because from your story - it seems like there really is only one) that you understand your character did something beyond what his character would find acceptable, and that it should make for some interesting and memorable roleplay if the two of you confront the issue in character.

This is not me saying "deal with OOC stud IC"
I think this is IC stuff that should be processed IC.
The brief OOC chat is mostly to let the other player know that you acknowledge that something happened, and were no acting oblivious or careless to his feelings.

Jornophelanthas
2015-06-01, 10:44 AM
I think the rhino player is judging your character based on faulty assumptions.

What you said was: "My character will do anything for the right price. He could betray the party, but the price would be very, very high."
What he heard was: "My character will betray the party at some point."
What he thought was: "This guy is an enemy waiting to happen. I shouldn't let him out of my sight."

What you said was: "I was bribed by the prisoner to say something to some people."
What he heard was: "I betrayed the party for the first time."
What he thought was: "He will work against the party from now on. I have to keep him in line now, or he will sabotage us."

What you said was: "I have to kill this evil captain so the minions will let us go."
What he heard was: "Kill! Kill! I'm evil! Hahaha!"
What he thought was: "That nasty traitor just turned us all into wanted fugitives. He's really trying to hurt the party."

Talk to the DM first, and then talk to this player together. He needs to realize that:
1. You are not at odds with the party.
2. The DM did not intend for you to work against the others, and neither did you.
3. Your character did what he thought was best for the party, and even tried to help the other player's intimidation attempt.
4. One player cannot decide what another player can or cannot do. This means that he cannot decide how your character acts during play.

mAc Chaos
2015-06-01, 05:16 PM
I second the above. Running evil characters tends to be a time bomb in most parties.

Telok
2015-06-01, 06:05 PM
[browncoat joke] Simon, Mal, and Jayne walk in to a bar and get offered a shady deal... [/browncoat joke]

IC conflict is fine, just keep in mind that you're playing a game for fun.

Susano-wo
2015-06-01, 08:51 PM
Sounds like some juicy drama, but nothing out of character, or disruptive in game. Hell, you just saved his life, on account of the documents on him that will make at least him, if not your whole group KOS.

Jhiro can feel free to be mad, but there is no cause for player to be similarly upset. I second the OOC talk to make sure there are no continuing hard feelings idea.

and I can't say for sure because he don't know him, but Jornophelanthas' description of his likely thought process jives with my basic impression from the description.

mAc Chaos
2015-06-01, 09:17 PM
The other player might be taking it personally, ie., seeing it as you doing stuff to HIM instead of his character. That always becomes an issue with party conflict.