Concrete
2016-10-19, 11:01 AM
I'm currenty GM-ing an urban campaign (In pathfinder), where my players are special branch of the city watch, recruited to in time eliminate the need to hire unreliable adventurers for dangerous tasks, and to actually be a tool to deal with said adventurers if they become an actual problem.
So far, they have mostly busted up the hideouts of drugpeddling alchemists and weapondealing artificers, but I want to bring them into contact with the noble elements of the city, the kind of people you can't beat up in the street and expect to keep your job.
In short, I want for my PC's to attend a party, in an effort to get to know, and to get dirt, on various seedy bluebloods.
Seeing as most earlier encounters have either been roughing up street thugs for information, looking for clues on crime scenes, or S.W.A.T-style raids on criminal strongholds and hideouts, I'm not sure how to create the atmosphere necessary for truly non-violent encounters. Heck, I'm no really sure what these encounters might be.
What I need from you are suggestions on how to GM social encounters that don't end up in bloodshed, and suggestions on what such encounters might be. My players are used to actually talking to pc's, but they are used to ultimately solving encounters by rolling initiative and beating the snot out of people. How would you construct a social encounter that ends in something that actually feels like a victory?
Furthermore, I have trouble figuring out how to make sure that a whole group of players have a good time in an environment where party "faces" might end up hogging most of the screentime.
What can a common guardsman with anger issues, a partially reformed catburglar and a gruff old veteran hope to contribute in a sea of silk, satin and sneers?
I also hope to have the opportunity so set up a formal duel between the formerly mentioned guardsman and a noble who ended up ruining his career.
(The noble had drunkenly bragged that he wouldn't face any consequences for a murder of an innocent citizen, before wiping the poor bastards blood off on the guards uniform, all the while acting as if he'd done nothing wrong. The guardsman ended up having to be pulled off the noble by his fellow officers, or he would most likely have killed the guy with his bare hands. As it were, the noble just ended up with a ruined face.)
Any ideas how to make this event more than just a 1vs1 combat encounter?
So far, they have mostly busted up the hideouts of drugpeddling alchemists and weapondealing artificers, but I want to bring them into contact with the noble elements of the city, the kind of people you can't beat up in the street and expect to keep your job.
In short, I want for my PC's to attend a party, in an effort to get to know, and to get dirt, on various seedy bluebloods.
Seeing as most earlier encounters have either been roughing up street thugs for information, looking for clues on crime scenes, or S.W.A.T-style raids on criminal strongholds and hideouts, I'm not sure how to create the atmosphere necessary for truly non-violent encounters. Heck, I'm no really sure what these encounters might be.
What I need from you are suggestions on how to GM social encounters that don't end up in bloodshed, and suggestions on what such encounters might be. My players are used to actually talking to pc's, but they are used to ultimately solving encounters by rolling initiative and beating the snot out of people. How would you construct a social encounter that ends in something that actually feels like a victory?
Furthermore, I have trouble figuring out how to make sure that a whole group of players have a good time in an environment where party "faces" might end up hogging most of the screentime.
What can a common guardsman with anger issues, a partially reformed catburglar and a gruff old veteran hope to contribute in a sea of silk, satin and sneers?
I also hope to have the opportunity so set up a formal duel between the formerly mentioned guardsman and a noble who ended up ruining his career.
(The noble had drunkenly bragged that he wouldn't face any consequences for a murder of an innocent citizen, before wiping the poor bastards blood off on the guards uniform, all the while acting as if he'd done nothing wrong. The guardsman ended up having to be pulled off the noble by his fellow officers, or he would most likely have killed the guy with his bare hands. As it were, the noble just ended up with a ruined face.)
Any ideas how to make this event more than just a 1vs1 combat encounter?