The Child Dilemma

[ArendK]

Background-
I am running a Kingmaker campaign mixing a RL group with Skyped in players; due to scheduling issues constantly between us, we have been having troubles meeting, which is normal. This last session resulted in us running with just a Warpriest of Gorum (my wife) and a Kellid Barbarian princess (a regular in person player); since it's early in the campaign, I had them go ahead just on their own to explore the Stolen Lands and clear the bandit scourge. I knew as a GM I could either bring all encounters down (not very thrilling) or find a way to boost their abilities and action economy while having a chance to engage their role-playing abilities (my wife isn't a big role-player by nature; more of a tactical dynamo). So my solution was thus;
The party, upon traveling to the bandits camp, find a dead bandit just outside the woods. He has small, tiny little surface cuts on his arms and face, but seems most of the damage came from some large impact (slams from a medium sized creature) and died with a look of utter terror on his face.
Fast-forward a bit; the team, as they are planning their ambush of the bandit camp, hear a soft sobbing. They locate a dirty and disheveled 8 year old girl who is hiding in a log nearby. Now the surprising bit was it immediately knocked my wife out of her "we're not killing something or making a tactical decision, I'll remain quiet" usual demeanor, asking who she was, was she okay, why was she hiding, etc, actively engaging in the role-playing even down to the voice one would use trying to comfort a child. They sent the girl back to their horses (fully expecting her to steal them OOC) for safety and resumed their planning. A round after they started, the battle was joined by a phantom assisting them in combat by just smacking the enemy with the Phantom of Fears rider effect for their strikes (shaken every hit). Once the barbarian, uncertain of the nature of the phantom, put an arrow into it from afar, it fizzled out and disappeared (was recalled). After the fight, they were talking to the girl, who revealed that thing (the Phantom) comes out when she is needs it to, but she has to stay calm (statistically, thinking of a spiritualist and the occults requirements to avoid emotion/mind affecting abilities) otherwise the Phantom just stays in her head. In combat, she flees, can offer minor spells ('taught by the phantom'), and otherwise stays out of the way.

The two players are immediately discussing what to do with the girl for her well-being and safety (handing her over to a priesthood, finding her family, recommending her to Oleg and Svetlana, or keeping her around have all been discussed, but nothing finalized). Again, for my wife, this level of involvement is unusual for her gaming style, so I was pleasantly amused until someone mentioned "good thing X player wasn't here, he'd have tried to waste her on principle." Which got me thinking;

Using kids in an RPG I've always considered almost a dirty move as a GM; we're "guilting" the player into acting like a rational being over a fictional one for a story element to push it whatever direction we desire. And most groups have got that X guy who has to do all the crazy immoral stuff just for the lulz. Which has the potential to backfire with that combination and make a table very uncomfortable sometimes. The X player in my group I've known for years and have no issues with him outside of game being around my kids (they adore him), but still might go over the top in a game. But seeing the immediate shift in my wife's posture, interest and style upon this characters introduction says this could work fairly well if I don't overuse it.

But using the child as a minimally effective DMPC to take advantage of the situation as a GM; yes/no?

[Doctor Awkward]

Part of the challenge of role-playing is separating personal decisions and reactions to a situation from how your character would react to those same situations.

Utilizing NPC's to encourage your players to more effectively roleplay is part of your job as the DM. It's wonderful when you get a player engaged in a scene where they might normally remain silent, so long as the motivation for doing so is appropriate.

Essentially, so long as your wife's actions fit with her established character, then everything is fine. If, for instance, your wife's character is rather cold-hearted mercenary who cares very little for anyone other than herself, even if it's a child, then she is metagaming, on account of reacting to the situation how she would rather than how her character would.

On the other hand, if nothing regarding her attitudes towards children has previously been established... then this is a great opportunity to allow the character to be generated organically. Perhaps she has a soft spot for children, on account of some previously unspoken event that occurred in her past. And you now have the opportunity to explore that event with the rest of the table in game.

[Darrin]

But using the child as a minimally effective DMPC to take advantage of the situation as a GM; yes/no?

Short answer: Sure, go for it. RPGs should, at their best, attempt to encompass a wide spectrum of the human experience. Dealing with children, relationships, and complex emotional entanglements should not categorically be off-the-table.

*HOWEVER* ---

I do have a caveat. The D&D system is built on top of mechanical structures that reward and shape certain player behaviors. This frequently leads to situations where the players are making decisions with certain expectations and on top of a moral framework that is inherently amoral: my ability to attack and reduce a thing's HP to zero gives me narrative authority over it, and my ability to influence the world around me is directly tied to how much XP I can amass as quickly as possible. When the "squishy" story elements start to go off the rails, many players will retreat to this (a)moral framework the game is built upon, and state with very little remorse: "The game rewards me when my character acts this way. I'm not doing anything wrong." So there are two things you want to keep in mind:

1) If you want to focus on the "softer" side of roleplaying, with character development, relationship arcs, and more importance on social/political intrique, then D&D is a very poor choice for that kind of game. The mechanics don't really support that play style very well. You can play that way with D&D, but make sure you keep an eye out for when the mechanics start to break down.

2) Remind the players that there's a social contract of getting together and playing a game with your friends that exists outside of the game rules. If you're doing something inside the game that's upsetting the other players, then it's a good idea to address that outside of the context of the game rules and make sure everybody can have an enjoyable playing experience.

[Bronk]

Using kids in an RPG I've always considered almost a dirty move as a GM; we're "guilting" the player into acting like a rational being over a fictional one for a story element to push it whatever direction we desire. And most groups have got that X guy who has to do all the crazy immoral stuff just for the lulz. Which has the potential to backfire with that combination and make a table very uncomfortable sometimes. The X player in my group I've known for years and have no issues with him outside of game being around my kids (they adore him), but still might go over the top in a game. But seeing the immediate shift in my wife's posture, interest and style upon this characters introduction says this could work fairly well if I don't overuse it.

But using the child as a minimally effective DMPC to take advantage of the situation as a GM; yes/no?

This is a great game opportunity for your wife... she can basically have a minigame of training this kid up, equipping her, and so on. As long as it adds to the fun of the game, it's great. If you're really worried that this other player will flip a coin and murder the NPC at some point, that's his problem.

[Falontani]

consider giving your wife the Mentor Feat and the kid the Apprentice feat. If any of the other players show interest then you should also allow them the same (to show no favorites)
this way they all can have "apprentices" if they so wish without it affecting the challenge when your full group is there

[BlackOnyx]

But using the child as a minimally effective DMPC to take advantage of the situation as a GM; yes/no?


I don't think it's a problem at all. Like some of the other replies mentioned, it's your "job" as a DM to put the players in situations that make them think about their priorities and develop their characters.


One of the biggest draws about tabletop rpgs is that they allow for nuanced pc/npc interactions that aren't possible in traditional video games. It's being able to say "yes" to situations like "can the child join our party?" which set pen and paper games apart.


It's worth noting that there's no "essential" tag on children in the D&D universe. Making the decision to protect & mentor one carries a lot more weight. If your players are still eager to roll with it given that fact, I'd definitely encourage you to run with it.


You've got their interest. Reward them for it. (If anything, I imagine it'll make the game that much more engaging for you as well.)