Can we (the DMs) have Unforgiven's outhouse scenes?

[Jon_Dahl]

Skip to 3:13 - https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x4ydeos

Can I do that to my PCs (effectively to one of the PCs) in my game? The battle would start at the moment when the deputy yells "assassins".

One of the PCs in my game is marked for by a group of assassins, but the PCs do not know that, although they have received death threats. I would imagine that the assassins would wait for a moment like the one in the movie. Why not?

[Marcotix]

IF that's the style of gameplay your going for, I don't see the problem. It will engender paranoia in the players.

[Jon_Dahl]

I have not received that many responses, so just to make it clear what I mean:

One of the PCs goes to defecate and the DM assumes that the PC has total cover towards the rest of the group and keeps a distance of at least 60 ft. At that moment, the assassin strikes. The scene skips from "Are you going to make a camp? Yes." to "You are taking a ****, but suddenly something happens! Roll initative."

[Florian]

*Shrugs*

Depends. Do you play the game or are you more into the simulation?

[DeTess]

As others have said, whats the style if game you're going for? If you haven't done that yet, look up 'combat as sport' and 'combat as war'.

If your game has been combat as sport so far, this is probably a bad idea. It breaks the game's style, and your player might feel it is unfair. Even if everything is fine, it might cause a shift towards 'combat as war', which is a really different style of game that you need to be prepared for as a dm.

[Deadline]

You could try asking your players. Or, do a test run of the situation.

[Darth Ultron]

In general, no.

I guess you want to:

1.Separate the 'marked PC' from the rest so they are alone and have no help
2.Want to have the 'marked PC' be helpless/surprised/stunned and not be able to act
3.Want to kill the 'marked PC'?

It's generally a bad idea to force the PCs to separate. So to tell a player their character must go take a leak, 60 feet away from the group under total cover, is a bad idea. Just like it's a bad idea to say ''sorry guys the only outhouse is 100 feet away and you must you that one''.

If the players do split up willing...well, it's still a bad idea to attack. If you going to have a fight, let the whole group fight. Don't say to people ''haha, you can't fight, your characters are not there!"

It's generally, not a good idea to attack a PC with their guard down. It should happen all the time...but gamewise you will see a lot of backlash as players will just be like ''I keep my guard up 24/7''.

And if you want to kill a PC, just do it. Poison dart or such...and they are gone.

[Deophaun]

One of the PCs in my game is marked for by a group of assassins, but the PCs do not know that
This seems like the heart of the problem. They should be paranoid, but they don't know they should be paranoid.

Also, this is why you must learn to poop like a samurai (https://www.artofmanliness.com/articles/how-to-poop-like-a-samurai/).

[denthor]

Go right ahead. Remember though the assassin(s) after him must do whatever stealth checks you would have a member of the party do.

Also they must lie in wait for 3 rounds to get an assassination blow. So your cry gives someone 3 rounds to prepare. Also find out how that person is dressed. May not hsve full a/c Then since full cover it can delay the 3 rounds to longer no sight no starting for the assassination blow.

There are many things DM hand wave when it is there people starting an attack that can help ghe PC's

[Reversefigure4]

You can. You probably shouldn't.

It's generally a genre shift (I'm guessing your PCs don't routinely describe going to the toilet, and it's merely handwaved and assumed that they do at sensible times and places) that catches the players off-guard.

It induces the wrong behaviour in the players, unless you want a paranoia game. Is the one 'gotcha' moment going to be worth the rest of the campaign where players go out of their way to describe how they're eating dinner with their swords in their hands, or go to the toilet with the other PCs flanking them and only after the rogue has checked it for traps? That they never take their armour off, and feel the need to tell the GM all about it constantly so the GM can't 'gotcha' them?

Assassins are a hard thing to do. Realistic assassins kill the PC in their sleep with no chance to fight back. But is that fun for the players, to simply have "You go to sleep. Roll a Listen check... OK, you never wake up?" Comic book style assassins (ambushes, fancy death traps) are less realistic, but a lot more fun to play out in the game. Which is more important in your style of game?