It is a pretty well know fact that I am a GM for power gamers. I’m a tough GM and I can keep a game moving. Players may use any rule they find in the game and that is fun for power gamers. Some times though I get tired of power gaming and I try to introduce a little role playing in my game to break up the monotony. This always ends up disastrous for my game because most of my players struggle with even a little role playing.
Last year I bought and ran the Ptolus campaign written by Monte Cook. I think this guy is a power Gamer at hart too. The first adventure starts with a women being attacked by two thugs the party and the party moves in for the rescue. After eagerly an efficiently killing the two thugs then proceed to question the innocent woman.
Now this should be the easy part right? They saved the girl and now should try to find out why she was attacked. Let me give you some background first. This poor young girl was having an affair with a powerful member of the church and became pregnant. This powerful member of the church didn’t need this information getting out and feared letting the pregnancy come to term would expose him. So he has two thugs come after the poor girl to kill her and her unborn child.
Standing before the savagely beaten girl her clothes torn and her flesh bruised the PC begin question the girl. “Why did these men attack you?” the PC’s ask. “I’m not quite sure ... it is late and maybe they sought to take advantage of me” say’s the poor girl while unconsciously rubbing her belly. Now this is where it gets stupid.
You would think that maybe the girl is rubbing her stomach because she hurt or sick to her stomach or even something else. The truth is, ever since she became aware that she was pregnant she has been worried about her relationship with the father of the child. As such she has taken to rubbing her stomach when she is scared or worried. So much so that it has become a habit and she is no longer consciously aware that she does it.
At this point the PC’s see the girl as a threat, but seeing as how there “good” PCs they won’t kill her outright. Hmm Goody Goody for them. The rogue of the party decides he will use slight of hand to check out her stomach and see what she is hiding. I ask him if this is really what he wants to do. Hint, hint, nudge, nudge. Of course you know he does and wouldn’t you know he rolls a 1. The rogue sneaks up beside the already traumatized girls and proceeds to cop a feel. The girl now thinking she has traded one group of thugs for another screams and try’s to bolt.
You would think that at this point the PC’s would be convinced that she is just an innocent victim. Right, that would be two easy and then I wouldn’t have this cool story to tell you. Wanting to be sure she is not some one or something pretending to be an innocent, beaten, and humiliated girl the PC’s move on to their next tactic, intimidation. Mind you this is a group of adults not kids the average age is 30 – 35.
Forcibly restraining her against her will they proceed to pepper her with questions. “Who are you and what did those men want”. “Well if you didn’t have any thing why were you rubbing your stomach” . “Don’t tell me you weren’t rubbing your stomach I saw you do it”. On and on it went realizing they were getting nowhere the PC’s finally feeling a little guilty let her go. Some not totally convince she is who she says she is decided they should follow her and split up into two groups. Split up! “Yes”. God my job is easy when the players do all the work for me.
You see the thugs weren’t hired directly buy the girls lover but by his lackeys who had been watching the whole exchange. When they saw the PC’s split up they took the opportunity to try and eliminate some of the meddling PC’s and later would try and frame the PC’s when they murdered the girl. The PC’s being 1st level were in some danger. The rogue that started this whole thing was dropped instantly by a sneak attacking hafling rogue who plunged his dagger to the hilt at the base of the PC’s neck. The PC’s put up enough of a fight to scare these guys off though.
Now back to the screaming, bloody and bruised girl running down the street in a torn dress. The wizard, favored soul and one of the fighter who are not nearly as sneaky as they think they are follow her to a church (her church actually). The rest of the party catches up and debates for 45 minutes about what to do. The favored soul decides to go in to the church and confront the girl again. In side is father Fabator a 7th level cleric who sees the girl as the daughter he never had. Having spent the last 20 minutes consoling the girl and listening to the ordeal she has suffered the goodly Priest is ready to hurt some one. The girl identifies the favored soul as he walks into the church and Father Fabator confronts him with violent gestures and berating words. The favored soul (who is the same faith as Father Fabator) pulls out his mace and moves to attack Father Fabator.
Consider that the original plot was for the PC’s to save the girl and take her to her church were she would be safe. They would meet Father Fabator who would plead with the PC’s to find out who would want to kill this poor girl. This encounter would lead the characters into the whole adventure. I had just bought the book which cost me $120.00 and the dumb party was about to be wiped out by a very angry cleric who they were supposed to work for. I should have just killed them! Instead I suffered from a rare moment of compassion and let them all start over. There is a reason why power gamers don’t role play. It’s because they can’t.
Tags: Power Gamers
