Blindsiding your players, Tales of GMing! |
Blindsiding your players, Tales of GMing! |
May 19 2012, 09:27 PM
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#1
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Runner Group: Members Posts: 2,654 Joined: 29-October 06 Member No.: 9,731 |
As a GM, I find it entertaining to mess with my players' expectations. Take this afternoon's session:
The Setup: A low-level yakuza soldier and the daughter of a Triad street captain have gotten engaged, and both gangs are gunning for them. The yak hires the PCs to smuggle them out of Seattle to Olympia. The Complication: One PC's contact, a Yakuza consigliere, offers the team three times whatever the soldier is paying them to turn both of them in to the yaks. The PCs, after some deliberation, advise the Yakuza contact to meet them in Olympia, with the intention of getting paid twice. (Capt. Tagon would be proud.) The Payoff: The Yakuza contact shows up with three goons in tow. He borrows his PC's gun, causing the other characters to think he means to kill the clients and frame the PCs. Instead, he kills his own goons and frames the PCs. It turns out the client is his godson (and would have come out, if the players had thought to ask, that he directed the client to the PCs). So it was a double-double-cross: the PCs double-crossed the clients by betraying them to the Yakuza contact, who in turn double-crossed the PCs by having the clients' best interests at heart and framing the PCs for the deaths of three Yakuza enforcers. None of my players saw this coming. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif) What are your stories of blindsiding your players? |
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May 20 2012, 02:32 AM
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#2
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 197 Joined: 14-July 11 From: Kitchener-Waterloo, Ontario, Canada Member No.: 33,321 |
That was an awesome twist! Out of curiosity, how did the Yak get a hold of a PC gun? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/devil.gif)
The Complication: One PC's contact, a Yakuza consigliere, offers the team three times whatever the soldier is paying them to turn both of them in to the yaks. The PCs, after some deliberation, advise the Yakuza contact to meet them in Olympia, with the intention of getting paid twice. (Capt. Tagon would be proud.) Maxim #38: Just because it's easy for you doesn't mean it can't be hard on your clients. Captain Tagon would've definitely approved, right up until the point where the double-crossers got double-crossed. Then he would have done a double-facepalm. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif) |
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May 20 2012, 03:11 AM
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#3
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Great Dragon Group: Members Posts: 5,537 Joined: 27-August 06 From: Albuquerque NM Member No.: 9,234 |
That was an awesome twist! Out of curiosity, how did the Yak get a hold of a PC gun? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/devil.gif) I would guess he asked. |
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May 20 2012, 03:14 AM
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#4
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 197 Joined: 14-July 11 From: Kitchener-Waterloo, Ontario, Canada Member No.: 33,321 |
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May 20 2012, 03:40 AM
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#5
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Great Dragon Group: Members Posts: 5,537 Joined: 27-August 06 From: Albuquerque NM Member No.: 9,234 |
If it was seriously that easy, then they deserved to get double-crossed! To quote the Joker "Bob, Gun". http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=playe...p;v=h28ftIM929w |
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May 20 2012, 05:25 AM
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#6
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Runner Group: Members Posts: 2,654 Joined: 29-October 06 Member No.: 9,731 |
I would guess he asked. And you would be correct. Mr. Haro, the rigger PC's Yakuza contact, with whom the rigger has quite a bit of history, simply asked to borrow the rigger's gun. The rigger, staring down three armed and ready enforcers, had little choice but to agree. |
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May 20 2012, 10:02 AM
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#7
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Running Target Group: Members Posts: 1,150 Joined: 15-December 09 Member No.: 17,968 |
In the last hour of our last campaign arc the mage player was put through a string of WTFs that was a joy to witness. Not least was finding out his long-lost brother from his backstory was behind most of the shit they'd been through (he'd completely forgotten he even had a brother). The big finale, however, was mostly the work of the hacker.
The team was a mage, a rigger and a hacker. The hacker appeared to be a dribbling vegetable of a geriatric ('Norman') who went everywhere by rigged wheelchair and lived constantly online. In actual fact he was an AI living in the retirement home's node who had the manager drug Norman and put him in the chair whenever he needed to make a 'personal' appearance. The rigger player knew all this, but the mage player and both characters were completely unaware. At one point they were laying low at the retirement home and came face-to-face with an undrugged Norman, which the hacker roleplayed brilliantly. The mage player found it utterly bewildering but didn't twig. Cut to the end of the last run - the rigger had martyred himself through a tragic misunderstanding, the mage had come face-to-telepresent-face with his genetically-altered brother (who was now Japanese) and the hacker had facilitated his and an NPC's daring escape from a serious Evo HTR team. Back at the home the mage is unwinding with a cup of tea and has found Norman awake in the rec room. The hacker player slipped back into his ancient, senile, oblivious alter-ego and less than a minute into the conversation slumped over the table dead from an aneurysm. The expression on the mage player's face was exquisite. I gave him a couple of moments and then described how he felt light-headed and giddy and then suddenly fell out of his chair as the drug in his coffee took effect. As he slipped into unconsciousness the last thing he saw was the manager leaning over him and the last thing he heard was an electronic voice over the tannoy coldly saying "Prep the chair..." It was a beautifully dark end to the arc and the mage player loved it. He used it as an opportunity to try a different character so we've just started the next arc with two new characters and the old mage occupying the chair. |
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May 21 2012, 06:03 AM
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#8
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 821 Joined: 4-December 09 Member No.: 17,940 |
Cut to the end of the last run - the rigger had martyred himself through a tragic misunderstanding, the mage had come face-to-telepresent-face with his genetically-altered brother (who was now Japanese) and the hacker had facilitated his and an NPC's daring escape from a serious Evo HTR team. Back at the home the mage is unwinding with a cup of tea and has found Norman awake in the rec room. The hacker player slipped back into his ancient, senile, oblivious alter-ego and less than a minute into the conversation slumped over the table dead from an aneurysm. The expression on the mage player's face was exquisite. I gave him a couple of moments and then described how he felt light-headed and giddy and then suddenly fell out of his chair as the drug in his coffee took effect. As he slipped into unconsciousness the last thing he saw was the manager leaning over him and the last thing he heard was an electronic voice over the tannoy coldly saying "Prep the chair..." It was a beautifully dark end to the arc and the mage player loved it. He used it as an opportunity to try a different character so we've just started the next arc with two new characters and the old mage occupying the chair. What exactly was the point of it for the AI player ? It feels like a gratuitous bitch slap, without any kind of actual purpose or reason behind it. Was there some bad brew between the AI and the mage fo one reason or another ? |
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May 21 2012, 06:43 AM
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#9
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Runner Group: Members Posts: 3,473 Joined: 24-May 10 From: Beijing Member No.: 18,611 |
Nah, I think Aerospider is making this story up. There are some inconsistencies (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)
Back at the home the mage is unwinding with a cup of tea... ... ... I gave him a couple of moments and then described how he felt light-headed and giddy and then suddenly fell out of his chair as the drug in his coffee took effect. |
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May 21 2012, 07:16 AM
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#10
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Canon Companion Group: Members Posts: 8,021 Joined: 2-March 03 From: The Morgue, Singapore LTG Member No.: 4,187 |
And you would be correct. Mr. Haro, the rigger PC's Yakuza contact, with whom the rigger has quite a bit of history, simply asked to borrow the rigger's gun. The rigger, staring down three armed and ready enforcers, had little choice but to agree. And here I was waiting for the final twist in the tale. "You can have my gun, but you can't fire it." *Biometric access denied* *Weapon locked in safe mode* |
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May 21 2012, 09:47 AM
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#11
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Running Target Group: Members Posts: 1,150 Joined: 15-December 09 Member No.: 17,968 |
Nah, I think Aerospider is making this story up. There are some inconsistencies (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif) Lol, good spot! I think it was coffee, but my memory fails on said detail. |
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May 21 2012, 09:59 AM
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#12
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Running Target Group: Members Posts: 1,150 Joined: 15-December 09 Member No.: 17,968 |
What exactly was the point of it for the AI player ? It feels like a gratuitous bitch slap, without any kind of actual purpose or reason behind it. Was there some bad brew between the AI and the mage fo one reason or another ? No bad brew as such. The AI is psychopathic and in its most generous moments the "meatbags" are no more than a means to an end. In its less generous moments he finds their squishiness intriguing to the point of entertainment. During their escape he crashed a stolen helicopter into a bunch of inconsequential revellers (and if he thinks the single point of notoriety is the end of that he's got another think coming!). The players knew it was the end of the arc and that we wouldn't be coming back to Shadowrun for a long while (the mage player was wanting a break from RP altogether). There was never going to be an issue with him getting his character back as and when he wanted, but he decided on a change for the next arc. |
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May 21 2012, 04:14 PM
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#13
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Immortal Elf Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 14,358 Joined: 2-December 07 From: Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada Member No.: 14,465 |
Funny enough, I did it with Shadowrun Missions 04-01: Hiding in the Dark.
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May 21 2012, 07:05 PM
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#14
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Runner Group: Members Posts: 2,575 Joined: 5-February 10 Member No.: 18,115 |
The team was under Seattle transporting some goods to a remote off-the-grid Ork village. They'd run into a few handfuls of desperates, junkies, and lowlifes along the way through the old tunnels, and handled them well with a mix of brains, brawn, stealth, and diplomacy.
Then the gabriel hound showed up. They were crapping their pants because none of them had any idea what the hell it was, nor why it looked like a freakshow horrow movie monster, nor why it was moving like a giant wolf spider on Kali, nor why some of them were randomly being frozen in place, nor why it kept disappearing only to pop up again twenty minutes later. They finally tagged it with a lucky shot, slowing it down enough for the minotaur to perform an amazing suplex and grind it's spine into the tunnel floor. At which point they were so relieved that it was finally dead and no longer stalking them, and so eager to get the hell out of the damn tunnels, that they happily and rapidly slogged across a stretch of knee high water in an old sewer tunnel a little further on, failing their perception checks to spot the pair of alligators. Was a fun run, they really seemed to enjoy the constant aura of dread and unknown dangers lurking in the shadows. ~Umidori |
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May 21 2012, 07:34 PM
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#15
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Running Target Group: Banned Posts: 1,105 Joined: 23-August 10 Member No.: 18,961 |
I haven't the heart to blindside my players in SR.
Eclipse Phase however, is fair game. One of the players had gotten annoyed with his team's refusal to investigate a freighter, so in a fit of anger, he secretly radio'd firewall that his team had abandoned the mission. After some discussion, the group decides to investigate, and uncovers an extinction level even waiting to happen. They put together some clues, and begin to figure out just how screwed humanity is if this thing ever gets out, when the hacker's head explodes. Then the soldier's. Then the Xenobiologist's. With only one player left, he quickly realizes that firewall had received his message, and transmitted the killcodes on the cranial bombs installed on the rogue agents. Radio transmit times being what they are, it took a few hours. So heres the one player. In a freighter, surrounded by his recently decapitated teammates, and the ELE-in-waiting. Humanity died in the intro game. |
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May 21 2012, 07:35 PM
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#16
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Immortal Elf Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 14,358 Joined: 2-December 07 From: Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada Member No.: 14,465 |
"And then the lawn got up and started beating our safehouse. True story!" - One of my old Players
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May 21 2012, 07:40 PM
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#17
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The Dragon Never Sleeps Group: Admin Posts: 6,924 Joined: 1-September 05 Member No.: 7,667 |
I gave my players Karma one time.
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May 21 2012, 08:02 PM
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#18
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Old Man of the North Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 9,576 Joined: 14-August 03 From: Just north of the Centre of the Universe Member No.: 5,463 |
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May 21 2012, 08:06 PM
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#19
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Target Group: Members Posts: 50 Joined: 27-March 11 From: Madison, WI Member No.: 25,815 |
My players are blind-sided when I've used the Infected as NPCs (for or against the PCs). Paranoia goes through the roof.
I've unintentionally blind-sided the players when I had an enemy corp-magician use Manabolt. We have two shamans in the group who regularly throw out Force 9 Stunbolts without breaking a sweat. It stumped them for a minute, trying to figure out what spell they were getting hit with (since it was causing physical damage) and why they could only resist with Willpower. Eventually they figured out what it was but I thought it was amusing that they hadn't considered that an NPC would deal with the extra drain just to cause physical vs. stun damage. |
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May 21 2012, 08:31 PM
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#20
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Runner Group: Members Posts: 2,575 Joined: 5-February 10 Member No.: 18,115 |
Manabolt is a hell of a spell. All you sacrifice is the single extra point of drain.
I still hate Direct Combat Spells, even with the errata and whatnot. ~Umidori |
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May 21 2012, 09:05 PM
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#21
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Runner Group: Members Posts: 2,654 Joined: 29-October 06 Member No.: 9,731 |
I haven't the heart to blindside my players in SR. Eclipse Phase however, is fair game. One of the players had gotten annoyed with his team's refusal to investigate a freighter, so in a fit of anger, he secretly radio'd firewall that his team had abandoned the mission. After some discussion, the group decides to investigate, and uncovers an extinction level even waiting to happen. They put together some clues, and begin to figure out just how screwed humanity is if this thing ever gets out, when the hacker's head explodes. Then the soldier's. Then the Xenobiologist's. With only one player left, he quickly realizes that firewall had received his message, and transmitted the killcodes on the cranial bombs installed on the rogue agents. Radio transmit times being what they are, it took a few hours. So heres the one player. In a freighter, surrounded by his recently decapitated teammates, and the ELE-in-waiting. Humanity died in the intro game. How and why did the PCs start with cranial bombs? I mean, that's just asking for it. |
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May 21 2012, 09:22 PM
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#22
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Running Target Group: Banned Posts: 1,105 Joined: 23-August 10 Member No.: 18,961 |
How and why did the PCs start with cranial bombs? I mean, that's just asking for it. They transferred their egos over to a near-site sleeve when they got the mission. I handed out archetype sheets for the first game, so no one would have to care about their character too much. |
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May 22 2012, 01:06 PM
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#23
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 770 Joined: 19-August 11 From: Middle-Eastern Europe Member No.: 36,268 |
Manabolt is a hell of a spell. All you sacrifice is the single extra point of drain. I still hate Direct Combat Spells, even with the errata and whatnot. ~Umidori Oh yeah, those are messed up. Enough that the first trick I taught my shaman player (who never played SR before) was a FORCE TEN STUNBOLT MOFO. She overcasts it to the max, boom, target folds, she soaks 4 DV like nothing. |
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May 22 2012, 09:03 PM
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#24
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Runner Group: Members Posts: 2,575 Joined: 5-February 10 Member No.: 18,115 |
It was even worse when dice from Spellcasting Foci could be used to resist drain.
~Umidori |
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May 25 2012, 12:40 PM
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#25
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Great Dragon Group: Members Posts: 5,542 Joined: 30-September 08 From: D/FW Megaplex Member No.: 16,387 |
My House-Rule is that all Direct Combat Spells get +4 Drain, all Indirect get -2 Drain.
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