D&D 3.5 campaign, party of 6 players. They had managed to escape the prison they had been thrown into by pirates and now they were wandering the fortress.
Kill the pirate guards, check.
Solve the complex lock mechanism of one of the vaults, check.
Kill the barnacle-and-rum golem, check.
Sneak into another prison and free the captives, check.
Kill the hydra, check.
Then comes the greatest of all challenges: The Hallway of Three Exits! What was supposed to be a completely routine thing (decide which way to go, hopefully falling into a trap or something), turns into the longest, most absurd fight for power I have seen in all my years as a roleplayer, with everyone bickering over which path to take. Because, you know, the Fighter should lead, as he is the toughest. No, no, the Cleric, for he is wiser! Nay, says the Wizard, for he has foreseen the true way. The dwarf insist he knows his ways around tunnels better than anyone, while the Rogue argues that he, as a thief and thus kindred to pirates, clearly has inside information regarding pirate fortresses.
The debate took the whole session. And the next time they decided to go back and use another escape route.
Have you suffered through these situations in your games? While I love my roleplaying group, sometimes I think I managed to put together a band of megalomaniacs.
Actually, that is pure awesome IMO. It is to be expected when a group of strangers (I assume they did not know each other previously to this event) meets. Let them fight for alpha position, as it gives the bad guys an edge over them.
I have had it happen in one of my games, mostly between two martial characters. In the end they fought using non-lethal damage to determine who was the leader.
I would have the pirate captain show up at a later point, ideally once the party has fallen into a trap they've run into while following their chosen escape route, and laugh triumphantly that his plan to distract/delay escapees with his ingenious three-door-argument-initiator trap worked exactly as designed...
...then have him say that he'll duel only the single toughest PC and have him stand back as the PCs massacre each other as they attempt to resolve which of them that is. Bouhahahah!!!
Actually, that is pure awesome IMO. It is to be expected when a group of strangers (I assume they did not know each other previously to this event) meets. Let them fight for alpha position, as it gives the bad guys an edge over them.
We have been playing together since 1995, and said campaign happened somewhere between 2002-2003. They are pretty much professional knuckleheads.
Interestingly, the party (in both that and following campaigns with other characters but the same group, give or take a player) has evolved to always have two leaders: The Official Leader, which is the guy that keeps the party organized ("No, no, we have to investigate the temple. This way" and "Ropes. For the love of all that is holy, get ropes this time!". They never buy ropes, and I always take advantage of that. The "Simple 10-foot Hole in the Ground" is one of the most devius traps this group can encounter), and The Puppetmaster, which is the guy everyone *knows* they don't have to listen to (always plays Lawful-Evil characters bent on using others to his own advantage, though never in a party-destructive way... well, mostly), but the player has such an ability to manipulate people that he ends up being the guy pulling all the strings.
...then have him say that he'll duel only the single toughest PC and have him stand back as the PCs massacre each other as they attempt to resolve which of them that is. Bouhahahah!!!
You know, one of these days I am going to try exactly that. "Take me to your leader!" is the most complex riddle I can throw these guys.
"You have saved me, thank you so much. All I have is this single scroll of wish I shall cast and grant to you... whom is your leader so they may make this wish?"
We were going through the old desserts of dessolation. Ond of the players kept chickens. One of the chickens he keped as a pet and on a road trip to Vancouver BC we saw a pupet show with a puppet called Rastus. Since we were gameing along the way... He called his pet bird Rastus. Anyhow, everytime we couldnt decide which way to go he would take out Rastus and we would follow the chicken. At the end of the series the Gennie game 3 wishes to the leader of the party. And since Rastus was the "leader" of the party... The Gennie cast speak with animal and got "I want to be smart, I want to be able to defent myself, and I want to be able to communicate." So the bird got a 16 IQ, a vorpal blade beak 1-3 dam. And Telepathy 10ft.
And thus was born "Rastus the Psychic Vorpal Chicken".
...And thus was born "Rastus the Psychic Vorpal Chicken".
Sigurd, I don't know if that is horrifying, or brilliant! lol Thank you much :D
GNOME
:)