The OotS thread

[Napoleon the Clown]

Ever notice that every time Elan tries to warn somebody about Tempting Fate, it doesn't come to pass?

Well, he once warned the OotS that the trap obviously meant they were supposed to be caught, and they should just go peacefully. Everyone but him ended up getting a thorough beating.

[Oskuro]

Nothing has the power to make a DM abort their plans or curb their enthusiasm like a player suddenly blurting out what they were planning/thinking.

I KNOW. Plot-twist guessing players should be banned. In a burlap sack. Into a river. ON FIRE.

[RecklessPrudence]

Nothing has the power to make a DM abort their plans or curb their enthusiasm like a player suddenly blurting out what they were planning/thinking.

I KNOW. Plot-twist guessing players should be banned. In a burlap sack. Into a river. ON FIRE.

umm... a friend and I do this, we can't seem to help ourselves, but it's more a matter of 'what can we think of that would screw us (the party) over the most'. Our DM doesn't mind, says they enjoy it and that we've only guessed correctly once, for something that he had multiple possibilities for - but the players get a bit peeved when the he mentions that the latest obstacle thrown in our path was 'based on/inspired by something those two thought up a few sessions ago'.

Of course, in one system that we've played, we both took a character trait, 'genre-savvy', I think it was, that encouraged us to do this - although you could just play it as 'We're in a supposedly haunted house, on the [number] anniversary of the axe-murders that made it haunted in the first place - I think it's a bad idea to split up and search on our own,' we took it a few steps beyond that, to the point we were second-guessing our own predictions wild-ass guesses because the universe might decide it was too cliche. Hilarity ensued.

[Solauren]

If someone blurts out the plot, I generally make 3 adjustments

I remove the 'non' from 'non-lethal'

Increase everythings HD or levels by 2 - 3 (or more, depending on things)

Increase the number of opponents.

"Hey guys, I think I know what's going on here! We're going to run into 10 Ogres'

'You walk into the room, and there are now 15 Ogre Mages. Roll Initiative'.

My player's don't blurt out stuff alot.....

[consequences]

If someone blurts out the plot, I generally make 3 adjustments

I remove the 'non' from 'non-lethal'

Increase everythings HD or levels by 2 - 3 (or more, depending on things)

Increase the number of opponents.

"Hey guys, I think I know what's going on here! We're going to run into 10 Ogres'

'You walk into the room, and there are now 15 Ogre Mages. Roll Initiative'.

My player's don't blurt out stuff alot.....

No, they probably hold whispered conferences where they set up to obliterate your plans, and possibly slash your tires after the game. Because really, you sound like an absolute cock when you say that.

[Crazedwraith]

And seriously what kind of person would say 'I think there's going to be X amount of ogres in the next room.' No one's going to be that specific. People are more liekly just to voice their intense paranoid say 'this npc is totally going to stab us in the back if we follow him' or 'that gargoyles booby trapped to hell'

Or just make jokes at the GM's expense. Like in one Mage game, the GM had the bad guys use the line 'so... how long have you been a freak of nature?' before they attacked. So soon enough we, the players, started quoting the line when ever a character met anyone.

Regardless, since OotS isn't representing an actual game, there is no actual GM so this is slightly tangential to the point. Its not the GM getting pissy, it's called humour.

[Solauren]

If someone blurts out the plot, I generally make 3 adjustments

I remove the 'non' from 'non-lethal'

Increase everythings HD or levels by 2 - 3 (or more, depending on things)

Increase the number of opponents.

"Hey guys, I think I know what's going on here! We're going to run into 10 Ogres'

'You walk into the room, and there are now 15 Ogre Mages. Roll Initiative'.

My player's don't blurt out stuff alot.....

No, they probably hold whispered conferences where they set up to obliterate your plans, and possibly slash your tires after the game. Because really, you sound like an absolute cock when you say that.

Did you even get the joke I was making?

Whenever Elan says something specific (i.e we're supposed to be captured), it happens, and usually with the rest of the PC's getting there asses handed to them.

I just turned it so that if the PLAYER says it, I up the stakes.

Probably a bad turn.

Besides, going from Ogres to Ogre Mages in that number is just murder on the EL.

[Starglider]

I KNOW. Plot-twist guessing players should be banned. In a burlap sack. Into a river. ON FIRE.

Firstly if your plot twists are that easy to get you suck and should never be allowed to GM.

Secondly people have fun guessing plot twists in every other kind of fiction, so there is no reason why they shouldn't try to do this in RPGs. If you aren't a pathetic control freak who must have everything unfold as they intended you will either employ your poker face and then let whichever player have the satisfaction of being proven right, and/or you will improvise something that maintains the challenge.

[Imperial Overlord]

If my players are guessing parts of the plot it means they've been paying attention to the game and thinking about the world I've created. I always have secrets and it is to their benefit if they can figure some of them out and discover the villains plan/weak point/secret intrigue/location of artifact/whatever.

[Styphon]

ITT, we learn who you should and should not be willing to let GM for you on SDN.

I mean honestly, if you just cannot deal with people guessing at your plots, wait for somebody to guess wrong and subtly encourage everybody to think that's what's coming. Still a bit of a dick move compared to the poker face, but a damn sight better than doubling the CR on the party's opponents.

[Starglider]

ITT, we learn who you should and should not be willing to let GM for you on SDN.

To be fair, excessive speculation to the point of metagaming, where the characters actions are blatantly fourth-wall breaking, needs to be curbed with some 'negative reinforcement' or suspension of disbelief will go away. Solauren and Oskuro just seem to be way too quick on the trigger and in a 'GM vs players' mindset rather than 'everyone has fun'.

In Elan's case it's fine, since believing everything is an epic narrative is one of his defining, in-universe character traits. This causes much more trouble than it's worth, so I'd certainly allow it in a tabletop game.

[avatarxprime]

Ever notice that every time Elan tries to warn somebody about Tempting Fate, it doesn't come to pass?

Although that one guy did get stabbed, he just had a name to fall back on (which, ironically, I have forgotten).

Keep in mind that Elan also said that as nameless NPCs that it was guaranteed death for them to go into that situation. Daigo and Kazumi changed the game by saying their names and thus prevented their death since they were no longer nameless soldiers. Elan is the Oracle of Plot (and Banjo), he is never wrong it is simply our interpretations of his great words that fail.

[Terralthra]

He didn't even lie. Miko took his sword to destroy the gate. I think I have a man-crush on him now.

And it was his idea to destroy the gem, first. He had his sword raised to strike it when Xykon stopped him with paralyzing touch.

[Napoleon the Clown]

Rather than risking a TPK when a player correctly states what's going to happen, why not move the encounter to a different area? If they go into the room already buffed, that can end up making them waste their potions/spells. Unless, of course, the characters themselves have good cause to figure something will be in there that can and will eat them. Such as a good listen check, or the character has the intelligence or wisdom score to figure "Hey, there'd be tactical advantage in doing this!" Hell, require an appropriate check for it, if you question whether or not they'd be a threat.


Of course, if your players have a habit of metagaming for tactical advantage in battles, such as the Int 8 fighter with no ranks in any Knowledge seeing an obscure monster and instantly knowing how to best fight it, just start presenting "unique" individuals of that species. If the monster is normally low on Dex and has a terrible AC, but a fuckton of HP, have them encounter one that's got a half-decent Dex score and may have even had a few custom items made for it. Have it be a boss fight, even. When someone who has the appropriate skills to identify it and they make the roll, describe that the monster appears more agile, that it moves with more grace than normal. A smart player will figure "Ah, higher than normal Dex." Otherwise, don't offer the players this info.

[Crazedwraith]

He didn't even lie. Miko took his sword to destroy the gate. I think I have a man-crush on him now.

And it was his idea to destroy the gem, first. He had his sword raised to strike it when Xykon stopped him with paralyzing touch.

Fair enough, so he's deceiving Hinjo with out lying. Why again? Ok, he doesn't want to speak ill of the dead, but he could do that by admitting he was paralysed and Miko destroyed the gate. If he does;t want to speak ill of the dead he can just leave out the fact; she did it just when Xykon was about to be destroyed for good.

[consequences]

He didn't even lie. Miko took his sword to destroy the gate. I think I have a man-crush on him now.

And it was his idea to destroy the gem, first. He had his sword raised to strike it when Xykon stopped him with paralyzing touch.

Remember, only the ruling family knew about the Ghost Martyrs of the Sapphire Guard. With the information O-Chul had at that moment, attempting to destroy the gate was the correct choice.

[Solauren]

#664 is up.

Man, are the good higher up's going to be annoyed....

[Crazedwraith]

Yay! Roy! I was beginning to think we weren't going to see him again until #700 or something silly like that.

[Kodiak]

There are two signs w/ limo drivers: R. Greenhilt and S. Rogers. The 2nd one is Captain America, right?

[Ilya Muromets]

Speaking of references, does anyone else think "Highway from Heaven" is some sort of play on "Highway to Hell?"

[Kodiak]

Speaking of references, does anyone else think "Highway from Heaven" is some sort of play on "Highway to Hell?"

"Highway to Heaven" was a fairly long-running TV show a while back. The metaphor has been widely used since.

[Isolder74]

There are two signs w/ limo drivers: R. Greenhilt and S. Rogers. The 2nd one is Captain America, right?

If the S is for Steve then you are most correct.

[CaptainChewbacca]

Aaaaaaaand... Roy continues his winning streak of not listening when he's supposed to.

[Napoleon the Clown]

You've gotta keep in mind that he's kinda in a hurry to get resurrected here. He's been dead for awhile, and doesn't want to accidentally make the Order think he's refusing to be raised. Not really complete justification for blowing off the attempted warning, I'll admit.

Of course, the Celestial or whatever could have said that the Wizard had taken a rather disturbing turn toward evil, rather than the vague statement that was made. Roy has good reason to assume that Belkar's done something particularly horrific in his absence. No reason to think anyone else has been doing stuff that'll ding their karma meter enough to warrant being told "Hey, you should be aware of this..."

[Lord of the Abyss]

665 up.

Not much here, but I like the "WHUMPH !" part.