Bad Stuff Happening IC

Ashkuri

I wanna know

KDraygo

@Ashkuri I welcome bad stuff happening to my characters but with a caveat.

It has to make sense to the story and to the character. Either something happening in the story that caused the bad stuff to my character or my character’s actions caused the bad stuff to happen. Also, preferably, the bad stuff either leads to character development or plot development, not just for the sake of bad stuff happening because nothing is going on and we’re bored. Meaning that as a player, I can have my character react to it over time.

Wizz

yesssss…ruin my character’s lives

bring all their dreams to naught

FILL THEIR MOUTHS WITH ASHES

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Raistlin

Absolutely! I love having my characters struggle and overcome. Social, physical, romantic, whatever. I love drama. IC drama that is. I avoid OOC drama.

MisterBoring

It’s super frustrating when people do things that should only result in something negative happening to their characters only for them to throw an OOC fit and ask for a retcon or no consequences at all.

I’m all for consent, but in an RP environment, it has to be tempered with an understanding that sometimes a person’s character might take actions that have to result in consequences regardless of consent.

In my notes for my hypothetical game I run in the future, one of the game policies is going to reinforce that, but I don’t quite have a wording for it yet. For example, the character Benjamin willingly robs the local bank, and in the process gets spotted by multiple witnesses and a camera. The player of Benjamin, per that policy, has pre-consented to any logical consequences of that robbery (trouble with the law, potential ending of the characters story due to interacting with the law and going to jail or being killed while resisting arrest, being a fugitive, damage to their reputation for being a thief, etc.).

Jennkryst

So I am the ‘if I have control over it’ but of course, there are caveats! Sometimes bad stuff that I do not have control over can be fine. Sometimes it is a sudden curve ball and I have to figure out the response to it and that is too much work, which is why I lean towards the ‘have control over it’.

I am happy to make the character’s life a disaster. Preferably with advance notice, so in the moment, the character who is supposed to be smarter and wittier than I can respond faster than my Tuba brain can process.

… also because maybe we can negotiate a more entertaining Bad Stuff to happen.

bear_necessities

I wish games had more consequences and that players would act appropriately when consequences happen. Games without any stakes never hit right, and that includes games where the bad things are supposed to happen regularly but only actually happen once in 2 RL years because a player consented to it.

SockMonkey

I love good plot. Whether that’s good stuff happening, bad stuff happening, or whatever. I’ve written the death of a character I’d played for years and loved the bittersweet send off in the process. I’ve had characters suffer life changing events and played that out too.

My main requirement now, after some negative moments of learning, is that any events are discussed and I trust the other player if they are going to be running the events. This might count as having control so I can change my vote, but I just meant I don’t specifically have to be STing the event or writing out the leadup to the negative stuff itself.

‘Losing’ in a scene/plot/event (whether that’s a bad dice roll or events) can be some of the best character/player interaction to be had in my experience.

Roz

I answered “if I have control over it” which isn’t EXACTLY right, I don’t want to be needing to dictate the details. But it’s moreso a level of – understanding the risk I’m getting into, and also that I definitely trust some GMs more than others. It’s really about what’s been mentioned regarding “it makes sense to the story.” I want good story most of all.

DrQuinn

I said Other – I don’t mind bad stuff happening if there’s good story/plot behind it. Not ‘I, as a GM, think maiming your female PC in some way is cool plot development for these male PCs’

That’s not fun. That’s I don’t want to RP that and I think about retiring my character time.

MisterBoring

In my local tabletop circle (which also includes one former LARP group), we sort of developed the “Are You Sure?” policy. Any time a PC would take an action that could feasibly result in bad stuff coming down the pipeline to them, the GM in question would say, “I must ask officially, Are You Sure?”

This was an official OOC signal in many games over the last 20 years that a PC was about to traipse into danger, and possibly wouldn’t come out of it, or at least not come out the way they went in. It’s honestly saved on a lot of upset and bleed over the years, and it’s something I’ll continue to use as I GM in the future.

Third Eye

@Roz said in Bad Stuff Happening IC:

I answered “if I have control over it” which isn’t EXACTLY right, I don’t want to be needing to dictate the details. But it’s moreso a level of – understanding the risk I’m getting into, and also that I definitely trust some GMs more than others.

This was both how I voted and I feel. I wax nostalgic about The Greatest Generation MUSH a lot and all my characters dying, but that was only fun because of how OOCly clear the risks going in were. I’m not sure I’ve ever played in an environment with what I consider ‘real’ social consequences but I doubt it’d change my opinion. I’m the type of person who tries to play characters that have pretty baseline IC opinions about stuff and it’s sometimes really frustrating when that’s not reflected in everyone else’s play and you just feel like a meanie while staff doesn’t do any enforcement of people wilding out IC, or spotty enforcement that seems to miss their buddies.

Wizz

yeah, I think the common denominator in all our opinions regardless of how we voted is going to be: we want a fun story, and a hugely important factor in what makes it fun is that it feels fair even if it’s a loss.

Hobbie

I’m highly biased, but I know @Ashkuri well enough to say “just fuck my shit up fam” because when he fucks my shit up it’s never pointless and always contributes to the story.

Also, bad stuff happening raises the stakes, adds to the suspension of disbelief, and makes people forget that every character has plot armour until it’s decided otherwise.

Faraday

@Third-Eye said in Bad Stuff Happening IC:

@Roz said in Bad Stuff Happening IC:

I answered “if I have control over it” which isn’t EXACTLY right, I don’t want to be needing to dictate the details. But it’s moreso a level of – understanding the risk I’m getting into, and also that I definitely trust some GMs more than others.

This was both how I voted and I feel. I wax nostalgic about The Greatest Generation MUSH a lot and all my characters dying, but that was only fun because of how OOCly clear the risks going in were.

Yeah that’s pretty much how I land also. When my PC got blown up unexpectedly on TGG, it was annoying, but I couldn’t complain because I knew what I was signing up for. When my PC got accidentally spaced on SW3, it was way more annoying because that level of “die due to one bad die roll” wasn’t expected.

I generally welcome any IC drama that isn’t character-ending, but I prefer it to be collaborative. I care about story, and setbacks are important, but it’s also a game. There’s a middle ground.

Ashkuri

@Hobbie 10/10 would fuck your shit up again

hellfrog

Fuck them up, but don’t embarrass them. I’ll embarrass my character if I feel like it.

Selira

Yes, but, only if I trust you. Burned too many times by active griefing covered by “oh it was IC!”

RightMeow

I put other.

I adore failing my dice rolls and I don’t need to be the main character all the time. However, I also am a real life person that (like most of us) have some trauma that I would like to avoid in my game play.

So I’m all for it, but if the theme is going to be really dark. Please check with me first, then we game on. Also, like others, I want it to make sense. Don’t do something just to do something. If it makes sense, I’m all in. If a random house falls on me and someone takes my shoes, it better further some cause or character development.

somasatori

I put the top response because I do want it to happen regardless, but I think with the same caveat as everyone else. I also would prefer bad things to be done to my character by someone whose writing ability I respect, and who I think might have a plot or overarching theme in mind rather than just an arbitrary sniping situation.

No one wants your death pose to be delivered by someone who can’t put together a decent goddamn sentence