Humor and Stupidity

From: Robert H. Wolfe <rhwolfe_at_ix.netcom.com>
Date: Mon, 14 Apr 1997 13:44:57 -0500 (CDT)

Brian Tickler writes:

>>RW people being more important than Gloranthan ones, I decide to
>>"eat" Velera's righteous anger and let it slide as gracefully as I
>>can. The superiors then decide that it would be appropriate
>>punishment to have the Trickster kiss Velera's feet. A session of
>>mock grovelling and protest follows that largely serves to humiliate
>>Velera more than the Trickster, as her Praxian honor and dignity are
>>poked at from all sides.

The basic problem here was exactly what Brian pointed out earlier... Velera was from another part of Glorantha with morals and codes that were radically different than the rag-tag soldiers-of-fortune turned lordlings she fell in with. As the GM, I could see a bad situation coming like a freight train when Fizz decided to have some "fun," but what was I to do? I know Velera chose to eat her anger rather than play off the Eurmali, and I know it kind of sucked. But believe me, if those PCs had been in her environment, things would've gone entirely differently (and Fizz probably wouldn't have tried something so outrageous).

But as for the correspondent who suggested:

>I would have had the enraged unicorn trample the trickster into a
>redish smear. You try really stupid, horribly dangerous stunts with
>the wrong "people" and screw up you die. Think of it as evolution in
>action, to steal a phrase.

The problem was that the trickster was the "wrong people" too. The whole damn bunch of them were. Fizz was on his feet spear in hand seconds after going down (healed by his allied spirit). As the GM, I knew if I didn't put a lid on things, the chain of events would've gone something like this:

1. Fizz kills the Unicorn. (Not even a contest, 100+ in dodge and spear attack, multiple uses of Strike. Fizz is a scary bastard.)
2. Velera kills Fizz. (A close one, but Velera had Shield and Fizz didn't. And parry is better than dodges when it comes to neutralizing impales and crits)
3. Strongbark, Sun Chen and a bunch of the other local toughs take offense at the death of their favorite trickster and either kill Velera (two scary bastards take out one scary bastard every time) or chase her off sans unicorn.

Now maybe that's the way I should've let it play out. But in my experience intra-party slaughter is a real downer. My biggest mistake was trying to incorporate Brian's existing character into a new campaign instead of having him work one up that would've fit in better. But live and learn.

(Oh, and lest you think that Tricksters in my campaign get a way with murder without reprisal, all three PC Tricksters are currently running for their lives after stealing the sword of a psychopathic PC Humakti. In all likelihood, none of them will ever be seen again (at least not for a long, long time.))

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