Run Romantic, or Mercantile, or Political or Library-search adventures, where the most used skills aren't combat, and survival is based on how well you deal with people rather than who can clear leather first. Don't give them villains to be fought, but potential allies to be befriended - as long as they can keep their swords in their sheathes. Okay, allow them a holmgang with the clan champion, or a mead-hall brawl with a loudmouth jerk, if they simply *must* have combat, but how they deal with the threat of violence can be a factor in negotiations.
Give them a quest to obtain a Macguffin, which is owned by another, allied clan. This clan shouldn't be attacked, because they control a particular resource (be it arms, money, people or magic) and so can't simply be eliminated. The chief and advisors of the clan are less than impressed by martial heroics. Anyone can kill, but what can you do that is constructive?
A smooth-talking lunar agent or political clansman can upset anyone's plans - he doesn't carry a sword (openly...), but has "Convince Listeners 15w3" and "Appear Harmless 13w2". If your heroes draw down on him, everyone seeing the fight will naturally side with the lunar rather than the loud-mouthed, uncouth, bloody-handed, quote-unquote "Heroes".
And if all else fails, set them up against someone who is willing to talk if they are, but who can wipe the floor with them if they start something. "Boys, I want you to go talk to Harrek for me..."
And, of course, some people *like* playing loud-mouthed, uncouth, etc.etc. "Heroes", and will not enjoy other types of scenarios, so you may find that *this* group is best played as a rebel warband, and they *will* kill everything they encounter. Just throw *big* things at them occasionally.
RR
Powered by hypermail