| From: | "Brennan M. O'Keefe" <bmokeefe@**.com> |
|---|---|
| Subject: | Re: PC's Morality |
| Date: | Tue, 24 Sep 1996 22:03:48 -0500 |
> To: shadowrn@********.itribe.net
> Subject: PC's Morality
> Date: Tuesday, September 24, 1996 8:13 AM
> I recently started a campaign, after being away from the game for
> about a year (not by choice mine you). And the PC's were indirectly
> involved with the death of 149 "innocent" children being held
> in a corp facility. Mind you the corp is offering a reward for any
> information leading to the capture of said PCs, whom they had a
> relatively good video of. I asked the players if they felt any
> remorse whatsoever about the deaths. And they said "No." My
> question is should I as a GM make their lives a living hell? I mean
> being somewhat resposible for the deaths of a 149 children, wouldn't
> it ruin their street reputations for getting jobs? What would you
> other GM's do, if this type of situation came up in your campaign?
My first idea can be summed up in two words: Vengeful Spirits. After all,
there are ghosts in Shadowrun, as well as all kinds of nasty things which
could possibly be called forth by that much pain and suffering. Could the
death agonies have created a sort of toxic domain? Could a child's
"invisible friend" have been a free spirit? For that matter, some types of
evil spirits might take more of an interest in the characters. Or maybe
something more corporeal wants revenge: parents, friends, etc.
You'd also be quite justified in ruining their street reps. Yeah, there'll
still be Mr. Johnsons who don't mind that sort of "collateral damage," but
it seems to me that these are the ones most likely to "dispose of" deniable
assets when the nasty work's done.
Any shamans in your party? Particularly any whose totems might be a bit
peeved? Loss of magical abilities can be a serious wake-up call.
Contacts, etc. are another source of trouble. I'm sure a lot of them would
want nothing more to do with the PCs. Some of the others might take a
serious interest in a big reward.
I'm fully in favor of having these PCs face the consequences of their
actions. However, if you are going to make things miserable for your
characters, be sure to give them a way out -- a way to atone for what
they've done. If you want to make your game into a morality play, no
problem. But if you just want to make your players miserable, perhaps it's
time to ask yourself if this is a group you really want to GM for.
