From:	Marc A Renouf <jormung@*****.umich.edu>
Subject:	Re: PC's Morality
Date:	Wed, 25 Sep 1996 14:06:14 -0400 (EDT)

On Tue, 24 Sep 1996, Sedah Drol wrote:

> 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.

In-campaign ramifications aside, I would *not* reduce the players'
Karma award in any way, especially if the butchery of the children was in
character. As pertains the the rabid discussion we had several months
ago, Karma is not a measure of good or evil, but a gauge of experience.
Even if it's out of character, if they succeeded, they should still get
the success and/or survival karma from the run itself, they just won't
get role-playing karma. I'll stop now before I get too heated...

> 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?

In my mind, the runners committed the cardinal sin not of killing
innocents but of getting caught in the act. A "relatively good video" is
enough to put their faces all over the evening news. Bad PR is as deadly
for a runner as bad planning. Lots of people have suggested lots of good
ideas as far as social backlash from such an event, so for the sake of
brevity, I'll let this part go, suggesting only that you play the
reactions of the populace at large as though it were real. People will
be horrified, followed by downright angry, and they *will* act upon it.

Marc