No, I'm not talking about some of some of the current threads and dissuasions that have been going on lately.

I thought I would share a little tale of my adventure from this past Saturday that I ran for my group.

Now, as a general rule, I despise the "GMPC", but with this group I did run a NPC that was a permanent part of the group. He was the Group's Medic: Vertex.

So a little back story. Vertex is a Werbol, a small, four armed frog like creature, and a survivor of The Clone Wars. He served on some of the front lines as a combat medic. Well anyway, here we are 5 years before ANH, and my group hires him in as the medic, as no one took any medical skills. To be fair, we had a PC medic planned, but he dropped out right when the game began, and Vertex just became a fixture for the group. Vertex was a diligent medic, and always cared for his teammates, risking his own life on several occasions to get to a injured party member, then run across the battle to aid others. Vertex was not very vocal, and he shied away from the spot light. In one particular early battle, the group was taking fire and the Bouty Hunter of the Group order Vertex to take a shot, never one to mess around, Vertex quickly reached into his inner coat pocket and produced a small silvery object, he deftly pulled a plug from it, and tipped it back, quaffing down its contents, he then offered the BH some its intoxicating contents. Vetex, while small, had a rotund waistline, and he always seemed to be munching on cheesedogs. It was even thought that his medical backpack might actually be a cheesedog cooker.

In one situation, the group was assaulting a Black Sun Vigo, and took an elevator up, the two main characters stepped out and it was like a John Woo/Michael Bay fest. Well vertex never got out of the elevator, and is was called back down. After the mayhem was over, the elevator came back up with a ding, they turned to see it open, vertex was in the back corner shaking from intense fear, his other occupants were a Fallen Vigo, and a wierd short alien with razor sharp teeth. The rest of the encounter went good, and it has always been looked back at a nice humorous moment for Vertex.

So this last adventure was kind of a mess, long story short, the group had gotten themselves separated in an old Geonosian weapons factory, and a hideout of some Krath allied Imperials. Well, Vertex was with the groups hacker who was busy using the automated defenses to help the group out when a door blasted open! In stepped a blue skinned Imperial Inquisitor (they had met before), he ignited a yellow lightsaber and said to them both, you will die for your intrusion and insolence! Vetex yelled to Victor (the Slicer Player) to run, which he did, as he reached the door, he expected to have vertex right behind him, but he was not there! Victor looks back into the room in time to see vertex hit the lockdown down button for the control room, and see him get impaled by a yellow lightsaber. The Inquisitor looks at Victor just as the door door shuts and seals.

It was kind of quite for a few minutes, and I didn't push the issue about continuing, letting everyone have a moment. As I looked around the room, I saw three grown ass men, grabbing paper towels and dabing their eyes! I asked if everyone was ok, and I just got hand waves as no one could talk yet.

Now please do not misunderstand what I am saying here, I am in no way making fun of my group, or these men! I am not telling you this to make fun of them for having "emotions". I am telling you this as I am **** proud of my Group, and these players and for what I was able to accomplish. I was able to create something that these players felt a connection with, and when I took it away, it hurt them, and they were not afraid to show it. I could not believe what I was looking at though, men that I had known for about six months were weeping becuase of what I had done to them and the story that I wanted to tell!

Yes, I had been planning the demise of Vertex for a little while now, and it won't stop with him. But to me this is what the game is about, not about trying to "beat" my players, or "outsmart" them, and change the rules on them. That was a narrative and cinematic moment that required no house rules, no dice rolling, just a punch in the gut. Now they have a combined hatred for this enemy, and a personal factor for wanting to put him down.

So I just wanted to share with everyone, a grand and epic moment from my game. And in seeing some of the recent stuff around here, I figured now would be a good time for a thread that was something different.

While I didn't get into the explicit details of the entire situation, I would love to hear feedback, thoughts and opinions on this. Thanks. (Maybe a non argument can become "hot")

RIP little buddy.

I haven't even read this yet, but my first thought is, "ooh, this should be fun"

edit: I was wrong. this was not fun :'(

I have no words.

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=vtQUePN5y40

That's the kind of story that's always nice to hear.

A definite win as a GM! I don't get to play with my group much, but I do hope for moments like that.

well done. it is rare you can get players emotionally invested into NPCs

Awesome job, it's always nice to see players get real emotional reactions to the story where they feel for whats happening in it and such moments are to be treasured thanks for sharing.

I had a similar moment a long while back in Mutants and Masterminds (scifithemed campaign) where a long time ally (a large beetle like humanoid mercenary with a Russian accent and a lover of drinking and friends as well as a fiercom fighter but ultimately a big softy) was charging with the players through the final hold of a long time villain. When they finally defeated him (a year and a half long campaign upon which many memorable NPC's paved their way to get to the villain at the end in the final battle) they decided to spare the villains life after seriously wounding him and leaving him incapable, they thought, of fighting back. When they turned their back they heard the bang of a small arms fire and truned to see their ally falling to the ground as a bloody stain grew on his chest. There was this long pause before anyone said how they where going to react and even though it's been 6 or so years since that session I'll always remember the looks on their faces and how much they talked about it after.

Given I didn't make anyone cry, bravo man.

He died! I called him little green guy because I couldn't remember his name and I usually add a quirk to my characters-- usually never saying anyone's real name but made up nicknames. But that is a sign of a good GM/ST/DM-- when you can emotionally move someone in a game. Same with books and movies--- when you are in real shock and awe, scared or heartbroken. Not these silly jump scare horror movies...we get it...when you lower volume and suddenly add a big image and loud noise the body reacts defensively...science...good job Hollywood...want to hire real writers now?

But, I've written only a few plots in my gaming career that really made people think extremely hard and long about a situation or make people completely aggravated when puzzles appears that dice can't solve. It's hard to trigger sorrow in a made up game that dice usually solves the issue.

Won't to go for the K K K KILLER COMBO? nuke that little girl next x100.

Fantastic post R2Builder.... We need more posts about people's games! Far more interesting than reading about rules!cracking stuff man!

Thanks everyone for the great words of encouragement, and the positive feedback.

While I had an awesome idea, the perfect storm of just the right setup, the group themselves decided the order they were going to walk down a hallway, then blast shut doors sealing them off in pairs, just really a perfect culmination of events; what really made the whole scenario work were the awesome players that I have. This would not work every group, or every player. The outcome of this was beyond what I expected and hoped for. I had expected my players to get upset, and be somewhat shaken, but this is beyond my wildest hopes.

I have seen players get upset in other games, and about every other time is was for all the wrong reasons.

So my hats off to my awesome and wonderful group that I have for being mature, yet emotional adults who can get into this game, and for a short time suspend their sense of realism.

This NPC had been part of the group from the beginning, so about six months ago now. No one argued with me about not making any rolls to do this either, they just accepted it. Now, for a PC, I would never do this, I will always make rolls to kill them But I'm not a character killer, just a favorite NPC killer.

Just awesome and beautiful R2buider. Thanks a lot for sharing.

George R R Martin...is that you?

George R R Martin...is that you?

I seem to have run out likes. So consider this my "like".

I had a similar sort of situation but not involving a character die. It involved the Players ship being stolen.

I wrote a blog post on my site about how I reacted and how my Players reacted.

https://rhinospeaks.wordpress.com/2014/10/06/the-gm-perspective-on-session-10/

This was the setup for the situation.

https://rhinospeaks.wordpress.com/2014/10/05/session-10/

It was definitely a "Glad my Players care about the game" kind of moment. They still worry about their current ship being stolen and installed all sorts of counter measures to prevent it ever being stolen.

I'm a grown woman... Can I cry too? <sniff>

Maelora, you may cry as well. But you may want to save those tears. I have something else even more vile and wretched planned out for them and another NPC. --Insert evil laughter--

Nice side story for little green guy and your group, but fake. Fraud! Not real. Make believe. Fiction. No grown men were crying from having a NPC Doc die. But that doesn't mean it wasn't a good scene for your group to encounter.

Seriously,

Darthslash

I've seen a few guys at my table tear up. even I have on occasion.

I'm a grown woman... Can I cry too? <sniff>

no, maelora.*states angrily* you have brought much shame upon family. *grumphs*

@darthslash, I really hope you were joking. I was not making my story up, nor was I exaggerating about it. Like I said, they were wiping a few tears ways, not balling like a young child. If you want to call me a liar, then please don't even bother posting on my threads, I am not here to lie to people. I have nothing to gain by doing so. So please don't insult me by calling me a fraud and a liar. While it is nice to have great feedback from this community, I don't need to lie about my games to get that. It is beyond me why you would even consider that I would make something like this up, and to openly accuse me of being a fraud and a liar with no basis other than you cannot possibly believe it, is really beyond reproach. If you would like, I can have my players create accounts just to post on here that I am not lying, but I have a feeling you wouldn't believe it, and would accuse me of doing it myself. Just becuase you have a certain belief does not make it true. Maybe you are on to something though, maybe I'm lying about the whole thing, I just made the whole **** story up for the forum. Maybe I don't even have a group, or am even a GM!

Sorry, just being accused of something like this is super irritating and annoying. Especially coming from someone who does not know me. While I do "kind of" appreciate your feedback, I find you to be utterly rude and ignorarant. Actually, I do not appreciate your feedback; just having went and re-read it again, it even starts off disrespectful and rude, and just keeps getting worse from there. I am amazed at how ignorant and asinine people can be, I really am.

Seriously,

R2builder

Nice side story for little green guy and your group, but fake. Fraud! Not real. Make believe. Fiction. No grown men were crying from having a NPC Doc die. But that doesn't mean it wasn't a good scene for your group to encounter.

Seriously,

Darthslash

Assuming Darthslash didn't forget to use his sarcasm font, obvious troll is obvious.

Nice side story for little green guy and your group, but fake.

Yeah I remember crying once from a surprise a GM pulled on me in one campaign. I tend to get attached to my PCs and am very rarely ok with letting them die. But in one set of campaigns most of the group had at least one PC in every main faction. Except factions were rising and falling as the story went on as it lasted about 31 years not counting the AU campaigns we did later which were covered a few years of an alternate timeline with many of the same characters starting about 25 years before the first campaign in the old timeline.

Anyway there's a massive machine army overrunning the galaxy and all of the factions have united against it. Most of my characters have skill sets and roles that are different enough to just use one character that's appropriate but I have two that are virtually identical in rol. One is a naval officer and starship designer turned benevolent military dictator of his home sector who likes to lead his fleet from the front. The other is a fighter pilot turned naval officer who became head of his faction's starship design bureau and governor of a sector who also likes to lead from the front.

So I decide one needs to go and during a meeting of high level leaders which the latter character is attending a machine fleet launches a massive attack and a traitor throws a grenade into the meeting . My character dives onto the grenade and is mortally wounded naturally. He dies with his last words being orders to the fleet and I tear up a little.

Then the GM tells us that the Emperess of his faction, who had a surrogate father/daughter relationship with the character since long before he had any biological children gathers virtually all of the faction's fleet and launches a suicide attack on the machines calling for my character to be remembered as thy charged. I'm stunned and even sadder because now the character's death becomes the death knell of the government he had served for a little over seventy years. He had applied to the Academy as soon as he had come of age.

Bravo R2Builder, bravo!

In almost 30 years of running games, I have achieved this once. It was a Vampire: Dark Ages game and the prince of London, a Brujah, let himself be killed to save the vampire population of the city during a nasty time involving all sorts of WoD shenanigans. Thing was, he had always been a fair and generous prince, and the players liked and respected him. I made a country boy cry when he took the long walk out into the day-light. Good times.

As a word of advice from 1 GM to another, don't gut-punch your PC's too often, or the shock value will rapidly wear off. Especially given the impact that this one had. Let your players enjoy a bloody and violent revenge. In this case may I recommend the good old trope of killing the Inquisitor, only to realise a few sessions later that he had a master who was pulling the strings all along.

Oh, and as for Darthslash (which brings to mind the mental image of Darth Vader trying to use a urinal...) ignore that little troll. Not worth your time mate, enjoy your moment as an UBER-GM!!!