The PCs finally make it to the BBEG's super-secret hidden lair. They throw down the ultimate smack and waste oodles of his Minions and his most trusted manservant, Audjaub.

Suddenly, the BBEG walks in amid a sea of Minions. He begins his triumphant mwahahahs...and a player flips a Destiny token and says "Holy jumpin' gungans! Uncle Snidely, is that you?

GM: " Fuuuuuu..."

I have to say, I'd entertain the idea.

Flip one back and say, "I get confused for that guy all the time. Prepare to die non-relative!"

It's fair game.

But.

Uncle Snidely just happens to hate his petulant, annoying nephew [bames Jond] because Snidely -- a relation by marriage, not blood -- had always been in love with [bames Jond's] beautiful mother, Mennyponey, but had to settle for her awful, shrewish sister, Kew. So [bames Jond] represents a failed marriage and a broken heart, and Snidely renews his vendetta with vigor.

DP flip, "No." Bangbangbangbangbangbang!!!!!

A player's DP flip isn't a freebie for just anything. The book suggests using it to come up with equipment that you might not have remembered to pack, or other such uses. Pretty mundane in comparison. You have to put some limits, otherwise a player could say "Palpatine called. He's abdicating, and put me in charge."

On a different note, the spirit of improv suggests that you don't cancel someone's idea with your own input. (Theatre people have a term for that, I don't recall what it is.) Flipping a DP to counter the idea just feels wrong.

It's simpler IMHO to just tell the player that kind of usage is out of bounds. And if you counter-flip, add something to the narrative, don't just negate someone else's addition.

So him being a character's uncle now makes him not want to kill him?

So him being a character's uncle now makes him not want to kill him?

Right. "Yes, and I always hated you!" bangbangbangbangbangbang!

So it's almost a reverse of My Biggest Fan under the Entertainer tree, but not quite. Interesting - I don't think I'd let them get away with it tho.

the spirit of improv

The PCs finally make it to the BBEG's super-secret hidden lair. They throw down the ultimate smack and waste oodles of his Minions and his most trusted manservant, Audjaub.

Suddenly, the BBEG walks in amid a sea of Minions. He begins his triumphant mwahahahs...and a player flips a Destiny token and says "Holy jumpin' gungans! Uncle Snidely, is that you?

GM: " Fuuuuuu..."

I have to say, I'd entertain the idea.

Uncle's minions hold blasters to the PC's heads. Uncle kindly invites the PC relative to aid Uncle in his shady endeavors, or watch his friends die.

The complication (and potential TPK) therefore rests on the head of the person who flipped the DP....and if they PC's come up with a plan to escape, they will be talking about that encounter for years!

(wicked GM laugh trailing away into the distance....)

"You were adopted"

"Ahh the child from the fell union of my good-for-nothing sister and that layabout smuggler. I'm so happy someone with a very similar genetic makeup has arrived at this critical time, your oozing remains will allow me to fake my death!"

Explosions happen, the ground shakes beneath their feet, and BBEG slips away, rolling a handful of stun grenades absent-mindedly behind him as he exits.

'The BBEG stops for a moment. "Scooter? Is that you? Oh my gosh, how you have grown! Why, I remember the day your mom and dad brought you home from the hospital!" The BBEG's minions tie the group to chairs, while the BBEuncle proceeds to bore the group to tears with baby pictures, and stories, regaling the crew with tales of cutesy halloween costumes, potty training, and first day of school.'

Hey, if the guy wants to go that route, I'm going to make him earn it.

*flip point*

"Uncle? Your mother never told you. Amusing. No, PC. -I- am your father."

This is why I heartily dislike shutting players down. Look at all these great ideas. All rich little subplots that your player can help create. Or, you could be unimaginative and say "No that's not allowed," and proceed with your plans.

So many great twists in this thread!

I think another route to go is a classic Prince of Denmark. The uncle confesses to murdering his brother for the family farm and will now claim the family inheritance for good by killing the son. He keeps the skull around for giving dramatic soliloquies about the nature of death.

Alas poor Yorick! I knew him, Horatio

A player's DP flip isn't a freebie for just anything. The book suggests using it to come up with equipment that you might not have remembered to pack, or other such uses. Pretty mundane in comparison. You have to put some limits, otherwise a player could say "Palpatine called. He's abdicating, and put me in charge."

On a different note, the spirit of improv suggests that you don't cancel someone's idea with your own input. (Theatre people have a term for that, I don't recall what it is.) Flipping a DP to counter the idea just feels wrong.

It's simpler IMHO to just tell the player that kind of usage is out of bounds. And if you counter-flip, add something to the narrative, don't just negate someone else's addition.

The term is Yes and. And if a player did this you should totally run with it.

This is why I heartily dislike shutting players down. Look at all these great ideas. All rich little subplots that your player can help create. Or, you could be unimaginative and say "No that's not allowed," and proceed with your plans.

I'm with you there - things come out of their mouths that are much better than anything I had. I don't always allow it, but by and large I'm willing to roll with whatever they might throw at me!

A player's DP flip isn't a freebie for just anything. The book suggests using it to come up with equipment that you might not have remembered to pack, or other such uses. Pretty mundane in comparison. You have to put some limits, otherwise a player could say "Palpatine called. He's abdicating, and put me in charge."

On a different note, the spirit of improv suggests that you don't cancel someone's idea with your own input. (Theatre people have a term for that, I don't recall what it is.) Flipping a DP to counter the idea just feels wrong.

It's simpler IMHO to just tell the player that kind of usage is out of bounds. And if you counter-flip, add something to the narrative, don't just negate someone else's addition.

The term is Yes and. And if a player did this you should totally run with it.

Why? What's the difference between that and "I have a nuke in my back pocket"? I don't need to entertain the absurd.

What is absurd about a PC being related to the BBEG?

What is absurd about a PC being related to the BBEG?

But, like, were have we seen that before?

What is absurd about a PC being related to the BBEG?

Okay, maybe nothing. I suppose it depends on the timing and situation. The first game I ran (the EotE beginner game), my son used 5 advantages to say he'd been dating the comm tower officer, and that was a hoot. And I haven't said "no" to anything the players have come up with yet since, so...

I guess something just feels wrong about the OP's player situation and it rubs me the wrong way. It smells like an intentional hijacking more than a creative addition.

I guess something just feels wrong about the OP's player situation and it rubs me the wrong way. It smells like an intentional hijacking more than a creative addition.

Yeah, I think that was the intention, but taking their lemons and making lemonade will put hair on your chest. Or remove it, if that's your thing.

I guess something just feels wrong about the OP's player situation and it rubs me the wrong way. It smells like an intentional hijacking more than a creative addition.

Yeah, I think that was the intention, but taking their lemons and making lemonade will put hair on your chest. Or remove it, if that's your thing.

Meh. I don't know how possible it is to hijack something that's supposed to be collaborative in the first place...but it is good to balance a sensitivity to hijacking with cooperative storytelling. You wanna make sure that everyone is having fun, and that the twist isn't at the expense of the other players.

Meh. I don't know how possible it is to hijack something that's supposed to be collaborative in the first place...but it is good to balance a sensitivity to hijacking with cooperative storytelling. You wanna make sure that everyone is having fun, and that the twist isn't at the expense of the other players.

Good point - it comes back to Rule Zero: Fun rules the day. I wouldn't have taken this as a hijack as much as an attempt to be clever. Heck I like to pull crazy stunts as a player as well.