I remember feeling bad about killing the lion as well - even though it ate our party's other elf - when I was that age. Moral play is like real and stuff.
That's kinda awesome. Not that she cried but because she had the human decency to care about an imaginary creature. RPGs are great for that.
I think one of my first "becoming morally aware" moments was when my older brother was DMing, and my friends and I killed a sleeping townsman to steal his horses (typical murder hobo behavior). We were all excited and then my brother described the man's wife coming home from the market.
I didn't really consider the consequences of my actions until that moment. I felt legitimately guilty and have never forgotten.
Maybe she will be a GM. She just asked me how to spell “theories”. So I checked on what she is doing, and she appears to be looking for My Little Pony fan theories on YouTube. I need to monitor that to make sure she isn’t watching right wing trash, but I’m kinda impressed.
I really do want to evangelize (though I won't come to your porch with pamphlets) for the idea of 'moral play' being at the core of good table top. The ability to make 'bad' and 'good' decisions without real-world consequences and with in game consequences that don't force a specific morality really is one of the most interesting elements of tabletop roleplaying. I also think it tends to make players more moral after a while or at least can create empathy and self examination - which for a game stereo-typically/historically played by alienated teens suggests a pretty positive effect.
Where did it all go wrong, Casey? I can’t pinpoint it, but it was already too late when they remade 3:10 to Yuma and took a movie that was mostly two men talking about morality in a hotel room and put in a Gatling gun.
This is my gaming circle minus my ACKS players. I am such an asshole. Since they're in the big city now, the players really wanted to know if there were any magic weapons for sale. ACKS ain't 3e or 4e though. There is exactly one magic weapon for sale. I rolled randomly to see what it was and... ...it's a cursed -2 sword. So I told the players there's a weapons dealer/fence who's looking to get rid of a magic sword he's gotten ahold of...cheap. Only 6,000gp when usually a +1 item would be 10,000gp. So far they are not suspicious. They're going to be so pissed at me. I can barely contain my excitement.
Awwww. That poor bloodthisty maneating pussycat! :P
ReplyDeleteAnd they knocked out the hermit, stole his treasure, then murdered him. No tears for him though.
ReplyDelete😍
ReplyDeletePoor Abby! You baby-orc-ed her!
ReplyDeleteShe baby-orc'd herself!
ReplyDeleteI remember feeling bad about killing the lion as well - even though it ate our party's other elf - when I was that age. Moral play is like real and stuff.
ReplyDeleteThat's kinda awesome. Not that she cried but because she had the human decency to care about an imaginary creature. RPGs are great for that.
ReplyDeleteI think one of my first "becoming morally aware" moments was when my older brother was DMing, and my friends and I killed a sleeping townsman to steal his horses (typical murder hobo behavior). We were all excited and then my brother described the man's wife coming home from the market.
I didn't really consider the consequences of my actions until that moment. I felt legitimately guilty and have never forgotten.
#D&DMorals
The other amazing thing was giving some cultists of Tharizdun a fair chance, letting them pitch their religion before deciding to kill them all.
ReplyDeleteThat's what I do with missionaries on my porch.
ReplyDeleteI look forward to this kinda thing. Not the missionaries on the porch. The gaming with my kid.
ReplyDeleteMaybe she will be a GM. She just asked me how to spell “theories”. So I checked on what she is doing, and she appears to be looking for My Little Pony fan theories on YouTube. I need to monitor that to make sure she isn’t watching right wing trash, but I’m kinda impressed.
ReplyDeleteI really do want to evangelize (though I won't come to your porch with pamphlets) for the idea of 'moral play' being at the core of good table top. The ability to make 'bad' and 'good' decisions without real-world consequences and with in game consequences that don't force a specific morality really is one of the most interesting elements of tabletop roleplaying. I also think it tends to make players more moral after a while or at least can create empathy and self examination - which for a game stereo-typically/historically played by alienated teens suggests a pretty positive effect.
ReplyDeleteI’d love to see a month’s worth of blog essays about how to ref as a universe that operates on various shades of implied moral rules or lack of.
ReplyDelete