PvP question: One the story arcs for this party involves the Professional discovering that the Agency was behind the Wronged’s family’s death. And the Wronged might find out, too. The Pro happens to also be a pro RPGer, but none of the other hunters are. I’m concerned I may have a PvP situation arise, and I’m not sure how to handle that. I could just remove this fact from the story beats, but I think it’s dramatic and would work with the group. How do you guys handle intra-party conflict? Should I just trust the players (not the characters) to find a way to resolve things that lets the party continue together? Or should I really avoid putting them in this situation in the first place? Advice welcome.
PvP question: One the story arcs for this party involves the Professional discovering that the Agency was behind the…
PvP question: One the story arcs for this party involves the Professional discovering that the Agency was behind the…
Is this something that you the Keeper have set up, or is this something the players created during play?
Is it just the Agency, and not the Professional character themselves that was involved? If so, I don’t think its a problem. If one player is conflating the whole agency with one person they work with, that’s an intentional character choice, not you putting them in that situation.
A lot of organizations and authority figures in the game and the media that inform it, have sinister undertones.
When it comes to player versus player conflict, though, that is one time that I put the ongoing game session on hold and have a meta-discussion that reinforces that the characters are in conflict, not the players.
In fact, I would make it clear that anytime two characters are about to act against one another in a significant manner, the two players need to “pop out” of the characters, discuss the character goals and the scenes “from above,” and then “pop back” into character, to make sure there is a separation of player from character.
This is me just getting prepared for a possibility I haven’t been confronted with before. After we built the team, I sketched out arcs that tied up their storylines. I want the Wronged to have a shot at revenge. Then I thought it might be dramatic if it turned out the person behind it was also working for the agency, unbeknownst to the Professional. There are lots of ways that could play out, and I want to at least have a clue what to look out for should the Pro choose to put himself in the Wronged’s way.
I’m not concerned about the players getting heated or taking things personally. I trust the players to find a narrative that lets them keep playing. I was just wondering how others have handled PvP. Or if it is unwise for me to create this possibility in the first page.
Without knowing the players in your group, I don’t think that’s a question I can answer.
But for general advice, I agree with everything Jared Rascher has said. Don’t be afraid to pause the game and discuss things s players (rather than as characters) to ensure everyone at the table is OK with how things are developing.
If you’re worried, best have the conversation with your players. Revisit the principle and agenda of the game, agree that conflict between characters is good drama – story drama; but a conflict between players is bad drama and broken friendships. Use an X card or other means to ensure that everyone feels safe speaking up when things become uncomfortable and assure everyone that the goal is to have fun telling an awesome story together, not to make one another uncomfortable.
Do it! Everyone is always super cautious about PvP because of the bad stories and ill feeling it can cause. But in groups made up of functioning adults, it’s awesome! And hey MoTW fights don’t have to be to the death, think about all those superhero fights before they team up against the common foe