Okay, I know there’s nothing more boring than listening to somebody else go on and on about their RPG, and if I try to esplain it all, it will go on for pages. So let me sum up:
Cast of characters:
B—: The King (NPC)
E—: My character, the King’s daughter.
A—: Another PC, the King’s nephew.
B: If a Particular Event occurs, it will be Bad. E— and A—, I command you to go forth and do a Despicable Act to prevent the Particular Event.
A: No, I do not want to do this Despicable Act.
B: Do the Despicable Act, or I’ll have you killed.
A: :eek:
E: inwardly :eek:, outwardly calm and collected. But if we can prevent the Particular Event from occuring in other ways, would that be acceptible?
B: Yes, however, the Particular Event must be prevented at all costs.
E— decides how best to prevent the Particular Event, industriously does Background Research, and creates a Reasonable Plan and shares it with A—. The Reasonable Plan goes forward flawlessly. E— and A-- work together well as a team (not always what happens when PCs have to cooperate in this game) and everything looks like it’s going to Work Out.
But then this week’s session began.
The Reasonable Plan fails. A certain person has to agree to do something that they wouldn’t be naturally inclined to do, and despite guilt trips, offers of rewards, and skillful (IMHO) attempts at persuation, they refuse.
E— and A— are forced into the Despicable Act, which, due to a) Unfortunate Circumstances, b) Bad Timing, and c) some arguably poor decisions on the players’ parts, the Despicable Act is accomplished in a Particularly Loathesome and Cowardly Manner.
All flee weeping (except the Corpse, which is dragged away from the scene, leaving a bloody trail), pursued hotly by enemies. Our “heroes” E— and A— barely escape with their lives intact.
And I’m wrecked about it. I was nearly a basket case the night of the session. Now that I’ve had a few days to chant to myself, “It’s a game. It’s a game. It’s a game.” I have some degree of equilibrium, but I’m still agnozing over every choice and asking: Why did I do that? What could I have done differently? Were my decisions in-character? And, most difficult, how do I carry on from here?
The GM (a.k.a. my husband) is surprised that I’m so freaked out by it. (This is the man who has spent more than a year crafting an Extremely Creepy Enemy, then reacts with befuddlement when we are actually creeped out.) I’ve tried to explain to him that the conflict between loyalty and personal morality, the panic that ensued when the Plan That Was Sure to Work failed, and the creepiness of the ensuing consequences added up to something Altogether Too Much To Bear.
On the bright side, his reaction is that he can’t understand why I’m so upset, rather than that saying that he can’t understand why I made such poor decisions. And the guy who plays A— was almost as shell-shocked as I was, rather than saying, “Good god, why did you do that!?” so maybe my decisions weren’t as bad as I’m beating myself up for, nor will the consequences be as dire as I fear.
Okay, so, regale me of tales of when you got in a little too deep, and your RPG spilled over and made you miserable IRL.