So my game exploded last night, and over something I thought was pretty innocuous. Universal condemnation, session broke up, probably going to lose the group. I'm still pretty new at GMing, but this one just came out of the blue.
>players arrive at new city >start doing discrete investigative work for a local Mage guild. >planning a fairly risky expedition to sewers >guild leader offers the help of one of the members of the party wants it > one of them counters with "why don't you come yourself? > "oh, young Angus is more skilled in the art than I ever was, I'd only slow you down"
You would not BELIEVE the shitstorm. It apparently breaks some rule is never heard of to make the leader of a Mage association something other than the most powerful guy. Every, and to my mind reasonable, explanation as to why just got them madder. I still don't get why it's a problem in the first place, or what the hell is such a big deal if it is a problem. WTF is going on?
Chase Lopez
I honestly don't know what to say to this besides if it's honestly this big a deal to them that it's worth breaking up your group over, they probably weren't that great to start with.
On the other hand, if they are, you can maybe salvage this by conceding that maybe he IS the strongest mage in the guild, and he's just pretending to be frail and weak. I hope you guys can make it work though, this is amongst the more retarded reasons for breaking up a group I've ever seen.
Gavin Brown
It would make sense if the mage association has to do a lot of politics. Or if the mages just want to do mage-y stuff, and some unfortunate bastard has to be the figurehead.
Leo Martinez
That's some pretty retarded shit OP. Do they do this sorta crap regularly?
Andrew Foster
So... the guy who spends half of his time dealing with trade, organisation, and internal politics isn't as powerful as someone who spends all his time studying his craft?
They got pissy about that? They are idiots, and you're better off without them
Samuel Campbell
Do they just not understand how politics works in organisations like a guild? Do they assume that Field Marshal Haig could have been 360 no-scoping Germans left, right and centre with duel-wielded machine guns?
Michael Moore
I don't have anything to say that hasn't been said, but I still felt compelled to post.
Tyler King
Sorry about your game. You won't have any wiggle room for conspiracy or even a thinly veiled attempt at plot if that is the type of thing that will kill your game and break up the group.
Assuming it can be salvaged, though, what's wrong with being totally vague, like "I contend with powers of a different nature" or implying that he is otherwise occupied, and has delegated the expeditions to various underlings? Why the hell else would he be giving out tasks to people (especially randos from out of town) if he had time and power to handle everything himself?
The leader of the mage guild has other shit to do. Whether he's the most powerful or not doesn't really matter at that point.
I agree that maybe later he could reveal as a more skillful practitioner. He is a mage after all -a shifty, power-hungry backstabber type of ever there were.
Austin Anderson
Your players are retards.
Dominic Hughes
You must have struck a nerve. Are any of your players interns?
