PDA

View Full Version : DM Help Players are the monsters Halloween Game



Gandabear
2015-08-22, 08:39 PM
Hello guys and gals,

I have been running yearly Halloween games for friends (1 face to face and another online for distance friends) usually home grown sometimes punched up modules for nearly 10 years now. This year my online group has requested something a bit unique, they want to play the monsters against a group of 'good guy' npcs. In its most basic they want to be the bad guys in a hammer film.

I guess I am feeling a bit overwhelmed by the prospect. I think FATE may be my best bet in terms of a system. I also think that I am going to design the game around a locale setting rather than design my game and apply a locale. Usually I like my games to develop a bit more on the narrative side and apply the details after but so far this seems to be my handle. As I see it my task now, unlike most games, it almost feels like I will be actively playing against my players.

I know that this post is a bit random and amorphous but I am hoping that there are some of you who may have dealt with this kind of "reverse game" before and might have some suggestions on how to proceed or tips on how best to help them get the most out of the game.

Redchigh
2015-08-24, 12:51 AM
I played in a game like this once.
It was DND 3rd edition, and we all made gnolls. By far the most sandboxy game we've ever had.

All the DM had to say was 'After several days of uneventful travel, a city is in the distance.'

Memory is foggy of that game but it was great fun. We took over a local pub, tortured most of the patrons, got drunk, (pulled out real beer as we were playing), and spent the rest of the game just causing mayhem with the city guard right on our heels. My buddy was a necromancer, so when we decided that the guards had to catch us eventually we crashed our way into the biggest hostel, killed everyone, and the necromancer his behind the door (literally under a sheet). The rest of us engaged while the necromancer raised and buffed all the civilians...

The mayhem was really the best part. Breaking everything, pushing strollers in road L's to distract the guards, and so on. (Our characters were drunk, and us even more so. There were no rules or plot, just do as much damage as possible.)

Geddy2112
2015-08-24, 01:38 AM
Ever heard of the game "boss monster"? It is the reverse of Munchkin- you are the monster at the end of a dungeon that you build, stock with monsters, and buff with spells. They become the boss fight at the end, and the heroes are attracted to the treasure/whatever in said dungeon. You could have them all build their own, or perhaps they build the BBED of deathmaythemdestructionchaosevil. They could play the monsters, and you roll up a party of "heroes" to go through said dungeon(s)

Gandabear
2015-08-24, 07:34 PM
The gang of villains I have done, for one of my groups in the past, they ended up sparking a race war between humans and elves. It was pretty fun.

This being a Halloween one shot I am trying to tighten it up a bit. I will only have 1 maybe two sessions to tell the tale and let them engage the world.

As for Boss Monster, no, I had never heard of it but Im going to hop down to Zombie Planet tomorrow and check it out.

Thanks guys.

And if there are any more suggestions or stories about villain adventures lay em on me.

Oberon Kenobi
2015-08-25, 05:18 AM
What genre are you looking at? Fantasy, superhero, whatever?

I'll rec Fate, and I suggest taking a look at Eagle Eyes. It has this simple conspiracy mechanic which is meant to be about unraveling an uncouth mystery, but could totally be turned on its head to model putting an evil plan into motion. I think that would be pretty great for a villainous one-shot.

(Note to self: Eagle Eyes conspiracy mechanic to model a heist, hmm...)

prufock
2015-08-25, 07:12 AM
In Monstropolis, good is bad, bad is good, scary is funny, cute is scary, monsters are citizens, and humanoids are bred as slaves, food, or otherwise chattel. Monstropolis might be an alternate reality, or a city set in your regular world, a demi-plane, or whatever other way makes sense to incorporate into your campaign.

Monsters in Monstropolis have jobs, families, homes, pets (sometimes humanoid pets), bills, and all that fun stuff involved with modern life; but everything is twisted. Your job might be slaughtering halflings for consumption, or torturing volunteers for entertainment, or stealing goods from human settlements, or babysitting (actually sitting on babies). You might be a priest of an evil god, you might be a "hero" who has defeated many would-be adventurers, or you might be a city guard (making sure there's enough violence in the streets).

What kind of adventures could you have in Monstropolis?
- The humanoids have formed an underground group of rebels; seek out and destroy them.
- Monstropolis is having an election; undermine and humiliate your candidate's competition. If your candidate loses, just kill the competitor.
- Monsters are starting to be nice... ew. Figure out what social plague is afflicting them.
- The muckmen who live in the sewers (and keep them nice and dirty) are forming a union and going on strike. Keep the muck flowing, and break up the strike.
- A graffiti artist is tagging buildings with disturbing images, which drive citizens mad if they look at them too long. Track down this artist, reward him, and offer him a job!
- The streets have grown a little too quiet of late. Time to make some creative mahem!
- An important figure has been murdered. Celebrate good times, come on!
- A very important magic ritual to summon an ancient evil for some undisclosed reason (to do citizens' taxes, maybe) must go ahead. Collect the necessary items, sacrifices, and keep the site safe from would-be adventurers.

Basically take any of those "100 adventure hooks" threads, and flip the hook.

HerbertWest
2015-08-25, 01:54 PM
I would run them in one of the Old World of Darkness settings. Vampire is a good one, and you can use either a modern age Masquerade supplement, or the Dark Ages for a more fantasy feel. It's a game already dedicated to the concepts of your character losing their Humanity.

Telonius
2015-08-25, 02:04 PM
Just play it as you would any other campaign with Evil characters. Each one of the monsters is going to have some sort of goal (even if that goal is limited to "Smash!" or "Braaains!"). Set it up so there are challenges standing between the players and the goal. They don't all have to be "good guys," they can be rival monsters too.

I'm best-versed in D&D 3.5, and that sort of a setup is totally doable there. There are quite a few playable monstrous races, and sourcebooks like Savage Species if the players want to be something unusual. The toughest part as DM would probably be wrangling character creation. I'd suggest that you give them a target ECL, and work from there. (i.e. if everybody's starting at the same power level, don't even bother worrying about all of the LA's and RHDs. Give out XP as though they were regular characters, and all level up at the regular time).

The Grue
2015-08-25, 02:05 PM
Is it the "We play as monsters" bit they're into, or specifically "we're the bad guys and we're fighting a bunch of good guys"?

If just the former, and if you think your group would go for something a little more subtle, there's a Trail of Cthuhlu adventure called something like "The Dance in Blood" I'd recommend - it's part of a larger campaign but could very easily be run as a stand-alone module.

Without spoiling anything, let me just say it makes for an excellent Halloween game.