So,
I know I promised to finish the Night at the Carnival line, and I'm going to. It's just been CRAZY busy lately and I've got the opportunity to run it again - the way it was intended - bringing unlikely allies together being able to take off the kiddy gloves, force people to think outside the box and challenge a group of some of the most amazing groups of role players I've had the chance to run with outside of a convention setting.
My problem.... I am hoping that I'm not breaking Wheaton's Law. I already know there is no specific fears that are going to be played upon (yea - phobias will not be making an appearance) but see.... I build this up a very certain way.
When I run this, I push characters buttons. My intent is to drive those characters INSANE with FURY. I want them ANGRY. I want them FURIOUS. I want them INTENT on bringing down the ultimate evil behind the whole thing....
And this time - I don't think it's possible.
Let me explain:
See this time they've made a new group of PC's. I didn't know they'd do this. I figured we'd play with some of the others that we had. Instead, we are running with two mages, three vampires, a werewolf and a werecoyote. All beginning characters
My final baddie - REDICULOUSLY powerful. He is cold, calculating, strategic and not at all egomaniac.
The PC's will be able to take down MOST of the other baddies as a challenge appropriate to them. However, the LT's will be a battle that I expect to down at least one or two of them and ATTACKING the final baddie is a REALLY. BAD. IDEA.
They can still DEAL with him - but the best they can hope to do is get him to leave. After mercilessly pushing their buttons and getting them to want to kill whatever is ultimately responsible for the whole horrible thing.... Does that break Wheaton's Law to not let them kill the big baddie at the end? Or is it enough to get them a chance to meet the ultimate evil they will ultimately have to fight and let them rest with the knowledge that they negotiated his leaving and while they may have lost the battle, the war is far from over?
