Hey #ttrpgCommunity! What’s your favorite method for handling moral dilemmas during roleplay? How do your players and their characters react to tough choices? #ttrpg #dnd #rpg - ThreadSky

tabcreations.com • 27 days ago

Hey #ttrpgCommunity!

What’s your favorite method for handling moral dilemmas during roleplay? How do your players and their characters react to tough choices?

#ttrpg #dnd #rpg

Comments

sortarkris.bsky.social•26 days ago

Their reactions vary from-
Burning down an innocent gnome shopkeep's house who didn't wanna trade with them or stealing a hunter's target from right under their nose because they didn't like that he wanted some of the reward AFTER he told them about it...
To-
Actually wait no, that's all they do.

toomanymodels.bsky.social•26 days ago

The most important step is usually handled back in Session Zero - establishing the tone and general morality of the story and party to avoid anything really heinous.

That said my character is in a huge crisis right now and my DM is doing a great job letting me work through it instead of

toomanymodels.bsky.social•26 days ago

forcing the issue sooner than necessary.

TL;DR my Paladin is getting caught in a sort of trolley problem where one of our party members is bound by a Geas to take the Necronomicon to a death aligned fae.

I’m stuck between “follow orders and ensure the fae doesn’t get the book” which will

toomanymodels.bsky.social•26 days ago

directly or indirectly kill the party member - a massive violation of my Oath. But disobedience means letting a powerful force of death acquire one of the most dangerous artifacts in existence, and if we can’t stop them… many many more will die.

It’s been great for role playing and drama!

stevengarstone.bsky.social•27 days ago

I'm not sure I understand the question, honestly. I put them in the situation & then let them make the choice on how to resolve it. I especially like to put players who have not yet rounded out their characters into these situations so we learn in real time what their character is. They love it.

collindc.bsky.social•27 days ago

I usually try to make sure the players have time to make a choice when they deal with the dilemma. It doesn’t help to make them rush into a choice and it’s been successful for me so far.

askthedm.bsky.social•27 days ago

As a forever DM, I suppose my favorite method for handling them is just ... creating them 🤣

windscribettrpg.bsky.social•26 days ago

Moood

mattukat2go.bsky.social•27 days ago

I think there is a fine line especially if the opinions differ to much from each player. I try to set them on the same „side“ when the decision making comes. So whatever happens. No one is left out.

swimwriterun.bsky.social•27 days ago

If you mean where the PCs' differeny moral codes clash then it's some fun role play that either becomes line in the sand or damages/evolves the PC in the story.

But if it's a more general moral quandary... well some PCs aren't and never try to be heroes. 😅

lmaron.bsky.social•27 days ago

Legend of the 5 Rings is kind of a very interesting game when it comes to moral dilemas, becaus it portraits a culture with vastly different social norms from our own. Like once they accidentialy talked an inocent person into confesing a murder in order to protect the honor of a loved one...

1crankyoldwitch.bsky.social•27 days ago

I let the players play. All I have to do is judge if it affects their alignments. Proud to say it's usually a great role playing session regardless of what decisions they come to

mikki429.bsky.social•27 days ago

We usually have the tough conversations out of character, with good analyses of why our characters would feel however they do.

zerhackermann.bsky.social•27 days ago

The regulars I play with have made it clear that they want to be simple murderhobos. If presented with moral ambiguity they will play Solomon with the baby and chop away until there is no more ambiguity.

koathedm.bsky.social•27 days ago

Honestly, by asking each player what their character is thinking + where their emotional states are. It usually makes it more clear to all players what the kind of story is going to be and how to make things interesting/decide if they want to have interparty conflict about it

ajcdoesitall.bsky.social•27 days ago

Mostly my preferred method is making it a moral dilemma that either has to happen really fast or something to mull over for a session or two. I also try to pay positive with positive so if they make a good (not dumb-good) choice, it rarely comes back to hurt enjoyment... most of the time.

sugarlessjazz.bsky.social•27 days ago

I tend to put the morally gray situations into critical moments, of course. But oftentimes it is part of a skill challenge, a real world timer, or I put it on the shoulders of a single character/player. Any of these limits the table talk and helps to build the intensity behind deliberation.

shedrawstheworld.bsky.social•24 days ago

For my character Célestine, I had to make a choice, and knew what choice she would need to make, but I would have loved having more support to make this choice entertaining in the story, and also have bad consequences on my character.

misterfriz.bsky.social•27 days ago

Unfortunately, I carried the situation a little too far in Traveller campaign I ran. The characters were running relief supplies to refugees in a war zone, and my descriptions triggered a PTSD episode in one of the players who'd served in Iraq. 🫤

indiegameorigin.bsky.social•27 days ago

Oh no 👀

clarkseals.bsky.social•27 days ago

Like most things, this gets decided in session zero. I do have a soft spot for throwing antagonists at the party with sympathetic motives, especially since it often gets my players talking and gives them chances to make unique character choices

nonesuchsoul.bsky.social•27 days ago

I like to make sure my players are on board for being treated to Morton's Fork or the trolley problem before I lay it in front of them. Then I laugh and let them try to get out of it with whatever is at their disposal. And if they think of something cool? It just means I've got something interesting

windscribettrpg.bsky.social•26 days ago

Hidden trolley problems are always my fav.

nonesuchsoul.bsky.social•26 days ago

As long as you don't employ them too often. Morton's Fork is a more interesting one, especially if you can either trick the players into employing it themselves.

windscribettrpg.bsky.social•26 days ago

I didn’t realize that was called a Morton’s Fork. That’s a super interesting framing of that sort of dilemma. Learn something new every day lmao

windscribettrpg.bsky.social•26 days ago

*I looked it up

nonesuchsoul.bsky.social•26 days ago

Oh yeah, Morton was a clever bastard. Profligates obviously have the money for higher tax if they can afford to splash it around, spendthrifts clearly can afford it given how careful they are with money. Get them coming or going. Forget where I first heard of it, maybe TV Tropes.

cannabiscourt.bsky.social•27 days ago

Oh, I mean, I'm a battletech/mechwarrior main so, um, morals are cool, I guess. Wasn't that a star league thing?

indiegameorigin.bsky.social•27 days ago

Same

vishantidreams.bsky.social•27 days ago

I've usually had very communicative groups so they're able to talk situations out amongst themselves without me having to throw hints or anything.
But I'd say I like to have my players have to choose one option or another. Both of which can be detrimental to the party or the plot.

mace-games.bsky.social•27 days ago

If it can be burnt, it will be burnt, regardless of right, wrong or common sense 🤣

shusha.vtubers.social•27 days ago

This is my favorite part of the game! To be honest, I just let them be, my current campaign has characters with very different world views and it's interesting to see them challenge those views.
Since we have 5 of them, they usually end up splitting 3 against 2 and making sort of compromise.

jgarlick.bsky.social•27 days ago

Discussion is great but at a certain point the rest of the game has to resume.

Also keep in mind characters stopping each other from doing controversial things has the net result of nothing happening. It’s more interesting to let them do the thing, then react.

windscribettrpg.bsky.social•26 days ago

Imo at that moment the stopping IS the action, if it’s not particularly exciting than the drama that it builds up to later should be worth the distillation time.

earthenkindquests.bsky.social•27 days ago

in my groups, moral dilemmas are highly variable and often unnoticed. i might use a plot device to start a conversation, such as with a sentient magic item, family member or mentor, or character's deity. i give the group time to discuss contemplate, later adding relevant adventuring encounters.

neerzlu.bsky.social•27 days ago

Well. Usually it’s handled by one of my players actually acknowledging there is a moral dilemma while the other 3 don’t see it at all, or bulldoze past/through it. Quick example, in my Shadowrun campaign they found a group of imprisoned orc children, 2 players said to leave them- (1/2)

neerzlu.bsky.social•27 days ago

The third suggested they KILL them, and the last player had to be the voice of reason and actually made them save the children. When I wrote it into the scene, I didn’t expect the dilemma to be “if” they should save the children, but “how”. Boy was I wrong.

windscribettrpg.bsky.social•26 days ago

It’s almost never how, lmao. When they get to the “how” it’s usually dragging a few players kicking and pouting. The How is an afterthought.

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