I need help with in game consequences

inspiration

#1

Setting: Age of Snakes (loosely)

Age group: 6-7th graders

Quick story: We are loosely using the Age of Snakes setting and following the map from WORLDS they have just entered Nemedia to cut through a pass in the mountains on their way towards the East Colossus (the Colossus’ sword is the last “pillar” keeping Sett from obtaining his true form and take over the world). Upon arrival, and with no research on the lands or it’s people beforehand, they encounter a small scouting party from the Bear Clan who have allied with the Snakemen to gain control of all of Nemedia. The kids fall for the honey sweet words of the Bear Clan and tell them that they think they have learned the location of the last pillar and are gathering there to look into it and defend it if need be. ALL of this information, especially the true location of the last pillar, had been kept secret by the other two groups of kids that have chosen the safe route to the East Colossus through Duradin’s Mountain pass and are unaware of what this other team is up to.

So, now the plans have fallen into enemy hands, Bast and the Snake Queen are slithering their way East acting upon the new information, the team that gave the information out are still under the assumption that they just told some nice locals their plan to save the world and the other two groups (and kingdom) will most likely be caught unaware and with little to no time to prepare for the snakemen when they arrive. The team that gave up the goods have also been given Bear Clan necklaces to mark them as allies of the Bear Clan, which will most likely have some consequences if they bump into the Wolf or Elk Clans too.

I need help finding some natural consequences, possible encounters and so on caused from the fall out of their costly mistake of bragging to the wrong people.

Thanks in advance.


#2

I was absolutely shocked how easily they gave up the information and was not expecting this turn of events. I’m pretty good at winging it, but this is pretty game changing having given any edge they had to the enemy.

We use ICRPG as a teaching tool at our school and part of that is teaching social encounters. I gave them all the proper red flags that these guys probably weren’t the best guys to trust and at one point even openly admitted they were working with the Snakemen. Yet, here we are. I’m utterly gobsmacked but actions have consequences and I will stick to my guns on that one.


#3

Dude! you a school teacher too??


#4

paraprofessional technically


#5

Howdy,

Shooting from the hip here, but my gut reaction would be to first come up with a reasonable way for the team to learn about their mistake. I think this is important, because everyone (kids included) learn more effectively the more immediate the feedback. Also, I think the necklaces you mention offer a possible route.

Have them bump into someone from the Elk or Wolf clans! Let them navigate through that sticky situation, learning along the way that the reason their necklaces are causing trouble with the locals is that the Bear clan is super shady.

This would:

  1. Set up an immediate natural consequence of their actions, as the encounter with other locals is likely to be more difficult due to their badges of Bear Clan allyship.

  2. Immediately start a Timer!, because this should start the wheels turning for them to realize the consequences of their mistake. Their enemies are on the way to the pillar!

  3. Frame all of their trials and tribulations from this point forward as being directly or indirectly related to this mistake. They are on a mad dash to solve the problem they caused, and a Timer! is running.

I think in learning from these types of mistakes immediate feedback is key. You want to avoid a situation where they don’t realize their mistake for three, four, or ten sessions. Find a creative and reasonable way to rip that band-aid off now, and then run with their reaction.

Interested in chatting about this more if you like,

Dice Goblin


#6

Good advice from @Dice_Goblin! I also think it’s important that there isn’t a “gotcha” moment at the end.

One thing I didn’t understand was if the three groups play simultaneously (so all are in the same adventure, at the same time)? If so, I think it’s important that the other two groups are forewarned, and that the precautions they took aren’t for nothing. Otherwise the kids in the other groups will be real-world upset.

Possible consequences:

  • they get invited to Bear clan party as allies, encounters snake men
  • they get ambushed by snake men, but ambush is stopped when their necklaces are revealed
  • they get recruited by the other clans as spies, to infiltrate the bear clan
  • the snake men arrive first and activate the Colossus that turns out to be some terrible robot that wreaks havoc on the country side - they must stop it, capture it, and pilot it in a mech battle with Sett
  • the snake men has sprung many of the traps and stolen some of the loot from the final dungeon

#7

Thanks @Dice_Goblin and @Olav and exactly in line with what I was trying to figure out. I absolutely don’t want to “punish” them for their mistakes. Looking for ways for them to learn that the things they say have meaning and can cause things they don’t intend. Both of your suggestions have got my wheels turning again in the right direction; I think they will be having a run in with one of the other clans and then a TIMER will be set to catch up and stop the Bear Clan from passing the information along to the Snakemen before its too late. Thank you both!

To answer your question Olav, yes I run three groups in the same world so one groups actions can affect the others. Our kiddos struggle a lot with social interactions and how their actions affect others so any way to learn that in a safe environment is good by us. My hope is to nudge them in the direction of, “oh, we almost screwed up pretty big; we should probably let the others know” but with that part of the learning is not to just hand that to them.


#8

It went well, we found some in game ways to talk about it after they bumped into some Wolf Clan members at their fortress and left to stop the Bear Clan members from passing along the information.