Nonviolent Action

#1

Hail shields! I’m starting a game of Warp Shell soon, with a twist: the PCs play medical missionaries who took an oath of nonviolence. They’ll find themselves in plenty of danger, and I want to give them fun options for defending themselves. I’m looking for input and ideas.

One idea is to simply “set phasers to stun,” so to speak, and allow them to use standard weapons on a stun setting, or perhaps with special ammo. Damage from this would heal at the end of the encounter, and if someone dropped from it they would fall unconscious, stabilized. This option seems… lacking somehow. I want to promote the idea that nonviolence takes more wits and creativity.

Another option would be to design new non-lethal items that don’t use EFFORT at all, but instead cause immobility, push/pull, or unconsciousness on a timer. I’m concerned this could add a lot of tracking to the game, but I suppose it’s hardly different than tracking HP.

That’s what I got. What ideas do you have? What would make you excited to play this game?

Asklepion: Campaign Report
#2

Oh!
I like the latter idea a lot! Instead of a timer, you could just use a save to recover at the start of each turn.

Instead of effort categories for weapons, you could have different target numbers: “Stun 12”

#3

Hmm. So PC rolls to hit with a Stun 12 weapon, and on a hit the target is stunned until they pass a Target 12 save on their turn? I like it. Smacks of 4E, but that’s ok. It does reduce tracking timers.

Maybe standardize the EFFORT/Target translations: Basic is 12, Weapon is 13, Gun is 14, Magic is 15, and Ultimate is 16 (10 + half of max on the die).

#4

Danger doesn’t have to be from being attacked or involved in a combat situation. The environment itself can be dangerous and could draw from a number of different stats. Also, push that Charisma stat, there is a lot you can do with that.

#5

In my opinion, if you and the players want a nonviolent game, then PC’s shouldn’t carry weapons, lethal or non-lethal. The tone should be that they’re perpetually outgunned, undersupplied, and overwhelmed in unfamiliar territory. Tension is supplied by the situation.

Examples:
In a war-torn country, the PC’s are treating some wounded people. What if a military officer bursts in with his soldiers and accuses them of aiding the enemy? What if one of the wounded brought in is rigged with explosives? What if a panicking patient doesn’t speak a language the PC’s understand? What if an arms dealer offers them critical supplies in exchange for smuggling some weapons?

A doomed starship is about to crash. How do they evacuate everyone in time? What if the captain is insisting VIP’s or 1st-Class passengers must take priority? How can they buy more time for all to escape? What if they’re aren’t enough lifeboats?

There’s a zombie outbreak. Can they convince the government not to purge an entire town? What if the infected could be cured? How do they trace the source of the plague? How do they ensure their medical research doesn’t become weaponized later?

In any of those examples, violence would only escalate to an un-winnable scenario. Bringing guns also brings suspicion. Using weapons would lead to the PC’s (and innocent bystanders) being shot, under arrest, or distrusted by the very people they wish to save.

I think also letting a PC have a gun would send mixed messages to the player. You don’t want them to think like they used to in a dungeon crawl. When they look on their character sheets, they should see medical supplies, their credentials, a passport stamped by the local government, and a picture of their family back home. No “Stunner: Weapon DMG, non-lethal”

On a final note, to emphasize their oath then have the players recite it at the beginning of a session. Perhaps the players create the oath, with each contributing one line to it.
“So others may live.”
“Do no harm.”
“For all life everywhere”

#6

Very valid point, Ravaan.
Still, I think the stun option is also viable, first because it creates interesting scenarios and tactical challenges, and second because the pcs would still be outgunned by most opponents.
It’s easy to imagine situations where you would stun someone on your own side to prevent them from more violent actions, or where you would stun the opponents but carry them to safety, and so on.

But more fundamentally, it sets a very different frame for problem solving if the default is that everyone will live. If you were spotted by the guard and stunned them, they’ll still know it was you when they’re de-stunned.

So for these reasons, I don’t really think there would be any mixed messages from the stun guns themselves, even if I absolutely agree that the content must be different than in a “normal” session.

#7

I would have NPC security/defense teams assigned to the PCs. They would be holding the line while the PCs do their thing. The violence would be “off-screen” but still a real threat to the mission. The team leader would interact with the PCs via radio or come rushing in with updates base on the GM’s global timer. Injured security troopers could be brought in to increase the tension. Conflicts between the PCs and the grunts over mission priorities make great drama. A well-like NPC heavy weapons gunner pushes the last PC onto the ship as it is lifting off and holds off the onrushing horde of xenos last stand style. I’ve ran Cyberpunk 2020 games back in the 1990s where the PCs were search/rescue/EMS specialists and had NPC flight crews and security teams. This sounds like it would be an exciting game. Good luck!

#8

As @rpgerminator said, the world itself is a danger. But, better yet, the AngryGM goes into this a bit in this article https://theangrygm.com/you-can-quit-encounters-2/ (The second part of it; what if the board hit back?) and it sounds like the world itself is a Force. Something that actively tries to deny players victory. That article made me think a lot about the Runehammer style, and I think you might enjoy the read too, if only for the inspiration it can provide! I’ve definitely adopted this attitude more and more in my games and it makes things interesting, as well as prep easier!

@Ravaan is also right, carrying weapons should be a no-no. Not only that, but adding resource management could certainly make things incredibly tenseful and interesting! Best of luck!

#9

Others have mentioned that the players should have no weapons; I disagree BUT those weapons should have very limited uses. As a thought, each person might have a one use stun gun per mission to be used in extreme circumstances of self defense (Or it could have 1d4 uses or something). Just enough to get out of a really sticky situation that they should never have gotten in to begin with! Also give it some drawbacks like limited range. Make them think of it not as a weapon, but as a self defense tool.

Other than that, I would say let them pick from lots of gear before the start of the mission. But keep the things firmly in the weird useful tools category; rocket boots, scanners, portable energy shields (as some very basic ideas, you can get weirder than this of course).

This game sounds like a lot of fun. I would like to try a game where I know I can’t win by combat but have to come up with clever uses of items I have and interesting ways to use my stats.

#10

Could always go the Star Trek route: using some medicine to knock someone out might only work in melee. Or the use of a light to blind opponents. Plenty of options! Plus, I’d say you’re right in a way, because players might find a way to gather weapons from their opponents. But I wouldn’t limit it too much in use, moreso than I would actually not give them an easy time firing them. Justify this by no training: firing a weapon, any weapon, should be HARD.

#11

That is an excellent idea!

#12

Fun times!!! Assuming you are using ICRPG. There is no reason that combat is the main source of drama, but it is the easiest.

Start thinking non leathal, and area denial.

Foam grenade: Str check for distance all near is encased in foam that hardens on the next round. Becomes brittle d4 rounds later…takes a heart of effort to overcome, different sprays can act on it.
Disolver
Hardener (makes hardened foam permanent)
Quickener (does not take a round to harden)

Needler: remote anesthesia delivery system. Skips biological target next turn.

Emp grenade:

Stun gloves:

Stun sticks:

Halon extinguisher: absorbs all oxygen it touches (bulky) stream to near distance. (Hard rolls if not using enclosed breathers)

Ball launcher:
Pepper balls
Glass breaker balls
Stun balls
Emp balls

Sound blaster.

Anyway there is all sorts of equipment you can go with.
But I don’t qualify this as non-violence. Physical Self Defense is violence.

So denial systems and such might make sense. Hacking, emp, camouflage, electronic jamming. Smoke bombs, stink bombs, force bubbles, force walls…

Anyway, some ideas to help you on your way!!!

#13

Another idea, would be to make a game out of the logistics of saving others from a collapsing building… at the car combat races, evacuation to a space mining facility!!!

And in the mean time solving mysteries like scooby doo.

All while the group avoids combat, and trying to stay as safe as they can, while running into danger.

#14

I have to agree with Ravaan guns/weapons, even Stun ones, should be a huge no no for medical missionaries. A doctor with a gun or a weapon becomes a soldier in the eyes of all participants of a conflict.

Also if the players have the option of using guns, stun or no, that will end up being what they default to where as if you take that option off the table it will allow them to seek other more creative solutions.

If you have a stun gun you will use it to stun that aggressive patient/guard/soldier/Etc. If you do not have one you have to think of an alternative way to get yourself out of that bind.

Besides depending upon the Oath of non-violence hey have taken weapons of allkinds could be forbidden. Stunning someone with an electric stun gun is undeniably violent act. And it can be lethal if the target has a heart condition for example. It should be remembered that utilizing weapons, whether lethal or not, is an act of violence. So if their Oath is against violence even non-lethal weapons should be out of the question.

#15

Wow, tons of great ideas here! Together we are mighty!

I envision this game very much as many of you have: nonviolent-but-exciting goals, desperate action to save lives, diplomacy, and having to be creative with loot and environment to avoid violence.

That said, I also want violence to be tempting. It’s the easy solution. The fast solution. I want the players to struggle with the choice, and ultimately have one or two PCs break their oaths during the campaign. This would mean leaving their order, and leaving the warp shell. For some, this may be worth it.

Some main takeaways for me:

  • Angry GM is into some good stuff there. I think I visualize pretty well, but I’ve never done that intentionally. I’ll try that.
  • EMPs, Blip Packs, barriers, stealth, jump jets, diplomacy, deceit, and so on - lots of options for navigating sticky situations.
  • I definitely agree that even having weapons of any sort invites trouble and limits creativity. I do like the idea of very limited use stuns as a last resort. Perhaps these are concealable, single-use, and very hard to replace.
  • I love the idea of an NPC security escort. Maybe not all the time, but maybe for certain missions. Could be fodder for some philosophical dilemmas.
#16

I am totally using this. Thank you!

#17

I like the idea that the game would become both much more diplomacy based–trying to work with different factions to make them not only willing to allow you in the area (probably by doing missions for them using your technological knowhow to solve their lifestyle problems–more food, clean water, warm homes, less disease) but also with other factions that they may hate–or even eat for food in the case of races that subsist on sentient creatures (like beastmen or vampires). How do you broker that kind of peace? That would be really interesting for me politically.

The other thing would be to delve into spycraft. It’s much less about killing or beating up an enemy–more about not getting caught. Use tech to seal bulkheads. Turn off the gravity and float past thrashing helpless monsters. Sneak through ducts. Distract them with food or fake emergencies that cause them to run out of the area you need to go through. That kind of thing. Big brain sneaky roleplay sounds super fun to me. Reminds me of the fun days of playing Metal Gear Solid and Oddworld in my basement.