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/r/critters
Rewatching campaign 2 and I am so embarrassed of how often I think about what they could be drinking lol like Laura was tilting her bottle up and hitting with her hand and Iโm like okay aloe juice with pulp maybe??? And I am 98.6 % sure Sam is a professional whiskey guy IDK. Please talk to me about this ๐๐
Decided to be festive on our Critter Cam last night! Enjoy this clip!
##Why I think the story is better served if the party is evil:
I think this campaign becomes "top" tier if they actually become evil and/or release Predathos. It makes the "should we save the Gods" debates so much better, because we (as the audience) are like "OF COURSE YOU SHOULD SAVE THE GODS." As such, we think the answer is clear and obvious, which makes these conversations frustrating af. But, if the characters are actually falling into evil alignments/aren't the heroes we expect them to be, then these conversations serve as some significant signs that this party won't make the "right" decision.
These conversations would show the audience that the party is following the wrong path, in part due to ignorance but also due to character flaws. It would paint these conversations in a new light. Currently, it has honestly come off as highly ignorant (somewhat moronic) PCs struggling to come to the obvious conclusion, but maybe this is a party of morally flawed individuals trying to rationalize a horrible choice they want to or will make. This reluctance to save the gods makes more sense if the party is or is becoming evil.
Imo, a (mostly) evil party is a cool take. Tbf, I don't think they'll ever be "mustache twirling" evil. They may even think they're doing the right thing, but don't most villains?
##How this could reasonably play out:
I know some people may point at M9 and say they were evil, but (imo) they were more morally grey rather than evil. This party actually seems like multiple members are actively falling into an evil alignment.
We have Laudna becoming more Delilah-esque and wanting to worship genocidal Titans. Ashton is basically outright saying "fuck the gods" and also wanting to worship genocidal titans. (Meanwhile both of them seemed horned up for Asmodeus). Now, we have Fearne seemingly signing up for a pact with Asmodeus, a betrayer god. Even if it was done on a whim, swearing allegiance to Asmodeus is, ultimately, undoubtedly evil.
Of course, Asmodeus is technically a prime deity. So, at face value, it would seem Asmodeus would want to stop the release of Predathos. However, he's the god of lies and deceit. I could see him wanting to prevent the full release of Predathos for his own self-preservation, but he may still be planning to allow the release of some of Predathos' power. His goal, of course, would be to use Predathos to kill some of the prime deities as revenge and then use his/the other Gods' champions to reseal Predathos. A partial release of Predathos is similar to how only a portion of Tharizdun seeped into the material plane, so it is seemingly not without precedent. I think the party will always choose to kill Ludinus, but with Asmodeus in the picture, I could see a way to still (at least partially) release Predathos. Ultimately, should the campaign go this route, I think the party would/could redeem themselves by sealing the part of Predathos they released.
##Conclusion
I digress. I think the worst parts of the campaign, should the party (or a significant portion of the party) actually become evil, would become painted in a new light. One that really makes this campaign wild. Vox Machina saved the world and became famous. M9 saved the world but no one knew. Hells Bells fucked the world. (and then maybe rectified their mistake?). Because of recent events (Asmodeus and Fearne), I'm more intrigued in this campaign and I'm withholding judgment to see how this plays out. I'm interested to see what decisions this party makes, because sometimes the worst decisions are the best decisions (at least in DnD).
But, hey, maybe I'm just being optimistic and we'll see them align themselves with Titans and Betrayer Gods and the lore will be retroactively changed to make the party come off as the good guys. (Although I doubt that, tbh.) Maybe they'll all have a change of heart and become totally pro-Gods (I doubt that as well).
Wanted to share these with you all fellow critters! I you enjoy them as much as I do! :)
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/eternalecho/amigurumis-inspired-by-vox-machina
I think TV Tropes, of all places, has an excellent paragraph of Railroading:
In practice, the use of Railroading is generally regarded as one sign of a poor GM, as forcing the players down a single predetermined path (like cars on a railroad track, hence the trope name) runs against the collaborative nature of a tabletop RPG in the first place [...] On the other hand, while complaints of Railroading are directed primarily at difficult or unimaginative GMs, there are also difficult and unimaginative players. A swift kick in the caboose might be the only way to get some players to do something as simple as leaving the tavern to start the adventure.
It lists a couple of examples of Railroading:
I think it's safe to say railroading is a spectrum, not a binary choice.
In a way, playing any pre-written adventure requires a certain amount of railroading to keep it playable, and to achieve the intended result. Some say that with such a heavy story, C3 could benefit from a bit more guidance (no pun intended). Others reject the idea of trading player agency for driving the plot forward.
On the other end of that spectrum sits another famous TTRPG Actual Play, Dimension 20. Due to its condensed format, the DM needs to (and does) push the players towards a certain point in the story, and/or specific places/locations. Yet the fandom doesn't seem to mind it as much.
What do you think?