Hello. So I am running a game where my players were sent out to investigate orc migrations out of some mountains where they stumbled upon a stronghold of sorts full of orcs. After defeating some guards and camping at a sort of stale mate, our bard ( named Alexander Jamilton, you may now cringe ) charmed himself and the rest of the party inside the walls, where they found the orcs to be more civilized than recently conceived. Shortly after we ended the session. My question is does anyone have any suggestions on how the “orc government” would react to all of this. I was thinking maybe imprisonment but not all of the party was involved in the killing. Then I thought maybe where could be a trial of sorts but I don’t want to isolate the few from the rest of the party because the roots for PC on PC conflict are already starting to show. I was just wondering what other input I could get because I’ve seen some very helpful comments on other posts and I know this is the place to go. Thanks so much.
Hello.
Hello.
What was the table talk like? Where the players interested in getting inside to murderhobo every orc in there? Or were they seeking information? Maybe they want orc friends?
Pick the choice that best aligns with what they’re going for (be a fan, etc).
With nothing else to go on, I’d personally have the orc leadership try to use them as pawns to parley with the humans of the land. See, maybe the orcs are all rough and whatnot, but it’s just their way. And all they wanna do is settle down, have a brood, and snack on rabbit skulls. But humans keep up and killing them. So here’s the opportunity to maybe get some humans on their side – these folk are the first humans inside who don’t automatically attack!
Well, there’s what might happen and there’s also what might be interesting to play. Exactly where the latter is depends on your group, but you do probably want to keep that in mind. Regarding a trial: in Dungeon World, in particular, it’s not likely to result in many moves (and not very many playbook-specific moves, in particular), so it might not be all that engaging to play out.
A few things to consider that might inspire some ideas:
– Those who were killed in the initial conflict likely had family members. How do they feel about it and what position do they have in the orc group?
– Are the orcs being troubled by some problem that the adventurers might be able to solve for them? (this is one way to ‘work off’ their guilt via a classic fantasy quest.) Even better if this quest somehow works against a different faction that the group is already helping.
– How do the orcs feel about murder in general? Maybe that aspect of it isn’t a huge deal.
> Regarding a trial: in Dungeon World, in particular, it’s not likely to result in many moves
I disagree. Lying, bluffing, and even trying to make people believe you is a DD+Cha or possibly Int. You can work a lot of Discern Realities in there to read the jury, and maybe some Spout Lore to get a handle on Orc legal customs. And you might ultimately be able to cap it with a Parley if you can get enough info out of them during the questioning to have leverage over them.
A social situation like this is as awesome for a high Cha character as a slog fest is for a high Str character.
Aaron Griffin I think I need to spend some time playing with a group that’s better with ‘social skills’. My players don’t tend to try these things. 🙂 Since the OP has at least one PC with a more social bent, I rescind those remarks. Hopefully the other thoughts are still useful.
“You want me to let you through the gate under orders from Captain Garlin? Well then (Defy Danger + Cha) … (rolls a 10+) he brings in all sorts of weirdos, go on through (rolls a 7-9) let me see your official writ (rolls a 6-) well I am Captain Garlin and I sure as shit didn’t give you any orders!”
It could be interesting to make a power struggle between the orcs’ leaders, have different groups with different points of view on the situation. Maybe some orcs want to pillage the local farms and villages while others just want to settle and be at peace on the mountains.
It could be also interesting to use this idea with the local humans if the party gets back to “civilization”: some might be willing to negotiate, while others would never trust those “foul greenskins” and would rather smash their skulls.
The orcs could be interested in the NPCs to try and gain some form of liason with the “civilized” people. There could be a divide between orcs who want justice and orcs who want to use the situation for diplomatic reasons. These could be the first people who have treated them with respect, so at least the higher ups in orc society may see that as an opportunity. If you go this route I would suggest they go on a quest to solve the orcs problem they are having that is causing them to migrate. It could be the orc leader’s way of diffusing the situation and tension. Although, I might also include a rogue band of vengeance seeking orcs as a danger to the party while they are on the quest. 🙂
Do you know what is causing the orc migration?
It could be a faction within the orc society that are behind it as part of a plan to overthrow the current status quo….