When do heroes get charged for excesive force?

[KA.]

Hi There, JSenecal.

 

I have several comments on this topic.

 

1) In a Golden Age campaign, "heroes" should not be doing things like hitting downed opponents "just to make sure" or attacking thugs that have given up. However, especially when innocents are being threatened, they do have the right to beat the living crap out of them. (As long as they are not at risk of killing them.) This is totally within the genre, and part of the fun of the game. I am not talking about torture and maiming, just a good old-fashioned butt-whooping.

 

2) Thugs are thugs for a reason. Especially in a world with supers, I do not think most thugs would be "normal".

One of the first things I add when building a Thug is a couple of extra BODY. After all, a thug should be fairly durable, or they would probably be dead already from gang fights, jumping out of windows to escape the cops, etc. And most thugs are big and threatening, or tough and wiry, either of these could be represented by a couple of extra BODY. Shouldn't there be a difference between a thug, and say, a guy that works in a bookstore?

 

3) Also remember that in the "Golden Age", thugs would often throw down their guns and surrender, or turn tail and run, when faced with superior force, especially if the hero had kicked their butts before. That means that sometimes your heroes shouldn't have to pulp the thugs, they should get to win some "by default". This may not apply in hostage situations, but things like bank robberies etc. can end in "All right! Give yourselves up, or I'm going to have to get tough!"

A good Presence attack does not BODY at all, and can work wonders. Let your players know how tough they really are compared to thugs, by having the thugs be scared of them once in a while.

 

4) Remember that your job as GM is to help the players have a good time. That does not mean you have to let them rip the arms off of thugs for fun, but it does mean that you do not need to constantly think of ways to "confound' or "confuse" them. Let them get a good clean "win" most of the time. They are supposed to be the heroes, after all. You can't expect them to act heroically when you cause them to doubt and question every decision they make. The least heroic thing I can think of is a character who constantly worries about:

Who is watching?

Will there be any legal ramifications if I punch this thug?

Should I call my lawyer before I attempt to defuse this bomb? What is my level of liability if I fail?

Many people play RPG's to escape that kind of stress, why bring it into your game?

Now if you and your players want a gritty, dark, angsty, adventure, with lots of shades of gray, more power to you!

 

But if you are attempting to run a Golden Age Superhero Campaign, then no one should be worried if a thug gets a broken nose once in a while. Not you, not the cops, not the players, and certainly not the hero that was trying to save a bus full of nuns!

 

KA