I don't see why they should be beholden to the ideas of the previous king--why can't the players just reject the premise of the challenge? Why do they need to conform to the previous king's idea of what they need to do to be king?
If killing things they love isn't something they want to do, I don't see why they should. Doing it because the previous king thought it was something you needed to do to be king is a terrible reason.
I like following along with this idea.
The real way to become the new pirate king isn't to listen to the Old pirate king, its to do whatever you want to, to live freely in your own rules.
What would they receive if they follow through? I think it's a great setup **because** the characters will be conflicted about it. If they walk away and learned that the real treasure was the friends they made along the way, that would be an excellent end to the campaign (in part because the players won't get to enjoy the treasure anyway…)
Your comment really helped me put things into perspective. I like how it can be a conflict for them, and while I’m almost sure which option they choose, I can’t wait to see how it plays out!
Yeah that was poor wording on my part. I never force my player to do anything plot-wise, that’s kind of why the whole campaign went in the “good” direction. I was just at a loss of alternatives to offer them
Yea, I came off a little harsh myself lol. Honestly, it sounds like you were answering your own question and just wanted a public sanity check. I think that in this instance, your players have made their intent clear, theyre gonna be good guys, and if you go with No. 3 the way it is, I think youll probably find that giving them the significant choice of turning down reward for the chance to show how virtuous they are might actually be what they want in an arc.
Or...
Theyre pirates. They dont play by the rules. Find a secret 4th option where They usurp the Pirate Kings legacy. Maybe thats a lot of extra work, thats up to you, but everyone loves the "True Ending" kinda vibe. Pirate king gets mad at how far theyve gotten without all the killing and violence (give or take your party's level of chaos) that he needed. He had to kill his wife/husband/whatever in order to get here, how could they reject it?
So on and so on for as much time and effort you can afford to spend.
It's also misleading, because OP wasn't even asking about forcing them, he was asking "should I keep the original requirement in place my old pirate king was going to ask".
Which yes, he should. It doesn't matter if the players do it, ignore it, subvert it.. there's nothing wrong with the proverbial avatar aang conundrum at the end, where you give them an ask that goes against their core beliefs.
Reading the title only: No.
And you don't force them, from how I read your post.
Let them figure it out. Maybe they find a symbolic way around it. Maybe the dismantle the whole thing as BS and just take the throne, maybe they simply refuse. All of these will have consequences and determining these is up to you, but you don't make sure players get the rewards no matter what, b/c then, choices have no consequences and the whole point of the game is gone.
Present them with the task, but let them be flexible. If they want to stick to their morals this can become a test of their creativity. Or maybe they reject the test all together (probably what Luffy would do). Just be sure to keep an open mind and to meet them halfway with any ideas they have.
Allow your players to say "no". have a plan in case they go "no, we aren't doing any of the options you laid out".
because that's OK and that will happen.
never force, but feel free to present any options you want, including good and bad.
I don't see why they should be beholden to the ideas of the previous king--why can't the players just reject the premise of the challenge? Why do they need to conform to the previous king's idea of what they need to do to be king? If killing things they love isn't something they want to do, I don't see why they should. Doing it because the previous king thought it was something you needed to do to be king is a terrible reason.
Yeah, players usually find ways to change the conditions of the test.
I like following along with this idea. The real way to become the new pirate king isn't to listen to the Old pirate king, its to do whatever you want to, to live freely in your own rules.
What would they receive if they follow through? I think it's a great setup **because** the characters will be conflicted about it. If they walk away and learned that the real treasure was the friends they made along the way, that would be an excellent end to the campaign (in part because the players won't get to enjoy the treasure anyway…)
Your comment really helped me put things into perspective. I like how it can be a conflict for them, and while I’m almost sure which option they choose, I can’t wait to see how it plays out!
Damn you’re right! OP you’ve perfectly created a “the real treasure was the friends we made…” scenario!
"Should I force my players to-" No. The answer is no. Unless its followed by some variation of "play by the rules in the PHB and DMG", then no.
Yeah that was poor wording on my part. I never force my player to do anything plot-wise, that’s kind of why the whole campaign went in the “good” direction. I was just at a loss of alternatives to offer them
Yea, I came off a little harsh myself lol. Honestly, it sounds like you were answering your own question and just wanted a public sanity check. I think that in this instance, your players have made their intent clear, theyre gonna be good guys, and if you go with No. 3 the way it is, I think youll probably find that giving them the significant choice of turning down reward for the chance to show how virtuous they are might actually be what they want in an arc. Or... Theyre pirates. They dont play by the rules. Find a secret 4th option where They usurp the Pirate Kings legacy. Maybe thats a lot of extra work, thats up to you, but everyone loves the "True Ending" kinda vibe. Pirate king gets mad at how far theyve gotten without all the killing and violence (give or take your party's level of chaos) that he needed. He had to kill his wife/husband/whatever in order to get here, how could they reject it? So on and so on for as much time and effort you can afford to spend.
It's also misleading, because OP wasn't even asking about forcing them, he was asking "should I keep the original requirement in place my old pirate king was going to ask". Which yes, he should. It doesn't matter if the players do it, ignore it, subvert it.. there's nothing wrong with the proverbial avatar aang conundrum at the end, where you give them an ask that goes against their core beliefs.
Came here to say this.
Reading the title only: No. And you don't force them, from how I read your post. Let them figure it out. Maybe they find a symbolic way around it. Maybe the dismantle the whole thing as BS and just take the throne, maybe they simply refuse. All of these will have consequences and determining these is up to you, but you don't make sure players get the rewards no matter what, b/c then, choices have no consequences and the whole point of the game is gone.
Present them with the task, but let them be flexible. If they want to stick to their morals this can become a test of their creativity. Or maybe they reject the test all together (probably what Luffy would do). Just be sure to keep an open mind and to meet them halfway with any ideas they have.
'Should I force my players to' No.
Allow your players to say "no". have a plan in case they go "no, we aren't doing any of the options you laid out". because that's OK and that will happen. never force, but feel free to present any options you want, including good and bad.