Cinematic gloating and nonviolence

[Dunadin777]

Sounds to me like time to enforce a mandatory Code of Honor (Solar Patrol) or something mechanically similar to it. Make up a few Solar Patrol regs or protocols that dictate that this type of player behavior will have character consequences. If the players do something you don't like as GM but their characters come home to a "job well-done", they aren't going to change their habits.

[jeff_wilson]

Originally Posted by Turhan's Bey Company

Failing that, equip your evil mastermind with a good public address system, so that he can rant while the PCs run up and down tunnels looking for him.

The otherwise forgetable H.G. WELLS' THE SHAPE OF THINGS TO COME does this one better, with Jack Palance haranging the heroes via gigantic holoprojeciton in the wilderness miles from his tunnel-riddled citadel.

Originally Posted by Gigermann

Listening to the soliloquy, rather than pulling a Han Solo (AKA "shooting first"), would certainly qualify.

Poor example; it is obvious that Greedo has said all he's going to say and is about to open fire himself. TV Tropes calls it "Talk to the Fist," and more recent examples are the climax of TAKEN: "We can negoti-" BLAM! and Season 2 DEXTER where Paul goes on about how Rita and the kids are his and nothing will come betw- BONK! with a frying pan.

[Gigermann]

Originally Posted by jeff_wilson

Poor example; it is obvious that Greedo has said all he's going to say and is about to open fire himself.

I was thinking of Bespin, when the door opens to reveal Vader at the end of the dinner table, and Han doesn't hesitate a microsecond before blasting him four times (the results of which are irrelevant to the discussion—or are they?).

[Stormcrow]

While inspired by early serials, Star Wars really has a much less campy and melodramatic style than they did. It has limited applicability to the matter at hand.

I'm strongly leaning toward everyone having to behave as if they had Pacifism (Cannot Harm Innocents), but players don't have to write it down because it's a genre convention, not a limitation of their characters in particular. Then, whenever a fight is not already in progress, anyone can force everyone else to stand and listen to them while they make a monologue—unless you're just trying to stall for time and the enemy knows this.

[Xenarthral]

Originally Posted by starslayer

WW2 - 1939 to 1945
The shadow Movies - 1940-1946
The shadow comic books: 1940 - Sept. 1949

Sidetrack-ish nitpick:
What about the radio show and the pulp magazine?
You know... the places where The Shadow originated and which are
usually the ones people think about when they talk about him?

[Michael Thayne]

Originally Posted by Gigermann

I was thinking of Bespin, when the door opens to reveal Vader at the end of the dinner table, and Han doesn't hesitate a microsecond before blasting him four times (the results of which are irrelevant to the discussion—or are they?).

Oh, that's actually a perfect. The plot calls for Vader to not die at that point in the story, so it suddenly turns out that his force powers include the ability to block blaster bolts, something that was never mentioned before or again. Excellent.

[RyanW]

Originally Posted by Turhan's Bey Company

I think there's something to this. If a player says "I shoot [something or someone]!", tell him that he can do it once the monologue is over (while, of course, making scrupulously sure that nothing else happens during the monologue). That a long speech, possibly with visual aids, takes no turns might be regarded as another genre convention.

For games like this, I have an unspoken (or vaguely spoken) rule that during descriptions, monologues, etc. no "real" time is passing. You never have to hurry while the villain is monologuing, since time is effectively on hold during such scenes.

During the monologue only the actors and director are present, the stunt men and fight choreographer aren't on the set yet.

[Refplace]

Originally Posted by RyanW

For games like this, I have an unspoken (or vaguely spoken) rule that during descriptions, monologues, etc. no "real" time is passing. You never have to hurry while the villain is monologuing, since time is effectively on hold during such scenes.

During the monologue only the actors and director are present, the stunt men and fight choreographer aren't on the set yet.

This.
Pretty much used in every super hero game I ran or played in.
But I would definitely go with the consequences of the Villain not explaining himself and some preset event happens that the PCs later know they could have prevented. Perhaps a dying siliquoy "fools, your doomed anyhow when .ack/gasp die"
If they are patrol or officials there not supposed to shoot first but ask for surrender and then use appropriate force. Shooting mooks who have no guns? up for murder.
And have a few villains come back, even for the mooks. walking into restaurant and bad guy throws a brick at him saying "You killed my brother!"
Now he has a public scene to cope with and questions to answer.
This can escalate to lethal counter attacks or even better if opening move is by say an unarmed little girl...


And escalating fights is reasonable too. If PCs are known to shoot first the bad guys start wearing vests and shooting back.

[Stormcrow]

I'm not sure my meaning has been entirely clear. Let me illustrate the point.

The heroes enter a room they expect to be empty—but they find the Evil Lieutenant and the Overlord's guards waiting for them, weapons drawn.

Now in a serial,one of two things might happen. The Evil Lieutenant would laugh and explain how the Patrolmen are now in his power. Then the heroes would either surrender and escape from their cell/deathtrap afterward. Or the heroes would come up with a clever way to disarm the guards before they surrender to them, and initiate a fistfight. In neither case is there any need to actually shoot someone.

Playing straight-up GURPS with no genre conventions in force, my experience has been that the players will start shooting immediately, because in their minds they're trapped, and about to die anyway. Since the heroes are now shooting, the guards have no choice but to shoot back, and they will probably seriously hurt or kill the heroes, whoever wins the fight. This is the situation I want to avoid. Even after an encounter where they completely ignored the Evil Lieutenant's attempt at a monologue, and were all seriously wounded, and we discussed genre conventions, monologues, and violence afterward, the very next time they encountered the Overlord's guards they did exactly the same thing.

I appreciate all the responses in the topic so far, by the way.

[Refplace]

Wait for Social Engeering :)

Surprised no one has said that yet<g>.
Not involved in the playtest so not sure what all it covers and am desperately hoping it addresses a few points I wanted to see in it (denied the playtest).

However it should have some ideas usable for trying to stall or negotiate such a situation.
OK maybe the answer for this situation is to convince them that if they do open fire they will die but as long as they are alive there is always hope for escape or rescue.
Point out the guns trained on their position since they just came in through a door and did not surprise anyone so guns already out and pointed at them.
Then its fast draw rolls and snap shot penalties.