Captured! …Now What?

One plot element that pops up frequently across various roleplaying genres is the capture of the players’ characters.  From fantasy characters finding themselves enslaved by the enemies who defeated them in combat to superheroes placed into deathtraps, the capture plot reflects stories common to their genre.  Capture is one of the best methods for sparing the party when the dice dictate that they lose a fight; instead of dying, they wake up imprisoned on their way to an orc city, in the evil warlord’s mines, or in Dr. Destroyer’s laboratory.

The capture plot can also be one of the most difficult stories to run.  The main goal is fairly clear:  the characters must somehow escape their imprisonment, probably retrieve their equipment, overcome their current captors, and perhaps seek vengeance against those who originally defeated them (though that could be part of another adventure entirely, if those enemies are far away by the time the characters make their escape).

One of the reasons it’s difficult is that the characters are almost sure to be stripped of any gear they have.  In a game where the villains know the characters possess innate powers, such as most superhero games or in the case of many D&D character classes, they’ll also take what measures they can to prevent the characters from using those powers.  Although the GM can circumvent this by having the characters awaken “early,” before the villains are through taking such measures, the majority of capture plots will rely a great deal on the characters’ planning and role-playing to achieve the initial escape.

To make things a little easier, try not to split the party.  They might not all be in the same cell, but they should be fairly close to each other, close enough that they’d be able to communicate, assuming they weren’t gagged, magically silenced, or the like.  If they’re enslaved and set to work, put them all on the same crew.  Superheroes in deathtraps?  Put them all in the same room.  From the villains’ perspectives, they suffer even more by watching their friends suffer with them — but from the game master’s metagame perspective, it offers them a better chance to collaborate on an escape plan.

If things don’t seem to be coming together, you might be tempted to have an NPC stage a rescue.  This isn’t a great idea — you run the risk that your players will feel overshadowed by the NPC.  Keep it in mind in case things go really bad, but don’t trigger it too soon.  If you do end up having to use this device, try having the NPC screw up badly somewhere along the line (after freeing at least one PC), so that it turns into the players’ characters having to rescue him.  That tends to cut down on the resentment the PCs feel.  Even mature players tend to resent overt GM manipulation of the plot, and they’ll usually recognize a lucky NPC rescue as just that kind of manipulation.

Another thing to consider is what each of your players might get out of the capture plot.  Using the player motivations in the fourth-edition D&D Dungeon Master’s Guide as a point of reference:

Actors will want to interact with fellow PCs, the captors, and other NPCs (if any) who were imprisoned or enslaved prior to the characters’ capture.  He’ll want to consult the more influential prisoners when the party sets about organizing a slave revolt, or defy the supervillain who taunts the PCs as he explains the deathtraps he’s placed them into.  As long as there are opportunities to interact before, during, and after the escape, the actor will probably be happy.

Explorers will want to learn about the villains’ culture, examine the layout of the mines, or study the advanced technology of the supervillain’s lab.  She’ll want to construct an escape plan that fits into what she knows of the campaign world, and perhaps that will change it in a localized fashion.  She’ll probably suggest creative escape attempts based on what the characters know of the villains’ psychology and history, or on that of the other prisoners.  Finding ways to lend the campaign world and its inhabitants more verisimilitude will make her happy.

Instigators might not be happy with the planning required to make an escape.  You might need to watch that he doesn’t torpedo the party’s escape plot by acting too soon on impulse.  On the other hand, he’s probably good at improvising on the fly should something go wrong with that plan.  He might want to try turning the villains’ technology back against him, or collapsing the entire mine complex as the party and the other slaves make their escape.  He’ll enjoy himself if you play up the risk element of the escape plot, so that the party feels as if they’re succeeding by the skin of their teeth.

Power Gamers will tend to focus most on recovering the gear and/or abilities that were taken from them when they were captured.  She might be particularly alert to any opportunities to gain power — if there’s a slave revolt, she’ll probably want to lead it, or at least be the “power behind the throne.”  Most power gamers also share other motivations, so try to engage them on those levels if you can.  she’ll enjoy recovering her capabilities, handing out well-deserved vengeance, and perhaps acquiring a little something extra for her trouble.

Slayers will tend to be bored by the capture elements of the plot, unless they share another motivation.  There’s not much to be done about that.  You can spice things up a little by, for instance, having him brawl against another slave to convince the other NPCs that the party is tough enough to see the revolt through.  Failing that sort of situation, the best you can do is to make sure that the escape and, especially, the subsequent confrontation with the original villains involve some interesting combats.  He’ll appreciate the opportunity to wade through a small army of orc footsoldiers or Destroyerbots on his way to the big bad guys.

Storytellers often jump at this plot.  She’ll want some of the same detail about the setting and the characters that the explorer does, and she’ll want the interaction that the actor does.  One difference is that it might not matter to her whether her character is the one doing the exploring or the interacting.  She’ll enjoy seeing the narrative play out, and is likely to commit wholeheartedly to planning the characters’ escape.  You can make her happy by making that escape a gripping narrative, and by revealing that the enemies who originally captured the PCs did so as part of a greater plot, which the party can now turn to investigating.

Thinkers will be most interested in planning the escape.  He’ll enjoy figuring out a clever way to stop the deathtrap, or plotting the guards’ patrols of the mine so that the revolt can happen at the right time to cause maximum chaos among the enemy ranks.  Unlike the storyteller or the explorer, he might not particularly care whether the planning is done in character or out of character — it’s the puzzle aspect of the challenge that most grips him.  He’ll want to see the other characters set and follow a plan, though he might not care whether his character personally leads in the execution of the plan.  As long as escape isn’t completely impossible, he’ll be happy with the scenario because, by its nature, it requires thoughtful planning.

Watchers enjoy the game as a social activity.  She’ll probably contribute to roleplaying, planning the escape, and combat alike, but will tend not to take a lead role.  That’s okay.  Encourage her to participate if she’s staying too quiet; if she’s enjoying herself by staying in the background and occasionally chiming in, though, let her.

One final thing to note:  a lot of players really hate being captured.  They’ll do everything in their characters’ power to track down the villains who originally defeated them.  If your players fall into this mold, take advantage of it.  Let them track down the villains, but ensure that they run into a hook to the next adventure along the way.  If the villains manage to slip away, or if they’re defeated but left alive (typical of superhero games, for instance), you might just have yourself a new nemesis for the characters.  Use those villains sparingly but recurringly, and the players will love to hate them.

Related posts:

1. Myth Direction: The Great Con
2. “We Split Up”
3. Adventure Design 101: The Villain