Setting Characters against each other?

[Tybalt]

i agree, it happens all the time. two friends get mad at each other, but the next day, when they make up, they are bettter friends than they were to begin with
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"Without the risk of failure, there is no hope of glory"

[Vex]

They could be good any way so I didnt vote but I like a kinda mix between the two, two teams of charectors against each other.
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"At the end of the game the king and the pawn go back in the same box"

[Rathe Ehtar]

I don't find that it's worth having players against each other. Especially in a violent way. Someone will win then the other player has to make a new character. Too much time wasted on PC building.
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"I don't know about angels, but it's fear that gives men wings." -Max Payne

"I don't buy that cluck like a dog, bark like a chicken stuff." -Col. Jack O'Neill

[Son of Fire]

Not to mention that fact that sometimes those grudges carry over.
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"My schooling not only failed to teach me what it professed to be teaching, but prevented me from being educated to an extent which infuriates me when I think of all I might have learned at home by myself." - George Bernard Shaw

[Rathe Ehtar]

Son of Fire wrote
[/quote]Not to mention that fact that sometimes those grudges carry over.[quote]


Word. Crell and Ragnar... but you know that story.

I think it just easier for everyone if the players just choose a side and stick with it, until it is appropriate to change of course. Leave that to the MOG to decide.
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"I don't know about angels, but it's fear that gives men wings." -Max Payne

"I don't buy that cluck like a dog, bark like a chicken stuff." -Col. Jack O'Neill

[Son of Fire]

A little bit of friction between characters is all well and good; it just adds drama, which is one of the most important facets of epic adventures.

Just so long as the minor character friction does not blow up to become out-and-out hatred. Because once that happens the primary focus of the game tends to dwindle… that being everyone having a good time.
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"My schooling not only failed to teach me what it professed to be teaching, but prevented me from being educated to an extent which infuriates me when I think of all I might have learned at home by myself." - George Bernard Shaw

[Hellstorm]

Due to "Outside events", one of my player started to get aggressive with almost every other players, having an : (well if it doesn't go MY way I'll just shoot up everybody else, I don't care if it ruins everyone else's game) attitude and a 6 month break from play did him good (it also did me good).

But as a general rule animosity between Characters and not player is something that can be played off of. In a D&D game I played a Drow and I was not supposed to like elves or dwarfs so when I stole something from another character I planted the stolen property on the elf. If players can play the role of characters that don't like each other and keep that to the game and not necessarily try to kill each other, it can be fun, but it takes good players for that.
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Tuco: "But if you miss you had better miss very well. Whoever double-crosses me and leaves me alive, he understands nothing about Tuco."
-The Good, The Bad And The Ugly

Peter Griffin: "Embrace The Fear." -Family Guy

[Son of Fire]

That reminds me of one of the things my players said…

I asked him “what would you do if the game were not going your way”.
His response was “I attack the plot”.

It was all a goof and we all had a good chuckle, but the sad thing is seeing it actually happen. No one has the right to destroy someone else’s good time because thing are not going their way. There is no excuse for that.
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"My schooling not only failed to teach me what it professed to be teaching, but prevented me from being educated to an extent which infuriates me when I think of all I might have learned at home by myself." - George Bernard Shaw

[Hellstorm]

Well, my player wasn't usually aggressive but his mom had passed away the previous month and since then his demeanor had changed a little, but by the 10th game he was yelling at other players for no apparent reason, so the break has done him good, I play along side this guy at a D&D with some other people and he's gotten better.
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Tuco: "But if you miss you had better miss very well. Whoever double-crosses me and leaves me alive, he understands nothing about Tuco."
-The Good, The Bad And The Ugly

Peter Griffin: "Embrace The Fear." -Family Guy

[Maximilian Bernas]

While I prefer the chars working as a team, there's nothing wrong with tension.

Ask Han and Leia, Threepio and Artoo, Laurel and Hardy!
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"Let your anger be like a monkey in a pinata"
- Master Tang

[Vartax]

A mature move is when things get to that point, have the main character that is becoming the problem, or if it's hard to tell which one is more of a problem choose the more mature person, and have their character become an NPC against the group, while the player creates a new character for the group. This just happened last week for me and it solved a ton of problems.

[Volar the Healer]

I never thought of that. Good idea!
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Know Jesus, Know Peace.
No Jesus, No Peace

[Jace_Terrik]

Well, about character conflict...

Example 1.
I once had once-shot game with a really shady feel to it. Think Reservoir Dogs in Star Wars. Anyway, inspired by the movie, I had all of the characters have their own agendas.
The point was that the characters didn't overtly start killing each others until the very end.
They were hold up inside a bank with CorSec outside, when the just went nuts and started blasting each other. Some out of greed (they wanted the money for themselves), others had scores to settle... and then there was one guy, who didn't seem to have a motive.
But lo and behold, when the smell of ozone and blaster discharge settled, when this guy started reciting their rights ("You have the right to remain silent...etc.), the rest of the bunch just started groaning with delight.
They didn't see it coming.
One of the best damn games I've ever had.

Example 2.
I had a group with a cop-turned-bounty-hunter and a smuggler. Way back when, this cop had put this smuggler in jail.
And suddenly, the two have to face each other... and even TRUST each other!
I really like the roleplaying which resulted; the ex-cop always making remarks on that there "is no honor amongst smugglers/thieves", and the smugglers making constant jabs at the ex-cop's "stormtrooper-mentality".
Friction like this creates surprise moments that both PC's and GM's alike just downright love.
Because, let's face it, who wants to play a game, in which you are likely to know the outcome?

P.S
I don't like domineering GM's who not-to-subtly tell characters what to do. I mean, mission orders are one thing, but "scripting" entire thing in advance takes the taste out of it.
Leave some things to chance.
Anyway, did you ever suspect that the previously mentioned female smuggler and the male ex-cop would fall in love?
Well, it didn't actually happen.
But it might.

Unpredictability. Just gotta love it.
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There is no emotion; there is peace.
There is no ignorance; there is knowledge.
There is no passion; there is serenity.
There is no chaos; there is harmony.
There is no death; there is the Force.

[Hellstorm]

I really like the RESERVOIR DOGS angle, sounds gritty and nasty 8)
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Tuco: "But if you miss you had better miss very well. Whoever double-crosses me and leaves me alive, he understands nothing about Tuco."
-The Good, The Bad And The Ugly

Peter Griffin: "Embrace The Fear." -Family Guy

[Hellcat]

I think I'd rather have cases where the players work as a team. Pitting them against each other could be intresting, but if folks were to take things personally, then it could make all future sessions really unpleasant. And possibly impossible if players decided they no longer wanted to take part in what they might see as a fight against other players game.

But then with all the fight video games today...
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FLUFFY for President!!!!

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