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Roleplaying is a great way to escape the mundane everyday life and lose yourself in your imagination. Players experience adventures together, make important decisions, and are often the heroes of the story. Pen-&-Paper offers us countless possibilities and few restrictions, as is often the case with video games, for example. But what can you do as a Dungeon Master when one or more players in the party exploit the lack of restrictions? How can you prevent them from killing all NPCs or not taking the world and its consequences seriously?
What is a Murderhobo?
According to Wikipedia, a Murderhobo is: A character who wanders through the game world without attachment to a community and kills and plunders indiscriminately. In itself, this behavior is not dramatic, unless it affects the gaming experience of the Dungeon Master and the other players. It may be that important NPCs die due to the murderhobo’s recklessness. Perhaps the other players found said NPCs likeable and would have liked to have them in the adventure longer. Or the dead NPCs had information that the party can no longer access. It can also be perceived as disruptive when pen-&-paper groups don’t progress in their main story because they’re constantly being drawn into fights or having to flee from locations. Some players also simply want to be stereotypical heroes who save the world. Maintaining this self-image is difficult when you leave corpses and burning shops in every town.
Possible Consequences for Murderhobos
The best way to avoid conflicts in roleplaying groups is open communication. Both as players and as Dungeon Master, you should address it if you don’t like the group’s behavior. Communicate clearly what kind of campaign you want to play and what your no-gos are. This way you might find a compromise that suits everyone involved.
If the murderhobo behavior still occurs too frequently, it’s possible to tell the players out-of-character what they’re missing by killing the NPC. Say things like: “Ah, the NPC you killed had information about the BBEG’s weaknesses that you won’t learn now. Too bad!” or “By killing the blacksmith, he can no longer forge magical weapons for you” or “Your half-orc was observed burning down an orphanage. Now there are riots and discrimination against orcish citizens throughout the entire city.”
In addition to consequences outside the game, you can also add consequences within the game. The indiscriminate killing and plundering will not be tolerated by the inhabitants of your pen-and-paper world. There are city guards or bounty hunters who can eventually be set on the players. Don’t hesitate to capture, prosecute, or even kill players if these are realistic and fair consequences. There’s also the possibility that certain factions no longer want to work with the party due to murderhobo behavior. At the latest when the paladin’s god punishes his follower for murderhobo behavior by taking away his spells, the party will realize that they should perhaps treat the game world and its inhabitants differently.
Have Fun Together. It’s a Game in Our Heads
Roleplaying should be fun for everyone involved. That’s the whole point. This doesn’t mean players can do whatever they want if it destroys the Dungeon Master’s fun. But you should remember that fun comes first. Sometimes the best and funniest sessions arise from murderhobo behavior. New quests, tragic character moments, or new archenemies might emerge from it. And that’s exactly where the beauty of pen-&-paper lies: The story is not predetermined and the players have influence on the story and the world. For some players, the fun in RPGs lies in the power fantasy of being stronger than the average inhabitant of this world. Or it lies in being able to make stupid or immoral decisions without experiencing consequences in real life. Roleplaying is an escape from reality. And as long as everyone at the table is willing to talk to each other and respect the conditions of fellow players, even murderhobo behavior doesn’t cause too much damage. And if the players are real jerks, then a TPK can always end the campaign.
If you’re looking for maps where your murderhobos can murder and plunder, then you’ll find our tips for Pen & Paper Maps & Map Makers for online roleplaying here.
