GM kicked 2 players for not wiping out goblins "I gave you multipul perspectives."
edits for grammar spelling because I should not type at 4am
So, I'm mostly posting this for other peoples perspectives, because I just don't understand. This was a pbp game.
I, along with another person, was brought into a preexisting group of players. Important info of note:
- The game was pitched as role play heavy where the players would be at odds with a colonizing empire.
- The existing PC's were combat avoidant/actual pacifists.
- The two new players were never told anything about the nature of goblins in this setting, and had no personal experiences with goblins outside of what is detailed below.
So both new players were given a little bit of role play to intro them to the town. And one of them involved goblins.
That interaction consisted of:
Witnessing goblins make a deal with some orcs for stone. (No clue what the stone was for exactly.)
Seeing that the goblins have stripped an ancient quarry steps for the stone.
And hearing that they are terrible miners, because they were using tools to weak to break stone to be able to actually mine it.
That's it. The other new player had nothing on goblins at all.
So the very first thing, once everyone was in town, is a meeting is called with all the combat-able folk by the mayor and local noble. (Local noble is the GM DPC) (local noble is not the mayor)
Players are told the goblins have stolen the nobles quarry, and have refused to return it to the rightful owner. (Theft is considered a like actual divine sin in this setting.)
The proof that they refuse to negotiate? A stack of letters where the goblins say "pretty words don't mean anything to us, get sone guts and maybe the chief will talk to you."
Old PCs in game imply they are not for killing the goblins based on available information, and want to try other means. New players join in on this sentiment as again they have no prior bad experiences with goblins and nowhere has the GM informed any of the players that goblins are unilaterally evil. DPC disbands the war party to go sulk.
It should be noted the quarry was abandoned and the noble is an elf. PCs and players have no idea for how long the place has been empty given elf lifespans and perspective on time relative to goblins.
PCs stay in the tavern to talk over ideas, and the mayor is talking the goblins pretty dirty. When questioned about what the goblins have done to deserve elimination the party learns the following:
The goblins are not openly hostile towards the town folk.
They have never made any action to harm or stand against the town folk.
Their crime is occupying the abandoned quarry to try and mine stone.
They warned the town about kobolds-
Kobolds who were stealing and EATING THE TOWNS CHILDREN.
Again the goblins. Warned the town. About kobold. Who were taking. The town children. And EATING them.
The new players also learned oog that the mayor is an imperialist racist. Which they inferred could explain the dogmatic hate of the goblins, who at worst helped the village a little by warning them about children eating kobold.
The players genuinly at this point all thought the GM was bread crumbing that the goblins might not be what the PCS are being told they are (ie evil)
So the pcs move locations to discus how they might talk to the goblins themselves, to learn what they're really like. Where one of the new players npc (run by the gm but reportedly crafted by the player at the gms request) also talks bad about the goblins, telling the pcs all goblins are evil.
Oog the new players express their confusion as to how to proceed, because what they're being told does not match what the goblins have done in game. But the gm kept doubling down on they are nothing but pure evil, and pushing back against killing them is insane for anyone in this world to do.
The gm even triples down and tells everyone that they (the gm) have done everything in their power to show the players the goblins are evil. (they have done no such thing until after the players repeatedly have to ask oog if goblins in this world are just evil because if so in game the pcs should already have that innate knowledge. Like how irl you would give a teddy bear to a kid but innately know, without being told, you should never give your kid an actual bear.)
The players work together oog to try and figure out how to proceed without breaking their pcs moral codes. Because at this point the fear was the gm would make it come down to slaughter, a horrible horrible consequence for not trying to slaughter, or retaliating against the pcs in other ways.
Again this was advertised as a role-play heavy game where the players would be working at odds with a colonizing empire. (This town is founded by said empire).
They come up with a plan to try and scare the goblins away and get back to role playing.
The pc, whose dm controlled npc was speaking to the party, thanked the npc for the info and told the npc that the booze order wasn't needed anymore, but that the npc could keep the coin for the order. (Original plan had been to get the goblins drunk and at ease while the pcs tried to talk them up or have a good fun challenge at arms to "show their guts".)
The npc proceeds to tell the pc that their personality is a "2 out of 5" quits on the spot and walks out. (This pc has never been rude to the npc ever and appeared to be on good terms until that very moment.)
At this point its very late and the group largely goes to bed. One of the new players very reasonably and calmly expresses their confusion at the situation. Going point by point to express how in game the pcs and players themselves had not at all been shown the goblins were evil. And that the gm blaming the players for not rolling insights on the goblins motives wasn't fair at all. Because who rolls insight on a group not present, that you have zero in game interactions with?
The other new player does a 100% emote on this well worded expression of confusion and frustration over how things are being handled by the gm. As it completely breaks the established morals of the entire party, new and old players alike, and at no point was anyone shown the goblins were bad.
The next morning the two new players are kicked without any further discussion or warning.
Theres a lot of extra details but this took place over 24 irl hours so ive condensed it down to the most important parts
So thats the story were the pcs bad for not immediately agreeing to destroy the goblins in this scenario and trying to discuss their concerns oog with the gm?