Conan, the bane of RPGs

Conan, what is best in life?

"To crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentation of the women!"

He has a certain animal appeal. I remember reading Robert Howard paperbacks in high school - Conan is a barbarian. He's strong and a skilled warrior. He's almost supernaturally savvy, his instincts giving him an edge up over similarly strong and skilled fighters. Most recently, I had some friends pass along several books about Kane, the immortal badass (Karl Edward Wagner).

Last night, we had a one-off from a normal Pathfinder game. The plot of the adventure was taken out of a collection of Conan stories done by Howard. Essentially Conan gets roped into helping a nearby town, takes some guardsmen, and hunt down the orc (Pict) in the jungle across the river. The DM chose a very deadly story - the plan was to kill all of the NPCs as well as the PCs. Not even in a chancy way at the end - just throw small waves of orcs at us.

Overall, it's a recurring story about Conan (or Kane). Lots of random folks die, especially those helping the hero (or anti-hero). For me, it's tragic. The characters are mostly one-dimensional. They don't change, evolve, or challenge the world in a meaningful way. And this impacts players who are shaped by what they read.

1. Death by combat is often the only solution.
2. NPCs are rated on how powerful in levels they are, and if they can be fought.
3. No continuous character development - they gain hp/feats/skill points, but mostly remain the same mental state from where they started from.

This is a trap for players and DMs. In one-shot games, it's not as important, but it can reinforce these behaviors. One of the 3.5 campaigns in, the DM stuck us in a never-ending dungeon. I think we spent a half-dozen sessions, trying to heal up enough to make headway. We leveled up, but our only motivation was to become killing machines in the game. The rest of the campaign, that became most of our goal.

How can you combat this (if you think it's a negative in a game)?

1. Leave NPCs alive, at least sometimes. Not only is it challenging to do this (in both mechanics and role-play), it gives the game a bump in continuity. And maybe the semi-evil henchman that you let live today, comes back in a future episode to save/help you. There are some 110% evil people in games, but all? Think of the angle of redemption and forgiveness.
2. The first level mayor can be a pain in the ass. The baker's daughter might be wiling to risk her life for perceived love, or even just a patriotic call to arms.
3. Take several minutes before your weekly session, and think about what drives your character - their flaws, their dreams, their fears. Think how it will shape the game that day.