Killing a tithe officer (and the ensuing coverup)

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**yeri**

So my RT group has gone off the rails. They killed the corrupt tithe officer Simon Parish (say it in the most annoying deep naisily voice you can, that's the voice I use for him) don't get me wrong he was supposed to die, eventually. The PCs killed
Him in their second encounter, before they found out he was corrupt. Worse they shot him in the middle of a crowd, there's no deniying they killed him. I'm in GM panic mode: they killed a tithe officer, the inquisition will
Surely come calling. What would the consequences be for this in the imerium? How can my PCs weasle out of this? Need help fast, next game session is tommorow night.

**Lynata**

Why the Inquisition? This sounds like a job for the Adeptus Arbites, actually (which is, in fact, one of the few Imperial organisations outside the Navy possessing its own starships).

As to your question, it boils down to how much you want to teach your players a lesson regarding consequences, which in turn probably depends on why the Warp did they do this? Anyways, my suggestion would be to turn this into an opportunity. Have them run for a while, trying to escape the Arbites for a time until they are contacted by an anonymous source dropping a hint about this guy having been corrupt. Now your players have a race against the time: will they find exonerating evidence before the Arbites find the player characters? I can foresee Enforcer hunts in Underhive tunnels and high-speed chases between the Rogue Trader's starship and a pursuit fleet.

I'd aim at the whole thing ending with the Arbites having a grudge on the players (due to equipment and personnell lost during the hunt) but not arresting them as the murder was justified. If your players are smart, they'll play the "we knew he was corrupt before we killed him" card. And maybe the anonymous source is an Inquisitor protecting them from the Arbites' retribution, but in turn they'll owe him a favour, and he's going to call it in later during your campaign.

**yeri**

Actually the inquisitor owes them a favor, they delivered him some cyclonic torpedoes. That was their "welcome to the grim darkness of the 41st millennium, you just became mass murderers" also the local chaotic stupid shot him for kicks.

**Lynata**

yeri wrote:Actually the inquisitor owes them a favor, they delivered him some cyclonic torpedoes. That was their "welcome to the grim darkness of the 41st millennium, you just became mass murderers" also the local chaotic stupid shot him for kicks.

Perfect! After the dust settles and they managed to prove the guy's guilt, have the Arbites call them to court for a trial regarding any damages inflicted by the players, only to then be dismissed at the door because all charges against them were nullified. After that, have the Inquisitor drop them a line via sublight transmission: "consider the debt settled"

Do make them sweat a while during the hunt, though. Chaotic stupid deserves a slap on the hands.

**Ascalam**

Or a shot through the leg.

I would ramp up the arbites hunt to the point that they are scared and on the run, chased by cyberhounds and badass street judges.

Let them get wounded, or mauled.

Have the arbites beat the crap out of them on arrest, then suddenly stand up and leave.

Have the grizzled sergeant mutter 'don't think this is over, boy!' and deliver one last kick in the nuts before he departs...

**Lynata**

Ascalam wrote:Have the arbites beat the crap out of them on arrest, then suddenly stand up and leave.

Amazing idea. +1 to this!

**Coolyo294**

Have the group fake a seizure when the arbites come calling. It's the best way to get out of unwanted situations.

**Ascalam**

'This lot are gone on something'

'whadda ya think, sarge? Waste 'em while they're out?'

"why not. Makes the paperwork easier if they die of an OD before we got here. '

This IS 40K folks. Grimdark is in

**yeri**

Just had breakfast with part of my group. they plan to kill the chaotic stupid and turn him in for the bounty. I told them it wouldn't increase their profit factor. Their response: "so what we're just going to spend it on booze and felinid strippers" my party is a bunch of sociopaths :(

**Andilus Greatsword**

yeri wrote:
Just had breakfast with part of my group. they plan to kill the chaotic stupid and turn him in for the bounty. I told them it wouldn't increase their profit factor. Their response: "so what we're just going to spend it on booze and felinid strippers" my party is a bunch of sociopaths :(

I dunno they sound like quite the unhinged bunch to RP with.

**yeri**

Yep, we've got the chaotic stupid, the sociopathic RT, the manic philosopher, and one normal guy who try as he might can't reign the others in.

**Anfauglir**

This sounds awesome, I'm hooked!

**TheAngrySquig**

This sounds like you need a good game of Derp Heresy to set them straight

**Trondheim**

Well as a fellow GM I will adivse you to punish them, and do it in such a way that they will be fearfull of comming such foolish things.
Perhaps have them chased by heavily armed enforces and cyber mastifs, and have them cornerd and captured.

When that happen turn one of them into a servitor, or simply execute one for his foolish action. Then have the rest set free courtesy of their inqusitorial friend. I have done similar things before to great effect. I have used anything from Enforcers and Arbites to xeno worhiping cults who sacrifice one party member to their hideous god, only to have the rest be saved by the arrival of their inqusitorial friend. Needless to say it left the group rather shocked

**Ascalam**

Have the felenid strippers take them on.

Maybe they were very fond of the guy they killed?

Or have them barred from the red light district for the same reason, as the guy had family ties to a mob boss?

There are many ways to slap your party around.

For irony's sake, you could let them kill, then have the judges on them for his murder. Maybe he was a mindwiped agent for the arbites reporting their every move, unaware, with a camera hidden somewhere in his body?

Or have a Flayed One take him, and introduce them to a whole new vista of hurt as the Necrons turn up...

**Sparks_Havelock**

Ascalam wrote:
Have the arbites beat the crap out of them on arrest, then suddenly stand up and leave.

Most definitely this. Plus, if you really want to be harsh and give them a very harsh lesson in cause & causality, remove some valuable equipment from each character as 'permanently detained evidence', or have all of their ammunition/power packs retained by the Arbites. Or something along those lines. Sometimes to rein in groups you will have to be harsh but have a good reason in the narrative for doing so - in this case, for example, you have a great reason. Your group gunned down a man in cold blood in the street - even with an Inquisitor 'persuading' the Arbites to drop the charges the Arbites won't want the group doing it again so detaining some of their kit or their ammo would be their way of helping to maintain the peace & also getting their own back on this group for escaping justice.

Good luck!

**Lynata**

Trondheim wrote:I have used anything from Enforcers and Arbites to xeno worhiping cults who sacrifice one party member to their hideous god, only to have the rest be saved by the arrival of their inqusitorial friend. Needless to say it left the group rather shocked

This makes me remember Lexx where compulsory organ donation was on the Cluster's list of preferred penalties. So if you don't want them executed but don't want to let them get off the hook just like that either, you could have the shooter lose his arm or something, as part of some archaic law that allows an execution or life imprisonment be converted into corporeal punishment. It's not a gamebreaker, given that it can be replaced by cybernetic augments. But getting one grafted will take time, so he may have to play a few sessions just using his left hand. Also, a few Insanity points might be in order - for the experience.

Sparks_Havelock wrote:Plus, if you really want to be harsh and give them a very harsh lesson in cause & causality, remove some valuable equipment from each character as 'permanently detained evidence', or have all of their ammunition/power packs retained by the Arbites.

This is a nice idea as well. How about a reduction in Profit Factor, represented by the Arbites seizing the cargo of their vessel? Of course they can get it back, if they fill out form 27-B, then file a request for release of evidence at the central subsector precinct, which will be forwarded to the Adeptus Terra for greenlighting, where it'll sit in red tape for 1d100+10 years.

Or do they have a favourite NPC amongst their bridge crew? He could get shot as he attempted to flee (according to the Arbites)...

**TheAngrySquig**

I like the killing a favorite NPC idea

**Anfauglir**

^ Or all of the above! Seized cargo, equipment/ammo taken, NPC executed and a thorough beating.

What? We wouldn't want them thinking they'd gotten away lightly, now, would we?

**TheAngrySquig**

Have their ship crippled, and the Inquisition can fix it as their IOU

**Ascalam**

Or you could have their inquisitorial friend turn foe.

No point in leaving someone who knows where to get Cyclonic torps alive, is there

Better they be quietly vanished..

Or the psychotic-stupid member could be announced as a heretic and hunted by the Inquisition, because a rogue psyker stole his ID and was seen (and logged) .

Does their ship have xeno items in board? If not plant some. I'm sure they've annoyed SOMEONE who can get access to their ship and a phone booth..

**yeri**

Hmm xenos items and a phone booth, that gives me an idea that would certainly get the inquisition's panties in a bunch:

the necrons have the phone booth!

**TheAngrySquig**

Don't you start with Tardis tomfoolery, that is not a line to be crossed lightly in an RPG. Once you go doc, you never go boc. Imagine that last bit in an Arnold Schwartzeneger accent. It was the only good ryhme I could come up with. I'm deeply sorry.

**yeri**

actually I never got to implement it, they tried to kill the chaotic stupid and with his last breath he pulled the pin on a grenade, inside an arbites cell. needless to say: total party kill. I've told them all to roll up Black Crusade characters, seems more their style.

**TheAngrySquig**

Have you tried sedatives? That seems more their style

**Eetion**

Well.
Pulled a pin on the grenade. Interesting. Problem solved.

The question is what kind of crazy Arbites let prisoners keep grenades on them as personal items.

**yeri**

they weren't prisoners yet. the arbites had been told to handle them with kid gloves, so they left them in a cell with a open door while they "prepared a meeting room befitting their status" in actuality they were watching them to see if they would try to cover it up amongst themselves. they all still had their weapons.

I will punish them for this though, they're playing in the yeriverse. they can expect a trip to Shinshima in the dead of winter in their future (check my blog to know what I'm talking about)

**Kaldor**

I think you were very generous with them. I would have had them summarily executed, and told them to roll new characters.

**TheAngrySquig**

Kaldor wrote:
I think you were very generous with them. I would have had them summarily executed, and told them to roll new characters.

thats what they did to themselves

**Tadashi**

yeri wrote:
actually I never got to implement it, they tried to kill the chaotic stupid and with his last breath he pulled the pin on a grenade, inside an arbites cell. needless to say: total party kill. I've told them all to roll up Black Crusade characters, seems more their style.

ROFL. I killed a corrupt gang leader in Rogue Trader once...then pointed a few fingers for the Arbites...standing with the authorities go up, standing with the 'underground' go down, profit factor is steady. Meh...