How to PCs react to Warcrimes

[TicToc]

In light of recent events the topic was broached; How do Characters react to horrifying incidence? Please feel free to sight possible tragedies as well as respond the the scenario with what you believe possible reactions would be.

Scenario 1:
Western soldiers making a living currently as laborers (guards, hiding, ect ect) in a small eastern European village. What is left of a Russian Infantry Battalion is in cantonment nearby. One day a small groups of liquored up rooskies get the idea to graft some goods from the locals. The the grizzled old Russian sergeant is shaking down the locals two younger troops wander off to look for valuables/women/booze. In their attempt to procure said loot a fight ensues. The two drunk soldiers win. Drunk and angry with the world they begin to move from house to house killing any villager they can find. The Russian sergeant and the rest of his men respond. When they arrive at the scene they forcibly stop the murderous individuals, dragging them off back to the cantonment area before more damage is caused. In their wake however there are 11 dead villages mostly women and children as well a a good number of killed livestock. As the characters and other men run in from working the fields, patrolling, ect ect they see what has happened.

What happens next? Where as a character do you go from there? Do you seek reprisal? Do you run? Do you hide? Do you take a diplomatic turn? All of these questions depend heavily on the resources available to the characters, and the relationship with the Cantonment area. To make this scenario reflect recent events a bit more closely presume that the village has little to no resources with which to fight, and that the relationship with the cantonment area was one of forced acceptance to its presence.
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[weswood]

In a not really recent play by post game, a PC walked off the game when a POW NPC was summarily executed.

In you scenario, I would think demanding the drunk russians stand trial would be right. If the main russian force refuses to surrender them, if the PC forces are strong enough, take them. If the PC force was too weak for a direct confrontation, well, I don't know what I'd do. Possibly a covert kidnapping.

[Medic]

As a reply to the scenario you posted, I think, the response varies based on the resources (and history) the characters have and what kind of relations they have had with the neighbouring cantonment before.

Some might consider the neighbouring cantonment a clear and present danger to the village security and from there, there are two viable options. First one is to set up defences around the village, such as erecting a wall/digging a moat and setting up a perimeter. This is a viable option if there are resources for this kind of setup (a forest nearby so wood can be obtained for the construction and arms for the guards).

Another type of response might be that offence is the best defence and the angry villagers would set off with the soldiers on a raid of the enemy cantonment with the intention of giving them the same treatment they had given to the recently dead women and children.

Now, it also depends on the Russian sergeant, who could opt delivering those two to the village they violated and asking the villagers to deal with them as they please. That is a potential option if the sergeant is looking to diminish the probability of armed confrontation and trying to keep the cantonments in good enough terms to conduct trade.

[TicToc]

Personally the first thing I would do is analyze my relationship with the villagers. How much do I really care? Is seeking justice for them worth dying for? If it is worth risking my life for then how far am I willing to go to get justice. Fighting not only presumes the loss of Russian lives that may very well be innocent to the circumstances but also presumes the loss of life to the villagers. Is it right for me to partake/plan/lead/conduct actions that will see the loss of innocent live in the pursuit of justice for lives already lost? If the villagers don't mean that much to me do I have to move on? Can I move on? if I can't move on and don't want to fight perhaps I can seek refuge with the Russians.

Just some thoughts.

[TicToc]

Another scenario, but this time looking at it from the other side.

You have two villages separated by not only geography but also by some form of social boundary be it religious, nationality, whatever. There is a limited food supply that both towns are effectively and grudgingly sharing (call it a forest for small game and a plot of barely arable land). Winter is coming, preparations are escalating, people are getting nervous. It becomes clear that there is not remotely enough food to feed both villages let alone even one fully. What do you do?

The most utilitarian answer is to kill off the other village at least to the point that they are no longer a threat and cannot compete for the limited food. The kindest answer is you suck it up and watch your own people starve and hope that the other village doesn't attack you. Fighting in defense of what is your is one thing, but what about when you are put into the situation where killing the innocent is your surest path to survival? When does it become reasonable/understandable/even acceptable perhaps to commit horrible crimes for the survival of you and yours.

[simonmark6]

Explore every possible option short of genocide. If there's even a remote chance of getting by without it you take it. If there truly is no other way, destroy the others and hope you live long enough to feel guilty about it. Genes are selfish and survival doesn't have rules.

[TicToc]

Originally Posted by simonmark6

Explore every possible option short of genocide. If there's even a remote chance of getting by without it you take it. If there truly is no other way, destroy the others and hope you live long enough to feel guilty about it. Genes are selfish and survival doesn't have rules.

Well stated

[Medic]

Originally Posted by TicToc

Personally the first thing I would do is analyze my relationship with the villagers. How much do I really care? Is seeking justice for them worth dying for? If it is worth risking my life for then how far am I willing to go to get justice. Fighting not only presumes the loss of Russian lives that may very well be innocent to the circumstances but also presumes the loss of life to the villagers. Is it right for me to partake/plan/lead/conduct actions that will see the loss of innocent live in the pursuit of justice for lives already lost? If the villagers don't mean that much to me do I have to move on? Can I move on? if I can't move on and don't want to fight perhaps I can seek refuge with the Russians.

My assumption for the scenario was that the characters would be there because they chose to be there - having decided that the war has gone long enough.

Much is dependent on the characters' mindset about attrocities as well. If they have vowed to uphold the laws of war (to defend the innocent and protect them from unlawful attacks etc.), then they have little choice but to act upon it. If they are, however, with a more practical mindset, they might even try to take advantage of the situation by inciting the villagers to attack the Russians with their help in order to capture equipment (or something else they might fancy, the Russians have and they do not have).

[Badbru]

Given the senario, the way I see it there is not alot the characters can, or would do.
One, you state the characters are Western Soldiers living in an eastern European village. As such they're allready outsiders. It's cold comfort but there will be a bit of "This nasty thing didn't actually happen to us, what do we care?" Re set your senario in Texas with the rooskies being from Division Cuba and atleast one of the Player characters having come from the village and you'll likely get a different response.

Two, they're allready living and working there. This implies that the "rooskies" don't particularly care about the tradition handfull of player characters numbering three to perhaps ten individuals so running, or hiding, wasn't necesary to begin with so it still probably wont be now.

Seeking reprisals is understandable from the villagers perspective, much less so from the player characters. What can a handfull of PC's do against an entire battalion other than make it angry? Well, maybe that's best answered in play and will depend on the GM but you know what I mean. A fireteam or squad shouldn't be able to do much except ambush similar sized patrols and the result of that will most likely be negative for the villagers.

Diplomacy would seem to be the only viable response. In the first instance in trying to calm down the villagers and in the second instance, and this will depend on the situation with Russian Vs Western forces, assisting in presenting diplomatic overtures for compensation/recompense to the village from the Soviet Battalion commander.