How to run a Courtroom Trial?

[weary mauve]

Hey folks. I'm thinking about trying to run a 'courtroom' trial in my campaign. But not entirely certain how to do so.

Setup: the party helps an NPC with something. The NPC then does something nefarious and the party is guilty by association. So there would be a trial to determine their guilt or innocence. The 'courtroom' is an open air town square, where the city folk are free to attend.

I'm just sort of at a loss for how to run this at the table. So any advice at all would be great. Im sure, based on whatever suggestions are made, I will have further questions but for now, yeah, that'
s it 🙂

Thank you for any suggestions/advice provided.

[vernal coral]

RP
The answer is RP
if you have friends outside of this campaign, ask them to come as guest players and give them NPC roles like audience member, lawyer, jury, so on
but I would do minimal rolling and focus on the RP aspect

[weary mauve]

Yeah that's more or less what I was thinking.

Its 3.5e, so I figured i would throw in a few rolls for Bluff/Diplomacy/Intimidate/Sense Motive, as the scenario allows but it would be a small part of it.

I can ask to have people be part of it but that's gonna be tough sledding. I will definitely ask though

[vernal coral]

Personally I'd focus on NPC development for this - motiviations, disposition, temper, knowledge - that sort of thing

At least one person there isn't paid enough and doesn't care

I'd also figure out how historic you want to go with the acutal trial. Is there a jury of peers, or is this a judge and prayer?

I personally also had my players do a little side quest to collect evidence and spend down time to organize it all and make sure they had what they needed

Ran it in pf2e, used the influence system for rolls

I also was highly inspired by the Darrell Brooks case and just went completely left field

[molten widget]

In my campaign world, judges are the local nobility. They see things from their own privileged view, and the standard for proof is very low. People are presumed guilty, and must find ways to shake that presumtion. Reasonable doubt is also not a thing. BUT magic! Truth spells, reading thoughts aloud, illusions to recreate scenes of the crime, even deific intervention, etc… are all permitted and in fact expected if the accused are wealthy or powerful. Don’t try to recreate a modern courtroom, roll with your gut, and play up the arbitrary unfairness for tension.

[weary mauve]

Thats a good point. I had thought of .. 'what if they are in court and they or someone uses a detect thoughts spell?' I came to the conclusion that its even BETTER if that happens.

I didn't really think of running it like an actual courtroom so that's good. It is gonna be a lot of RP.

[vernal coral]

they might have a court mage in charge of making sure no one uses magic like charm

[weary mauve]

Something I had thought of was having a courtroom mage but have him/her be paid off by someone (TBD) to further incriminate the party.

At the end of the day, the party is actually innocent. They just have to prove it

[vernal coral]

I like that - it's good obsticle