Thanks, it's always good to get feedback from another GM <G>.
To build some dialog, how about an exchange of some of the behind the scenes tools we tend to develop? Dave used Multiversal Trading as one way to introduce new technology or control the source of certain goods. Depending on the complexity of a/the world(s) being run, what's behind the scene?
For new GM's or experienced GM's, have they thought out the hidden mechanisms of power? If you have, even when players inevitably go way off center, you can ad-lib what's going to happen. Most power structures are not obvious, they're behind the scenery folks think of as reality. Interlocking boards of Directors, hidden family connections and shareholder trusts can cause reaction from directions the players never considered.
If I sound like I'm being harsh, that's not the intent. Dave just incubated a strong desire to make sure the players knew they were in a good scrap. Face it, if we're worth our title of GM [or your preferred equivalent], we should be able to smack down any player at will, Deus-ex-machina or just a giant fickle finger of fate smashing them from the sky <G>. Not much fun for them, and I'm usually pretty bored with it ...
On the other hand, if they have to worry about the reactions they cause, most players will self govern themselves.
A small story to illustrate-
Around '78 or '79 my first campaign built to some fairly impressive power levels. A couple of players reached double digets in level, built their own keeps, etc. They took over a frontier area and built it into a Barony, with one of the players [who was a Dwarven Prince] as the Baron. Life was good, they Kicked A**s and listened to their own propaganda. Sort of a 'Knights of the Dinner Table' precursor.
So when they found out about an elder Dragon's lair by accident they gathered every player character, NPC retainer and troop they could grab and set off to battle. In real life they gathered every player in our extended group [Cal Maritime Academy and UC Berkeley] and we took over an apartment on Delaware St in Berkeley for the weekend. One of the players flew down from Portland [surprise to me, they conspired to pull every heavy hitter they could get!]. So we fought out a combined wargame/RPG for two straight days. The short form is it was mass slaughter on both sides. I play my elder Dragons as if they've had centuries to fine tune and build layered defenses. They're cunning and really paranoid, but then again they know folks are out to get them.
As i recall 42 named player characters were engaged, and forget how many NPC's and troops. At the end it was 5 players and one NPC still in the fight, and about 6 or 7 healing/regenerating on their own power. If it wasn't for the blasted Paladin with the +5 Holy Vorpal Avenger sword cutting his way into the Dragon's ribcage with his Belt of Giant Strength on....it might have been a different out come. That Anti-Magical shell is murder to deal with if it's inside you.....
So they gathered as much of the treasure and the bodies of the resurrection-able/healable characters as they could transport and split. It was all good, right? The Baron bragged of his prowess, everybody was happy. Then, a week later they decided to go back for the Dragon's body and the lesser loot. And they remembered there was another vault door to open, could be more goodies. Imagine the surprised looks when they found an empty cavern. Somebody must have scored the loot! So they beat up a poor Lich and called it a good run.
About 4 months later, the two Elven mages were sitting on a tower at their keep, just kicking back. The head of the first mage exploding was all the warning they got.... unfortunately the second had some pretty impressive stats and managed to move fast enough to only be grazed.... by the cold iron bullet. [GM's note, a .243 accelerator round of cold iron, fired from a sabot jacket in a .30-06, works really well at negating magical shields...]
Over the next several months the bodies started falling, with several near misses. Paranoia stalked the party, one character was garroted in the Inn's bathroom, one disappeared, etc. Then the first note was delivered by solicitor. The Dragon was alive, and wanted weregild or he'd continue to pay for the Assassins Guild. The players were outraged! How dare I have a monster fight back! [GM's note, Elder Dragons
learn that frontal assaults do not always work! And Lawyers and a completely different monster, indeed.]
Bottom line, after another month of hunting, all but one of the surviving characters paid the weregild. The Dragon actually came out ahead, and the wails of characters giving up the carded items they'd ripped off from the dragon were priceless.
And now the main point of the story. Prince William, the dwarf, could not stand to give up the loot. So for the next year he was under constant , but intermittent. harassment. He became paranoid to an extreme, and was dubbed 'Prince William the Persecuted' by the player characters. Then they started to play tricks, as Bill, the player, bunkered down into intractable mode. He was determined to not give up a copper of his share, it was his! This despite the banks refusing him credit, several merchants consortiums refusing to do business and several investigations by the Royal Exchequer that suddenly happened. Best role play of a dwarf I've ever seen.
He finally over reacted to a dungeon crawl, and fried most of the player characters in the party. His attitude was 'Tough, if they can't take it they shouldn't have come with me..." The survivors privately swore vengeance. Bad luck for William was that one of the survivors was a low level assassin ... who went to his guild and sang like a canary. And the next dungeon crawl, William met an unfortunate end when he thought he was with 'friends'.
I've skipped a lot, this played out over several years. The good point as a GM was that it firmly entrenched the idea in my players that actions have consequences, and might did not make right. Intelligent 'monsters' became a heck of a lot scarier, and shoot first moments cut down drastically.
So, ask your self, if I was a highly intelligent, shape shifting Dragon, what would I do with my loot? Would I be invested in banks and mercantile partnerships, letting those pesky humans make wealth for me? Would I spend influence and bribe government officials to my benefit? Would I have some very trusted minions waiting to rescue my body if I'm assaulted at home? Would there be delayed embedded spells to help me survive? Once the Paladin and the Anti-Magik shell were gone ... Heh, Heh.
Who are the shareholders of Multiversal Trading Company, or your local equivalent? Think they might be really long term investors? Can Liches continue to hold shares when they cross from live Mage to Lich? Can Dragons or other creatures buy shares? Do they have minions who front for them if they can't hold directly? Who makes those rules? Remember the Golden Rule - He who has the gold makes the rules.'`
Hopefully this gives a few ideas, good gaming!