EN World D&D / RPG News - View Single Post - Role playing to the detriment of the game

Kamikaze Midget · 17th September 2008, 04:53 PM

Quote:

Wow, a lot of 'It's the DM's problem' here, isn't there? The players have an obligation to the game as well as to their own inner Drizzt.

Absolutely true.

However, I don't see any of these actions as being particularly disruptive. They fall into basically two categories:

#1: The PC won't go on the adventure!

This problem is generally solved by DM's being clear about what their adventure is, then by DM's providing relevant hooks for their PC's. Creating a new character takes a lot longer than the DM asking "Okay, what motivates your PC?", or by having an NPC get rid of a problem for them. If the PC's are turned off by a rude NPC, then the DM isn't giving relevant hooks. If the PC's can't show up, then the DM isn't giving them a reason to show up.

It is well within the DM's power to gloss over minor disruptions instead of ruining the night, and, for the most part, this is a minor disruption that can be fixed.

#2: The PC is re-directing the adventure!

The problem is generally solved by a DM rolling with it. A DM should be willing and able to put the main adventure aside if it gets sidetracked and to give a new adventure (complete with pre-made motivation!).

If the rest of the party is dead-set against it, then it is up to the DM to say "Okay, what you want to do is going to de-rail what the rest of the party wants to do. If you want to go and do that, you can, but your character is going to be "retired," at least for tonight. You'll have to make someone new who wants to do what the rest of the party wants to do."

And then maybe next time, the DM focuses on the character who is "retired," and has the rest of the players make new PC's to help him in his quest.

The DM has the power to set the camera, but he should be able to move the camera wherever the action is. If the PC's make the action somewhere else, he should be able to adapt, focusing in on somewhere else.

So, ultimately, the DM has more power and more autonomy and more flexibility than any of the players do. This should make it easy to keep things going when they hit hiccups like this. If it's not, the DM is probably being too stubborn. Let the PC's tell the story, don't think you have to.