"Let's examine this apparently mundane rock."

Have you ever seen Players get totally fascinated with something in an adventure that has no real significance or interest or bearing? I've seen it a few times, including this last game session. An item or room or something that to the DM and the adventure is just window dressing or flavor; but to the Players, for some reason, it becomes a secret they *have* to "figure out".

For instance, a perfectly mundane statue in the middle of a room; or an old water pump that brings no water when worked; or an empty treasure chest.

Sometimes it is the fact that the DM described it that prompts the interest. Sometimes it is just the mundanity of it in an otherwise exotic locale or situation. But whatever gets the Players' attention, it sometimes gets them to waste amazing amounts of time investigating it. And the DM just sits there, thinking, "Why are they checking this so closely? There's *nothing* here."

Unfortunately, if the DM just comes right out and says there's nothing to do about the place/thing, that gives a clue to the Players for next time. If the PCs encounter something later that catches (or doesn't) their attention, and the DM does not wave them off of it, they know it is important.

But then sometimes there is something interesting about an item or room, and the Players overlook it or ignore the hints/clues (subtle or obvious). Or sometimes there is a reason for the object/place that will become evident later in the adventure. (But the Players waste so much time examining the object/place without all the information they could get if they just move on.)

It's a Catch 22.

So how can a DM get the Players to let something go, when all they are doing is wasting time on an unimportant item/place?

Quasqueton

There are two options. If you know that the thing is unimportant, but the PCs aren't figuring it out, and you feel a need to get the action back on track, I see nothing wrong with letting them poke around for a bit and then confessing, "look, sometimes a set piece is just a set piece, I was just describing the room and you guys picked up on an irrelevant detail I added for flavor". Move the game along, because then you won't be bored and the players won't be frustrated that they can't figure out the "secret" of the set piece.

The alternative is that if the players think something is important, it must be. It's their adventure, after all. Schrodinger some details into the thing that make it important, or just have it animate and attack them, everyone loves a good knock-down, drag-out fight with a now-animate statue.

Dan, I like the idea of turning the ordinary into the extrodinary. You wouldn't want to do it every time, but enough to keep the players from getting fustrated and annoyed.

DanMcS said:

The alternative is that if the players think something is important, it must be. It's their adventure, after all. Schrodinger some details into the thing that make it important, or just have it animate and attack them, everyone loves a good knock-down, drag-out fight with a now-animate statue.

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I agree with this statement. In improvisational theatre speak, "Say 'Yes' to your fellow performers." Just go with it - that water pump should now be absolutely integral to their further progress in the mission. You have a chance to add an interesting moment, and allow them to feel clever, adding enjoyment to the whole game. Either allowing them to investigate the mundane with no effect, or telling them that the water pump was just a 'set piece' is the less interesting (and fun) choice.

Last session, my players spent *two hours* of real time setting up an elaborate means of plugging up a hole in a mountain that vented a cave system. It had absolutely no effect, and as usual the monk ended up falling down the mountain and landing in front of the guards, but they seemed to be having such a good time that I let them do their thing.

Just go with it - that water pump should now be absolutely integral to their further progress in the mission.

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Unfortunately, I've seen this done very badly. It's sort of like telling a lie: you have to remember what you set up, and make sure future situations line up accordingly and don't contradict it.

Quasqueton

Quasqueton said:

So how can a DM get the Players to let something go, when all they are doing is wasting time on an unimportant item/place?

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I cannot agree with others' suggestion to "make it important". Sometimes, if it ain't important, it ain't important. (Not saying it won't work for them, though - just that I, personally, find that idea to be entirely repugnant.)

I just let 'em do their thing. I've discovered it's just a part of the game, and leave it at that. The most I do is to try to maintain consistency with my descriptions the best I can.

This happens occasionally. While I would like to be able to make some mundane things important, I'm just not that creative on the spur of the moment to do that. I just tell them, "there doesn't appear to be anything of interest to the thing", and they usually get the hint.

DanMcS said:

...or just have it animate and attack them, everyone loves a good knock-down, drag-out fight with a now-animate statue.

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or a even better yet, a knock-down, drag-out fight with a now-animate water pump.

Aaron.

Reminds me of a candle we found in a game once on a dresser (in a game of Mage). If anyone removed it from the dresser, as soon as it was unobserved, it would reappear on the dresser. We thought this was absoultely fascinating and proceeded to spend most of a session perfoming various experiments involving cameras, sheets of cloth (flicked in front of the candle to find out if that brief hidden moment was enough to send it back - it was) and various other sundries.

Nothing whatsoever to do with the game storyline, just added as an interesting incidental item, but loads of fun all the same.