Distrusting NPC Issues

[Corathon]

Rechan, is it possible that the problem lies with you?

I was once in a game where every trusted NPC betrayed us. This got really old, and we learned to stop trusting NPCs. Ever.

Have you played the "Trusted NPC betrays you" card too often? If so, you can't expect them to trust NPCs. If not, maybe a previous DM taught these players that paranoia=survival.

 

[adwyn]

Trust has to be earned. Sometimes it's easy, a handshake, smile and socially expected behavior, but when it is not then the foundations must be layed.

First, whom do you really want them to trust, you or the NPCs?

If it is you then realize it will take time. Start with don't cackle where they can here it. Next have NPCs trust the party, even when it turns out bad for that NPC. Reuse NPCs so they can be seen again and again and friendships built.

Next time one of the party does something nice for an NPC, have the NPC spill the beans about being recruited to betray the party. The goal here isn't to make them trust the NPCs, it is to build the players' confidence in your ability to play things fairly.

As to trusting the NPCs, have some rogue claim a glamored stone gives him a +10 (couch it in acceptable terms) to Sense Motive. Once he is defeated the players can use it without IDing the item because they already know what it does. It doesn't actually have to work and be forwarned this may spoil any work I previously advised.

 

[Rechan]

Have you played the "Trusted NPC betrays you" card too often? If so, you can't expect them to trust NPCs.

No, I honestly never have. I know that players hate betrayal. Not in that "love to hate, makes them get into the game/oppose the NPC harder" way but it offends them. It also poisons the well for future NPCs (like has been demonstrated in this thread).

And this isn't about "Trusted" NPCs. This could be anyone from a captured enemy to a merchant. The "Tell us what you know" "Here's what I know" "He's being too forthright/that's too simple, he's lieing".

I've ran about twelve or fourteen groups, and I've seen this multiple times.

 

[TheAuldGrump]

I had a player in Vampire that would consistently trust or distrust the wrong people.

The bank executive who refuses to give customer information to a P. I. without a court order? She must be in on it!

The friendly bank executive at another bank who seems to be willing to help, and manages to get every piece of information that the P. I. knows in the conversation? What a great guy. Hey, how come our private plane exploded while we were flying to Chicago to follow up the leads he gave us?

In WHFRP he immediately distrusted the dwarf orchard owner who provided medical help when the badly injured party came to his door. The one with a nice stone apple barn that would have been perfect for the party and townsfolk to shelter in when the undead attacked....

Fortunately, the rest of the group had learned by then about his instincts. the town did burn, but the townsfolk survived.

But he still trusted the priest of Mannan Stromfels.

He seemed to have an unerring instinct in that regard....

The Auld Grump

 

[SnowleopardVK]

As to trusting the NPCs, have some rogue claim a glamored stone gives him a +10 (couch it in acceptable terms) to Sense Motive. Once he is defeated the players can use it without IDing the item because they already know what it does. It doesn't actually have to work and be forwarned this may spoil any work I previously advised.

Players discover magic item is fake.
Players distrust DM even more now.
???
Profit.

 

[IronWolf]

My players have a habit of trusting the worng people. In past campaigns as a good party they got in a verbal shouting match with the Paladins they were supposed to help and then abondoned them. But the evil cultist seemed like really cool guys so they must be okay.

Yep. That's us! Always trusting the wrong people and angering the people that want to help us!

 

[NN]

Perhaps the problem is really "having plots reliant on NPC infodumps" ?

 

[Cor Azer]

This sort of thing got so bad for me for a while that For a few campaigns, I had to tell the players out of game that "This NPC, Bob, will never betray you" just so there was one other person they could trust.

It was especially annoying, because we've been a group for a long time, and none of our DMs have ever really used the betraying NPC shtick; maybe twice in 20+ years combined.

 

[Abraxas]

You should go read the Evil DM moments thread - it only takes 1 or 2 of those types of events to make all players paranoid.

 

[FireLance]

There's probably a bit of psychology to this. As you have noted, players tend to look gift horses in the mouth, and distrust things that are given to them too easily. So the trick is to make them feel that they have worked for and earned every scrap of information that they are given: they have to rescue the NPC who knows what they want, they have to convince, intimidate, force, or otherwise persuade the NPC to help them, etc. Once you have got your foot in the door, they might find themselves trusting NPCs that they have worked to establish a relationship with.