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How should a GM handle refused plots
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<blockquote data-quote="Jeremy E Grenemyer" data-source="post: 7106792" data-attributes="member: 12388"><p>It's tough when this sort of thing happens. </p><p></p><p>Even tougher is what you have to do next: find the opportunities hidden amongst the detritus of the unanticipated setback dealt to you by a group of players. </p><p></p><p>Which is why every GM should experience this at least once. It's one of the biggest, baddest roadblocks a GM can face, short of all the players abandoning the game.</p><p></p><p>What to do then, if the players won't engage with your plot?</p><p></p><p>Ask the players, "What do you do next?" Then wing it for that session. Let the players flex their character's muscles. Throw in encounters (random or otherwise) as you see fit and build the story as the players go along. If the players act outrageously, then respond equally outrageously. Push them. Test them. See what they do.</p><p></p><p>Why?</p><p></p><p>Because moments like this are the perfect opportunity for a GM to "take the temperature" of a group in order to see what they will do with their characters when the DM has nothing for them to do. </p><p></p><p>This is your first clue as to what they want out of a game.</p><p></p><p>Once the session is over, if I were a GM in this situation I would talk to the group. I'd say I worked hard on the story and that I think the players will have a great time experiencing it. Then I'd ask them where they are at. Why doesn't the plot interest them? Do they feel the game is lacking in some way? Do they want more encounters and less roleplaying? What do they want out of the game when they sit down at the gaming table?</p><p></p><p>This is your second clue as to what they want out of a game.</p><p></p><p>Then I'd decide on my own whether the plot can be retooled to fit the group or not. And if it can't, then I'd decide whether I can come up with something better suited to the group, or whether I need to step aside as GM and let somebody else run a game.</p><p></p><p>No point running a game if people aren't having fun.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Jeremy E Grenemyer, post: 7106792, member: 12388"] It's tough when this sort of thing happens. Even tougher is what you have to do next: find the opportunities hidden amongst the detritus of the unanticipated setback dealt to you by a group of players. Which is why every GM should experience this at least once. It's one of the biggest, baddest roadblocks a GM can face, short of all the players abandoning the game. What to do then, if the players won't engage with your plot? Ask the players, "What do you do next?" Then wing it for that session. Let the players flex their character's muscles. Throw in encounters (random or otherwise) as you see fit and build the story as the players go along. If the players act outrageously, then respond equally outrageously. Push them. Test them. See what they do. Why? Because moments like this are the perfect opportunity for a GM to "take the temperature" of a group in order to see what they will do with their characters when the DM has nothing for them to do. This is your first clue as to what they want out of a game. Once the session is over, if I were a GM in this situation I would talk to the group. I'd say I worked hard on the story and that I think the players will have a great time experiencing it. Then I'd ask them where they are at. Why doesn't the plot interest them? Do they feel the game is lacking in some way? Do they want more encounters and less roleplaying? What do they want out of the game when they sit down at the gaming table? This is your second clue as to what they want out of a game. Then I'd decide on my own whether the plot can be retooled to fit the group or not. And if it can't, then I'd decide whether I can come up with something better suited to the group, or whether I need to step aside as GM and let somebody else run a game. No point running a game if people aren't having fun. [/QUOTE]
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