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I NEED HELP ON SOME CAMPAIGN PROBLEMS!!!
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<blockquote data-quote="iserith" data-source="post: 7320922" data-attributes="member: 97077"><p>The source of the problems seems to all stem from not being on the same page with the players in some fashion or another. It sounds like you have a particular vision for the game that was not communicated adequately to the players before the campaign kicked off or, you did that but the players aren't bought into said vision. A new conversation to hash all this out seems to be in order. I recommend doing so face-to-face so as to minimize any potential misunderstandings.</p><p></p><p>You may want to prepare yourself for the possibility that the players just aren't into the game you're presenting and that you may have to set the campaign aside in favor of a new one or step aside and let someone else run the game for a while. While this can sting, it's better than continued frustrations at not getting to the fun times and exciting, memorable story you're hoping for. Short of that, there's compromise, where each of you gives a little. I'm not sure what that will look like in your case, but an honest, direct conversation between adults should get you there.</p><p></p><p>On the specific issues, I do generally recommend you set up your campaign such that the death of one or more characters has an impact but doesn't otherwise cause the game to grind to a halt. This is a problem with storylines built around the characters in general or with the DM taking too heavy a hand in the outcome of the story. Location-based and event-based adventures that aren't based around the characters specifically tend to be more robust in this regard. Remember, the story is what comes out of the players engaging with the situations you present, not the plot you created before play. As far as stakes go, you can create challenges where death isn't really on the line but where the stakes are substantial enough that the players care about winning. After all, life and death are just one set of stakes among countless win/loss conditions. You can fail at a goal you care about and not also die. People do it every day.</p><p></p><p>With regard to the player taking his realism a bit further than you intend in this given campaign, you can always enlist his help in establishing those elements. In response to the query on the size of the capital, you might say, "I hadn't really thought about it in concrete terms, but I figure the population is X. What size city do you think that is?" And then go with whatever he says. The upside is that this means whatever you establish comes with his immediate buy-in since it's his own idea.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="iserith, post: 7320922, member: 97077"] The source of the problems seems to all stem from not being on the same page with the players in some fashion or another. It sounds like you have a particular vision for the game that was not communicated adequately to the players before the campaign kicked off or, you did that but the players aren't bought into said vision. A new conversation to hash all this out seems to be in order. I recommend doing so face-to-face so as to minimize any potential misunderstandings. You may want to prepare yourself for the possibility that the players just aren't into the game you're presenting and that you may have to set the campaign aside in favor of a new one or step aside and let someone else run the game for a while. While this can sting, it's better than continued frustrations at not getting to the fun times and exciting, memorable story you're hoping for. Short of that, there's compromise, where each of you gives a little. I'm not sure what that will look like in your case, but an honest, direct conversation between adults should get you there. On the specific issues, I do generally recommend you set up your campaign such that the death of one or more characters has an impact but doesn't otherwise cause the game to grind to a halt. This is a problem with storylines built around the characters in general or with the DM taking too heavy a hand in the outcome of the story. Location-based and event-based adventures that aren't based around the characters specifically tend to be more robust in this regard. Remember, the story is what comes out of the players engaging with the situations you present, not the plot you created before play. As far as stakes go, you can create challenges where death isn't really on the line but where the stakes are substantial enough that the players care about winning. After all, life and death are just one set of stakes among countless win/loss conditions. You can fail at a goal you care about and not also die. People do it every day. With regard to the player taking his realism a bit further than you intend in this given campaign, you can always enlist his help in establishing those elements. In response to the query on the size of the capital, you might say, "I hadn't really thought about it in concrete terms, but I figure the population is X. What size city do you think that is?" And then go with whatever he says. The upside is that this means whatever you establish comes with his immediate buy-in since it's his own idea. [/QUOTE]
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