Involving Players in Game Creation

[Rev. Jesse]

Hello,

I've recently started GMing again, after a long hiatus. I've been trying to tailor my game's style to suit my players, and to this end I've asked my players what sort of game they want to play, particularly in terms of game style, thematic structure, mood, and tone of the game. I have received very little feedback from my players in this regard and I'm not sure what else I can do to prompt my players. Any suggestions?

-Jesse

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Require all the characters to be related or from the same household (maybe some of them are servants or apprentices or whatever), lock them in a room, have them make up their characters, then look at what they came up with.

If they're all clerics, they want a game focusing on religion and probably full of undead.

If they're all social type characters, they want an intrigue-type game.

If they carefully cover all of the standard classes, give them dungeon crawls and the like.

Look at favored enemies and languages chosen and figure out what sort of critters they hope to see from there.

 

[crazy_monkey1956]

I try to include players in such decisions as well. One way I've done this in the past with less than vocal players is to give them several options for adventure hooks, in play. The hooks they go after with the most enthusiasm are also a good indicator of the style of play they're looking for. Give them a choice between a dungeon crawl, a scouting operation against an enemy of their kingdom, an escort mission to take a diplomat to a foreign land, or a rescue mission to a remote village stricken by plague. See what sparks their interest and go with it.

 

[amethal]

Don't try and plan it out in advance.

Run a few "normal" adventures then ask your players if they want more combat, more roleplaying, more whatever. They have to be specific questions, as opposed to "what do you want" qeries.

 

[Rev. Jesse]

Thank you for your responses. The frustrating thing here is that I'm taking over a group of experienced role players who have been gaming together for several years. I am, in fact, taking over another GM's campaign. Consequently I am doubly frustrated by the lack of input from the players because I know they all have at least several years experience role playing and should know what they want.

In order to draw the players a little more in, I'm extending to them XP bonuses for contributing to the enjoyment of the group and making my life easier. Examples include developing pics of characters, writing journal entries in character, providing me with interesting NPC or plot ideas, etc. We'll see how that goes.

-Jesse

 

[Arkham]

Thank you for your responses. The frustrating thing here is that I'm taking over a group of experienced role players who have been gaming together for several years. I am, in fact, taking over another GM's campaign. Consequently I am doubly frustrated by the lack of input from the players because I know they all have at least several years experience role playing and should know what they want.

In order to draw the players a little more in, I'm extending to them XP bonuses for contributing to the enjoyment of the group and making my life easier. Examples include developing pics of characters, writing journal entries in character, providing me with interesting NPC or plot ideas, etc. We'll see how that goes.

-Jesse

Often players, like small children, don't know how to formulate the words to tell you what they want. ;-)

I recommend a multiple-choice questionaire, depending on how much detail you want from them.

Something like this:
1) [ ] Medevial (sp)
[ ] Ancient Greek
[ ] Vedic India
[ ] Ancient Egyptian
[ ] Steam punk fantasy

2) [ ] High combat
[ ] Even mix
[ ] High Politics

3) [ ] Heroic
[ ] Anti-heroic
[ ] Selfish
[ ] Villainous

Of course including only the options you are willing to run...

 

[Ender_rpm]

My vote is to chuck the current campaign and start over. Too many variables taking over someones long running campy, especially where PC wealth, loot, house ruled abilities, etc are concerned. Since they are experienced players, let them roll 1d6 to determine starting level, and have the first session be PC gen, and get a feel for them that way. And of course, get in a bar fight ASAP

 

[Ry]

Yeah, players don't know what they want, but they REALLY don't know what they want in a vacuum. They do a lot better when you give them something to work with. I've had 3 campaigns work really well with this:

Legends of Great Knights: "You are all knights. What order is up to you, heck, you can still be a rogue or a wizard, but you're sworn to protect people and follow the orders of your superiors. You've been assigned to a mission and you've heard that you'll be working with others, not necessarily from your Order."

Legends of the Last Age: "You are all 12 year old kids in the same village of a warrior people. Your fathers are famous warriors - why they're famous and a general idea of what enemies you'll inherit from them is up to you." (check out Akavars in my Legacies wiki)

Ptolus: "You all are in this city at this time, and you all have some connection the orphanage over here. You don't have to be an orphan but you know each other, and know of each others connections to the orphanage."

Give them a little while to think about it, and then have them create characters together as a group. Tell them you want them to have a theme to the party (that can be a "mostly" theme, say 3 misfits and a straight man).

WHatever they choose to do is a gift to you as a GM. If the knights are all relative misfits, they want comedy and possibly coming of age challenges. If the party is all sworn to bloody vengeance against the Illithids, they want to kill illithids. If they're all dockworkers and sailors, they want to get onto the high seas. And so on.

 

[Ry]

Wait, are you taking over another GM's campaign, or taking over the GM's chair for an existing group?

I don't recommend GMing someone else's campaign. I've been on both sides and the old GM is always horrified.

 

[AnonymousOne]

If I may:

In our next campaign a friend of mine is DMing for our group...

There's a catch though, he's playing in a campaign world that I'm in the midst of creating. Thus. Because of the nature of the campaign, we can choose to go in any direction we want. And the DM is forced to operate within certain bounds, like our group got tired of dungeons very quickly and wanted more city crawling and building to building combat. But the world leaves plenty open for dungeon crawls if the plot calls for it.