Simple yet vital question

[Michael Silverbane]

I recently faced a serious problem while DMing.
Why should the PCs handle some problems, if there are others who can take care of it.

Because if they don't, then the players do not get to play the game...?

Later
silver

 

[Umbran]

Why should the PCs handle some problems, if there are others who can take care of it.
My players reasoning seems logical. Why should they save the world, if there are lots of people, more skilled and experienced who can and should take care of it.

Well, there is a simple point here - that there are people who can does not guarantee that one of them will deal with the trouble. There's the maxim that trouble should be handled by the wones on the scene who find it, rathe rthan waiting to see if someone else will deal with the problem

I did allow PCs to seek help, as this was possible and logical. This is quite a problem for me, becouse I know they were right not wanting to risk their own lifes when there are others who can do it. However, they are the adventures, so they should help ppl. and so on...
Any solutions?

A few:

1)Make sure that, in the future, there aren't a bunch of idle heroes of equal or greater power sitting around waiting for trouble to come up - make sure they're all busy dealing with other problems.

2)Make sure that, in the future, the problems that come up are personally important. if the heroes have a personal stake in the outcome of events, they'll be less willing to walk away.

3)On occasion, make it so that the PCs are the idle heroes called in to clean up.

 

[haakon1]

3)On occasion, make it so that the PCs are the idle heroes called in to clean up.

I like that.

In "The Sunless Citadel", I played up the (2nd level, new players on their second adventure) party being hired to rescue missing adventurers. They were taking it seriously and scared that it was another a party of PC's that they were being sent to rescue, since they know I've run multiple campaigns in the same setting. Ups the scary factor to know you are "the big guns" being brought in where others have failed.

 

[Belbarid]

Why should the PCs handle some problems, if there are others who can take care of it.
My players reasoning seems logical. Why should they save the world, if there are lots of people, more skilled and experienced who can and should take care of it.

Depends on the campaign, the players, the DM, and the expectations going in.

In some campaigns I've been in, a better question would have been "Why *wouldn't* they?"
In others, they wouldn't.

As DM, though, Know Thy Players. If they aren't interested in running a heroic campaign, don't force them to be heroes.

 

[Maikl]

Because if they don't, then the players do not get to play the game...?

That's a simple but primitive and not very good solution in my opinion.
Forcing players to do what we want them by saying "If you don't want to help, go home guys..." is quite lame. And it doesn't work well for the story etc.
In my opinion, the key is to make players (and PCs) want to do something, but without using arguments not related to the game.