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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Shayuri" data-source="post: 7166178" data-attributes="member: 4936">Maybe the intrigue/diplomacy worked really well for the previous group dynamic, but with you guys, you'd like something different. The whole Lawrence of Arabia trekking into the desert vibe, encountering colorful characters, making alliances...maybe that's not your jam. Or it can be something you enjoy, but in a much more balanced sense.I think the bold phrase is the operative one, at least in my reading of people's posts. I really like the idea of a journey through a mystical desert, but even Lawrence of Arabia moved from scene to scene, location to location. Like, I really liked your description of the valley we encountered the merchants in...all your descriptions, really...but I feel like there was a perception on the part of the players that the encounter didn't 'mean' anything, maybe? It was a random roll and was just sort of there/wasn't 'important?' I'm guessing. I can't pretend to speak for anyone, but I kind of had that feeling myself. It was a routine meeting, devoid of any hint of unusualness, and I didn't feel like Ankabut would really do anything other than hover near Akilah and stay alert.It's tricky to talk about, because instantly I hear my inner critic start up and say, 'But you could have done stuff! you could have talked and interacted, and used this as a springboard for roleplaying and character exposition!' And then I feel like I failed some kind of gamer test, because I didn't do that. It's just...Ankabut is playing Amina, and Amina doesn't have any reason to be engaging with random merchants who's paths we cross. Neither, for that matter, does Ankabut. So...What I don't want your takeaway to be, however, is "Welp, guess roleplaying and intrigue are wasted on these guys, lets just rolls some dice and start counting initiative rounds."I really ENJOYED the scene in the auction hall and in the city, and the tense negotiations with Derafsh and all that. It was cool! And the kind of things few games have!On the other hand, that's the sort of scene that we don't have a lot of characters who can really take part in anymore. Most of them new. Focusing on that kind of thing immediately puts them at a disadvantage.I think the takeaway is to try to rebuild that party cohesion and sense of purpose that's been...lets admit it...pretty much broken right now, just by player attrition. Don't lose sight of the Lawrence of Arabia and intrigue and heavy RP, but keep things moving a bit and work with players to find their hooks and work them in and get them involved.It won't happen overnight, but I think they're ready to work with you.</blockquote>

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