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Message: <blockquote data-quote="DragonLancer" data-source="post: 9641283" data-attributes="member: 11868">I think player agency has a variety of perceived meanings. I've had known players in the past who felt that it meant that whatever they wanted to create as a character, providing it was was from an official TSR/WotC book was acceptable regardless of DM wishes because it came from an official source (DM wishes meaning no Monks, Samurai or Ninja or associated races because their campaign was purely western medieval, for example). I've also had a player who felt that it meant that player characters can do whatever they want and the DM was just there to adjudicate the outcome. For myself, player agency means that the players can dictate the course of their characters actions and what they say within the confines of the setting and the rules (IE no flying if your character can't fly and if you say something inflammatory to the high king then you live or not, with the consequences). Players don't get special treatment just because they are playing the game.I'm going to single out this paragraph because it makes a valid point for my DMing approach. Adventure Path is somewhat of a modern term. Back in the day this was just called a Campaign. I would argue that outside of a dedicated sandbox/open world style game (and the players are aware of that) that there is an unwritten rule at the table that the players play the campaign or adventure path that the DM has written/prepared or purchased to run. Players can use their agency to follow up leads or ideas that are not covered in the initial idea and the DM can roll with it. However, if they are willfully undermining the adventure/campaign under the umbrella of "player agency" then to me they are breaking that unwritten social contract. This of course assuming that the players are aware that their DM is running a prewritten campaign.</blockquote>

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