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<blockquote data-quote="overgeeked" data-source="post: 9363663" data-attributes="member: 86653">That right there. &quot;I have this epic story I want to tell the players but three sessions in they don't care and aren't engaged.&quot; Because they're either bored by the system, bored by the story, or both. If they don't get to make actually meaningful choices that actually affect the world and story, they will check out. &quot;I'm running this epic adventure path and the PCs keep trying to go left when the story needs them to go right.&quot; Because they're playing the game to make choices, not be led around by the nose. If they don't get to make actually meaningful choices that actually affect the world and story, they will check out.This is a corollary to the improv NPC &quot;mystery.&quot; Players will inevitably be drawn like moths to a flame when they encounter that NPC you made up on the fly in response to some random thing they did or bizarre choice they made. They will yawn and ignore the meticulously crafted and over-prepped NPC every time. Now swap the word &quot;NPC&quot; for &quot;story&quot; in the above. If the story does not emerge from the players' choices, the players will check out. But they will remember for years the stories that were a result of their choices.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="overgeeked, post: 9363663, member: 86653"] That right there. "I have this epic story I want to tell the players but three sessions in they don't care and aren't engaged." Because they're either bored by the system, bored by the story, or both. If they don't get to make actually meaningful choices that actually affect the world and story, they will check out. "I'm running this epic adventure path and the PCs keep trying to go left when the story needs them to go right." Because they're playing the game to make choices, not be led around by the nose. If they don't get to make actually meaningful choices that actually affect the world and story, they will check out. This is a corollary to the improv NPC "mystery." Players will inevitably be drawn like moths to a flame when they encounter that NPC you made up on the fly in response to some random thing they did or bizarre choice they made. They will yawn and ignore the meticulously crafted and over-prepped NPC every time. Now swap the word "NPC" for "story" in the above. If the story does not emerge from the players' choices, the players will check out. But they will remember for years the stories that were a result of their choices. [/QUOTE]

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