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Message: <blockquote data-quote="bloodtide" data-source="post: 9471843" data-attributes="member: 6684958">How would a solo game do anything?  I guess the counter is:  Why place so much importance on whatever the players randomly say?I think I might see the issue.   There are three basic ways to do an RPG:1.The players must solve and do things for real, in the real world.  The DM, for example gives the players clues, and the players must 100% solve the mystery...for real.  Using their characters in the game and getting very little or no help from the DM.  This game requires real effort from the players to advance.  This game can have a high failure rate as many DMs are just not that good at running a game and many players can't Do Things For Real.2.The guided game.  This is where most 5E adventures sit.  The DM gives the player characters clues.  And the players just use the rules to solve the mystery by rolling through it.  The DM lays out a vague path, like an outline for the characters to follow.  As the game is set up so characters make 80%-100% of the needed rolls, the game advancement is on 'automatic'.  This game has a more average failure rate as most DMs can just drop the outline path, and most players can follow the path......but not all.3.The player lead game.  The players have their characters do whatever actions they want at random.  No matter what the PCs do, they will find, and often create, the clues of the mystery, and like number two they will make 80%-100% of the rolls to advance the game forward.  This game has a low or even no failure rate as no matter what the players do they will advance the game.Lets look at my above for this though:  The group of PCs are hunting down a den a werewolves, but don't know where the den is....1.The DM picks a logical spot on the map for the werewolf den and it is the 'right' spot.  The DM adds plenty of clues for the players to find...but they must look for them, find them and figure them out all on their own.  For real.  The characters skills and abilities help the players figure things out, but do no work for them.2.The DM still pick a 'right spot', but also lays down a fairly obvious path.  So a character can use a skill or ability to make an easy roll to find the den with little or no effort.  3.The DM does not pick a spot for the werewolf den......but whatever random place the players decide to go: that is where the den is placed.For just another example:  The characters find a treasure map and want to follow it.1.The DM makes an adventure and treasure location and everything else.  The players, for real, must figure out where the map locations are and find the treasure site, for real.  The map lists 'Old Elf Tree', the players must figure out where that location is, for real.2.The DM makes a bit of a mini adventure. The character reads the map and then the player rolls a low DC to have the character 'remember' the location of the historical landmark of the "Old Elf Tree'.  Then the PCs go there.3.The DM makes little or nothing.  After looking at the map, the players randomly decide to go south, and they find the 'Old Elf Tree' there, wherever they went as the DM puts it right in front of the characters.</blockquote>

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