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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Iosue" data-source="post: 5835000" data-attributes="member: 6680772">I think maybe a teeny bit wrong.  Or at least sub-optimally.I see a few problems: one is that you created the "confront the guards or leave the campaign" scenario.  You didn't leave the character any outs.  Sure, there's stuff he could have done upon confronting the guards, but you've limited his options to just that: deal with the guards without escaping.  This might have actually been workable, except for the next problem:The worst thing you can do in improvisation (which is why RPGs essentially are) is to shut down the idea someone else came up with.  In the player's head, he imagined the scenario as one where he could flee on his horse, and you not only shut that down, you shut down the whole concept of fleeing the town, in metagaming fashion.  That's frustrating for a player.  I would have simply said, "You can try, but it looks dicey."  Then, some rolls to see if he succeeded.  If he did, then he could find out for himself if the town gate is closed.  Then he could try other options from there.  You could have created a situation where escape from the town was impossible, but let the player(s) find that out through play, rather than just shutting down their idea.Also, you don't have to give players information they wouldn't know, but you can give them information beforehand that would help them find their own decision that fits the scenario.  In this case, you wanted the character to stay in town, so you have to give him the information that lets him come to that conclusion on his own.  You could have said, "The Sheriff and two guardsmen approach you, clad in their armor and with their weapons, though none are drawn. They approach you purposefully, but not aggressively.  Your horse looks a bit too far away to get to in time, and you recall seeing the gate closed earlier today.  You might be able to run and hide in the crowd, if you want."  Now you have the same situation, but the player connects the dots themselves, and feel immersed in the world, rather than shut down by the Dungeon Master.</blockquote>

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