DM's: You player just had a great idea...

[DiFier]

In Dr. Nuncheon's Freeport game. My charachter has a tendency to think out loud. I'd always have outrageous theories on who the bad guy was and what the plans were. sometimes I got things right. (or so Dr. N lead me to believe ) It was part of how I roleplayed my charachter and I'd come up with some crazy ideas. sometimes more than one possibility in the same idea. I think that Dr. N may have used some of them but I don't mind too much.

I thnk that it is the DM duty to use good ideas that the PC accidentially give him.

 

[cignus_pfaccari]

I thnk that it is the DM duty to use good ideas that the PC accidentially give him.

What's fun is when you're in a game and, when brainstorming, figure out the plot of the adventure...and then move on to something else since it'd be preposterous.

Well, it's fun *now*, but during that adventure (out of the old Birthright Legends of the Hero-Kings module), it was irritating, especially after my character had been killed.

Brad

 

[Pbartender]

So, you are running a game of D&D, and suddenly one of the players gets a scared look on his face. He calls for attention and then relates a truly horrible possibility, that you as the DM haven't really thought about. After a moment of consideration you note that the idea is actually very good, and the BBEG would probably do it, if he thought of it. The sessions ends, you hand out XP and everyone goes home.

Now comes the hard part: do you use the idea that one of your players just gave to you, even though he didn't really mean to? It was just one of those "what if" comments that come up every now and then.

Do you, as a DM, implement your players ideas into the game world?

Both my wife and I have ad libbed entire gaming sessions in just this way.

 

[Telperion]

Care to ralate the idea he had? The other DM's here might think it sufficiently cruel to do it to their players, too

The players are a bunch of nobles that have a community of farmers, craft masters and such to "lord" over. Over the last half a'dozen sessions they have been experiencing political, social and physical assaults that are meant to deteriorate the standing of their noble house and the trust that the characters enjoy between their loyal subjects and themselves.
Further more there has already been one attempt at a halfling-uprising (didn't work, because the players grabbed their cleric at a crucial moment).

Now the characters are hosting a funeral at their fair town, and they are worried that one (or more) of the visiting nobles coming to the funeral will be assassinated. This would, of course, look very bad all by itself, but when added to all the other bad stuff that has been going around for the last few weeks (in-game time) it amounts to a whole lot worse.

So, I have already designed a traditionalist assassin from the Cult of Ancients to do the job. One of the characters' enemies is paying a whole lot of money to tarnish their reputation once and for all. After this they'll probably be "lording" over a bunch of peasants in Varuba (a border duchy that isn't quite so glorious as the duchy the characters are currently living in), and count themselves lucky for keeping their Patents of Nobility.

I don't think I'll kick them out of Arminoff just yet, but it will be very bad if the characters don't stop the assassin.

 

[Golem2176]

An average DM will use the idea per se. A great DM will take it, modify it to make it true to what he/she knows about their campaign and then breathe life into it.

 

[Altalazar]

"Good [dungeon design] Business is where you find it."
-BBEG, Robocop

 

[The Sigil]

This, in my campaign, is the "Gozer Rule" (from Ghostbusters) - I may have botched the quote a little...

The Traveller has come. Choose and perish! Choose the form of the Destroyer!

I get it. Whatever we think will come and destroy us. So if we think of J. Edgar Hoover, J. Edgar Hoover will come and destroy us. Don't think of anything yet. Clear your minds!

The choice is made! The Traveller is come!

Ray... what did you think of, Ray?

I couldn't help it, I thought of something that couldn't possibly hurt anyone... *crash*... that's right... it's the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man.

My player have learned to fear the "Gozer Rule." BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

--The Sigil

 

[Stahn Li]

I would not use the idea

You see you forget rule #1 of creative theft -- don't get caught.

When you steal an idea you have to make sure its from an obscure source or only steal a few elements of it that the actual theft is unrecognizable. Once a player suggested an idea it instantly became "trite" and if you were to use it effectivly, you would have to alter or change the circumstances significantly.

Of course a constant defense to being trite is humor

If I really wanted to swipe the idea, I would try to do so in a humorous manner. Here are some examples.

If the actual player said the idea out loud perhaps a spy of the villian overheard it and brought it to the villian

Maybe this idea becomes a back up plan for the villian, who when he executes it he constantly comments on how he only is using it because he is desperate, and that is really and idea that only an idiot would come up with.

Also as a DM I wouldn't want to penalize PC's for thinking about and discussing villians possible plots. In my campaigns some for thought wuld help the party greatly but usually instead the just draw swords and rush in, even missing several significant plot points.

Bottom line is don't steal the idea unless you can do so in a very clever way.

 

[TheAuldGrump]

The first check is for continuity... does it fit in as well or better with all the other stuff that has come up?

The second check is for focus... Does it highlight PC characters as much as what i had already planned, show off their stuff, and not make them seem irrelevent?

if the answer to both is YES then unless something screams at me as to say "no, dont do this" like pacing or scheduling, then absolutely i will use it. There are two obvious reasons why...

1. Well to start with, its a better story.
2. More importantly, its a story the PC will see as "i figured it out." and as it unravels the player(s) will feel that they were on to it and figured it out and that will make them enjoy the game even more.

However, i cannot ever let them know.

Good points.

I almost never do it - I generally like my own plans at least as well, if not better.

And once I let the party know that I did take the idea from them - the villain had the room they were discussing things in bugged...

And I will admit that part of the reason I DM is because of the 'Aha! I figured out what is going on!' expression on the player's faces. Whether it is my idea or theirs is immaterial.

The Auld Grump, who also adds about twenty feet to the depth of pit traps if the party discovers them before they are triggered... 'My gods! It was a death trap!...'

 

[robberbaron]

Oh yeah, take the idea and mould it to suit the campaign. Enough to make it fit, but not enough to make it unrecognisable.

I think it is nice for the players to think they've solved something once in a while. .