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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Hussar" data-source="post: 9335534" data-attributes="member: 22779">Yup, we're here to role play.  Does that mean I have to play out, in real time, in first person, every single interaction with every single person we meet?  Bugger that.  Talking to random NPC who DOES NOT MATTER is pointless.  The only reason I "have" to talk to the ship's captain is because the DM is forcing it.  I don't want to.  The ship's captain is utterly irrelevant to what we are doing.  After we arrive at Point B, he will never be seen again. I have an ability on my character sheet that I chose.  I CHOSE this ability and background.  I made it perfectly clear by chosing this that I have zero interest in playing this out in detail.  If I wanted to play it out in detail and then rely on some randomly chosen DC skill check to ... well... I'm not even sure what the check is supposed to represent... then I would have taken a different background that doesn't have this ability.Now, if I, the player, CHOOSE to make your ship's captain important, and start talking to him, that's a different story.  The player is showing interest?  Fantastic.  Great.  Let's get right to it.  I'll move heaven and earth to make that NPC interesting for your character.  But, the player shows zero interest and invokes his or her character background ribbon and then I decide, oh, that's not quite good enough.  You have to "role play" this interaction to earn that benefit?  Yeah, not interested.  Go make some other player dance for your enjoyment.  I'll be over here on my phone waiting quietly until the game gets back to doing whatever it is we came here to do. And next time?  I will avoid at all costs ANY interaction with NPC's.  Because I know that the DM is only doing it to satisfy their own personal preferences.  So, I'll rely on spells and concrete mechanics as much as I can.  Need to travel?  I will search out the first Teleport Circle and then walk.  Anything to avoid being forced to run the "Make Me Happy" DM gauntlet of pointlessness.Again, it's all about pacing.  You have no problems wasting my time because you figure that the campaign is going to go for years.  Me?  Six to 12 months.  50 sessions for a 1-15 level campaign is about right.  So, I'm not about to waste everyone's time on some random NPC in a pointless, foregone interaction.DM:  You are in Baldur's Gate and you need to get to Waterdeep in order to do X.Player:  Ok, I book passage on a ship using my Sailor Background.DM:  Ok, two weeks pass, you are now in Waterdeep.  Let's get on with the adventure.  Was there anything you wanted to do in those two weeks aboard ship?Players:  No, not really.  DM:  Ok, sure.  You're in Waterdeep....THAT'S the pacing I'm looking for.</blockquote>

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