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Message: <blockquote data-quote="AbdulAlhazred" data-source="post: 5499735" data-attributes="member: 82106">Well, I agree there is a lot of flexibility and personally I've never subscribed to the concept that some games are a 'sandbox' and other games are 'something else'. Not that there aren't distinctions, but any game can run through a whole range of different situations. The way I see it though there is ALWAYS a dialog going on between the players and the DM as to what you all want. It isn't something you can decide to have or not, it just exists. Beyond that if the PCs haven't encountered something in the world yet, then it has no real existence. It is a pretend world. Anything that isn't in the narrative is just an unrealized concept. All you have to do is talk to the players. "What do you want guys?" Sure, you may get a variety of answers. This is just normal. You won't ever have a group where everyone wants exactly the same thing all the time. Compromise will have to exist. If the players can't as a group have fun together in the same game then the group has a problem. I have honestly in all my years of gaming never had a big problem. I've had overbearing players, trouble makers, and all the usual sorts. Now and then a player will not be satisfied and leave, but it is pretty rare. The DM does need to be the facilitator for this in most cases, but it isn't that hard.The DM should take the initiative when the game strays from the territory of being fun, sure. As far as what the actual story ends up being, not so much. Disruptive in what way? If it isn't detrimental to having fun then it doesn't matter. I've run for groups that practically ran the campaign for themselves. My job was to make stuff up so they could be surprised and challenged. Most groups will let the DM take the lead on the overall plot. Many players however will add their own elements to the setting and plot. The DM will need to figure out how to work things in and interpreting the players input creatively is good. I've had players make up organizations, countries, evil opponent groups, towns, etc. all pretty much on their own. I may say "well, I think the history of that is like this..." or "How do we work that into the setting, maybe it should go over there." Usually the players don't try to nail things down TOO much as they can easily see that somehow the DM needs to stitch it all together. Eh, I haven't had these kinds of problems. At a tactical level the DM is going to be arbitrating things, say in combat, but then those are the places where you have extensive rules to fall back on generally. I've never had a player tell me they were 'entitled' to this that or the other thing. I can see where you could get a player who demands something. I'm going to either figure out a way to make that thing interesting or let the other players help decide how that goes. If a player is really enough of a butt-head that they refuse to go along with the rest of the table at all points they're just going to have to deal with it. Maybe they'll leave I guess. Again, never really explicitly happened in any of my groups. I think that sort of player is actually pretty rare. Really in the end I don't think it is about the words yes and no. It is about what levels the players participate in the game at. My feeling is they can participate at any level they feel comfortable with. I don't feel proprietary about the setting I use or really care that much how the plot of the campaign or story arc comes out. In THAT sense I'm neutral. I just don't consider myself to be the neutral keeper of 'my' setting. Heck, I was talking to one of my players about the implications of some plot developments and he asked about what would happen if the world was destroyed. He seemed to feel like I'd not want to blow up the whole setting. My answer was "I don't care, as long as it makes a fun game." Dunno how that will turn out, but he's now got the fate of the world on his character. Oh well, the players will decide, or maybe they'll just leave it to me. Probably some of both.</blockquote>

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