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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Janx" data-source="post: 7651659" data-attributes="member: 8835">I think this opens up an interesting side debate about GMing.Is the GM allowed to initiate or instigate trouble that the PC inherently have to resolve for their own good?If yes, is there a limit to how extreme/often that can be used?I don't think it's a controversial deal that if your goal is Wealth, I make a wealthy "villain" that will give you opportunities to take his money.  I'm just supplying content.I think some folks object when their goal is Wealth, and I make a Villain who is intent on destroying civilization (your wealth included) which pretty much means putting your plans to rob the mayor on hold because the end of money is very nigh.But the counter to that is that sometimes terrorists hijack a plane and crash it into a building that you were busy holding the most important meeting of your plan to negotiate a corporate takeover, so you don't get to role play that meeting, instead you get to race to the exit to escape a collapsing tower.So what's a fair allowance for a GM to throw in his "unrelated" events/villains?I am pondering whether a system or metric could be devised to limit/throttle how much trouble a GM can throw at a party at a time.  Like a budget per adventure and for the overall campaign.As a player, I've seen the worst of it under an otherwise good GM, where the party had to deal with constant GM-instigated problems that made sense in the context of the campaign, but left absolutely no room for the PCs to pursue their own goals.  We had fun, but it got draining.As a GM, if the players are initiating action, pursuing goals, then I think the GM should be making mostly opportunities that fit those goals (with challenges within them) and infrequent threats to their existing situation, (where the PCs must deal with problem or suffer bad things).  In my view, the players are being active, I don't need to "punish" them or distract from their goal.  After all, they are inspiring me to make content they will pursue.If the players are being passive, just sitting around, that's when it may be more acceptable to instigate trouble that they need to deal with.  After all, they're not pursuing a goal or opportunity that fits the goal they claim to have.  they've effectively relinquished their right to control what happens next in the Macro sense.</blockquote>

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