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<blockquote data-quote="billd91" data-source="post: 9080863" data-attributes="member: 3400">I think the issue gets blown out of proportion. Part of the social contract in playing an RPG is that some players cede authority to another player (sometimes regularly, sometimes in turn) to devise some material to interact with. They should have some flexibility about how they deploy it. If there's no indications of &quot;Ogres --&gt; This Way&quot; prior to the players taking the left or right fork, then it's not like their choice was meaningful for evading ogres. The interesting choices will come when they come closer to actually encountering them. Scouting ahead? Have a ranger in the right terrain to read the signs of ogre habitation? Stealthily sneaking into the ogre area or avoiding them completely, rushing in and attacking, or approaching boldly to parley? Those are the interesting choices. Having ogres near the left road or the right road depending on which way the PCs go - that's not a big deal.Now, if the PCs had said &quot;I don't want to encounter ogres so let's bypass Ogrewood by 10 miles, even if that means a longer journey&quot;, then I think it's fair to be a bit cheesed off if they still encounter the DM's ogres. That wouldn't mean they're safe from some other prepped encounter, though. After all, if the PCs hear there are bandits on the east road past the Gorge of Peril and so take the west road past it, maybe they'll encounter the reason there aren't bandits on that side...</blockquote>

[QUOTE="billd91, post: 9080863, member: 3400"] I think the issue gets blown out of proportion. Part of the social contract in playing an RPG is that some players cede authority to another player (sometimes regularly, sometimes in turn) to devise some material to interact with. They should have some flexibility about how they deploy it. If there's no indications of "Ogres --> This Way" prior to the players taking the left or right fork, then it's not like their choice was meaningful for evading ogres. The interesting choices will come when they come closer to actually encountering them. Scouting ahead? Have a ranger in the right terrain to read the signs of ogre habitation? Stealthily sneaking into the ogre area or avoiding them completely, rushing in and attacking, or approaching boldly to parley? [B]Those[/B] are the interesting choices. Having ogres near the left road or the right road depending on which way the PCs go - that's not a big deal. Now, if the PCs had said "I don't want to encounter ogres so let's bypass Ogrewood by 10 miles, even if that means a longer journey", then I think it's fair to be a bit cheesed off if they still encounter the DM's ogres. That wouldn't mean they're safe from some other prepped encounter, though. After all, if the PCs hear there are bandits on the east road past the Gorge of Peril and so take the west road past it, maybe they'll encounter the reason there aren't bandits on [B]that[/B] side... [/QUOTE]

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