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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Lanefan" data-source="post: 7076371" data-attributes="member: 29398">I completely fail to understand how else it can work, unless the players are in fact co-authoring (or completely authoring) the game world and its content and thus not only doing the DM's job but doing themselves a great disservice: what's the fun of exploration when you already know what's there.And note that I as DM am not playing in order to explore my own world: I already know what's there, or certainly should.  Instead I'm providing a game world for the players (via their characters) to explore and learn about.I've bolded the bit that makes it clear that the GM is the author of the gameworld, while the players learn what it is that the GM has authored.</blockquote>Again, how else can it possibly work?You want the players to be able to drive the fiction...which in this case is exactly they're doing by their left-turn north to seek barbarian tribes to take over.  If I'm the DM I have to respond to this.  I can either narrate whatever they learn about the barbarians and then DM their journey north; or I can narrate they fail to learn anything and DM whatever they do next which might include a journey north anyway; or I can railroad them somehow into staying in the south.Look at it another way.  When the idea of going to the barbarians suddenly emerges from nowhere - and that's the case here; this idea of going after the barbarians comes right out of the blue - 4 possible results can occur:1. The barbarians exist, and the DM has known this all along2. The barbarians exist, but the DM just now decided that on the fly3. The barbarians do not exist, and the DM has known this all along4. The barbarians do not exist, but the DM just now decided that on the flyOr, to clarify, are you disagreeing that designing the game world and its content is the DM's responsibility?  If yes, then how in your eyes does the game world get designed?  (I can't imagine trying to run a game in a setting that hasn't got at least some pre-design to it even if it's only a town, a dungeon or other adventure, occupants of both, and some geographical features around and between the town and dungeon)  Who decides where the cities are?  Where the dragons are?  Where the next dungeon is after this one, and what it consists of?  Who rules the realm, if anyone, and what the ruling or political structure is?Lanefan[/QUOTE]

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