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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Barastrondo" data-source="post: 5286988" data-attributes="member: 3820">To play devil's advocate for a moment, I'd note that I've encountered several players who have been reticent about the call to adventure because, it seemed, they'd been "trained" by GMs who ran killer games to be very wary of anything potentially lethal. A game with a high lethality index can be awfully stressful to some players, and therefore they wind up being kind of reticent about stuff that looks like it could be highly lethal. If you're looking to teach hesitant players to play more proactively, the most important element to establish is trust. Trust that "If I make a decision, the results will be fun and exciting." In some cases this may mean overcoming old scars, and reinforcing that of all the story hooks you throw out none of them are "trapped" -- which is to say, that if you have a choice between A, B or C that they're all generally viable. Some players have been taught to expect that maybe only B is the "correct" choice, as A will present a TPK and C will destroy the village while you're off wasting time. It's tricky, but reaching such players is a matter of teaching them that the game isn't won or lost at character creation, or based on the first choice you make. And similarly, some players don't trust their DMs to let the dice fall where they may, or to actually acknowledge that their choices are changing the environment.Sandbox and linear games seem like diametric opposites, but they're almost identical in that they both totally rely on trust between the players and DM. A sandbox without trust breaks down in hesitancy; a linear game without trust disintegrates as players throw themselves in every direction but the main plot. And, of course, a DM who doesn't trust his players isn't going to enjoy the game at all. Is it the players' responsibility to carry a story? Yeah, basically. But it's also the DM's responsibility to ensure that the players feel that they have that power, and that using that power is going to result in a fun session. If playing with friends who already trust your technique isn't an option, I'd say figuring out how to build that trust is a priority.</blockquote>

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