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Message: <blockquote data-quote="MarkB" data-source="post: 5203559" data-attributes="member: 40176">This is a classic example of player expectation vs. DM expectation. As far as the players are concerned, the only way a compass can lead them anywhere is by pointing a direction with its needle, so avoiding the curse of a cursed compass is a simple matter of never following where that needle points.As far as you were concerned, the curse was an active, intelligent, malignant force that could manifest itself in forms such as blinking lights leading a person to the compass itself.Without more information, the players have no means of making the leap from their interpretation to yours, and no reason to try. Some form of clue, such as a tale of some similar curse in which those who'd tried to circumvent it were caught out when it manifested in an unexpected manner, would have gone a long way towards helping them make that leap.To some extent, you can try and blame this sort of misconception on the players for making the wrong assumptions and not asking the right questions, but the fact is that the players are always acting on incomplete information, both compared to you and compared to their characters, and if they don't make some reasonable assumptions from the information they're given, the game will never get anywhere, because they'll be having to constantly ask for more information and second-guess everything they're told.About the worst thing you can do is use that information barrier to lay "gotcha" traps for them of the "well, you didn't ask" kind, because in the end, you'll just make them too paranoid to take anything you tell them at face value - everything will be questioned, assessed and evaluated from the assumption that it's some form of trap, trick or misinformation, and you'll never get any real gaming done.</blockquote>

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