Menu
News
All News
Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
Pathfinder
Starfinder
Warhammer
2d20 System
Year Zero Engine
Industry News
Reviews
Dragon Reflections
Columns
Weekly Digests
Weekly News Digest
Freebies, Sales & Bundles
RPG Print News
RPG Crowdfunding News
Game Content
ENterplanetary DimENsions
Mythological Figures
Opinion
Worlds of Design
Peregrine's Next
RPG Evolution
Other Columns
From the Freelancing Frontline
Monster ENcyclopedia
WotC/TSR Alumni Look Back
4 Hours w/RSD (Ryan Dancey)
The Road to 3E (Jonathan Tweet)
Greenwood's Realms (Ed Greenwood)
Drawmij's TSR (Jim Ward)
Community
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Resources
Wiki
Pages
Latest activity
Media
New media
New comments
Search media
Downloads
Latest reviews
Search resources
EN Publishing
Store
EN5ider
Adventures in ZEITGEIST
Awfully Cheerful Engine
What's OLD is NEW
Judge Dredd & The Worlds Of 2000AD
War of the Burning Sky
Level Up: Advanced 5E
Events & Releases
Upcoming Events
Private Events
Featured Events
Socials!
Twitch
YouTube
Facebook (EN Publishing)
Facebook (EN World)
Twitter
Instagram
TikTok
Podcast
Features
Top 5 RPGs Compiled Charts 2004-Present
Adventure Game Industry Market Research Summary (RPGs) V1.0
Ryan Dancey: Acquiring TSR
Q&A With Gary Gygax
D&D Rules FAQs
TSR, WotC, & Paizo: A Comparative History
D&D Pronunciation Guide
Million Dollar TTRPG Kickstarters
Tabletop RPG Podcast Hall of Fame
Eric Noah's Unofficial D&D 3rd Edition News
D&D in the Mainstream
D&D & RPG History
About Morrus
Log in
Register
What's new
Search
Search
Search titles only
By:
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Menu
Log in
Register
Install the app
Install
Community
General Tabletop Discussion
*Dungeons & Dragons
Respect Mah Authoritah: Thoughts on DM and Player Authority in 5e
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Reply to thread
Message
<blockquote data-quote="Oofta" data-source="post: 8426886" data-attributes="member: 6801845"><p>I'm probably old school (surprise, surprise I know) but I maintain narrative control of the world. I try to take and encourage people to contribute, but I'm always going to have the last say. The PC is in control of what they do and think, but if they want to say that they know every back alley in every city in the entire world ... umm ... no. In their home town, in their old neighborhood? Sure. But if in a city they've never been before? They know what to look for and recognize patterns so getting around town more quickly is fine, but it only goes so far.</p><p></p><p>Similar with being in a noble family. In most cases it's a benefit, but it can also be detrimental. Yes, you are a recognized member of nobility but noble families feud all the time. It's kind of a hobby.</p><p></p><p>On the other hand I do encourage people to contribute, but much of the time it's offline. If someone has an idea of who there family is and some history that goes along with it, I'll work with them to make it fit into the existing lore and setting. Sometimes there are things that particular player does not know, sometimes I just want to think how it impacts the larger world and if I can use their ideas in the campaign.</p><p></p><p>Part of this is because I've run a consistent campaign world for a long time. The world has to make sense to me first. So if someone could say they're best buds with the bartender it may or may not make sense because I know (and my wife knows because she was in the previous campaign before we moved) that the bartender is not what they seem. If they're a retired villain from a previous campaign secretly plotting a comeback I don't want it to feel like a gotcha when they lace the group's drink with a sleeping draught.</p><p></p><p>Ultimately though, I'm just doing it for a couple of reasons. First, people don't control the world around them they only control their actions and we like to think we control our responses. More importantly the world has to make sense to me if I'm going to make it come to life for them. I give players a lot of leeway on what they do, what options they pursue, where they go. The world then responds to their actions and deeds, the control they have on the world is based on their ability to influence it not just because the player said so.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Oofta, post: 8426886, member: 6801845"] I'm probably old school (surprise, surprise I know) but I maintain narrative control of the world. I try to take and encourage people to contribute, but I'm always going to have the last say. The PC is in control of what they do and think, but if they want to say that they know every back alley in every city in the entire world ... umm ... no. In their home town, in their old neighborhood? Sure. But if in a city they've never been before? They know what to look for and recognize patterns so getting around town more quickly is fine, but it only goes so far. Similar with being in a noble family. In most cases it's a benefit, but it can also be detrimental. Yes, you are a recognized member of nobility but noble families feud all the time. It's kind of a hobby. On the other hand I do encourage people to contribute, but much of the time it's offline. If someone has an idea of who there family is and some history that goes along with it, I'll work with them to make it fit into the existing lore and setting. Sometimes there are things that particular player does not know, sometimes I just want to think how it impacts the larger world and if I can use their ideas in the campaign. Part of this is because I've run a consistent campaign world for a long time. The world has to make sense to me first. So if someone could say they're best buds with the bartender it may or may not make sense because I know (and my wife knows because she was in the previous campaign before we moved) that the bartender is not what they seem. If they're a retired villain from a previous campaign secretly plotting a comeback I don't want it to feel like a gotcha when they lace the group's drink with a sleeping draught. Ultimately though, I'm just doing it for a couple of reasons. First, people don't control the world around them they only control their actions and we like to think we control our responses. More importantly the world has to make sense to me if I'm going to make it come to life for them. I give players a lot of leeway on what they do, what options they pursue, where they go. The world then responds to their actions and deeds, the control they have on the world is based on their ability to influence it not just because the player said so. [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Verification
Post reply
Community
General Tabletop Discussion
*Dungeons & Dragons
Respect Mah Authoritah: Thoughts on DM and Player Authority in 5e
Top