Rewarding Proactive Play

[The_Gneech]

So, I have a group of passive players. Like, really passive players. Like it's reached the point where I said "Here are three jobs up on the board at the adventurer's guild. Pick one for next week please." And they all just stared at me. It's not unlike trying to run a game for Bartleby the Scrivener.

They've always been on the passive side, but it has reached the point of brokenness. Not just accepting it when I start a session with "You're in this situation and here's how you got here," they are effectively refusing to play any other way. I don't know how this has come to pass, if it's something I've done or some personality change as people have aged, or what. But I can't keep running games this way, and I don't particularly want to. If I'm going to be just narrating a "choose your own adventure" book to the table, what do I need the other players for? Game prep has taken over my life, setting up scenes and coming up with storylines to run the group through, to be rewarded with "Eh, that was pretty good" at the end.

So I'm trying to come up with ways to fix this. I don't expect to be able to just drop the group in the middle of a sandbox game and revitalize the table, but I am going to start working to wean the group off this unhealthy dependence to the rails, before I lose my interest in running the game entirely and it falls apart.

An important detail, this is a steady group that's been around a long time, so the go-to answers of "find another group" or "kill them and take their stuff" are not really applicable here. What I'm looking for are ways to encouraging the existing group into a more proactive mode of play. I know they won't all go for it– at least one of them is diffident nearly to the point of social anxiety, and so I don't expect him to grab the reins and go. But the rest of them have played in a more active mode before, and I'd like to find ways to reinforce and bring that about again.

Any suggestions? I've started by switching to a more location-based scenario design ("Here are the NPCs, here are the dungeons/wilderness locales, and what happens happens...") and putting a few obvious hooks out, but I fear this is going to lead to at least one session of them staring at me with decision paralysis. Having someone burst in with a machine gun, as Chandler would advocate, just puts me right back to being all aboard Plot Railroad, so it's something I'd rather avoid.

-The Gneech

 

[Wild Gazebo]

While I really don't think rewards for proactive play is really the solution in this instance, I've done several things to reward proactive play:

Gifts of land and resource
Bestowing titles or honorary positions
Named sections of the game world for the character
Allowed the player to help create sections of the game world
Given characters unsolicited followers or disciples
Straight experience bonuses
Awarded new skills, feats or skill bonuses
Allowed the gradual development of minor inherent magical abilities based on a character's characteristics
Developed incremental magic to an item used during a great deed of heroism
Have small or large populations treat the PCs as stars with the clout of real celebrity
...and gold, lots and lots of gold

 

[The_Gneech]

While I really don't think rewards for proactive play is really the solution in this instance... (snip)

This intrigues me; could you elaborate?

And good suggestions, thanks! Making a note of them.

-TG

 

[Tequila Sunrise]

Have you straight-up told them "Guys, it's getting really tiring to lead you around by the noses. If you don't start taking some initiative, one of you are going to have to DM, or we're going to have to find another game."?

 

[The_Gneech]

Have you straight-up told them "Guys, it's getting really tiring to lead you around by the noses. If you don't start taking some initiative, one of you are going to have to DM, or we're going to have to find another game."?

Not in those precise words. But I have attempted to express my frustration, yes. And I think some of them are making an effort, which is one reason I was looking for ways to reward it.

-The Gneech

 

[Wild Gazebo]

This intrigues me; could you elaborate?

Sounds like they are bored.

I'd ask them if they want to do something else...doesn't even have to be a role-playing game. Perhaps, if they really do want to play, they are stuck in a rut: switch DMs with another group for a night...do a one-shot modern game...have them make silly characters for other members of the group for a one-shot game...have them play monsters attacking a village while you play the heroes...just mix it up a little (doesn't have to be permanent).

 

[The_Gneech]

Heh. Some neat ideas there! Thanks.

-TG

 

[Rune]

First of all, I think you might find this thread helpful.

Second, I think you might try a two pronged approach.

To begin, throw lots of hooks at your players, big and small. Write them down and store them somewhere.

Prong 1: The Carrot. Whenever the players bite on a hook, grant them a single reroll that can be used by any of them at any time to reroll any die roll (even one of yours). This reroll is not used up if they choose not to take the rerolled result. The only catch: the reroll is only available while in pursuit of goals suggested by the hook.

Prong 2: The Stick. Whenever the party fails to bite on a hook, don't throw it away; make a note about that and save it. Later, pull it out again and detail the in-game consequences of the party's inaction. If they still don't bite, rinse and repeat.

 

[Tequila Sunrise]

Sounds like they are bored.

Yeah, this sounds like a distinct possibility. I know that one of my reactions to boredom with a game is to become listless and unengaged, but to keep playing if I think that a friend is into the game.

...The first day I get bored, at least. I don't show up to boring games week after week, but some people feel a very strong sense of obligation about these things.

Prong 1: The Carrot. Whenever the players bite on a hook, grant them a single reroll that can be used by any of them at any time to reroll any die roll (even one of yours). This reroll is not used up if they choose not to take the rerolled result. The only catch: the reroll is only available while in pursuit of goals suggested by the hook.

Prong 2: The Stick. Whenever the party fails to bite on a hook, don't throw it away; make a note about that and save it. Later, pull it out again and detail the in-game consequences of the party's inaction. If they still don't bite, rinse and repeat.

I like these ideas! Like, if the PCs are in a village, they hear weird cries coming from the northwest forest. If they don't go investigate the creepy sounds within a day, the village is attacked by an orc shaman, his underlings, and the demon he summoned and then cut a deal. (Hence the weird cries from the forest.)

Sometime during the raid, the PCs hear one of the orcs gloating to a villager. "It's a good thing you pinkskins are so cowardly; if you had found our camp yesterday, you could have easily interrupted the summoning ritual, killed most of us, and taken our gold to boot!" And then he murders the helpless villager.

If the PCs intervene and think to question the gloating orc, he lets on where his camp (and ill-gotten booty) is located, providing a very tangible reward for (finally) taking some initiative.

 

[GMMichael]

Drop in another group of heroes, who are really obnoxious, and who flaunt the rewards of their assertiveness in front of your passive PCs.

Or take a break and play some Munchkin.