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Message: <blockquote data-quote="iserith" data-source="post: 8230094" data-attributes="member: 97077">That may well be the case.I think ultimately there are a couple of issues that are at play. For players that seem to want to eschew combat, it's often because the combats have no compelling stakes and are otherwise boring due to how the DM runs them and how sluggishly the players resolve their turns. I've said this before, but the DM really needs to pay attention to the play loop during play and especially during combat. If the DM doesn't do that, it is very much like ordering at a deli - "Number 43, you're up!" - followed by the player asking 20 questions to stall because he or she wasn't paying attention then finally getting around to attacking (and missing, because of course), followed by the DM calling for Number 44.Contrast that with a DM who is following the play loop, describing pithily at the start of the turn any changes to the unfolding drama, then asking with a sense of urgency "What do you do?" Combine that with players who know that the faster they resolve their own turns, the faster their next turn comes back around and suddenly combat isn't boring. Particularly if the players actually care about the stakes.For players that seem to want to eschew "roleplaying," which as you suggest is not a good word for what they're likely actually wanting to avoid, it's often because there are no stakes to the scene. How many awkward "Gettin' Ta Know Ya" scenes or scenes involving ordering breakfast in a tavern while trying to have a conversation with the edgelord PC is a person expected to endure before they are fully justified in burning the whole place down just to get to something interesting? How many quirky, cagey NPCs do we have to interview to find the damn adventure? A lot of DMs don't know when to move on from these scenes, just like a lot of people don't know when a conversation is over. Those that do know these things can have fun interactions in their games in which players can portray their characterizations while getting the necessary flavor and exposition without it dragging on forever, plus they can present compelling exploration or social interaction challenges that would have even the combat-centric players wanting to engage. Particularly if there's an incentive like Inspiration for portraying personal characteristics.This isn't hard to do, but admittedly, it may be difficult for some folks to change. We really can have it all though.</blockquote>

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