"We Demand Service!": Players Expecting NPC Handouts

[Caliban]

Obviously this is a pendulum that can swing too far in either direction - from PC's who want everything handed to them up front, to NPC's who refuse even the most basic and reasonable forms of aid that are well within their ability to supply.

Greedy players and stingy DM's. A tale as old as gaming.

 

[Flexor the Mighty!]

My players would expect King Arthur to hand over Excalibur if they were getting a quest from him.

 

[Lylandra]

Hm, that isn't too much of a problem in my two current campaigns. In the first one, the players are part of a resistance army which is basically funded by the populace, nobles and some governments. It has become a bit of a for tat. They participate in the resistance efforts and the resistance gives them the services they can offer, but they have to pay for any costly materials. They also turn in every "low level" equipment (to arm the army) to pay for high quality stuff for themselves.

In the second one, we are basically employed and can request material and support within reasonable limits. In return, we cannot simply "go adventuring", but are sent on missions.

 

[jasper]

My players would expect King Arthur to hand over Excalibur if they were getting a quest from him.

My Players would then gripe there was only 1. Why isn't Merlin coughing up his staff of power. And the cash up front must be the yearly income of the kingdom.

 

[FitzTheRuke]

I'm usually pretty good at making it clear that the NPCs will help as best they can, but if they could have done the job themselves, they would never have asked the PCs for help.

That said, I'm terrible at giving out treasure, so...

 

[Fauchard1520]

In the second one, we are basically employed and can request material and support within reasonable limits. In return, we cannot simply "go adventuring", but are sent on missions.

That's a solid set-up, but I think its effectiveness will vary by group. If you've got the kind of players that constantly demand, "If this mission is so critical, why can't we borrow a little man-power from the organization?" then you've got to come up with reasons. That can strain credulity after a while.

 

[Sunseeker]

That's a solid set-up, but I think its effectiveness will vary by group. If you've got the kind of players that constantly demand, "If this mission is so critical, why can't we borrow a little man-power from the organization?" then you've got to come up with reasons. That can strain credulity after a while.

I always like to play a balancing act between "You're working for XYZ, but you're also hired help." It provides the framework that comes with working for an organization, but also the unspoken "we're shorthanded" answer when players demand support.

 

[Phion]

I had a cleric called Dr Med (not real name, forgotten his real name (long story)) and he charged the party for his healing services. I made a insurance type system, that gave certain party members priority and so on and he had packages to be a personal physician if people paid enough gold. People saw the funny side of it and all the gold made was donated to the church.

 

[Desdichado]

r-selection is a real thing. If you can't lick it in game, it's best to find players who are a bit more K-strategist in nature. Few things are more irritating than entitlement.

 

[Nytmare]

In general, my campaigns tend to run closer to an E6 power level, where the only people the characters ever really meet with levels are the other player characters. That being said, there's usually not anyone to ask for help, and if there is help to be given it's pretty mundane.

I had been running a "West Marches" styled PBP exploration game a while back that involved a lot of resource management and that included a lot of buying and replacing gear at a discount from the company funding the exploration, but it unfortunately keeled over dead after a couple of weeks.