D&D 5E What do you do when your players are gunshy?

[HardcoreDandDGirl]

I haven't read through the rest of these posts, but...here's a couple thoughts.

funny thing... but [MENTION=67338]GMforPowergamers[/MENTION] has explained a few times that what you say isn't what's happening... he isn't the one that comes up with the game idea's they all do together...

I see a distinct pattern, which I sort of hinted at in my first post. You are coming up with a "story", and then your players have to play it. I think that is (was?) why they rebelled and seem "annoyed" with stuff now. Maybe for the next campaign, go all out sandbox, 1e-style, Old Skool Hard-Core campaign.

that is like the exact opposite, did you read any of this thread? His players feel it is already too hard playing at base level 5e, hard core old school would be worse...

Tell them to "Make 1st level PC's" (1st level because IME, players get attached to characters and have a better 'feel' for them when they start them out as 1st level nobodys; like raising a cat from a kitten, versus getting a 7 year old cat right from the get go).

since he said they came up with those concepts togather something tells me level 1 isn't in the cards...

Right. Now that they have 1st level characters, give them four or five starting areas;(1) The town of Bell's Crossing is a small town at the fork of the River Shale and the Silver River. Quiet and rural in nature. A stop off for those daring to venture down the River Shale...beware the Slavemaster, Sped! (2) In the country of Westing, a civil war is brewing. The rightful King met an unfortunate hunting accident, and now all his heirs are claiming the thrown. The Seneshal is barely keeping it together, but rumors are spreading about many dark and dangerous things... (3)...etc...(4)...etc... (5) ...etc...

The point is...no "story". No "plot". No preconceived conceptions about what the PC's are "supposed to do". They have total control over what their PC's do and what they become. The difference is that in what you have on your Wiki, is that on there, you are laying out "the story"...so there is no real choice about it. Oh, sure, there may be different paths to take to follow, but they are still "following a path to a pre-determined likely end".

what you are suggesting is a group that isn't buying in and not trusting each other, and the players are baulking about level apporpret and below enoers should play a game were they are weaker, and needs a lot of trust and buy in...


You need to all sit down and discus what you want. Don't take ANY plot or game idea's from this thread.