Upgrade your account to a Community Supporter account and remove most of the site ads.

Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="Golroc" data-source="post: 9102503" data-attributes="member: 7042497">Player agency isn't one thing. Every single player will have different expectations on what it is - even if there are of course some very common themes.- Some players want to feel that there are real stakes - that failure has consequences, and that their actions matter. This doesn't always predicate being able to have a major impact on the direction of the story. Some players can be very ok with a GM that through varies means keeps the story either fully or mostly along the lines planned out in advance - but not be ok with a GM who will not let them fail (by fudging dice-rolls, adding more and more clues until something is figured out, etc.)- Some players want to be able to impact the story - they want to leave a mark on it. This can be anything from wanting to be a fellow storyteller to the GM, and shaping major parts of the narrative to simply wanting to be able to fork off on one among many paths the GM lays out.- Some players don't like the GM putting in NPCs and/or events that strongly direct the course of the story. They want to be main drivers of the story, and the spotlight to be on them. They want an out when something is happening and the option to go in a completely different direction.- Some players want the game to be a kind of simulation, where the GM is an arbiter and mediator, not the primary storyteller. They don't want a pre-planned narrative. An adventure module for this kind of player is a description of places and people, not a narrative outline. If they're reasonable people they understand the GM can't prepare an interesting outcome for every eventuality, but some might not be particularly fussed about dramatic narratives and simply want a sandbox to roam with relatively simple interactions being the focus.Also, people might not have given much thought to what they consider agency. Some might not even want as much agency as they say they do - or they may like something different than what they think they do. Making those assumptions on the part of someone else is of course a potentially problematic thing to do, depending on your relationship with the person. But for some people challenging their preconceptions is the right thing to do. For others it will ruin everything. Being a good GM is a lot about knowing your players - and being a good player is about knowing your fellow players and your GM. If you're strangers then it might be tough to figure things out. And for GM and players alike it is key to be able compromise and find some common ground. So, if a player is asking for agency and cannot describe it in any particular detail, you'll have to infer based on what you know about the person. After a session talk to players, and ask how they felt about their agency. It's really the only way to figure out what they want. Everyone is in the game together and it is the responsibility of everyone involved to contribute to making the experience a good one. Reality is seldom this perfect, and dealing with players (or even a GM) who aren't perfectly rational, empathic and altruistic is part of the package. If things simply don't work out and preferences keep clashing, then maybe it is time to make some tough decisions and find more compatible players / GMs. Digressing a bit now, but just want to finish by saying that you can't always give everyone what they want - and that's ok. But thumbs-up for trying.</blockquote>

Verification