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Message: <blockquote data-quote="TwinBahamut" data-source="post: 5971028" data-attributes="member: 32536">If a DM tried to pull that kind of thing on me I'd walk away from the table and never play a game with him ever again...Seriously, something like "the world will explode in 5 years" needs to be laid out on the table explicitly from the beginning, before the game even starts. Keeping the central premise of a campaign a secret from the players is a DMing sin. It's unforgivable and utterly despicable. "I'll keep it a secret so I can ramp up the tension later, but it's not my fault if no one learns about it, so I'll just destroy whatever they do enjoy playing out if spite" is simply being a pathetic and petty human being. It breaks every rule of storytelling and the entire premise of the DM/player social contract.Sorry, but in that example, the thing that needs to give is the DM's ego. Absolutely no question at all. Not even close to being ambiguous.The DM absolutely needs to make the premise of a campaign clear to the players from the beginning. After all, he's asking them to dedicate a lot of time and energy to the campaign. Who cares if the DM invests "more" time if its built on deception and a disregard for the time and interests of the other players? This is why having the group sit down and talk about what they want to do with the campaign and what they want from it is absolutely essential before the DM even starts planning anything.</blockquote>