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General Tabletop Discussion
*Dungeons & Dragons
When Players Are Indecisive
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<blockquote data-quote="iserith" data-source="post: 9080519" data-attributes="member: 97077"><p>I don't think these things are mutually exclusive, but action getting even a little slow is for me not preferrable. Sandboxes are great. <em>Quicksand</em>boxes, where there's little action and you're interviewing quirky, cagey NPC all night trying to find the fun bits, are absolute session killers in my experience. Players being noncommittal is to me a sign that's what's going on - they lack direction or information sufficient to get after it.</p><p></p><p></p><p>I would say let them investigate, but present fun and appropriate challenges, while also putting the clues right in front of their faces. Even if you think you're being way too obvious, they'll ignore it or misinterpret it sometimes and go around in circles, but if it's not obvious, that outcome is almost a certainty and you risk losing player engagement.</p><p></p><p>An event-based adventure ideally in my view has a timeline or countdown to doom. If the PCs don't do the thing by elevensies, the doomsday device goes off or whatever. Make it clear that's what'll happen if they don't succeed at the outset, throw fun challenges in their path, and watch them get after it. If they don't or try but have a tough go of it, then Bad (But Fun and Memorable) Stuff Happens as a result when time is up. Just make it so everyone can live with the aftermath and play on in the face of it.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="iserith, post: 9080519, member: 97077"] I don't think these things are mutually exclusive, but action getting even a little slow is for me not preferrable. Sandboxes are great. [I]Quicksand[/I]boxes, where there's little action and you're interviewing quirky, cagey NPC all night trying to find the fun bits, are absolute session killers in my experience. Players being noncommittal is to me a sign that's what's going on - they lack direction or information sufficient to get after it. I would say let them investigate, but present fun and appropriate challenges, while also putting the clues right in front of their faces. Even if you think you're being way too obvious, they'll ignore it or misinterpret it sometimes and go around in circles, but if it's not obvious, that outcome is almost a certainty and you risk losing player engagement. An event-based adventure ideally in my view has a timeline or countdown to doom. If the PCs don't do the thing by elevensies, the doomsday device goes off or whatever. Make it clear that's what'll happen if they don't succeed at the outset, throw fun challenges in their path, and watch them get after it. If they don't or try but have a tough go of it, then Bad (But Fun and Memorable) Stuff Happens as a result when time is up. Just make it so everyone can live with the aftermath and play on in the face of it. [/QUOTE]
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