What do you do when your players run away from a scenario?
Why do players turtle up instead of pursuing the scenario hooks? Why do some players insist on running off to do their own thing?
Is any of this really a problem? And what can a GM do about it?
The new video pipeline I talked about last time, unfortunately, completely failed. The editing service I hired simply could not deliver usable video files. So I’m re-trenching and will be attempting to find a different editing solution to help streamline my editing process.
Then things got worse because Adobe Premiere updated and promptly started crashing my GPU. Adobe is in denial that the problem even exists, which is… fun.
I’m also looking into potentially buying new camera equipment. My current setup, for reasons I haven’t been able to diagnose, keeps glitching the video in long takes… and all my videos are long takes. With a different equipment I’ll probably be able to do more single-take videos, which will ALSO speed up the post-production time table.
In any case: Stop listening to me grouse about my production woes! Go enjoy the video!
That Special Snowflake wants some cool backstory explication or a mini quest anyhow. Or they are trying to get the other players to engage with some feature about their character and don’t know that it is ok to just say that at the table. (Obviously speaking from personal experiences lol)
Starting the video now, but I’d say don’t leave the adventuring hooks dangling, make the adventure come to them. They don’t want to confront the dragon in his lair? He’ll come to town and demand a mighty ransom, then. They don’t want to deal with the robber baron? See how much they start caring when he sends his agents to relieve them of their gold.
Sometimes the player’s don’t bite because it’s an obvious railroad. Happened to me, as a player, a couple of times. I remember in a Cthulhu game, the DM told us that we have received a letter from a friend tell us to go to his house in other city. Fine, I’ll bite. But then he told us that we must travel there by train, not by other means of transport without giving us a reason why, and on different compartments. Well, we resisted that with all of our hearth.
The one time I turtled was when a group of characters was left in a semi-allied castle with orders to stay out of trouble. My character had a military background so obeyed. Everyone else went off and did things. My character suspected that something was not right, but not enough evidence to convince him to disobey a clear order.
Generally I make characters with hooks for the GM to use. His military background was such a hook. Given a mission he would willing have gone along. Told not to do anything he didn’t and that was boring. I am not certain the GM understood what he had done.
Great video, Justin! Would love to see you do follow up videos on handling split parties and on pacing.
The idea that a 5:1 split part means 5:1 split spotlight is so obvious but something I totally DON’T do. Sounds so obvious now you say it!
I’d much rather read your writing than watch your videos anyway…