Hello, and welcome to Pact of the Tome! The Quick Fix series of posts covers common Dungeon Master problems along with my solutions to them. The goal is to keep each piece to 500 words or fewer in order to improve readability and hone my writing and editing skills.
The Inn's On Fire Problem
The party has gathered in a tavern, looking for adventure. "Would you like to talk to the hooded man in the corner?" asks the Dungeon Master. Within minutes, the quest-giver's been stabbed, all the money's been stolen from the till, and someone's set fire to the inn.
The Core Issue
It's a problem that's plagued Dungeon Masters for decades: the players just aren't interested in following your adventure plans. Instead, they decide they'd rather assume the role of "murder hobos," running around the world and causing chaos. D&D is a game about doing whatever you want, right?
A common reaction to this problem is to try and stop the players within the game. This could involve sending town guards and bounty hunters after them, telling your players they can't take certain actions (perhaps referencing their character's alignment), or punishing them with arbitrary penalties and bolts of blue lightning from the sky.
These approaches can occasionally be effective. Sometimes players just need a gentle nudge in the right direction. However, they're very risky: once the players and DM start fighting for control of the game, everything falls apart.
Here's the real problem: the players above haven't agreed to the "social contract" of the game. As the Dungeon Master, you've presented them with an opportunity to go along with your plans and they've ignored it.
The Inn's On Fire Problem
The party has gathered in a tavern, looking for adventure. "Would you like to talk to the hooded man in the corner?" asks the Dungeon Master. Within minutes, the quest-giver's been stabbed, all the money's been stolen from the till, and someone's set fire to the inn.
The Core Issue
It's a problem that's plagued Dungeon Masters for decades: the players just aren't interested in following your adventure plans. Instead, they decide they'd rather assume the role of "murder hobos," running around the world and causing chaos. D&D is a game about doing whatever you want, right?
A common reaction to this problem is to try and stop the players within the game. This could involve sending town guards and bounty hunters after them, telling your players they can't take certain actions (perhaps referencing their character's alignment), or punishing them with arbitrary penalties and bolts of blue lightning from the sky.
These approaches can occasionally be effective. Sometimes players just need a gentle nudge in the right direction. However, they're very risky: once the players and DM start fighting for control of the game, everything falls apart.
Here's the real problem: the players above haven't agreed to the "social contract" of the game. As the Dungeon Master, you've presented them with an opportunity to go along with your plans and they've ignored it.
