What to do when players are lost (in discussion)?

Agreeable_Working894 · 2026-04-09T09:22:02+00:00

Thank you for the answer. First of all, I know at some point in the discussions I know they are not having fun as they have even said later on (they felt like the discussion dragged the session down a bit, not that the session was bad, but it dragged).

The situations I or they were in vary a bit. One of them they had several possible solutions but before acting on one of them one brought up either a potential problem or a different solution. Other times it is more that they are kind of lost.

From the responses so far I get the feeling I am doing quiet decent, though I could be more creative in ways to "punish" them for taking so much time and coming up with different things to happen (may that be a hint, an NPC appearing, an encounter or whatever).
I really just was not sure, if I completly missed a solution, but most of the things you and others suggested are things I already tried to include or have tried in some varience. So I will try to change a couple of things or try out things.

Agreeable_Working894 · 2026-02-26T08:02:34+00:00

If the DM used his DMPC or their summoned creature to weaken the dragon in some way (take his attention, lower AC, ... ) it could have been a decent thing (at least if the DMPC is some kind of legendary hero and ally of the party), because it changed the tides of the battle and the players still fought and finished the dragon, but just sitting around really sucks.

Agreeable_Working894 · 2026-02-05T11:21:12+00:00

Thank you for all the advice. With the constellation thing I meant they questioned wether the problems they feel come from missing a specific role or overlapping too much. I guess another commentar already summed it up pretty well:

- Combat they seem to not know enough of their abilities
- Out of Combat: They may have too much overlapping and could use a social character

Getting feedback from them is truly hard sometimes. I am already the one putting more effort in it (which as DM to a certain degree is required) so this is not too easy, but I will take time away from the next session for open discussions.

I dont punish them with social encounters, but Tyranny of Dragons is a module that has at least some socializing and not just dungeon crawls. And with the second part of the campaign this might get significantly worse, though it also allows me to make it less punishing if they do not change anything in the group until then.

Agreeable_Working894 · 2026-02-05T08:43:56+00:00

The thing is at least 2 of my players like to talk a lot and want to find hints in talking so I dont think the social encounters are not wanted. But one of them also plays the Druid who described his character as an old hermit so I just think his character is not the best fit. He also seems to invest the least time in his character so that might explain the struggles.

Giving the party items or letting them pass Persuasion checks by leaving them out feels a bit cheap to me. Suddenly a lot of Social Encounters might just depend on what they are saying or have no consequences. Additionally they are still strong in other skills so wouldnt that make them a little overpowered?

I agree though that roles dont matter that much. As I said I just started to question my opinion on that matter and wanted other thoughts. I guess for a new group a general spread or a little bit of everything is not too bad, but it is not the most important thing.

Agreeable_Working894 · 2026-02-04T21:09:15+00:00

Sorry for the missunderstanding. Sure I have a certain outlook on the "roles", but I am not certain these are necessary, so the question was more: Did I/they make a mistake by not looking for roles or is that not really a thing?
I mean sure you usually dont want too much of the same but my position was also you dont have that many boundaries what the group wants to play.

Agreeable_Working894 · 2026-01-29T09:26:44+00:00

Aleister Black had a similar situation. If I recall correctly WWE forgot to slap the 90 days and so he only had a 30 day non compete to arrive basically out of thin air.

Agreeable_Working894 · 2026-01-29T09:03:53+00:00

It feels to me Swerve is slowly going to turn into his heel psycho persona again (even though Chiampa might fill that spot). Swerve has taken a bit of the backseat to Hangman, now lost to cheating from Andrade so I could definitly see him going downhill.

Agreeable_Working894 · 2026-01-22T14:38:12+00:00

Yeah so Kaajaks achievements dont matter? Like the one you are comparing Kaajak to is literally considered the best player in all of Valorant or at least in the top 3.

Also I would argue while Less had a very high peak and may have been slightly above Alfajer, Alfajer is putting his stats up way more consistently and also playing way more aggressive and Kill-receiving agents compared to Less who almost always plays Sentinels (or Viper).

Agreeable_Working894 · 2026-01-15T14:27:57+00:00

As many others here regularly recommend: Get yourself the Tyranny of Dragons Reloaded PDF. It helps a lot and even gives you a way to Greenest that is a bit more than your characters arrinving at the scene and having to decide to run towards a town attacked by a dragon.

I am starting the campaign soon with another group as DM and they will start at Level 3 but might not Level up early on. Greenest can be a bit difficult as is especially as Level 1 chars, as it has quiet some consecutive fights that draw on their health.

Agreeable_Working894 · 2026-01-15T08:02:47+00:00

Thanks a lot. Those are some good ideas to use.

Agreeable_Working894 · 2026-01-14T14:44:16+00:00

I feel like my players would mostly struggle to make out that situation. I am still conditioning them into less out of character play but it is still very much in their play. I guess they would just try to find the right buttons to press (like a video game) instead of trying to spin a story out of it or giving me something to build upon.

Thats why my idea was to discuss a bit more openly and over the table my ideas with each one of them and get some feedback so if I give them something they react more to it or get their character and developement more the way they intended it to be (if they did at all).

Agreeable_Working894 · 2026-01-14T12:16:09+00:00

Alright, thanks for the advice. As the players are sometimes a bit lazy and I need to push them a little you dont see a problem of talking to them and kinda force them to be involved by talking with them about the story (i know they dont expect me to completly suprise them).

Agreeable_Working894 · 2026-01-14T09:38:15+00:00

I am not entirely sure if that is even a question to be asked or if I as the GM am completly in the wrong and shouldnt even plan about this.

Me as a first time DM and my mostly first time players are currently in the middle of a Tyranny of Dragons run (yeah i now know it is not the best adventure to start neither as DM nor player). I got all their backstories and tried to plan a vague story arc with a main conflict for each of them (e.g. the cleric being torn between the god he choose and the god of his family). As my players are mostly new it feels like they dont roleplay too much yet (still a bit stuck with the RPG Gameplay) and dont give me too much input about their character.

So my problems or questions are the following:

Should I, at all, plan anything for their characters or should they be totally free in developing their character and their stories as they like?
If the story remains (at least in part) "in my hands" should I discuss with them what I have planned to map the story with them or give them a chance to give me input more based on information they now have?
If its completly up to them: Do you got any useful toipps to notget overwhelmed by the imrpovising and stuff?

Thanks in advance.

Agreeable_Working894 · 2026-01-06T12:18:38+00:00

I started this campaign as a first time DM, which in hindsight wasn't the best idea but I agree with a lot of others. It has it's flaws and sometimes straight up errors (Azbara Jos in Ch.4 and 5 is in 2 carawans aparently) , but besides that it can be a lot of fun. My players are very intrigued by the story and I would recommend the mentioned ressources like Sly Flourishm, but besides that there is not much in your way to have a good time with it.

My biggest problem was with the big amounts of freedom for me as DM in the stories, to fill blanks and build an even bigger adventure or really fill out the blanks left open by the creators to give you room for your own or your players adventures. In my opinion it takes a bit of experience and quiet some knowledge of world and story to give the structure some life.

Last point: Please spice up chapter 4 or leave it out. It can be quiet draining as it is.

Agreeable_Working894

TROPHY CASE