GMforPowergamers
Legend
So for years I have taught new players. Many have taken 1 or 2 campaigns with me then went on to make there own groups... now since covid I have NOT really been store running (and only 1 con so far since) but I still text and discord with old players now running.
So I am going to keep some details vauge like edition... but 1 of those old players has been DMing off and on and has a newish campaign and he has run into an issue. He has asked me how I would handle it. I will do my best to explain it here then what I have already said... although I started with a laugh emoji and 'welcome to the 'hard' part of DMing'
so the background. He put together an afterschool game (if it matters he is a sr in HS and he was an 8th grader when I first met him) this game has 6 regular players that up until now have made almost every game (witch is a small miracle). the game started at 1st level and is now 4th level and they use XP.
the issue. in a session he had a player ask about an area of the world that he had not preped yet. (he has a hand drawn map that includes city names and ruin names) and he off the top of his head made up a (IMO) cool story about the place being haunted by a ghost dragon. (no he had no stats in mind, no real seed just answering a question) however this has turned the entire session into an argument... 4 players want to investigate this (1 of the 4 wants to actually drop what they are doing right now but other 3 just want that next) BUT 2 of them not only don't want to do it but are refusing to go near a 'ghost dragon' at level 4. Now this wasn't just a pause, but they are mid adventure and a 3ish hour session was derailed by this.
his quastion is what to do when some players WANT to do something and some DON'T, how does he as the DM adjudicate this?
So I am going to keep some details vauge like edition... but 1 of those old players has been DMing off and on and has a newish campaign and he has run into an issue. He has asked me how I would handle it. I will do my best to explain it here then what I have already said... although I started with a laugh emoji and 'welcome to the 'hard' part of DMing'
so the background. He put together an afterschool game (if it matters he is a sr in HS and he was an 8th grader when I first met him) this game has 6 regular players that up until now have made almost every game (witch is a small miracle). the game started at 1st level and is now 4th level and they use XP.
the issue. in a session he had a player ask about an area of the world that he had not preped yet. (he has a hand drawn map that includes city names and ruin names) and he off the top of his head made up a (IMO) cool story about the place being haunted by a ghost dragon. (no he had no stats in mind, no real seed just answering a question) however this has turned the entire session into an argument... 4 players want to investigate this (1 of the 4 wants to actually drop what they are doing right now but other 3 just want that next) BUT 2 of them not only don't want to do it but are refusing to go near a 'ghost dragon' at level 4. Now this wasn't just a pause, but they are mid adventure and a 3ish hour session was derailed by this.
his quastion is what to do when some players WANT to do something and some DON'T, how does he as the DM adjudicate this?
Okay so after laughing at him a bit I promised I would give it some thoughts, but off the top of my head it is something as a DM he has little IN GAME control of, but talking to the players out of game may be the best option...