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Episode 2382: Clothed Make the Man

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I read some D&D and other roleplaying game discussion groups on reddit, and it's astonishing how often I see questions like:

My players did this clever, creative thing to get out of a tricky situation and avoid danger. How do I stop them doing that and get them to just fight the boss monster like I wanted?

The answer to these sorts of questions is: Stop squashing your players' creativity and fun!

Players come up with clever solutions to tricky problems because they're being clever and enjoying the fact that this makes them feel clever. That's how they want to play the game. Don't tell them they're playing wrong. Sure, sometimes a "creative" solution realistically won't and shouldn't work, but if it has a chance of working, let them have that chance.

Even if it derails your adventure plans. In fact, your adventure shouldn't really have those sorts of rails in the first place. Throw your players into tricky situations and see what they do to get out of them. Don't have a preconceived idea that they should do X to get out of it. Because odds are they're going to try Y and Z and Alpha through Omega first before even thinking of X. And at least one of Y or Z or Alpha should work.

Commentary by memnarch (who has not seen the movie)

Bwahahahaah! What a great way to have a new character show up! This is so like Jim too, to just jump in and cause chaos! And while Annie might not have said no, Finn's face says everything needed.

And good to have confirmation where everyone is as well. Yeah, the cell is larger than is sensible. The lighting in here isn't good for making sure the prisoners aren't plotting or making anything. But this way we can have the characters talk without it being too obnoxious for camera shots, and the lighting sets a pretty good mood.

That all said, this probably means we don't get more scenes with Poe. Which is rather disappointing, but it's understandable I think. The casino heist may or may not actually be in the movie, but there's only so much a ship chase with the Resistance getting beat up more and more can carry a movie. And requiring ship repairs could work with other things happening around that, but there'd need to actually be a sign that the Resistance would get the time to have that happen first.

Transcript

Finn: We’re stuck in here. Now what?
Rose: A setback is just an opportunity looking for a creative interpretation!
Finn: You’re going to creatively interpret our way out of a dungeon cell?
Rose: How big’s the cell?
GM: About 6 by 6 metres.
Rose: That’s awfully big for a holding cell. It’s clearly designed for more than two people.
Finn: So...?
Rose: Who else is in here with us?
DJ: Ooh! I’m in there with them!
GM: Poe? No, you—
DJ: Not Poe, obviously. Call me... DJ!
DJ: I’m dirty, smelly, and scruffy looking.
Finn: This is not an improvement.
DJ: Ooh! Are we naked except for loincloths? Like the Dungeons of the Slave Lords?
GM: No!
Rose: No!


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Published: Thursday, 02 November, 2023; 02:11:06 PDT.
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