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When the Players Don't Go Your Way
Part 1: NPC Motives
This article is the first installment of a 2 part series on how a successful GM handles a situation in which players don't do what he has planned for them.
Face it, it's happened to you. (or else you haven't GM'd very much) You have a wonderful adventure planned, with a huge castle to explore, a complex plot, lots of intricate NPCs who will all double-cross each other at the climactic scene in the throne room. Then, your player decide to go and screw it up by not showing up in the throne room at all. Or they decide to kill one of the NPC's before you are ready for that character to die.
How do you handle it? You don't want to scrap everything you've prepared, but you don't have this planned! Some GM's will introduce some crazy unbelievable event to prevent the players from accomplishing their deviant attempts. Others will ditch their plans completely, but then be stuck making up an entire game on the fly. Luckily, there is another approach. An approach that is, in my opinion, one of the most fun parts of being a GM: following the motives of NPCs.
Every NPC in your game, from the lowly shop-keeper to the power-hungry and corrupt Chancellor (here I must include a side note: why is it that Chancellors are ALWAYS power-hungry and corrupt? I challenge someone to make a game that feature a humble and good Chancellor), has a motive. A purpose. A shop-keeper's entire motive is usually to make money by selling his wares. The evil Chancellor wants to bring himself power, and take over the kingdom.
These motives are what you must consider whenever your players do the unexpected. If the players get greedy and rob the shop-keeper, you don't have to have anything fancy planned. Just consider what the shop-keeper wants, and how he'd react. He wants to make money, peacefully selling his wares. He's lost money, so he probably wants some protection. Thus, he'd end up going to the local authorities.
This is an overly simple example, as usually the actions resulting from an NPC's motives aren't as obvious. If Darzenkth the thief's main motives are to make money, steal the gem of fire, and remain loyal to his brother, the GM might have to make a quick decision. The real trick is this: pretend the NPC is your character, and not an NPC. Decide what YOU would do, assuming you were really role-playing the character and his/her motives. That is what your NPCs will do.
Now you might be thinking, "if my NPC's act on their motives, the game will be less fun for my players. I can't have them do that....I'll change their motives, or make them do something different." That works sometimes. But often enough, the players will keep doing things you don't expect, and soon your plot will have enough holes that it will seem like you really didn't plan anything at all.
If instead, you persevere, having the NPCs ONLY act according to their motives, the game will appear much more seamless and believable. Suspension of disbelief will be much easier, allowing for a better gaming session, and an overall more fun game.
So next time your players decide that they want to turn against the guy who hired them, don't give in to the temptation to make up a new plot on the fly. Follow your NPCs' motives, and your players will thank you.
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TM