What Happens When Your TTRPG Players Do Nothing.

Las (Forest), by Anna Berent

When running a TTRPG, player inaction can be confusing and even frustrating for game masters. You can feel like it takes away from the momentum and fun of the game. After all, these games are about players doing things and GMs narrating the consequences that follow. It’s crucial for players and GMs to remember that even inaction is a choice.

There are consequences to doing nothing. These consequences can be good or bad. For example, players might visit a dungeon, but then decide to leave and come back to it later after resupplying. This is a safe option, but it can also allow for more monsters to move in, or for others to loot the dungeon first. Additionally, if they skip over that werewolf infested temple, they might not find out until later, that it was a temple of healing which could have cured a serious illness.

Roleplaying games are about consequences. These consequences however shouldn’t be vindictive or to force players into doing what you want them to do. Instead, they enforce the realism of the world. They show players their choices matter, even if these choices are to wait and do nothing. In a larger sense, when asking ourselves what will happen here if players do nothing or even possibly never explore this place, we’ll create a world that feels alive and not like simple static locations waiting for players to show up.