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Hi,

I started up a group at the back end of last year then for reasons across the group it was put to one side. I am now starting it back up again, however, as it was the first time that I was GM-ing I felt like i was pushing my characters to what the story entitled. How do you get over this and let them do what they want to but still guide them to the right outcome...and how do you motivate them if they don't seem to have an idea of what to do or where to start?

Thanks for your help in advance

'Railroading' is a valid concern in RPGs, but it's not always bad. it's only bad if it's overdone.

Do the players feel like they're important to the story?

Do they feel like their choices are meaningful?

It's your call (with player buy-in) as to how the game is run. Some groups prefer a more 'sandbox' style where the GM sets things up and the players decided how to proceed on a very detailed level. This can be fun as it's very free-form, but players can get bogged down (Entire sessions spent crafting, buying gear, etc.) and can 'game the system' if they want (I don't think DH has this, but some games have resources that renew every game session, so delaying can have advantages.

Other games are more GM plot driven. The GM moves things along, and often hand-waves trivial stuff like worrying about supplies, etc. Some gamers may feel this is too 'railroady.'

The trick is, really, finding a balance. The group I game with leans towards more plot-driven. It means that our sessions are a bit more interesting as we're almost always in the adventure part. If I end up running for the group again, some of my ideas are a bit more 'sandbox' but I want to try to push a lot of the 'maintenance' stuff to between-session emails and such. handle a lot of the crafting, finding rare gear, etc. between games.

You have to find out what your group wants. If the option-space is too big, having something blow up is always fair... DH has the built-in plot hook that they're an inquisitor's minions, who may have as much or as little freedom as desired. The Inquisitor can always say "it would be a good idea if you'd keep yourselves busy and investigate that wreck over there" or something.

Very nice advise, play to how the group wants to play

What balance said. basically asess what your group want's to do. Do they wan't to just kick the door down and take names? or do they wan't to focus on npc interaction, quietly sleuthing and digging up dirt covertly? Find what balance works for them. Ask for constructive feedback from your group. As it says in the core rulebook for Dark Heresy. Your players are the stars of the show. Work with them and see where things go!

Don't be afraid to get players in situations where they can get critically injured or killed. It's a grimdark world out there. My campaign loses ( as in permanent death) a player character every 4 months at average pace. But it' tends to happen when someone pushes their luck too far or gets too cocky. but generally they get a few months wages on top of some beefed up starting gear and the equivalent of the groups average xp for their next character. I also let people drop characters if they fancy trying someone new. They then end up as plot devices usually.

Just remember. Everyone should have fun. Everything else comes second.

Read up on "The magician's choice". That's all there is to it. I use this ALL the time, and even though I've told my players that I'm doing it, they tell me that they never notice. Done right "the magician's choice" will let you "soft-railroad" your players without them ever noticing.

 SgtSixkilla wrote:
Read up on "The magician's choice". That's all there is to it. I use this ALL the time, and even though I've told my players that I'm doing it, they tell me that they never notice. Done right "the magician's choice" will let you "soft-railroad" your players without them ever noticing.

The more common term for that in an RPG is illusionism. Or the Illusion of choice. Personally I wouldn't rely on using it a lot. Good though if you have a specific event you don't want your players to miss.