Ask for the player’s intent
Sometimes we fall into a cat-and-mouse dynamic with a player. The player asks for information, or starts describing their character’s actions in great detail, and we’re not sure what they are up to but we go along. This can slow the pace of the game to a terrifying crawl. An interaction between DM and player runs much more smoothly if we know the ultimate goal, the intent of the player. Ask players for intent before resolving their actions or giving them more information.
Here’s a negative example of the kind of interaction we’re trying to avoid, and how asking for intent can improve it:
| Not asking for intent | Asking for intent |
|---|---|
| Player: “How wide is the pit?” | Player: “How wide is the pit?” |
| DM: “About 10 feet. It fills the whole hallway.” | DM: “About 10 feet. It fills the whole hallway.” |
| Player: “Are there any trees around?” | Player: “Are there any trees around?” |
| DM: “Er… No, I don’t think so, you’re in a dungeon.” | DM: “No. What are you trying to do?” |
| Player: “Right. How about sticks?” | Player: “I want to pole vault over the pit.” |
| DM: “Yes, you can find a handful of dead roots.” | DM: “Okay. Give me an investigation check to see if you can find a sturdy enough pole.” |
| Player: “Are any of them more sturdy?” | |
| DM: “You can find two thicker gnarly roots.” | |
| Player: “Ok, will they hold my weight?” | |
| DM: “What?” |
Notice, how we can avoid a lot of unnecessary back-and-forth between player and DM, once we know the player’s intent. Ask for the intention or the goal of the player early on in an interaction!
Work with the player to achieve their goal
Once we know the player’s intent, we work with them to let them achieve their goal. Remember, we are fans of the characters, and therefore we want the characters (and their players) to succeed!
Once we know a player’s intention in a scene, we can steer the conversation between DM and player towards the next logical steps. A player wants to pole vault over a pit trap? Let’s work with them to find a suitable pole. The player wants to fast-talk their way past the guards? Ask them if there is any specific way in which they deceive the guards, and then make some Ability checks!
Only once we know the player’s intent in any given scene, can we effectively work with them to achieve their aims.
Achieving player goals: fiction, fun, and dice
There are three principal ways in which we can determine whether and how characters succeed once we know their intent. We can ask ourselves whether anything in the fiction of the game world opposes their goals–if not, they often succeed automatically. Sometimes, however, even if there are “logical” obstacles to a character’s goals in the fictional world, we can let them succeed nonetheless. Because it’s fun. Pole vaulting over a pit trap might just be the awesome kind of stunt we needed in a harrowing dungeon crawl–so we let it happen. Because it’s fun and right for the pacing of the session.
Last, we can let the dice decide. Ability checks are flexible tools to resolve just about anything in D&D. Pole vaulting might involve Intelligence or Wisdom checks to find or craft a pole, and Dexterity or Strength checks to make it over the pit without falling in.
Intent First!
Asking for intent is one of the first things we should do in any DM-player interaction. It clears up the way forward through a scene, and removes clutter from the conversation. It allows us to work with the players to achieve their character’s goals. Knowing the intent of a player, we can determine whether fiction, fun, or dice should determine success or failure. Make it a habit to ask players for intent, and your game will run more smoothly.
