[RPG] How to keep the players working together

dnd-5egm-techniques

I am the GM of a group of 5 players, I know them as I usually play other games with them. Here is the composition of the group:

  • a Barbarian (B)
  • a Paladin who worships Tyr (P)
  • a Rogue (R)
  • a Cleric who worships Kelemvor (C)
  • a Warrior (W).

The characters are all humans.

In this campaign, they do not know their past, nor each other or why they were summoned. After some exposition, they learned that they have to cooperate to escort a VIP somewhere. In the first night of their trip, I prepared a small encounter disguised as a barfight.

So here is how it played out

A drunk guy blamed B for spilling his beer (even if she did not). W tried to calm things but B wanted to slap the drunk dude. R caught her before touching him, and the drunk dude lunged and engaged the fight. P and R decided to keep the VIP safe and watch the scene from afar. B just punched the dude directly. W then took the drunk by the collar and proceeded to take the guy out of the place, but B kept attacking him even as he was already held by W and put him to 1hp (I played it out as being unconscious). C stayed on his chair the whole time drinking his beer, until another drunktard attacked B with a stool. For hitting his friend, C used a cantrip twice (sacred flames) on him, and B entered a Rage and put the second drunk into negative hp, thus making him roll for death saves. R rushed to save the dying guy and I ended the session after P, R and W asked themselves if they should leave the other two for such behavior.

P asked me if she could go to the nearest guard to denounce the attempted murder.

Now, on the first session, I have two people who might be abandoned for their murderous intents and even jail time for B.

How can I get to make them cooperate or just tolerate each other?

Best Answer

Have you just asked?

Gauging and setting expectations is an important thing to do for your game, especially right at the start. Before they even create their characters, I usually give my players a little heads-up like this:

This will be a game about a group of heroic characters performing heroic feats for gold, glory and benefit of the world they inhabit. When you create your characters, bear this in mind: your characters should be eager to adventure and willing to stick together. Since they're heroes, they'll also be stronger than the average member of the society. Feel free to stretch these as much as you like, but this is how I expect the characters to be played out ultimately. If you make a character who hates everything, it's on you to come up with why they don't hate working with the rest of the group.

or some variation thereof that matches the desired experience. And it works, because people will generally try to participate in group fun well, and letting them know what is the expected behavior makes it easier especially for beginners who may have a very chaotic view on the hobby based mainly on exaggerated memes.

The Same Page Tool is a popular list of discussion-starters for agreeing on these types of issues before the game. Personally, I recommend frequent around-the-table discussions about the expectations and wishes surrounding the game, because the preferences of the group may drift from what they feel before the game starts.

Setting the tone and expectations is something we usually do prior to even creating characters, because it's much easier to create a convincing and fun character when one knows what is expected of them, and likewise avoid characters they'd struggle to role-play in ways that would mesh badly with the rest of the group.

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