A DM needs help with new players...

[vortalism]

Hey Escapists,

I've been DMing D&D 2nd, 3rd and (recently) 4th Edition for a while, and I've grown accompanied to more experienced players that understand how to run the game and just work spontaneously. As a DM I'm very inclined to ad lib and work on my toes, and I like to work in sandbox-esque worlds where the players are very proactive. For the past 2 years, I've worked with this really active group for a while, and now that a lot of them have left, this new group that I've been playing are largely made up of newbies. I have a dilemma. My new group is very, very, VERY reactive. As a DM who's use to the style that I work in, this is a very big departure to my norm. Escapists, I need your help, how do I cater to a group of reactive players that really just respond with silence or one word answers? I know that they are all really eager to play, but it seems my instruction is a bit lost on them, how do I motivate them to come into their own as role-players?

 

[Fappy]

They may just be reactive because their still getting a feel for the game. Most players I know followed this pattern. For the time being you may want to change up your style a bit. Write up a cool, short campaign or use a module. Engage them as much as possible and encourage them to come up with their own solutions whenever possible. Eventually some of them will catch on.

 

[vortalism]

Thanks for the replies, I'm trying to formulate a short campaign with them at the helm in terms of design (something which I picked up from Gnome Stew), this should probably get them more invested, as they've actually had some input into how the world is. As for the suggestion about using a module... all I can say is that I don't really find them to my liking in terms of DMing (for 3.5e at least), but I'll certainly give some of the adventures a try for 1st and 4th edition.