Everyone plays to have fun, so either the GM is forcing this on others which doesn't seem to be the case, or this more of a player problem. Some people just want to fuck around and do random things, some care about the big plot.
It's tough to reconcile what different players want sometimes. Good GMs can make this work and weave the plot in and out, but this can take a lot of time and effort and I've seen it too often being invisible to players, and it ends up being too much pressure on GMs. Players need to be clear on what they want in play, the GM as well (they are a player too!), and it should be just as much the responsibility of the players what they decide to do, where to go and what to focus on. The GM is just there to describe what happens when the players do things and do have the world around them change and do things, but if you don't want railroading then the responsibility of following leads and being able to focus should be shared with the players.
This kind of problem arises commonly with groups that have had/are used to railroad, it's a hard mindset to break. I've had to slowly ease those kinds of players into playing a more open-ended/crawl-y kind of play, because they are trying to find and follow the railroad, they assume it's there somewhere and are much more passive, waiting for the GM to lead them to where the plot is. If there are a lot of potential things to do, they'll panic or have the video-game reflex of wanting to do everything, completing all quests, and FOMO can be a real problem. This depends a lot on GM and players, and on the previous experiences of the GM and the players.
So all in all, good expectations and good communication throughout is key, the point is to have fun!
either the GM is forcing this on others which doesn't seem to be the case, or this more of a player problem
It is the DM putting out certain story elements with false urgency and the players leaning into their character roles, only to get mired in plot that is more tedious than fun.
We like each other and enjoy spending time together, but we often aren't thrilled with the direction of the story.
Apologies for assuming and misunderstanding then. I get what you mean, if it's something other players are also bothered by it sounds like this should be discussed with the group. Is your GM the forever-gm, or are there other people that also run tables?
Because there are other GMs, but this GM is in the best position to host. What's more, the game is more Westmarches style, and the B-list players are sporadic. Its not a trivial thing to reboot.
Everyone plays to have fun, so either the GM is forcing this on others which doesn't seem to be the case, or this more of a player problem. Some people just want to fuck around and do random things, some care about the big plot. It's tough to reconcile what different players want sometimes. Good GMs can make this work and weave the plot in and out, but this can take a lot of time and effort and I've seen it too often being invisible to players, and it ends up being too much pressure on GMs. Players need to be clear on what they want in play, the GM as well (they are a player too!), and it should be just as much the responsibility of the players what they decide to do, where to go and what to focus on. The GM is just there to describe what happens when the players do things and do have the world around them change and do things, but if you don't want railroading then the responsibility of following leads and being able to focus should be shared with the players.
This kind of problem arises commonly with groups that have had/are used to railroad, it's a hard mindset to break. I've had to slowly ease those kinds of players into playing a more open-ended/crawl-y kind of play, because they are trying to find and follow the railroad, they assume it's there somewhere and are much more passive, waiting for the GM to lead them to where the plot is. If there are a lot of potential things to do, they'll panic or have the video-game reflex of wanting to do everything, completing all quests, and FOMO can be a real problem. This depends a lot on GM and players, and on the previous experiences of the GM and the players.
So all in all, good expectations and good communication throughout is key, the point is to have fun!
It is the DM putting out certain story elements with false urgency and the players leaning into their character roles, only to get mired in plot that is more tedious than fun.
We like each other and enjoy spending time together, but we often aren't thrilled with the direction of the story.
Apologies for assuming and misunderstanding then. I get what you mean, if it's something other players are also bothered by it sounds like this should be discussed with the group. Is your GM the forever-gm, or are there other people that also run tables?
That's where things get messy.
Because there are other GMs, but this GM is in the best position to host. What's more, the game is more Westmarches style, and the B-list players are sporadic. Its not a trivial thing to reboot.