Quote Originally Posted by Mordar View Post
A literal child knows if you call the police for help you need to tell them why you need help. And the police, like the Fae (reportedly, I capitulate) ask the questions is a very direct and simple fashion to elicit the answer that is most important. "You want me to come and arrest (beat up) these people you say are bad. What bad things are they doing?". Child says never mind, cops don't roll.
Except that's not what they did. They told them what the Formori were doing "in their building", and not about some (seemingly unrelated) bit of information. Imagine this scenario as played out at a gaming table:

A child calls 911 for help.

Child: "Masked men have broken into my house and are holding mommy and daddy. Come help!".
Police: "Ok. What are the plans of the masked men?"
Child: "They're in our house! And they're mean and bad. And they're hurting mommy and daddy. Please come quick!"
Poilce: "But what plans do these masked men have?"
Child: "Why wont you come help? They're beating up mommy. I can hear her screaming in pain. Why wont you help?"
Police: "Well. If you'd just tell us what their plans are, then we might be able to"

(player playing child character): "Seriously? WTF is wrong with these people? This is the dumbest thing ever!"

GM (after the session is over and everyone is upset about what happened): "Why didn't you tell the police that you overheard one of the masked men talk about how they will beat up mommy until daddy gives them the password to his computer, so they can log in and gain access to the secret government site and steal the launch codes for the nuclear missiles?". If you'd just told them that, they'd have rushed right over to help.

Players: Because we didn't think that was significant. We assumed they would want to help us because we are playiing children and they are powerful adults and (good guys) and they would help protect us from the bad guys. You know. Cause we're playing kids, and that's how kids think. You honestly expected our children characters to relate that sort of detailed plot to the police? That's... crazy.

And then the GM posts on an online forum asking about why players don't give straight answers to direct questions and cause game sessions to blow up.


Yes. I get that this is not a perfect analogy (but the Fae aren't police and that's the analogy you used, so goose/gander, right?). The point is that the GM expected the characters to talk about a threat to someone else instead of the threat to themselves when asking for help. That's a fair leap to make and certainly to assume. The GM should have assisted in making that less of one.