What do you when the party wants to kill an essential NPC?

When I play, there is no such thing as an essential NPC or an essential character. If your game depends on any particular outcome, and it comes down to a life or death scene, you have to make the choice to either abandon your preconceived idea of the story, or infringe on player freedom to get your way.

I recommend saying "forget my prep... This is the new reality".

My reasoning is as follows; you are a great DM and you can make an awesome story from almost nothing... If your players throw you a curveball, that will maybe cost you one night of thinking of how to adjust. But... To infringe on your players'creativity and authorship to force your way will cost you engagement and joy.

You just need to look at the cost of imposing expectations on your players...

Ned Stark seems like a key character in game of thrones... But when he dies, the story actually improves. I expect GRR Martin didn't expect him to die until something clicked in his head... And he leaned into it and wrote one of the most compelling fantasy epics ever written.

Let. Ned. Stark. Die.

/r/DMAcademy Thread