Or my party, struggling with unlocked doors.
DM (later): “all you had to do was turn the fucking knob”
Are you one of those “how would you open the door?” kind of DM when players encounter an unlocked door and said they “open the door”?
Stop wasting everyone’s time. When players said “we try to open the door”, just say “it’s unlocked and the door open” and move on. Stop the “you didn’t say you turning the knob” bullshit. Do I have to describe I’m breathing every 2 seconds, too?
When I DM, I usually mess with them a little when they specifically lockpick all the doors. As opposed to your suggestion of just opening it.
My first ever time playing DnD, I was a rogue so I naturally approached every door with “can I try to pick it?”
Worst that happened was the DM describes me making an idiot of myself, twiddling with lockpicks for five minutes before noticing it’s just unlocked :P
How exactly does that happen? Aren’t most doors unlocked?
Though in all fairness, the one time I played D&D we spent like 20 minutes working out how to go through some small hole 70 feet up in the roof, before deciding to just go through the door that we all knew was there and unlocked.
The DM describes some fancy heavy door. Someone tries to listen through the door. Barbarian tries to bash it open but rolls a nat 1 and stubs his toe taking 2 damage. Rogue tries to pick it, rolls a 3 and ends up locking the door. Cleric doesn’t even realize there’s a door there. Lack of skill continues ad nauseum for 20 minutes.
Sometimes the players just forget to open the door. I was doing a one-shot with a friend, playing SW5e. He had opened a couple doors already, but this time he approaches and says:
Player: “I ring the doorbell”
GM: “You are met with silence. Nothing happens”
…
Player: “Helper droid, help me get this door open”
GM: “The droid approaches the door. He slowly turns his head and you feel his photoreceptors bore into your eyes. He extends a digit and, while maintaining eye contact, slowly presses the door open button. The door opens with a pneumatic burst. ‘I am happy to problem solve for you, Master. Is there anything else you need me to do? Turn on a light, perhaps? Make stim tea? I do enjoy extending myself behind my core programming as an assassin.’”
Player: “‘Shut up and guard the door.’ I step inside the room, what do I see”
GM: “As you cross the threshold, two automated turrets drop from their enclosures in the ceiling. Surprise round, roll for initiative”
It was a fun game. For me
