Dungeons & Dragons DM Stresses The Importance of Insight Checks

Dungeons and Dragons players come in all shapes and sizes, including how they play the game. In one DMs case, their party is a trustworthy bunch, even if it’s to their disadvantage.

A DM has taken to Reddit to share their story of a party incapable of realizing that NPCs can lie, and with it started a lively conversation on Insight, player behaviors, and the sometimes frustrating situation they can bring.

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DMs Experience with Overly Trustworthy Party Sparks Lively Discussion About Player Trust and NPCs

The original post comes from a Reddit user named u/Nightblade81, who, in his venting post, highlights an important aspect of running a campaign for players and DMs, the all-important Insight Checks.

In their case, they are running a campaign with a great party that engages with the story, roleplay, the whole package, except when it comes to NPCs. For this party, they can’t seem to grasp the idea of NPCs lying in a campaign. As they put it, they could find “Jimmy ‘Oof ouch he stabbed me’ Stabbington” in his home, stabbing another NPC to death, but a simple no from Jimmy, and they would ignore it. For the record, that is not a hypothetical situation, according to them.

Following the post, other DMs and players quickly joined in and shared their experiences, with one of the most popular responses highlighting the exact opposite situation. Another user named Meta-Squirrel spoke about having a party that trusted no one, with them constantly rolling Insights, or grinding the session to a halt trying to deliberate because of them. Additionally, plenty of players discussed similar situations or offered helpful advice, like using passive Insight occasionally or using creative ways to deal with these moments.

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Beyond the humor and frustrations of the discussion, the post shines a light on a common problem DMs deal with and some of the annoyances it can bring. It’s a worthwhile read for those unsure of how to deal with situations like these, or if you want a good chuckle at some of the creative workarounds and consequences of this kind of player and approach to D&D. More than anything, remember to smart in how you use Insight, but maybe don’t assume the worst in every NPC.