My Players Keep Ignoring my D&D Homebrew
If you’ve been a dungeon master before, or a GM in any RPG system for that matter, you are probably familiar with the feeling of making something epic and then having your players go in a completely opposite direction.
Maybe it was a custom battle map, or an amazing homebrew monster, or a plot point for your homebrew campaign that you had been waiting to reveal for months. No matter what it is, it can sting when you put a lot of work into something behind the DM screen and then it never comes out on the table for your players.
So how do you stop that from happening?
Here are 5 tips I’ve found helpful in the many games of D&D that I have written.
1. Re-Use Undiscovered Homebrew (Players Will Never Know)
If you have homebrewed up an incredible trap in a dungeon that is wicked and clever and cannot be missed … sometimes your players will skip the dungeon entrance entirely and go through the back door.
But the solution here is simple: your players have no idea you put that trap in the dungeon. So just put it somewhere else!
I know it sounds simplistic, but you would be amazed at how much of my session prep is actually just going back through my campaign notes, finding creations that I love that were never discovered, and writing them into the upcoming session. Obviously things like traps and magic items are pretty easy to swap from one session to another, but even cool plot points, ideas for encounters, NPC’s, lines of dialogue, or maps I will store away in a little folder in my campaign notes and just wait patiently for the right moment to bring them to the table.
Your players will never know the difference and you still get to show off all the tricks that you are proud of as a dungeon master.
To help with this, tools like the WorldSmith Encounter Generator and WorldSmith Map Generator make it easy to re-slot unused content wherever you need it.
2. Don’t Over Prep (Avoid Wasted DM Work)
This may sound like misaligned advice, but truly if you keep your expectations low for what your players may discover you’re a lot less likely to make cool homebrew that they will never discover.
I tend to play 3–4 hour long sessions tops, which I know is not the way everyone runs their games, but I find that even a couple pages of session notes is often more prepared than I need to be, as my players take their time to explore maps, negotiate with NPC’s, bicker about the best way to skin a werewolf, or get stuck into a juicy encounter. Though I like to have a rough chapter outline in my campaign notes with assumptions about where my players will go, I try not to hang too much on specific moments in that outline.
Some of the best experiences I’ve had as a dungeon master are when my players suddenly decide to launch into a side quest I didn’t think would appeal to them. Currently in the campaign I’m running my players feel bad that they caused an uprising amongst the orcs, and rather than rushing off to fight the big bad guy, they are staying behind to protect a weak village from an orc invasion. It’s turned into a multi-month experience with traps, allies, a massive battle, and even fun orky flying machines (check out the stat blocks for those on WorldSmith if you’re curious!). They are over the moon about it, and will say things like “it’s so cool, you prepared this part of the game.” In some ways I didn’t prepare for it … but I did allow it.
Trust me, there is some cool stuff I am excited about with that big bad guy in the future, but it can wait. We’re killing orcs right now and having a blast doing it.
3. Use Player Backstories to Hook Them Into the Plot
Not every dungeon master likes to incorporate player backstory into their session prep, and ultimately that’s fine. But if you’re looking for a way to get a player laser focused on a plot point in your notes, hitching it to a juicy part of their backstory is almost always bound to do the trick.
Diving into a portal to the infernal realms to bring back the heart of a demon may not seem like a wise choice, but if it’s done to save your lost child? Suddenly seems a lot more likely!
Not only will this make it easier to build out plot points that your players will be excited about solving, it also will make every encounter, monster, and NPC you encounter along the way that much more impactful and memorable. When your main story line is impactful, then your players are much less likely to get distracted by side quests or small hold ups, and you can focus all your session prep on things they are highly likely to encounter.
If you need help generating homebrew NPCs tied to character backstory, the WorldSmith NPC Generator can kickstart ideas instantly.
4. Use “Weenies” to Guide Players Without Railroading
Okay, don’t laugh, when Walt Disney (who famously loved hot dogs) was creating Disneyland he used to tell the designers that wherever guests stood in the park, they should be able to see a “Weenie,” or a visual detail that told them where to go.
As a dungeon master, you can do the same thing when prepping your sessions. Let me give you an example of a town square without a weenie, and a town square with a weenie.
WITHOUT:
“The bustling town square is full of sights and sounds. To the North you see a fish stand, with a one eyed merchant selling shrimp and other treasures. To the East, a group of guards eyeing everyone skeptically. To the West, a gaggle of children playing marbles. To the South, a group of shepherds who have just arrived from the hills.”
WITH:
“The bustling town square is full of sights and sounds. Fish merchants and basket weavers shout out and children run between your legs and about your cloaks. A group of shepherds seems to have arrived at the same time as you, and you notice that they eye the city guards nervously. One shepherd near the outskirts slips away, dragging something behind him on a cart.”
Is this railroading? I tend to think not. I’m not forcing the players to do anything. They’re welcome to go buy fish, play marbles with kids, or harass the guards. But 9 times out of 10, they will follow the Weenie and will be happy for the direction.
Nothing can slow a game of Dungeons and Dragons down more than a party that has no idea what to do. They split up, wander around, or start to make their own mischief. So rather than over prepping and making a city full of ten different plot points, I might suggest giving them a Weenie to follow and focusing your session prep on whatever comes after that.
Also … don’t forget we have suggestion 1. If they go talk to the fish merchant … he can have the thing the shepherd had.
See how it works? There’s easy ways to get your players from point A to B without forcing them to do anything.
5. Make Every Path Fun So You Can’t Lose
This might seem like a non-answer, but many times the way I avoid being disappointed as a dungeon master is creating multiple paths that I am equally happy with.
If you are ever prepping for your game and you think to yourself “Oh, I really hope my players do this” … it’s worth asking yourself why you are so afraid that they won’t? Is it because that other option would be boring? If so, make it legendary! Maybe if they choose not to take the fetch quest into the woods a dragon immediately demolishes the tavern and you dive straight into the encounter you’ve been dreaming of running for months!
As a DM, I adore putting myself in situations where I’m sitting behind the DM screen, just deeply pleased with whichever path my players choose. It means I can relax and not have to worry about what they’ll do, and it also means I get entertained by my own game! I’m no longer a button pusher just pushing my party through a set of pre-determined events, I’m riding alongside them as we watch together the way this crazy campaign unfolds.
If you lack time to prepare multiple cool paths, WorldSmith can help you generate worlds, encounters, maps, magic items, and monsters in seconds, letting you prep multiple fun outcomes fast.
FAQ
Why do my D&D players ignore my plot?
Players naturally pursue whatever interests them most. To keep them aligned, connect your plot to their backstories and give them strong, clear “Weenie” hooks.
How do I get my players to follow the story?
Guide them subtly using visual or narrative cues, avoid over-prepping, and shift unused prep into future sessions so nothing is wasted.
How can I keep players engaged in homebrew content?
Make every path exciting. Prep multiple outcomes you personally enjoy so whichever choice they make feels rewarding.
What if my players constantly derail the campaign?
This is normal. Reuse content, lean into character motivations, and adapt. Flexible DMs always have more fun.
Final Thoughts
I hope this helps you get the stuff you love to the table more often.
If you have trouble making homebrew or getting started with ideas for worlds, campaigns, encounters, or anything else, consider checking out WorldSmith. It’s an all-purpose session prep tool for every level of DM and I’ve found it massively helpful when running my own games of Dungeons and Dragons.
Best of luck DM’s old and new, and I hope you get to cackle merrily behind your DM screens as your players unknowingly walk into every wonderful trap you have laid for them.
