[Nobilis] Stopping to ask for directions (long)

[DannyK]

OK, so I've been running a forum game of Nobilis on RPG.net for almost 5 months.  (The IC thread may be found here for those who are curious.  RPG.net registration is needed, though.)  I should say that this is my second Nobilis game and the longest, biggest game I've run in a very long time.  

I've been taking some inspiration from the Buffy RPG in terms of pacing and structure, with "sessions" starting each time a particular series of events occurs.  At this point in the game, the "big bad" is starting to show his hand a little more, and the group's Imperator is becoming increasingly demanding and enigmatic.  They're just finishing a session marked by the first overt conflict with an Excrucian pawn, and they're starting to see some patterns.  

So far, it's been pretty straightforward roleplaying without much player director stance (lots of author stance though), but I was starting to feel that the increasing pressure from NPC's and events was starting to take autonomy away from the players.  After much thought, I decided to try going straight to the players and ask them what they wanted to do next.  No response.  After a couple of days where I wondered if I'd killed the game, I posted this:

Guys? I'm happy to put on my conductor's cap and drive the railroad to somewhere interesting, but I was hoping for the players to step up and say what they're interested in doing next. Someone? Anyone?

This seemed to break the logjam, and all my players posted very helpful suggestions for what their characters should do next.   One guy, who'd tackled anything smacking of plot advancement with gusto but seemingly lacked interest in character development, told me that he'd like a side quest to somewhere exotic, and offered ideas on how to tie it back in to the main story.  

Well, that's the thing about asking people what they think, I suppose -- sometimes they tell you.  This little bit of directorship from the players has really increased my interest and motivation in the game, actually.  I figure I'll try to follow up OOC after a few weeks to see if people are getting what they'd asked for and hopefully to reinforce their feelings of empowerment.  

I just wanted to post this to AP, since this the most "pervy" I've gotten with my GM'ing so far.  Not very impressive to the indie grognards out there, I'm sure, but I'm still relieved at having gotten away with this without the game locking up and disintegrating.