Bringing Players on Side

By taking the player's characters seriously and including some quite easy story points and story based rewards (not based upon experience or gold or magical items, but instead based upon influence, gratitude and allies) you can help the players invest themselves emotionally in the game world.

When they are invested in the game world they tend to be more forgiving and cooperative. Always remember to lead the players in directions that they are already going in.

Taking their characters seriously is important. Most players will make characters that they think are cool and it is up to the Game Master to let them be cool within the game world.

An uncooperative Game Master can make the player feel like a fool and doing so will make the Game Master look like a spoil sport and a bully.

Making it fun is the first order of business. So don’t put down the player’s characters. Treat them with respect- even if the NPCs don’t always treat them with respect.