Hey guys,

I'm relatively new to DMing, and I've come across an odd problem.   I've been designing a broad storyline that spans over multiple campaigns, and I've put a lot of effort into making sure that the villains aren't "just evil" -- they have specific goals, personalities, methods, etc (many of which are, obviously, evil or twisted).   Some can even be redeemed, under the correct circumstances (this is a hidden option for our Paladin/Cleric, should they choose to pursue it).

The problem I'm having:   The players just murder everything.

They don't ask why the bad guy is there, they don't interrogate them, they don't wonder why the bad guy was doing what he was doing -- etc.

Are there any good ways to get the players involved in the story, aside from a smash-and-grab?

After they slaughtered the first main villain (without even learning his name, or any of the information they needed to stop the upcoming tragedy),  I gave them a mission where they basically had to resurrect the villain as a Lich in order to get the information they needed -- and I think that basically drove the point home, that if they just kill everything, they're likely to miss important things.

For the more seasoned DM's:   What's your take on this?    How do you get bloodthirsty adventurers involved in the story?    Should there even be a story,  if they're so eager for blood?

Getting players involved in the story, depending on the group, can be as simple as taking some time aside and letting your players know that there's more to the game than killing everything and taking the loot. Other groups need some more help with that concept, it's a matter of taking players out of a "video game" mindset in a sense. There is a lot of give and take in this matter, different play styles, different expectations, different DMs, and different goals. There's no wrong way to play the game, but each table has it's own attitude toward how they will be playing the game. I've been in both the RP heavy and combat heavy games, and everything in between, I'm more of a story guy.

The most common suggestion most people will give is to have a Session 0. Sit down with all of your players and talk about what the game expectations are. What can the players expect from the module, setting, or world you're putting them in. The special rules about races, classes, magic, any house rules that will be in play, any rules about phones, dice, character sheets, etc. Then ask what the players want out of the game, do they want a war game, do they want a deep story, do they want a dungeon crawl, what type of game do each of them want. That part will help you cater to each of them as the game progresses. Lastly you'll set down what you are expecting as a DM, what you want from your players, the attitude you'll be bringing to the game (whether it'll be light hearted or a serious tone), and any other pertinent information.

From there comes my bit on getting the characters to stow their weapons: I tell the story, I let them act, and then I have the world react to them.

The players enter the lair of the big bad, they shoot first and never ask any questions, then they take all the loot and head back to town for their reward. When they return the person, or people, who sent them to do the deed ask questions. They ask why the big bad did what he did, they ask what was going on in the lair, they look for details about what the party had to go through. When they go on to explain that all they did was run in, kill everything, and loot the joint, well.....I think that would make people a bit uneasy about asking for their help after a while. There are also tie ins, if you have a larger story that this big bad was part of...the players have no knowledge of it. You can start to unleash these nasty surprises down the road in various ways.

I had a big bad harass my players, telling them to quit their journey, stop following him, and other threats. The players were lost, they had no idea that they had stumbled into his plans when they looted a hidden cave that looked like an archaeological dig site. They didn't ask any questions, they just kept looking for more ways to earn xp and money. They jotted down notes on the odd things in the cave, they researched the artwork, but they didn't ask any questions to the locals. I gave them some grace because half the group was new players, but it was till fun watching the confused look on their faces as the big bad threatened to kill them if they didn't stop what they were doing. 

I hope that gives you a bit to work with.

Of course there should be a story. What's a DM without a story to tell? A babysitter who is making sure rules are followed. You're going to get players who don't think about the 'monsters' having their reasons for things. One of my groups like to blindly take contacts from the guard and go do what the contract says. They have helped a corrupt group of guards who are doubling as bandits clear out threats making them stronger twice now. Each time they have had many chances to notice something is wrong and the last time I gave them a very obvious hint when an assassin jumped them and he had a bounty for the return of their heads signed by one of the corrupt guard they have been doing business with. Not all of their contracts have been through this corrupt group, but some have. They just like following contracts so I've been building their story around that. Another one of my groups will visit the city for 2-3 days, check the current contract board and then leave if they don't like it and go do their own thing until they need to return.

For your players I think you should leave notes like any bad guy does, maybe love letters he wrote or that have been sent to him. Show his human side instead of just the evil side, breath some life into him because right now, all they are is a threat they need to rid of. They aren't thinking about the consequences it could have on people that know the bad guy, whether as a bad person or a helpful person. Maybe make the next mini bad guy a good guy that the group knows who is under some sort of modified charm spell. He is being forced into doing bad things, but the group knows he is a good person. Will they just kill him or help him? 

If you're not already doing so, consider switching to milestone XP. When the players don't look at everyone around them as an increment towards leveling up, they may not be as quick to reach for the weapons.

It sounds to me like you want the players to "know" your villain before they meet him, also called foreshadowing.... I think?

I really like using handouts. Things like journals or letter or similar. It can be a good way to get into a villain or other NPC's head so to speak.

Lots of great ideas.  =)

I'm definitely already doing loot and XP on a milestone basis, so there's no "profit" incentive to murder things for EXP.

I really like the idea of NPC's questioning the adventurers about the results of their quest, to get them thinking about what really happened.

And yeah, I think I'll print up some old scrolls / journal entries to physically hand the players when they find them.   Tangible clues that give insight into the villains psyche.

Some great advice already. Another perhaps very blunt way to do this would be to have your PCs interact with a villain when they're disguised and not doing anything that's clearly evil. Or alternatively, in a situation where a battle just isn't an option - either because it's impossible or because social convention dictates that it shouldn't happen (though I wouldn't rely on the second one). Take care when you do something like this, as it can be a bit cheap, but it can also make the PCs reconsider their perspective when they encounter the same villain later on.

There's also the classic Pet the Dog moment - where the PCs don't interact with the villain but instead just witness them doing something nice. Again, this can be a rather cheap tactic, but it works when it's done well.

Everyone pretty much nailed but my go to if the party is getting to murder hobo is have them encounter the villain when they are in no position or strong enough to do anything about them. Sure they can try to rush him but he's just gonna lay them out potentially grabbing one and threatening death.....or maybe he kills one. 

Or arrange a setting where they can't quite get to him due to terrain or placement, or have him surrounded by henchmen and minions. Maybe he says what he has to say and then throws a henchman at them as he leaves. Letting the party know he is the villain while also satisfying their urge to kill as they engage the henchman. 

Make sure you and your players are on the same page with what to expect from the game! If they'd rather play murder hobo dungeon crawler, then that's fair and it's what they want to do. But if you all get together and set the precedent that you'd like the game to be more roleplay based then that could help

Yeah, that's a good point, Van.

I talked with them in the beginning, but they were very much like "This is your world, do whatever you want!" sort of thing.   Which is good from a creative perspective, but I'll need to keep tweaking to figure out what their preferred playstyle is.   =)

Thanks for all the great advice so far!