Was this pathetic of me? >DM a D&D game >Story becomes

>>52331509
Never have predetermined ends of any kind. Have choices build up into ends determined by players.
As a DM, react and assess. This is fine, assuming it fits logically in the end.

>>52331509
>Old lady no longer has any possible explanation

Meta-time.

Originally the timeline they were moving through included her machine exploding and sending her into the space between times, which they saw. Then they went to the past and changed it - that doesn't undo the future they've seen, meta-time includes the linear sequence of events that include changes to the timeline.

Timelines aren't overwritten - the past versions of the future you see are the meta-past, because you saw previously and changed them later.

Sounds to me like it's time for the timeline to change or make a paradox

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>>52331850
>Sounds to me like it's time for the timeline to change
If OP informs his players that this is how time works in his setting, it could have some very weird consequences like preventing the BBEG's scheme from ever becoming a thought in her head by giving her the D she desperately needs

>>52331509
>>Old lady no longer has any possible explanation

They don't know that. She's somebody else. Improvise.

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>>52333492
>Implying that giving her the D would change anything.

>>52331509
Placing your group's enjoyment over your own story is nothing to be ashamed of, really. DMs who do the opposite are usually cunts, in fact.

But as always, it's an issue of moderation.

>>52331509
Do the players know that you did this? No? Improvise.

The old lady was somebody else all along, this was all according to your plan. Don't ever let the players see behind the curtain, or they will realise that their world is made of breadsticks and held together by hope and good-will.

>players see event in the future
>players go to the past
>they change the past so that future doesn't happen

I don't get it. What's the problem?

>>52331509

No, but here's what you should do:

1) Go read the game Shifters (http://discordia-inc.co.uk/shifter/index.html#index) especially http://discordia-inc.co.uk/shifter/chap4.html

2) Don't play it, its mechanics are very dated and more than a little clunky. Do focus on how it does timelines, collapsing timelines, and people orphaned when their timelines are collapsed.

3) Use it to make your time travel stuff make more sense.

4) For bonus points, use it to make your time travel stuff make more sense to you but leave your players in the dark on how it works.

>>52331509
this >>52333555
maybe your players figured out what was going on and saved the lady, maybe they just did it cus they are good guys, who knows, still, they saw a mysterious old lady bitching at them

it could be the minor villain lady's sister/daughter/aunt who, trying to seek vengueance, got stuck in the past/present/future/whatever time-line you placed her and now they have to find her and help her build a machine that can go at 88 mph to get back to her time

or something else, the point is that you cannot let this stop you

or you can also go this way >>52336375

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>>52335565
>HelpImDatingALich.jrpg
Literally nothing wrong with this.

>>52331744
oh god that reminds me of that fucking shadow of destiny game