ripped0ff posted:

Okay. Last words are in. That was long enough.

In any case, in the situation you mentioned, I usually fall back on having the players roll whatever the game's equivalent to an Intelligence/Smarts check is. In Savage Worlds, they have a "Common Knowledge" roll that everyone can do, which is perfect for those "the players should/do know this, and they're loving up, and I need to remind them" situations. In DnD, having them roll a Knowledge skill or Intelligence to realize they're making a mistake is probably your best bet.

I guess part of the trick isn't just how you deliver the clue, but what clues you deliver. Don't necessarily remind them of the key bit of knowledge they're forgetting, instead remind them of something else that will jog their memory. For instance, instead of going, "You remember that the professor told you to be absolutely certain you activated the dampeners before the hyperdrive", it's a little less blunt to lead them with, "You have some vague recollection of the professor warning you to do something in a particular order." You're still leading them, and the players will know it, but at least they can feel like it was them who connected the dots.

Beyond all that though, if your players really are loving up in the extreme and they manage to avoid all your attempts to help them, let them gently caress up. Sure, it's no fun having a character die, but if it is going to happen, best that it happen in such a way that they realize the (extreme) error lies on their part, and not just some fluke roll.