The world is a living, breathing organism in a roleplaying game. It should not be stale and not only exist for the players. This also means that the world reacts to the player characters choices and actions.
If they decide to murder a mayor, the village might be upset, or very grateful. There might also suddenly be contracts put on their heads etc.
Sometimes though, villains or NPCs might not know what the players did.
Villains or NPCs might not know what the players did
Reference
E. Schea, M. (2018). Sly flourish’s return of the lazy dungeon master. Sly flourish shop
Highlights or timestamps
Return of the Lazy Dungeon Master Highlights
- The characters take actions, and the world [and npcs] react in response.
— 1720280217-return-of-the-lazy-dungeon-master from Return of the Lazy Dungeon Master highlights