Discussion
Watching some videos on TTRPG design, which I do every year or two, and it makes me itch because I always feel they stop short of basic insights.
For example, this one is about why players never seem to take deals. He bends over backwards to try and figure out why and what to do and-
Dude, it's because you're playing D&D.
For example, in Shadowrun, someone might offer to give the player codes for a vault they don't actually need to access.
This creates side content - a reward they either cannot get or would be a huge PITA to get if they don't accept.
Similarly, in a game like Shadowrun where the adventure unfolds in a chaotic but structured way, help can reduce the chaos and give the players more freedom to take risks - the security chief offering to turn a blind eye lets them try riskier plans.
The structure of your game determines the kind of resources the players want to obtain, and the structure of their planning.
D&D has little "structured freeform" planning. D&D has plenty of structured play - combat, obviously. It also has plenty of freeform play - talking to people in town, trying to find a way into a dungeon, etc.
But it does not have "structured freeform", such as challenge timers or a robust alert/response framework.
This is why players can't see certain opportunities.
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D&D's framework is specifically built to test the player character's mettle, and the assumption is always that the challenges you face are geared to binary outcomes weighted to the player's capabilities.
They gain nothing by taking deals or accepting non-story-mandated help, you are offering to let them play the game less, and I don't know why the fuck anyone would find that appealing.
There are plenty of games where accepting help does change things dramatically and interestingly, tho!