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[Umbran]

Originally Posted by SilvercatMoonpaw2

1) I've been told adventure writing is an art, but if you are simply following the direction of PCs does it require even more skill to pull off?

Not more skill - different skills.

2) Does it dramatically increase the preparation time needed? (You may take this question however you feel.)

Doing this correctly, in my opinion, takes a whole lot more time communicating with the players, learning what they like and don't like, what they want and don't want. If you lump that into what you call "preparation time", then yes.

3) Would you recommend it to new DMs? And why or why not?

No, I would not. Every GM, regardless of their plot/adventure design style, ought to develop the base skills of running individual sessions in an entertaining manner first. Your design philosophy won't mean a thing if you don't know how to pace a session, interpret rules well, and generally keep people happy at runtime.

I also think that, in general, we tend to get hung up on terminology and theory a bit much - folks talk as if either you are sandbox style, or you are not, and that equates to you sucking or not. This is, imho, balderdash.

Theory is important to keep in mind when you are considering the design of your game, campaign, and session. But in the end, a really good GM eschews no tool on the basis of theory - the practical matter of showing your friends a good time should be paramount, and the really good GMs will use tools from any theory to get the job done. Do not pigeonhole yourself with terms.