Winging It!!!!

CrazyShapiro · Jan 25, 2002

How many of you DM's out there have had to truely wing a whole game?

I mean, maybe the players went off in a direction you had nothing planned for, or you forgot about the game, didn't prepare and didn't want to cancel!

I usually write all my own campaigns and adventures, so I have had to totally 'wing it' before, especially when the players didn't do what I had planned and I didn't want to say "Hey Stupids! Go here!!"

I have a folder in my DM stuff that has quick , 'wing it' refernece material. A huge list of previously created names ("Rothker", "Mistle, Elf of the Seas..") to use on the spot. A list of personal picks for different settings from the random monster tables, and blank NPC summary sheets I can just write down a quick NPC stats thought up in my mind.

It's tough and a challenge, but some of the 'wing-it' experiences I've had have been great! How about you?

Dieter · Jan 25, 2002

Um...when hasn't a DM's group strayed off the carefully planned and defined path???

Ironically, you usually have to plan on winging it. I always have a few "What if's" planned into the game just in case the party decides to abandon saving the fair maiden and loot the town and it's inhabitants.

Tom Cashel · Jan 25, 2002

Takes a lot more prep to be prepared for these things, but it's worth it.

PCs should always be allowed to make their own destiny.

Carnifex · Jan 25, 2002

There have been times when I've known where I want the PC's to end up at the end of the session, but either haven't had time to prepare properly or just haven't been bothered. In those situations I wing it more or less totally, usually with some vague ideas of what I want to happen which are thrown in whenever seems the right time.

BluWolf · Jan 25, 2002

Back in the old days when all I did was ignore school work, I usually didn't have to wing it that much as I had WAY to much resource material prepared. In fact, most of my parties had a good probability of dieing of boredom from missing a "resist background" roll versus some dumbass kobold. (yes I stole this joke from Nodwick).

Years later I have learned that there is a time and place for everything AND I don't have anywhere near the time I used to.

So I end up winging it alot.

My favorite thing to do is actually winging wandering monster encounters in the wild.

When doing wandering monster checks in the wild I doing the "you see a bunch of Orcs riding towards you" crap. So I do the wandering monster checks behind the screen.

I have a self imposed ground rule, if the party fails a wandering monster check, that monster has to come with some sort of logical location or setup.

Example; last year on the way to the sunless citadel the party failed a wandeirng monster check. I had seen a pretty cool moster that fit nicely into my ravaged world sceanrio ad secided to use it.

When it came time for the party to bed down for the night I had them discover and ancient ruin of an ampitheater with an old semi working water fountain.

They decided it would make a great place to bed down for the night (OK all you Meta gamers just be quiet).

During the night the party was attacked by 3 Feyrs from Dragon magazine (don't recall the issue).

In hind sight, the challenge level was too high for 5 first level characters but 3E had only been out 4 montsh and we were all still new too it.

A little long winded way of saying, yes, I wing it all the time and enjoy it.

UD · Jan 25, 2002

Does anyone know where a list of 'generic fantasy names' can be found?

Zerovoid · Jan 25, 2002

I'm not very good at making things up on the fly. In third edition, its just to complicated to write up a monster on the spot for the party to fight. If I want to challenge them with orcs, and they are above first level, I usually need to make up a couple classed orcs.

Before most sessions, I usually write up a couple of encounters, and a quick summary of where I want the party to go. Dungeon maps and such I usually make up on the fly. If they don't go where I want them too, I just make my encounters happen where the PC's actually are. I also make very heavy use of the pregenerated NPC's in the DMG.

Moon_Goddess · Jan 25, 2002

I've only played a few games where there was any planning ahead of time, usually it has always been, just sitting around.

"Hey, wanna play some DND?"

Then we fight over who DMs

roll up some characters, once we rolled a d20 to see what level we were going to start at.

And away we go...

CrazyShapiro · Jan 25, 2002

Wow, that sitting around and just playing thing is pretty wild, but I find that the most enjoyment DMs and Players alike recieve, is a full fledged campaign. A continuing saga with set rules and boundries.

Even when I have to 100% wing it, (I hope my players don't read this), I act like I'm looking stuff up in my notes eventhough I'm making it up in my head! This makes the players feel a little more confident that what they are encountering is 'real' and not just a whim. (especially if they get they're A** kicked, they may resent the fact that I just pulled it out of my..er.. nose!)

SableWyvern · Jan 25, 2002

I'm lazy.

Thus, the better part of my GMing career has been based around making things up as I go.

The best session I have ever run (by general consensus of the players involved) lasted about 8 hours (we had a break for Maccas breakfast at 6am, just as things were climaxing). My prep for that session was about two minutes work where I drew a quick sketch map of a small island and wrote down three or four theme phrases.

Now that I'm running a d&d campaign, with a bit more emphasis on dungeon crawling and combat encounters, I'm putting in a bit more prep time.

Overall, my experience is that if, as DM, you can start something, the players will tend to take it places, as long as they don't expect you to be leading them by the nose.