LostSoul said:
Two thoughts:
1) I wouldn't call that a plot.
Then I submit this:
plot ( P ) Pronunciation Key (plt)
n.
A small piece of ground, generally used for a specific purpose: a garden plot.
A measured area of land; a lot.
A ground plan, as for a building; a diagram.
See graph1.
The pattern of events or main story in a narrative or drama.
A secret plan to accomplish a hostile or illegal purpose; a scheme.
That I only work on my half of the plot (the plans, motivations and reactions of folks who aren't the PCs) doesn't make it a not plot.
Again, my guideline for this is 'structure, not stricture'. I have no problem if the PCs' brilliant plan derails what I had in mind, in fact I plan for it. Part of being a good GM is knowing your players and their characters well enough to recover the thread of plot (if it makes sense to) or roll with that punch and move things in a new direction without interrupting the flow of the story, whatever it is.
2) How would advice on "follow the DM's plot" work in that case? What you're doing is giving them choices to make, and then watching the ripple work itself out. There's no way the PCs can identify the plot or attempt to follow it - they make the choices presented to them, and sh.. I mean stuff happens as a result (which leads to more choices they have to make).
Ahh, here we've got some meat to sink our teeth into! The answer really is, 'it depends on the players'. If you've got cooperative players who want to see where the story goes via a combination of the plot and their own actions, then you're golden. If it's a group of players that're bad at figuring out what to do, where to go, then you need to improvise a bit more. If it's players that're willfully bucking, I consider that metagaming in a bad way, and respond with appropriate actions; I brook no disruptions in the game.
Identifying the plot isn't the problem - that's what clues are for, in whatever form they take: a series of high-tech robberies, mysterious disappearances, whatever. The important thing is to establish a
pattern of events that points at the greater whole. It's not simply reaction, it's
action - while the PCs are busy looking at
this, their opposition is doing
that, proactively and reactively. The GM isn't a passive dispenser of entertainment; IMO, a good GM has to be active in helping things along while remaining fair.