Fun article. Though I wouldn't count Robert Burns as a favourite poet.
Three further takeaways from the episode that is recounted:
4) When you've spent hours prepping an adventure and then see the players pull something you didn't expect and totally circumvent it, it can be
really tempting to fudge things to thwart their clever idea and get things "back on target".
Don't.
5) One-shot magic items can be great fun. You can feel pretty safe about giving them out, because even a hugely powerful item won't destroy your game if it can only be used once, but the ability to pull something like the example given has a real good chance of generating a pretty awesome story that your group can talk about for years.
6) Recycle! Unless your game is on pretty solid railroads, you're almost guaranteed to generate more material than you use. Any time something doesn't get used, or even when it does but can be reused later, don't throw it away - file it away for reuse at some later time. There's an NPC in my current campaign that has appeared in three entirely unrelated campaigns in three entirely distinct settings and with three different groups, because it was (I thought) a cool idea that never got its "big reveal".
