Bored with knowing what will happen next

[el-remmen]

Just goes to show, I have been complaining recently that I can never seem to predict what the players will do.

I give them plot hooks they ignore them. I give some minor detail to lay the groundwork for future stuff and they pick up on it right away even if there is nothing to follow up on at the moment.

I give them an opportunity to take a captive that gives info and they kill him. I give them some easy monsters to mash, and they try to negotiate with them, etc. . etc. . .

Maybe it's your players . . . ?

 

[Obergnom]

Maybe it's your players . . . ?

I would not go down that path... it's the shortest route to DM burn out, imo. Give your players tools to work with your campaign. In my game we also have a "With an Action Point you may break every rule, if I allow it, and I will mostly allow it"-Houserule... weird things are happening since we have got that one

 

[Schmoe]

I'm defnitely not sick of DMing, I sure as hell don't feel like being a player in somebody's campaign.

I've basically got a prep method down, games take no time to put together and they're a breeze to run. My players are happy. But I'm bored with knowing what will (probably) happen at a game.

Any suggestions on how to add more unexpectedness on the DM's side of the screen?

I'm honestly a little confused at your troubles, as I always seem to have plenty of unexpectedness when I DM. But I guess the best advice I can give is: "Don't be afraid of change."

Take a game night and plan for that night to focus on the consequences of the character actions more than the plot. And by this I don't just mean "did the PCs rescue the damsel?", but more "did the PC's scare off the last goblin in the tribe? What will that goblin do now?".

Put the main plot in the background. Sure, it's important for the PCs to rescue the damsel, but there's all sorts of other stuff going on that can have interesting repercussions. Take your focus off of the damsel plot and think about that goblin for a moment. Come to a conscious decision. The goblin could become enslaved by a lamia in the next cave over and spill the beans about the juicy adventurers nearby, or it could just be eaten by wolves. The important thing is that it gets you thinking off the beaten path, which can lead you to unexpected places.

Another way to spice things up is to simply present a problem, and an environment, and then let the players loose. At the beginning of the night you don't really know how the players will solve the problem, beyond the vague notion that the tools are available somewhere in the environment. If it becomes clear that the players are down one track to a cool solution, but you hadn't really planned for the tools to be available, then improvise!

Hopefully I haven't misinterpreted and these solutions help. Like I said, though, I have more than enough unexpectedness in my games, and I'm running the Shackled City Adventure Path!

 

[AnonymousOne]

I'm defnitely not sick of DMing, I sure as hell don't feel like being a player in somebody's campaign.

I've basically got a prep method down, games take no time to put together and they're a breeze to run. My players are happy. But I'm bored with knowing what will (probably) happen at a game.

Any suggestions on how to add more unexpectedness on the DM's side of the screen?

[Shameless_plug]Use my campaign setting?[/Shameless_plug]

 

[Fathead]

This may sound like an odd suggestion...but maybe you should recruit another player, preferrably one that is a foolish player.

The bulk of my group consists of methodical players. They plan everything well, rarely make mistakes, and know the rules well. Most of them stay in character (even to the point of making mistakes)...but they are more predictable.

I had GMed every week for 14 years. In that time, I've had two players (both at different times) who I'd qualify as foolish players. The 1st one wouldn't think about possible outcomes to his actions (which inevitably would lead to memorable results) and would sometimes do something so spontaneous, that even I couldn't have predicted it. The 2nd player was extremely smart and comical (not to the point of being distracting)...but he was an off-the-cuff player, which added an element of randomness to the game.

All of these make for terrific stories and memories. Some of my fondest campaign stories were brought about by dumb actions. So...recruit a foolish player. You won't be disappointed.

 

[billd91]

Just goes to show, I have been complaining recently that I can never seem to predict what the players will do.

I give them plot hooks they ignore them. I give some minor detail to lay the groundwork for future stuff and they pick up on it right away even if there is nothing to follow up on at the moment.

I give them an opportunity to take a captive that gives info and they kill him. I give them some easy monsters to mash, and they try to negotiate with them, etc. . etc. . .

Maybe it's your players . . . ?

That's really a good question. Even though I have a good idea what the general sweep of a few sessions will be, they always manage to surprise me with the actual specific details they come up with. Sometimes, though little details can shift the focus of the whole party for multiple sessions at a time. For example, I never expected the PCs, once they finished with the Steading of the Hill Giant Chief, to teleport around to other cities arranging grain and other food shipments for the refugees in Sterich, displaced by the giant raids. I expected they'd gear up for the next adventure pretty much right away.

 

[dmccoy1693]

I'm kind of surprised that I am the first to ask these questions:

Tell us about your game.
Tell us about your players. What are they interetested in and what kinds of characters are they playing?
Tell us what you are interested in (outside of game) lately.
What kind of monkey wrenches have you thrown at your players lately?
Name one thing that you did lately that you planned recently that made you pause and described yourself as a "sick, evil bastard."

 

[Woas]

I agree with the suggestions to let other people at the table DM the same, on going campaign. Its like playing Phone (or whatever that silly schoolyard game is called) but with a D&D game. One DM runs an adventure, generates some notes and then passes it on to the next DM. This second DM interprets the notes as they see fit. Maybe misses some key points, plays up other areas where the previous DM left off, etc. and furthers the plot on their own. By the end, Beholders turn into Bunny Rabbits and you had no idea how it would turn out!

 

[Ciaran]

Just goes to show, I have been complaining recently that I can never seem to predict what the players will do.

I give them plot hooks they ignore them. I give some minor detail to lay the groundwork for future stuff and they pick up on it right away even if there is nothing to follow up on at the moment.

I give them an opportunity to take a captive that gives info and they kill him. I give them some easy monsters to mash, and they try to negotiate with them, etc. . etc. . .

Maybe it's your players . . . ?

Sorry, but you're not allowed to swap groups with another DM.

 

[PoeticJustice]

Any suggestions on how to add more unexpectedness on the DM's side of the screen?

Deck of Many things,
Wild Magic Tables (Tome of Magic's can be found on wizards' old editions web page),
Party goes to a noble's ball,

I recommend you put your party in an open-ended situation or one who's particulars depend on random chance.