random user
First Post
What I am learning to do, which works for me, is to really learn pacing. It's kind of manipulative, I agree, but it has really helped the overall stories.
My sessions last about 4 hours, so this also might not work for longer sessions.
Before the session starts, I try to plan out what my players might do, set an adventure, etc, all the standard things.
If the players deviate from that though, I have a stock of "independent encounters" to draw from. They are like random encounters, except they are pre-generated, and I try to have each of them provide a couple "weird" things that potentially make the party ask questions.
These encounters don't yet fit into my main plot, but it's always possible that the players will cause them to in some way. Some of them involve combat; others are just non-combat interactions with NPCs.
So an ideal session will go as follows:
Players do what is expected for a while. If they get off track, then, let them go their independent way for a little bit, making progress in whatever way is logical. At some point, introduce them to one of the independent encounter. Hopefully you will have one that is plausible.
If the party decides to interact with the encounter, great! If not (this is the manipulative part), you can make them deal with avoiding the encounter in some say (for example, let's say you have "an overturned wagon with some tracks leading away and some trinket hidden in the wagon" and the party yawns and continues on. You can still ask them if they are taking any pains to stay hidden, have them notice more tracks later, let them be smart and avoid an ambush or let them be stupid and get them ambushed etc.... I realize that the overturned wagon example is a very basic one, and not one I would recommend. However, it was one of those things that instantly came to mind.)
After that interlude, have the party get to where they were orginally headed. By now, it should be close (within 30 min or so) of when the session should end. If not, toss another pre-fab encounter at them. Give them some basic information about where ever they are now, and ask them what they plan to do. Ideally they will give you their ideas and then it will be time for the session to end.
Now you have some time to figure out exactly what's going on. Given that you know generally what the party wants to do, hopefully the party will follow along for at least an hour or two (or possibly even multiple sessions) before going off on some tangent.
If you craft your pre-fab encounters well, the party might not even realize they were dropped in randomly. And while this is happening, listen to your players. They can often help you tie it in to your overall plot for you. Even if not, you'll have time after the session to integrate it (or choose to let it stay as a stand-alone).
Also here is a huge tip for winging it:
*Always remember that NPC's can lie, or be misinformed.*
When you have them meet a random bard, innkeeper, guard, or even a librarian or merchant, remember that you can wing their conversation, and it doesn't have to be 100% consistent with reality (though it should be consistant with themselves). The merchant that was telling you about Themsinir? Opps he was thinking of Bastin when he told you about the general attitude of the guards and whether you could bribe them. The guard said that you could get a good deal and people were friendly at "The Spiked Anvil?" Well they are friendly with him because he's a regular, and they also try not to piss off the guards. But they aren't going to be friendly with random strangers.
The key IMO when winging it is to remember what you can allow to be inconsistant, and what you can't, and try to keep things (only while winging it) to be as general as possible (at least until you get used to it). The captain of the guard who has worked for 10 years probably isn't going to misremember a street name or one of the city leaders, but Strando, the guard who got transfered in from a different city, quite possibly would. Of course, the captain may also lie to you... and you might have a fun time coming up with a reason later he did.
Just my 2cp
My sessions last about 4 hours, so this also might not work for longer sessions.
Before the session starts, I try to plan out what my players might do, set an adventure, etc, all the standard things.
If the players deviate from that though, I have a stock of "independent encounters" to draw from. They are like random encounters, except they are pre-generated, and I try to have each of them provide a couple "weird" things that potentially make the party ask questions.
These encounters don't yet fit into my main plot, but it's always possible that the players will cause them to in some way. Some of them involve combat; others are just non-combat interactions with NPCs.
So an ideal session will go as follows:
Players do what is expected for a while. If they get off track, then, let them go their independent way for a little bit, making progress in whatever way is logical. At some point, introduce them to one of the independent encounter. Hopefully you will have one that is plausible.
If the party decides to interact with the encounter, great! If not (this is the manipulative part), you can make them deal with avoiding the encounter in some say (for example, let's say you have "an overturned wagon with some tracks leading away and some trinket hidden in the wagon" and the party yawns and continues on. You can still ask them if they are taking any pains to stay hidden, have them notice more tracks later, let them be smart and avoid an ambush or let them be stupid and get them ambushed etc.... I realize that the overturned wagon example is a very basic one, and not one I would recommend. However, it was one of those things that instantly came to mind.)
After that interlude, have the party get to where they were orginally headed. By now, it should be close (within 30 min or so) of when the session should end. If not, toss another pre-fab encounter at them. Give them some basic information about where ever they are now, and ask them what they plan to do. Ideally they will give you their ideas and then it will be time for the session to end.
Now you have some time to figure out exactly what's going on. Given that you know generally what the party wants to do, hopefully the party will follow along for at least an hour or two (or possibly even multiple sessions) before going off on some tangent.
If you craft your pre-fab encounters well, the party might not even realize they were dropped in randomly. And while this is happening, listen to your players. They can often help you tie it in to your overall plot for you. Even if not, you'll have time after the session to integrate it (or choose to let it stay as a stand-alone).
Also here is a huge tip for winging it:
*Always remember that NPC's can lie, or be misinformed.*
When you have them meet a random bard, innkeeper, guard, or even a librarian or merchant, remember that you can wing their conversation, and it doesn't have to be 100% consistent with reality (though it should be consistant with themselves). The merchant that was telling you about Themsinir? Opps he was thinking of Bastin when he told you about the general attitude of the guards and whether you could bribe them. The guard said that you could get a good deal and people were friendly at "The Spiked Anvil?" Well they are friendly with him because he's a regular, and they also try not to piss off the guards. But they aren't going to be friendly with random strangers.
The key IMO when winging it is to remember what you can allow to be inconsistant, and what you can't, and try to keep things (only while winging it) to be as general as possible (at least until you get used to it). The captain of the guard who has worked for 10 years probably isn't going to misremember a street name or one of the city leaders, but Strando, the guard who got transfered in from a different city, quite possibly would. Of course, the captain may also lie to you... and you might have a fun time coming up with a reason later he did.
Just my 2cp
