When Player Driven Adventures Don't Pan Out

[zarionofarabel]

Players like a consistent story. They like things to make sense. And they like to have clear paths to an objective.

I've been running player driven games for more than 30 years. My games always have consistent narrative momentum that makes sense. They also have clear ways for players to complete the objectives they have chosen to pursue.

This doesn't mean there can't be choices, or you negate a living world, or that you remove player agency.

I have talked to a lot of GMs that run scripted plotline games that think they are providing all of these things for their players. However, alot of the time (not always, but more often than not) the particular methods they use don't really provide real agency, just the illusion of such.

I also find it interesting that so many GMs seem to think that the only way to run a successful player driven campaign is with an overwhelming amount of prep. Especially because I have been doing it with little to no prep since I started in the hobby in 1988. It makes me wonder if the successful execution of a player driven campaign is more about the GM than the players.

 

[MichaelSomething]

I've been running player driven games for more than 30 years. My games always have consistent narrative momentum that makes sense. They also have clear ways for players to complete the objectives they have chosen to pursue.

I have talked to a lot of GMs that run scripted plotline games that think they are providing all of these things for their players. However, alot of the time (not always, but more often than not) the particular methods they use don't really provide real agency, just the illusion of such.

I also find it interesting that so many GMs seem to think that the only way to run a successful player driven campaign is with an overwhelming amount of prep. Especially because I have been doing it with little to no prep since I started in the hobby in 1988. It makes me wonder if the successful execution of a player driven campaign is more about the GM than the players.

Care to stream your prep and game to show us how it's done??

 

[Truename]

Care to stream your prep and game to show us how it's done??

A stream is a lot to ask, but I’m genuinely interested in learning more. I’d like to do more player-driven campaigns, but the prep work was my Achilles heel.

 

[zarionofarabel]

Care to stream your prep and game to show us how it's done??

I don't play online. Honestly I have no idea how to work all that kind of stuff.

The basics of prep is to get the players to setup a framework for the first few sessions using collaborative setting and PC creation during Session Zero. After that I just make up stuff in real time at the table using what I consider to be logical progression based on the previous narrative. I don't have a problem making up stuff in the fly through. It's prepping a bunch of stuff in advance that boggles my mind because I always get lost on so many "what if" tangents it's seriously not funny. I have done it this way since I started because I got the Red Box for a Christmas present in 1988, and lived in a little town where no one knew what a TTRPG was or how to play them. So I just started making up stuff on the fly, and have been doing it ever since. Not sure if that helps.