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Message: <blockquote data-quote="DiomedesRex" data-source="post: 5906480" data-attributes="member: 6693901">I try to keep things as low prep as possible.  If I think there's going to be a fight, I scribble down some combat stats.  If there's going to be traps and obstacles, I think up some basic difficulties or target numbers.  Even named antagonists rarely get a full character sheet.What I will write up, on the other hand, is a flow chart of possible ways the adventure could go.  So if the party encounters an antagonist in some ruins, I'll have some quick sketches of what could happen if they:A) Attack and winB) Attack and loseC) Flee outrightD) Debate and winE) Debate and lose, possibly with a segue to combatF) Collapse the ruinsEach of these things will lead to different story points, obstacles, fights, or problems.Maybe the party loses a ship to ship battle, then I get to run them through the problems of surviving being adrift at sea and washing up on a desert island.  Odds are low that they will decide to play Survivor for a terribly long time, so they need a chance at rescue or escape so they can get back to chasing their dreams, passions, and fears.All of the above makes it a lot harder for me to be caught off guard by something the party might do.  The mechanics can be thrown together on the fly, but I like to have some idea in advance of how to respond to certain actions.  I always make a point, at the end of a session, of asking the party what they plan on doing next session, what their goals will be.  I don't try to script out everything, after all.  That would be silly.</blockquote>

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