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Message: <blockquote data-quote="DEFCON 1" data-source="post: 5476525" data-attributes="member: 7006">Coming from a background in improv comedy theater, I make it a point to state at the start of the game (especially when some of my players are not improv performers as well), the universal improv rule of 'Yes, And'.  This of course shouldn't be a shock to most of us, because the DMGs make it a point to say 'Yes' rather than 'No' whenever possible, because it pushes story along.As a result of this 'Yes, And' policy... they know and I know that we are collaborating to create a story, and that to make it work... we should do our best to accept the offers that each of us makes to the story.  We do not deny what has already occurred, and we do not ignore what has already been established... but for everything else we have free reign to offer up and fill in additional story points.What this means is that if one of the PCs asks "Do I know anyone in this town we're coming to?", I'll usually say 'Yes... AND it is the town blacksmith that had sold you your first sword several years ago when you first started adventuring."  Now does saying this mean I'm "filling in" your character background?  Absolutely.  Would I expect you to be pissed off that I said this?  Not at all (unless you had stated in your character background how you became an adventurer and got your equipment-- but then I wouldn't have stated that background point that went against that to begin with.)  But this is the collaboration that comes with improvisation... you make the offer that you know someone in town, and I accept it and advance that offer by telling you who you know and how you know him.  This pushes our story forward, because the players now have a plan of action to follow if they choose.  They don't have to spend time spinning their wheels looking for someone to talk to.Now some people don't agree or would go along with this kind of philosophy... and I would imagine it's because of one of two reasons.  Either 1) they have a completely personal story they are trying to tell with their character, and don't want outside influences to derail what they are going for... or 2) they are just not comfortable "improvising" an entire grand story because it's just too much for them to parse, and instead they just want to throw dice, move their miniature around a game board, and be a passive observer as the game world progresses around them and their character.  The second type of person I can easily work with... because they just don't care how much I incorporate them into the story (although I still will occasionally drop them in the middle of things just to keep them and the other PCs on their toes and to see how they react).  For the first type of person... I thankfully have not ever played with someone like that (except in one or two PbP games here on ENWorld) and I don't think I ever would.  That person would quit the game before too long I would imagine, because my style just wouldn't jive with what they want out of the game.But the bottom line is... character backgrounds AND events of the campaign are all a part of the tapestry of this story we are trying to tell.  And provided we don't deliberately change or ignore those threads that have already been woven into the tapestry... we are all allowed to follow those threads wherever they take us.  Because that's what collaboration is all about.</blockquote>

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