Upgrade your account to a Community Supporter account and remove most of the site ads.

Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="Oofta" data-source="post: 9557393" data-attributes="member: 6801845">It seems like you're getting caught up in the use of the word "story" and putting too much emphasis their use of it.  If you look at the adventures section, it's just general advice on how to present and tie together encounters and how to wrap things up with an emphasis on more than one possible ending.  But I think the adventure section clarifies what they mean (bold added)But while it’s worthwhile to compare an adventure to these other forms of storytelling, remember that an adventure isn’t a complete story until you play it. Your players are coauthors of the story with you, and the events of the story shouldn’t be predetermined; the actions of the players’ characters have to matter. For example, if a major villain shows up before the end of the adventure, the adventure should allow for the possibility that the heroes defeat that villain. Otherwise, players can feel as if they’ve been railroaded—set onto a course that has only one destination or outcome, no matter how hard they try to change it. You might find it helpful to think about an adventure not as a narrative that arcs from beginning to end with little chance for deviation, but more in terms of situations that you are presenting to the characters. The adventure unfolds organically from the players’ responses to the situations you present. So yes, the DM sets the stage and introduces the protagonists, but the outcome is dependent on what the characters do.  As a side note, I'm glad they emphasize this and that sometimes the villain loses when you didn't expect it.So I'm just trying to understand what the issue is by going back to what the book says.EDIT: to be clear I'm doing my best not to twist anyone's words but the section on designing adventures one of the things they talk about is that what you plan should be based on player input.  It's basically how I explained what I do in my campaigns.Direct Input. Ask your players what they want to do in a campaign. Regularly inquire about how they think the campaign is going, what they’d like to experience more of, and what elements they’d like to explore further. After a session concludes and between sessions are great times to ask players for thoughts about the campaign. Indirect Input. The choices a player makes, starting at character creation, can indicate what they want to see in the game. For example, a Rogue player likely wants opportunities for subtlety or skulduggery, while a Barbarian player likely craves combat. Take note of what encounters players are enthusiastic about, and seek ways to help the players’ characters shine.</blockquote>

Verification