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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Mouseferatu" data-source="post: 272351" data-attributes="member: 1288">It's important to remember that including a story does not always equate to being a plot-nazi or to railroading.My campaigns usually have overriding plot arcs.  That's not to say that every game is involved in that plot, but the plot is always there in the background, and is always advanced every few games.  (For an example, look at a TV series like Babylon 5.)But...I do not remove the players' free will.  If they follow the plot hooks, great.  If not, well, they may not be in a position to stop something nasty from happening, but they'll get to do other stuff instead.Or, even more frequently, I have basic plot points imagined, but I work them in when and how it best suits what the players are doing.  Avoided that really cool story idea I had because they went to one kingdom instead of the other?  No problem.  I'll either save it, and use it later, or I'll rework it so I can run it where they are now.So yes, I've got a story, and some of it's even planned out, but I mold it, reshape it, and change it as needed to fit the players' actions, not the other way around.None of that, as I see it, is railroading.  Refusing to let the PCs make a difference, changing the rules because they "must" be captured for the plot to advance, refusing to let really well-planned tactics work just because they might kill an "important" NPC--that is evil.Having the basic elements and major plot points of a story planned ahead of time is fine, if you're able to change it on the fly and let the players decide how/when/if elements of it creep into the campaign.And by the way--I don't think there's anything wrong with upping a monster's hit points on the fly to create more epic combat, if you're doing it because you honestly made a mistake in choosing the monster in the first place because you overestimated it.  It's also okay if you think the players are going to be bored if the fight's too easy--and believe me, that can happen.  Doing it just because the players are getting lucky or because they outsmarted you, however, is not cool.</blockquote>

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