Do you fall into this trap?

[Cody C. Lewis]

Hey guys,

I recently created a video, HERE where I talk about the trap of trying to write stories vs simply creating conflicts. I was curious how many of us actually purely create conflicts with no idea how players will solve them vs trying to predict how players will handle a problem in order to tie story points together, or maybe even something in between.

Comments encouraged below.

 

[Istbor]

So far everyone only makes conflicts.

 

[Cody C. Lewis]

So far everyone only makes conflicts.

Maybe we can take that as a good sign, right?

 

[ccs]

Your poll lacks options/combos.

So I had to go with #2.

How it generally goes:
I write something. Then I consider the players/characters that'll actually be involved & come up with an answer to their most probable reactions. Doesn't matter to me how they actually deal with it though.
This is not a massive amount of prep. Just a few moments & a few bullet points in my notes.

 

[Cody C. Lewis]

Your poll lacks options/combos.

So I had to go with #2.

How it generally goes:
I write something. Then I consider the players/characters that'll actually be involved & come up with an answer to their most probable reactions. Doesn't matter to me how they actually deal with it though.
This is not a massive amount of prep. Just a few moments & a few bullet points in my notes.

I think that's fair. Though admittedly that is supposed to fall under option #2. Option 1 is I'm going to throw a plot hook at the players... ok now that that's done, let's make a monster.

 

[TerraDave]

People aren't always honest on polls. They will say 1, but really, they are doing 2, and I bet 3.

I still do 2. And everytime, they surprise me. So there is that!

 

[Jhaelen]

Being unable to watch the video, I'm not sure what the 'trap' is.

Anyway, when designing combat encounters I don't care whether the party has the means to succeed or how difficult it's going to be for them. I'm using the guidelines, of course, so most encounters should be doable for a party of their level, but they'll also have rare encounters that are considered too easy or too hard for their level. If they feel they cannot succeed, there's always the option to retreat, right? Also, there's usually a way to completely avoid the encounter.

If I'm designing a particular (non-combat) 'scene' for an adventure, it's a different matter, though. I usually spend quite some time thinking about how it might play out and plan for the most likely outcomes. Knowing my players well, definitely helps in that regard. This is also when I seed the scene with clues to lead them to other scenes I've prepared.
I consider myself to be quite good at improvising, but I feel that without this kind of preparation there's a good chance the session will flounder and end without the party making any progress towards the 'goal' of the adventure. Occasionally, that's fine, but if it happens too often, the entire campaign will feel directionless and random to the players.

 

[Imaculata]

I usually try to think of what the outcomes may be. I make sure that I'm prepared for the various possible outcomes that may arise.

For example, my campaign is currently moving towards a very big pirate battle, centered around a dangerous island. The players will do battle with an evil pirate lord, who has been trying to lure them out for months.

But will the players simply fight ship-to-ship, or board the enemy ships, or set foot on the island? What if they try to make a deal with the pirate lord? I make sure I prepare maps for those situations, and I make sure that my villain has clear motivations. This allows me some room to improvise should the players do something completely unexpected.

 

[Cody C. Lewis]

I make sure that my villain has clear motivations. This allows me some room to improvise should the players do something completely unexpected.

This is something I have been trying to work harder and harder on. If you NPCs/Villains have real motivations, that you understand, you can be more and more flexible with your game I feel.

 

[Ralif Redhammer]

It depends on the situation. If it's a lynchpin encounter, yes, I'll generally try to have some ideas on how the adventure will progress based on how they handle it. But in every adventure I also deliberately try to have challenges that I've no idea how the PCs are going to solve.

I think there's a world of difference between writing an adventure with a clear story and railroading to fit only that one story, though. Good gaming groups tell a communal tale, weaving it all together. I might be telling a tale about heroes fighting a dragon. But I never expected that they’d do that thing where they convinced the elves to let them build the Trojan Dragon and trick the beast into leaving instead.