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<blockquote data-quote="Emerikol" data-source="post: 8224533" data-attributes="member: 6698278">There is a lot to like and a lot to dislike for me in this video.&nbsp; 1.&nbsp; I definitely like the idea of defining all sorts of great NPCs and their plots up front.&nbsp;&nbsp; I don't choose just one Villain and declare him the &quot;main&quot; villain.&nbsp; He'll only be the main villain if the PCs decide to go after him or her.&nbsp; I just create a lot of potential villains.&nbsp;&nbsp; I create a lot of plots threads that are intertwined.&nbsp; I even create a good number of NPCs that will be allies of the group if allowed to be.&nbsp; Not necessarily on the adventure but just in general.&nbsp; They can be valuable sources of information about what is going on in the sandbox world.2.&nbsp; I don't care if the party decides to mess with the Thieves guild.&nbsp; I have no agenda in a campaign and there is no natural end planned for my campaign.&nbsp; So I never have where I want the PCs going next in my mind.&nbsp; They go where they want to go.&nbsp; So that is a bit of a strawman for prepping sandboxers.&nbsp; So I would never plot encounters to draw them away from mucking with the thieves guild.&nbsp; If that is what they want to do then do it.&nbsp; 3.&nbsp; I don't get the feeling that this guy runs dungeons at all.&nbsp; I do.&nbsp; I tend to place a lot of dungeons about for the group to find and explore.&nbsp; I stock those dungeons ahead of time.&nbsp; At least sandbox by sandbox.&nbsp; While the group is in sandbox one which may be a 1st through 6th level sandbox, I will be preparing the next sandbox.4.&nbsp; I have a reason why every dungeon was created.&nbsp; I have a reason why things happen.&nbsp; His discussion about things happening such as events are well marked on my calendar.&nbsp; Caravans are raided, people murdered, people go broke,people get married, people have kids, the world goes on.&nbsp; Some of this is represented by die roll probabilities but not all of it.&nbsp; 5.&nbsp; I don't look ahead even one session to be honest.&nbsp; Obviously, I am aware if they are in a dungeon that it is likely they will continue but it's not guaranteed.So he exposits a lot of ideas.&nbsp; Some I wholeheartedly embrace and others I do not.&nbsp; My campaigns are successful if you say having fun is the goal.&nbsp; COVID has set me back a bit but in the past I honestly think I could have charged money to play.&nbsp; Maybe not, but I always had more players than I could accept.&nbsp; On occasions I've ran two groups in the same world.&nbsp; That can get tough.&nbsp;&nbsp; So I'm not sure his use of &quot;improve&quot; is his secret sauce.&nbsp; It may be for him and perhaps for some of his group.&nbsp; I do think a DM has to be quick on his feet.&nbsp; His primary duty in session is as arbiter of the rules.&nbsp; So the group can in theory do anything.&nbsp; The DM needs to be ready and flexible.&nbsp; But I don't think that is what you or him are talking about.I'll just add again the caveat that if his crew is having fun then he is doing it right.&nbsp; The value of the approach to a game is very subjective.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Emerikol, post: 8224533, member: 6698278"] There is a lot to like and a lot to dislike for me in this video. 1. I definitely like the idea of defining all sorts of great NPCs and their plots up front. I don't choose just one Villain and declare him the "main" villain. He'll only be the main villain if the PCs decide to go after him or her. I just create a lot of potential villains. I create a lot of plots threads that are intertwined. I even create a good number of NPCs that will be allies of the group if allowed to be. Not necessarily on the adventure but just in general. They can be valuable sources of information about what is going on in the sandbox world. 2. I don't care if the party decides to mess with the Thieves guild. I have no agenda in a campaign and there is no natural end planned for my campaign. So I never have where I want the PCs going next in my mind. They go where they want to go. So that is a bit of a strawman for prepping sandboxers. So I would never plot encounters to draw them away from mucking with the thieves guild. If that is what they want to do then do it. 3. I don't get the feeling that this guy runs dungeons at all. I do. I tend to place a lot of dungeons about for the group to find and explore. I stock those dungeons ahead of time. At least sandbox by sandbox. While the group is in sandbox one which may be a 1st through 6th level sandbox, I will be preparing the next sandbox. 4. I have a reason why every dungeon was created. I have a reason why things happen. His discussion about things happening such as events are well marked on my calendar. Caravans are raided, people murdered, people go broke,people get married, people have kids, the world goes on. Some of this is represented by die roll probabilities but not all of it. 5. I don't look ahead even one session to be honest. Obviously, I am aware if they are in a dungeon that it is likely they will continue but it's not guaranteed. So he exposits a lot of ideas. Some I wholeheartedly embrace and others I do not. My campaigns are successful if you say having fun is the goal. COVID has set me back a bit but in the past I honestly think I could have charged money to play. Maybe not, but I always had more players than I could accept. On occasions I've ran two groups in the same world. That can get tough. So I'm not sure his use of "improve" is his secret sauce. It may be for him and perhaps for some of his group. I do think a DM has to be quick on his feet. His primary duty in session is as arbiter of the rules. So the group can in theory do anything. The DM needs to be ready and flexible. But I don't think that is what you or him are talking about. I'll just add again the caveat that if his crew is having fun then he is doing it right. The value of the approach to a game is very subjective. [/QUOTE]

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