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Message: <blockquote data-quote="barsoomcore" data-source="post: 2431589" data-attributes="member: 812">Some great conversation here. Sigh.Just to say that I work VERY similarly to GMSkarka -- I even use the same terminology of "riffs" as he does. I always have half-a-dozen statblocks sitting around "just in case" -- just last game session I really needed those, too. I do, however, do a large amount of prep work before the campaign starts, because, like fusangite, I prefer campaigns that feature a "secret" or three in the world -- and because I like reasonably detailed worlds (one of the reasons I'm wrapping up Barsoom is that it doesn't have nearly enough detail to satisfy me and trying to bolt on more detail post-player interaction is going to offend my sensibilities more than starting up a new campaign).I find that lots of prep and lots of improvising is exactly what I like.When I was first making films a buddy who'd done a few short films of his own gave me a piece of advice I've found broadly applicable:"You gotta have a plan. You're probably not going to get a chance to use it, but you gotta have one. It's easier to chuck a plan and start over than it is to start without one at all."It has turned out very true for me. So I try and do a lot of prep, a lot of thinking about my campaign, but at the same time, I don't usually have any idea how things are going to turn out or what's going to be "really going on" behind the scenes...I appreciate fu's comments on how his players don't always perceive his efforts and their intention. I think, if I can characterize your position, that you're a lot more interested in anthropological issues than I am. As a long-time writer and student of writing, I'm much more interested in, let me say, moral issues.Barsoom is in a lot of ways an exploration of power and the moral issues it raises. Is it ever acceptable to slaughter a bunch of people "for the greater good" -- especially in a world where you can get reliable answers to such a question? What sort of person can live with impact of such acts? Can you be good (or noble, or compassionate, or whatever) and seek power?So I've structured the world, its history, the rules and the events of the campaign (or at least the efforts of the NPCs) to try and bring forth interesting points of view on those sorts of questions.I don't know if any of my players pay the slightest bit of attention to that -- or are even aware that I'm doing it. But I think it ends up generating a campaign that is more fun, more engrossing, for all of us, because it's actually ABOUT something.I just don't yet know what it's saying about it.</blockquote>

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