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<blockquote data-quote="EP" data-source="post: 3668023" data-attributes="member: 41744">When I first started my current campaign, I wrote down and planned out everything to the exact detail - what would happen in the event of, how the NPCs would react, a full-blown plan of attack in response to this possible situation, all that.&nbsp; What I found is that the players would come up with something to completely thrown all those plans out the window and force me to come up with responses I hadn't expected.Now all I plan out at the technical details: maps and room descriptions, NPCs, traps, and anything where I know for a fact that something or someone will be there.&nbsp; I familiarize myself with the major NPCs and remember their motivations as well as their spells and feats, but nothing else beyond that.&nbsp; Then I write up a two-page summary of the evening I have planned and that's it.&nbsp; Everything else is made up on the spot and who knows what will come along in the process.&nbsp; In doing so, we have had some of the best games in a long time because both the DM and players get a sense of unexpected.I think that's the best type of improvised gaming: all the technical stuff is planned and ready at a moment's notice, but no strategy.&nbsp; There is a background plot and the wheels of the story are in motion, but how the PCs enter the fray and unravel the evil mastermind's plans should be completely left up to them.&nbsp; When I confront my players with a problem, they know that only they can figure it out because I haven't even figured out how they'll get through it.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="EP, post: 3668023, member: 41744"] When I first started my current campaign, I wrote down and planned out everything to the exact detail - what would happen in the event of, how the NPCs would react, a full-blown plan of attack in response to this possible situation, all that. What I found is that the players would come up with something to completely thrown all those plans out the window and force me to come up with responses I hadn't expected. Now all I plan out at the technical details: maps and room descriptions, NPCs, traps, and anything where I know for a fact that something or someone will be there. I familiarize myself with the major NPCs and remember their motivations as well as their spells and feats, but nothing else beyond that. Then I write up a two-page summary of the evening I have planned and that's it. Everything else is made up on the spot and who knows what will come along in the process. In doing so, we have had some of the best games in a long time because both the DM and players get a sense of unexpected. I think that's the best type of improvised gaming: all the technical stuff is planned and ready at a moment's notice, but no strategy. There is a background plot and the wheels of the story are in motion, but how the PCs enter the fray and unravel the evil mastermind's plans should be completely left up to them. When I confront my players with a problem, they know that only they can figure it out because I haven't even figured out how they'll get through it. [/QUOTE]

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