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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Thasmodious" data-source="post: 5528133" data-attributes="member: 63272">As others have said, the key to creative play is not in prep, it's play at the table.  No matter how many scenarios you plan for, the PCs will inevitably come up with something you never thought of.  Sometimes, it will be frustratingly simple and bypass hours of your prep.  For me, I don't worry about the how, that is the PCs territory.  I set up the location or situation, make a few notes, and then see what they come up with, which is usually inventive, a little nuts, and not even close to anything that popped in my head while thinking about the scenario ahead of time.  Using your castle example, I'd rough sketch the castle, include any notes needed based on the scenario (NPCs in the castle, why they need in, e.g. the chalice they are after is in the sept at the bottom of the Lord's tower), a few notes on NPCs, maybe guard patrols and shifts, some flavor details, and then set them loose.  As for memorable PC plans, this one is from the opening session of my Firefly game a couple years ago.  The PC pilot is roughly based on Murdoch from the A-Team, he's certifiable from trauma sustained during the war, and if he pops up on the grid somewhere, he ends up in a mental institution.  In this case, he started the game in such an institution.  The opening of the game was the captain building his crew, and this PC was his close friend and the only pilot he truly trusts.  So the Captain brings on a mechanic and a Companion and then informs them that their first task is to break out his pilot from the local mental hospital while he does other things (unbeknownst to them, this included trying to acquire a ship to Captain).  I had some notes on the facility but no real plans.  I did figure it would take a while for the PCs to gather some intel on the place, probe for weaknesses, formulate and execute a plan to get him out.  I anticipated it would take much of the session as I switched back to the captain doing some more recruiting and securing that ship.  Instead, the mechanic used his McGyver edge to fashion a taser patch that he could wear like a joy buzzer.  He posed as the Companions manservant and they waltzed in through the front door.  The Companion charmed the staff all over the place, told them he was here by chance and had no time to set up a proper visitation but that he would *dearly* love to see his favorite cousin.  So the staff allowed a visit and the pilot was accompanied by a guard to a private visiting area(this wasn't a supermax or anything, just your standard mental hospital).  The mechanic struck up a conversation about sports while the "cousins" visited, then casually introduced himself - "I'm Zeke, by the way" and offered his hand for a shake.  They tucked the guard under a bench and strolled back out the front door, bluffing that they had been given permission for a walk around the grounds.  It took me longer to type than it did to play out and it was a great plan that really utilized the strengths of the two characters.</blockquote>

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