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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Fanaelialae" data-source="post: 7933790" data-attributes="member: 53980">IMO, it has nothing to do with imagination (lacking or otherwise) and everything to do with play style.Lets face it, asking for random court NPCs is potentially problematic. The players could end up giving you NPCs that are hard to work in to what your planning. You could do it the other way around, getting the NPCs and then building the adventure around them as some have suggested, but unless the main issue is writer's block, that could easily end up being more work as you try to bodge disparate elements together.It's not bad as a means toward investing the players in the game, but it seems more likely to me to have the potential for making the GM's work harder than it is to save effort. Granted, being more specific about the NPCs is more likely to result in material you can use with less effort.However, for certain play styles, such as those that emphasize discovery of the game world by the players, being more specific about what you need is a non starter. Telling them that there's going to be a murder diminishes their discovery (because they should be able to discover it during play). Telling them that it is a frame job flat out wrecks a significant portion of the discovery element, and is similarly likely to wreck the players'enjoyment of the adventure. Heck, something I haven't seen addressed is what if the players just decide to ignore the prince murder plot because they're not in the mood for a mystery? It's one thing if I, the GM, create an NPC that doesn't get used. However, if my players create something I'm going to do everything I can to showcase that content. Because I certainly don't want to give them the impression that I'm forcing them to work like I'm their boss or something. Now we're getting into use of Force to make them interact with their content (as opposed to having the freedom to do what they want).That said, with the right group, yes, this approach may have the potential to save work. But it's important to acknowledge that for other groups it will typically result in more work. Which isn't to say that there aren't other possible benefits, such as increased investment by the players. Rather, the point is that this isn't some panecea for lightening the GM's workload, and can actually result in more work. Not always, but it will depend on how compatible the group is with this technique. If you agree, then we're on the same page.</blockquote>

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