Letting the Players Run the Campaign -- Without Them Knowing It?

[brehobit]

This is exactly what I've been doing since I started DMing all those years ago.

Quite a lot of fun.

-TRRW

Russ?

Seriously, one of the best DMs I've had did this. The biggest problem is when the players figure it out. It takes away a bit of the fun.

But the world was very imagiative.

Mark

 

[Mr. Wilson]

Indeed. This is my preferred style of DMing. Basically, I have a general idea of the PC's foes and what they are trying to accomplish, then I let the players handle the situation.

Besides, 5 minds thinking through plots usually is better than 1. If they imagine something and logically think it through, why not roll with it?

 

[I'm A Banana]

For a good handle on this, you might want to read Arboretum. It makes random stuff come together pretty nicely.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Just throw out a collection of random facts, rumors, characters, and hooks. The players will then come up with a theory to connect it all that will likely be more entertaining than anything I could have thought of ... and the campaign goes off in that direction.

It's even better when they come up with a great idea, then reject it ... 'cause you can select that theory to be true, and later they smack themselves 'cause they thought of the solution and threw it out!

and

I fear I would not have the requisite with-it-ness to pull this off successfully.

I started using this technique in 1991- it worked so well I kicked myself for not trying it before.

I was running a HERO Superheroes campaign set in the campaign world set up in the game Space: 1889 (good gameworld, BTW). Once the PCs came together in a cohesive group- as agents of G.A.I.A. (a global police agency where the "00" agents were supers), every session, I'd hand out the agency's internal memo. Each memo had "news of the world" as well as a recap of the team's exploits (as composed by a rah-rah, quas-jingoistic in-house reporter..."Good going, chaps!"). The stuff in the "news" section was full of gossip, rumors, news, and so forth- all plot hooks and echoes of PC background tie-ins.

After the session started, I'd post the memo on the game group's cork-board, and everyone could read it during cutaways, food breaks, or even other times between sessions.

Invariably, the players would openly speculate about the memo's content. I'd just sit there listening to them gossip and let them supply me with PILES of ideas and tangents.

After writing the initial 3 adventures myself, the players supplied every single plot, either directly or in the negative- IOW, I wrote something askew of their speculations.

Worked great for years, until I moved away. Nobody suspected a thing...at least, nobody said anything to me about it.

Since then, I've done the same with FRPGs with postings on the town message poles in the square, etc., and E-mail makes it easier to post the memos to the whole group AND watch them speculate.

 

[Turanil]

If the players knew the DM was doing this, then the campaign might not seem as fun. But I've gotten pretty good at keeping my "DM face" and making the players believed I am prepared even when I am not over the years. I think this kind of campaign might be kind of fun to run. What do you think?

100% agreed. This is an excellent way of running games, BUT provided the players still believe the adventure was prepared and they figured it out of their briliant deductions. Myself I am for not winding it entirely, but having a flexible barebone that can be adjusted rather than being totally improvised.

 

[Darklone]

I try to do this all the time. I prepare for it and I'm ready if the PCs are not up to it.

 

[howandwhy99]

It's even better when they come up with a great idea, then reject it ... 'cause you can select that theory to be true, and later they smack themselves 'cause they thought of the solution and threw it out!

:shakes fist in impotent rage:
Grrrr!!

 

[FreeTheSlaves]

Hmm, I've had mixed results with this.

Ime, the "without them knowing it" was a big mistake - it led to much suckfulness.

Working with players on the other hand was a great move. What we do between sessions is plan likely moves not only of the heroes but also of the other important figures.

As an aside, it is a breath of fresh air to have the people and organisations make mistakes or strike it lucky when they act on their incomplete knowledge. It reinforces the double-edged power of consequences.