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<blockquote data-quote="Xetheral" data-source="post: 7910760" data-attributes="member: 6802765">I'm not assuming anything. One of my examples of non-plot-related DM changes that can be pertinent in a location-based game simply happens to apply only to the subset of location-based games where session pacing is important. I used the further example of episodic location-based games as an illustration of a type of location-based game where pacing matters. I am well aware that location-based games can be episodic or non-episodic, and that session pacing can be important or unimportant.As for my games, I run sandbox games that are not location-based. I fill my sandboxes with conflicts, most of which aren't tied to specific locations. Unlike the storyline in an event-based game, however, the conflicts in my games do not have pre-set plot arcs, and I have no agenda regarding how they will progress. Usually the PCs end up involved in multiple such conflicts at the same time, and it's up to them to allocate their characters' time and resources amongst competing, self-selected priorities.On my end I thoroughly blend pre-prepared content with improvisation, and will freely change any and all material up until the moment it enters play. When deciding what content to include I emphasize verisimilitude, reinforcing player agency, and (above all) player enjoyment. Common changes I make include: (1) adjusting encounter difficulty on the fly to match telegraphed difficulty (particularly if it's an improvised encounter), (2) adjusting the sizes of locations/number of encounters to control session pacing, (3) delay or move up interruptions to the PC's current activity to match player moods and keep engagement high, (4) revising later material to tie back to open-ended material that I'd included earlier.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Xetheral, post: 7910760, member: 6802765"] I'm not assuming anything. One of my examples of non-plot-related DM changes that can be pertinent in a location-based game simply happens to apply only to the subset of location-based games where session pacing is important. I used the further example of episodic location-based games as an illustration of a type of location-based game where pacing matters. I am well aware that location-based games can be episodic or non-episodic, and that session pacing can be important or unimportant. As for my games, I run sandbox games that are not location-based. I fill my sandboxes with conflicts, most of which aren't tied to specific locations. Unlike the storyline in an event-based game, however, the conflicts in my games do not have pre-set plot arcs, and I have no agenda regarding how they will progress. Usually the PCs end up involved in multiple such conflicts at the same time, and it's up to them to allocate their characters' time and resources amongst competing, self-selected priorities. On my end I thoroughly blend pre-prepared content with improvisation, and will freely change any and all material up until the moment it enters play. When deciding what content to include I emphasize verisimilitude, reinforcing player agency, and (above all) player enjoyment. Common changes I make include: (1) adjusting encounter difficulty on the fly to match telegraphed difficulty (particularly if it's an improvised encounter), (2) adjusting the sizes of locations/number of encounters to control session pacing, (3) delay or move up interruptions to the PC's current activity to match player moods and keep engagement high, (4) revising later material to tie back to open-ended material that I'd included earlier. [/QUOTE]

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