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<blockquote data-quote="Insight" data-source="post: 4575611" data-attributes="member: 11437">As both a DM and an author, I can tell you that trying to comingle the two is a HUGE mistake.&nbsp; As an author, you predestine what happens to your characters.&nbsp; You have full control of the characters and the outcome of your plot.&nbsp; Creating an adventure that's intended for the player characters to be protagonists (to drive the plot) is like writing about 1/3 of the novel: laying the foundation without any plot points.As a DM, the best you can hope is that what you lay out (the foundation) incites the player characters (and the players driving them) to eventually get to the ending/climcatic battle/whatever that you envision.&nbsp; You absolutely should not (and probably can't) control the plot at any point past when you first ask, &quot;OK.&nbsp; What do you do?&quot;I think the problem occurs when a DM decides he/she's an author and tries to control the plot past that point.&nbsp; There's a saying, &quot;No plan survives beyond first contact with the enemy.&quot;&nbsp; I think that's wise for DMs to consider when desigining their adventures.&nbsp; Assume that whatever you lay out (and how effectively you do it) contributes directly to what the players choose to do, but that, after that point, you must give up direct control of the rest of the plot.There are, of course, many correlations between novel writing and DMing (at least in terms of creating adventures).&nbsp; There are tips you learn from writing fiction that apply directly to creating adventures.&nbsp; For one thing, embedding clues and nascent plot points in your open is a great practice.&nbsp; Drop hints as to where the story's going.&nbsp; Focus on NPCs that directly affect the plot of your adventure.&nbsp; Consider things like theme and characterization (although, for an adventure, I wouldn't go overboard here - the players will forget the majority of this stuff by the first combat).</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Insight, post: 4575611, member: 11437"] As both a DM and an author, I can tell you that trying to comingle the two is a HUGE mistake. As an author, you predestine what happens to your characters. You have full control of the characters and the outcome of your plot. Creating an adventure that's intended for the player characters to be protagonists (to drive the plot) is like writing about 1/3 of the novel: laying the foundation without any plot points. As a DM, the best you can hope is that what you lay out (the foundation) incites the player characters (and the players driving them) to eventually get to the ending/climcatic battle/whatever that you envision. You absolutely should not (and probably can't) control the plot at any point past when you first ask, "OK. What do you do?" I think the problem occurs when a DM decides he/she's an author and tries to control the plot past that point. There's a saying, "No plan survives beyond first contact with the enemy." I think that's wise for DMs to consider when desigining their adventures. Assume that whatever you lay out (and how effectively you do it) contributes directly to what the players choose to do, but that, after that point, you must give up direct control of the rest of the plot. There are, of course, many correlations between novel writing and DMing (at least in terms of creating adventures). There are tips you learn from writing fiction that apply directly to creating adventures. For one thing, embedding clues and nascent plot points in your open is a great practice. Drop hints as to where the story's going. Focus on NPCs that directly affect the plot of your adventure. Consider things like theme and characterization (although, for an adventure, I wouldn't go overboard here - the players will forget the majority of this stuff by the first combat). [/QUOTE]

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