Plotting and RPing....

[lotuseater]

For plotting, that gets trickier. Go read up on the "3 act model" for plays and movies. The gist is:
act 1:
see hero be awesome (introduction of character)
see hero run into problem (or it runs into him)
see hero start working on problem
act 2:
see hero work on problem (a few more encounters...)
setback on here (hero had moment where it looked like problem was solved, then it got worse, much worse)
act 3:
hero works to overcome worse situation
hero confronts BBEG (climax)
hero is shown afterwards with happy ending (denouement)

I think Janx's idea of the 3 act structure is a very good one for coming up with over arching plots that will take you through several sessions.

One thing I will add, which can help in both the long term and the short term, is to think about motivation. As other people have mentioned, have a good understanding of the motivations of the pc's. But also make sure that you have a good idea of the motivations of the npcs they encounter. Even a random encounter can be spiced up by giving a reason for its occurrence.

For example, maybe you roll a random encounter with dire rats. What kind of motivation do dire rats have? well, maybe they happen to be eating some half rotten corpse when the party happens upon them. After the encounter, if they search the body, maybe the pcs find some clues to the adventure they are on, or some hooks for another adventure. But just the simple fact that you have given the rats a reason for being where they are makes the encounter seem a bit less random.

Hope this helps

 

[Desdichado]

In my experience, the best way to get combats to be more exciting than "I attack" and "You miss" is to lead by example. Make the combat "arena" an interesting place with things that the PCs (and NPCs) can use in combat. Difficult terrain, improvised weapons, in a pinch even just the cliched curtains to swing in on and tables to jump up on top of.

As for "plotting"; I don't believe in coming up with extensive plots ahead of time. I have NPCs. Those NPCs have goals and agendas. The PCs are going to be impacted by those goals and agenda, so as soon as they find out about them, there's some kind of action they'll want to take. Then, all I have to do is make sure enough clues get out there that the PCs do find out about them. The PCs do their thing. The NPCs adjust their plans based on PC action.

I treat it more like that, rather than plotting the game itself, per se. Although that said, a few nice set-piece confrontations or battles are really nice, and they do require a bit of planning. Even if you have plenty of flexibility on how exactly you bring them about.

 

[JediJake]

I've run into these problems before too, and the RP advice and finding motivations on plot etc is very good and worth using to find out what works best for you. I try to only plan 2-5 sessions in advance because the "heroes" inevitably change my schemes.

As for the descriptions;I've started using a stunt system, if characters get action points which can add a 1d6 to any d20 roll, and I've also included damage when used in combat. The hero makes a skill check with a flowery description, bluff to feint, endurance to weather blows, stuff like that and if they succeed on the check, usually a 9 or better on the die, they get an action point.

I like the neat description granting a +1 bonus to ac, damage, attack and am most likely going to take it for myself!

Good gaming, Jake