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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Gomer212" data-source="post: 6133030" data-attributes="member: 6746022">I always fancied my games to be halfway between "railroading" and "sandboxing"I always present a clear quest line to my players.  It is entirely up to them if they follow it or not, but I warn them that skipping it may make for a boring game session.  (Walking randomly through the woods hoping for a grand adventure to land in your lap may get tedious.)  Most (pretty much all) players will naturally embark on the quests presented them.  That is what the characters were created for, after all.From there, it's important to give them difficult choices.  At various points, make them make decisions about the story.  Place forks in the road, force them to think.  Consider advantages and disadvantages of each choice (but the players may not necessarily know them.)  And never say "no" when they inevitably come up with a choice you hadn't thought of.  You'll have to think on the fly.  This is the bread and butter of being a DM.Make sure to include the option for side quests to pop up.  Completing them provides bonus rewards, but perhaps there is a penalty too.  Maybe during the time they spent saving that town from the werewolves, their adversary used to bolster his defenses at the next dungeon.When I used to DM in face to face sessions, this game style was quite easy for me.  If the players came up with something unexpected, I would run it on the fly, make stuff up as I went along.  All we used for visuals were a few simple minis and a dry erase grid, so it was easy to shape the game any way I wanted.Now that I DM online with VTTs like Maptools, this game has become much harder.  I prepare maps for where I expect the PCs to go, but can't prepare for every option.  I end up making maps that I never even use, and sometimes I end up without a map that I need and have to build something on the spot.I guess the overall idea here is, I prefer to present the players with a main quest line, but I make sure they must make difficult decisions along the way.  It's not easy, but you'll leave the gaming table with something memorable.</blockquote>

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