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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Inchoroi" data-source="post: 6664157" data-attributes="member: 6752135">Do your players like randomness? My players love it. I generate pretty much everything save the actual plot randomly...it ends up with some funny things happening. NPCs suddenly become more interesting when they're like real people--you don't have a clue what motivates them until you actually talk to them. The 5e DMG makes this a lot easier, and I usually use it to randomly generate sidequests off the main plot, because my players like to go off the rails, anyway, so I might as well have something fun for them to do. The DMG's Quick Monster Stats Table is very useful in this regard. For other ideas, I HIGHLY, HIGHLY suggest having "Character Hooks" available for the players when they make characters--meaning you'll have to come up with them based on your existing plot. This allows them to make characters that actually have something to do with the plot itself, rather than just random people adventuring. And then, when you have their backstories, actually incorporate them into the game.Ex. One of my player's characters is an escaped Princess wanted by the Queen so the Princess can marry the Prince, and the Queen can control them both--instead, she ran away and became an adventurer. However, the Queen has put bounties on her, and there are NPCs actively hunting her, and getting involved with the bad guys to do so.Another character is going to meet some NPCs from his backstory in a couple sessions, one of which has an entire quest that he gives..another of which is going to try to kill them all in a horrible, violent fashion. I also like to ask the players, before planning anything out in long-form, what it is they want out of a game, and make a list; after I have that list, I try to incorporate as much of that as I can.For example, one of my players loves character development more than anything--setting, she doesn't care about, plot she doesn't care about, but if you allow her to develop her character in a role-play fashion, rather than just levels, she's perfectly happy. Another player loves sandbox, magic items galore, and exploration; a third player likes survival and camping and exploration, etc. I also like to have situations where the end result isn't a guaranteed win--the PCs can lose. My players know this, and live in that barest fear of failing, even though its just a game. One thing I would desperately love to have is a "Campaign Synopsis Creation" thread, where people, experienced GMs, or others, would get together and build a campaign from scratch; not the details, obviously, but for a good example what I mean, check 4e's Demonomicon (its the only one that comes to mind). It has a three-part campaign written out, which details the big events that happen, part by part, and not just a one-paragraph synopsis (now, its not to say that its a very good campaign...but hey, at least its an example). That would allow us who suck at coming up with big plots to take that and build it into a complete campaign, because the big stuff is already decided. I'd really, really, really, really like this sort of thread series. Of course, I can do this with Adventure Paths, but building it is part of the fun, for me, at least. I'm just not that good at coming up with the big plot (I refer to myself as a Technically Proficient DM[SUP]TM[/SUP]).EDIT: Also, buy a Yes/No die from Chessex. Its the best thing ever. Whenever the party suggests something, no matter how outlandish, I roll the Yes/No die. If its a Yes, it happens. They've learned to dread that die.In addition, I have a "Vote for Awesomeness" thing, where the players, at the end of a session, vote for one player to get a Plot Point (from the DMG) for the next session. They've got to use it that next session, or its gone; it adds an incentive to do awesome things in character.EDIT EDIT: Also, to echo something above, don't say No; say, "Yes, but..." I also ask my players ahead of time of anything special that they want for their characters (e.g. "I want this special magic item!" or "I want a magic item that does X.") or that they want, as players, to play through with their characters (e.g. "I really want to fight dragons.").</blockquote>

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