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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Lanefan" data-source="post: 7732498" data-attributes="member: 29398">Two things here.First, in that log you mention several times you're using a map, and it seems for more than just individual encounters.Second, it's far easier to go mapless in a situation like underdark tunnels that maybe don't meet up very often than it is when trying to pull a castle out of one's head where all the rooms etc. have to a) fit together, b) fit in the building's footprint, and c) connect in a reasonably logical fashion both vertically (stairs etc.) and horizontally (doors, passages, etc.).Given the number of complaints I've seen about high-level 4e I'll take this with a grain of salt, if you don't mind.Another reason I as player don't like fast advancement - I don't have time to get used to one level's worth of abilities and what I can do before another gets piled on.Ditto for the E6 idea for 3e, I suppose.How can that be possible, when you as DM can make up as much content as you need.  And, if it doesn't go to 30, slow it down so you get the same campaign depth out of 1-20 or 1-15.With 4e in particular you can't go from simple farmhand to local hero unless the DM does some serious kitbashing to mechanically fill in the "gap" between a basic commoner and a 1st-level adventurer.  Instead, 4e bakes in the assumption that at 1st level - the theoretical start of your career - you're already significant within your community, thus implying your career is already well underway.  Other editions also exhibit this gap but it's nowhere near as pronounced and is much more easily overcome.And in most cases a DM who knows her game can look ahead and reasonably guesstimate what's coming next, both in the small picture and the large, and be ready for it.In theory you'll have some idea why they're going to Enlil at all, from previous play; and if Enlil is a new place to the PCs it only makes sense they're probably going to start by doing some investigation and info gathering - which means you can anticipate this and  determine ahead of time what relevant info might be there to be gathered, assuming any reasonable success.  Further, you can reasonably guess that if their info gathering fails they're either going to blunder around blind (you can have some seemingly-random encounters ready for this) or leave and go to a different planet (putting you in react mode unless you know from the run of play where they're likely to go next).  You can also reasonably guess what'll happen should their info gathering succeed, and can prepare for that as in theory this will lead to the next phase of whatever adventure they're doing.  And if your guesses are wrong then you're in react mode until you can again predict what might be coming next.This isn't railroading.  It's called being prepared, whether by copious notes or simply in your head.Looked at in a bigger picture, you can reasonably predict at the start of most adventures what'll happen in the game world if they succeed and what'll happen if they fail, and have contingencies and-or consequences in place to suit either outcome.  You might even have a logical next adventure in mind, one for each likely outcome.  And hey - you're on your way to a storyboard, which in your example above (which I'll take liberties with as I don't  know why they're actually on Enlil) might - other than the lousy formatting - look lie this:Enlil - find and bust up smugglers' baseSucceed: move to Fraka and bust up known base there (the PCs' current plan) unless they find info about HQ on GurdaFail: smugglers alerted to party's existence (bad!).  Open season on the PCs unless they go into deep hiding or leave the quadrantFraka - find and bust up smugglers' base, again might find info about Gurda if they look/listen.  Ships etc. that flee Enlil might end up here, pointing to a connection.Succeed: by now they should know there's something bigger behind this, info gather should point to GurdaFail: smugglers alerted to party's existence but now there's less of 'em, not quite as bad.  PCs still in danger, need to dig deeper or hide.Gurda - bust up smugglers' headquarters, discover trade-federation connections (troops, supplies etc.) in the processSucceed: start acting against the trade federation?  Could lead to a long story arc...Fail: smugglers much weakened but now PCs are on radar of the trade federation - could lead to a long story arc and lots of cloak-and-dagger stuff...On paper this would look more like a flowchart with connection lines etc.What this tells me is that I need to design the Enlil and Fraka bases, the Gurda HQ, and a bunch of encounters that would follow a failure at any point.It's not a railroad if a story arc simply and naturally progresses from one thing to the next, and the DM sees this coming and prepares for it.Lanefan</blockquote>

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