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Message: <blockquote data-quote="hawkeyefan" data-source="post: 7335671" data-attributes="member: 6785785">That’s fair. I don’t blame you. I was working with the example provided. Finding a map in and of itself would likely not be a challenge I introduce to my game. At least not in the manner described in the example.Maybe an example from my game would help show how I think GM backstory can enhance a game. Otherwise, I think we’re running into the issue summarized well by [MENTION=16814]Ovinomancer[/MENTION] and his “Chess vs. Checkers” analogy. So the PCs in my game became co-owners of the Phandelver Mines at the completion of the Lost Mines of Phandelver module from the 5E Starter Set. We ran that as an intro to the system, but everyone was happy with their PCs, so we decided to continue the campaign. So one of the goals of the PCs became to establish trade routes to increase their income from the mine. So we looked at the map and we discussed options. This discussion was very high level, pros and cons of different routes and/or locations. Then based on that discussion, I came up with some material for each option. Most of this material was tailored to a specific option, but I also came up with some generic material I could use no matter which route they decided to pursue. So the next session, the players made their choice...they decided it would be most lucrative to establish a trade route to the Heartlands of Cormyr and the Dales. So based on their choice, I then began to incorporate the material I had in mind for that choice....it included some elements from the Princes of the Apocalypse module because the area detailed in that adventure was a first step aling the proposed trade route. It also involved the Empire of Shade, because the trade route ran along the southern portion of the Anauroch Desert, which belongs to the Shades. This worked well because one of our PCs has ties to the Empire of Shade. So the PCs sent a delegation to work out some kind of trade agreement qith the Shades that would allow the PC’s company to establish a trade route through their land. I didn’t commit to a specific “victory condition” for this delegation, and I did have the PCs become embroiled in some internal political intrigue amongst the Shades. So their success depended on their approach and what they offered to the Shades, and also how they handled the intrigue. So although I pre-authored a lot of the elements that came into play, I was never forcing the players down a certain path. Everything I came up with was in response to player choice. I did draw upon existing Forgotten Realms lore to determine which elements might come into play, but I bery much cherry pick in that regard. I don’t adhere to whatever the current lore is and instead choose the ones that interest us as a group. I hope this example helps to illustrate how the players are still driving much of the action and direction of this game, even though it does contain elements of GM backstory.</blockquote>

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