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Message: <blockquote data-quote="hawkeyefan" data-source="post: 7353343" data-attributes="member: 6785785">I meant the GM having backstory in mind ahead of play. Given your use of the term "world building" to mean something much different than its standard use, I'm sure you'll forgive my use of a more broad term in conversation. I mean pre-authored campaign material that the GM comes up with prior to play, but which is used not to thwart the players introducing story elements or declaring actions for their characters. So my players gave me a good idea of what each of them wanted for their characters. This was not actually prior to start of play, but at a point when we decided to keep playing after playing the initial adventure module in the 5E starter set to familiarize ourselves with the game. Everyone like it, and liked their characters, so we decided to keep going. So they provided me some background info and goals (some of which had been established in play, some of which had not). I then took those ideas and some that I had, and weaved them together. Some of my ideas were inspired, or further inspired, by ideas of the players. I also had some storiess that I wanted to bring about in play, so I connected those to the players' stories. The ideas I had and the ideas my players had have blended quite a bit. There are some elements about which I can honestly not say who came up with them. Others I know are mine, or a specific player, or the group. So there is a larger story at play, some of which the players are unaware of, and they discover through play. I don't use the pre-authored material to force them down certain paths, or to thwart their ideas. I use it to hopefully enhance the story and play. I know that I have not criticized player driven play at all. I understand it, and why it is enjoyable, and that it is your preferred method of play. However, your stance in this thread seems to criticize GM driven play. Which is fine....but if you criticize that mode of play, and you ask what it is useful for, then that's what I am going to talk about. So your stance on framing, and on player backstory and goals, and all these other elements....you have a very clear understanding of why you like them. What I struggle with is how you fail to see any use for GM driven story elements. Pre-written backstory as a tool like those others and not as an obstacle to players.</blockquote>

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