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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Matt Black" data-source="post: 3520987" data-attributes="member: 5477">Only to some extent. Improv is one of those skills in which natural talent plays a very big part. The work that some GMs (I suspect most, including myself) would have to put into improv training to be able to run games without preparation would greatly exceed the prep work that it would replace.It sounds like you are an unusual class of GM, if you can maintain consistency and create the illusion of breadth without any preparation. That's a great skill, but it's hardly a typical skill. Harrison's advice is not valid for most GMs. I don't think it's even valid for most authors - only the ones who write his way. In the discussion following his post he states that a Bob Dylan song made "triple-decker fantasy worlds obsolete". His example is a SONG, not a piece of prose. It really highlights the difference between his approach to writing and that of a 'worldbuilder'. As a writer, Harrison sees himself as a lyricist and poet. He seems more interested in the instantaneous emotion and imagery conjured by his words than in any lasting sense of immersion. Sure, the immediate power of a turn of phrase is what good writing is about. But it's not all there is to being a good writer. A good writer can't rely on good writing alone. You need to do research, to have a feel for your setting, and to know things that your readers don't.The same applies to most GMs. Unless you have freakish improv skills and a perfect memory (natural or hard-won), a game will always benefit from background work.</blockquote>

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