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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Phantarch" data-source="post: 6767444" data-attributes="member: 6801685">Not to go off topic from the OP, but I am curious how you go about this. I had one DM go ad lib with a campaign once, but it really was just that he lost interest in running the game and started just having us fight random monsters. The game very shortly thereafter ended.What's your technique for running unplanned adventures? Is this for short-term games or do you manage to turn this into long-running campaigns? I'm always looking for ways to improve DMing on the fly (because no matter how much planning you do, players will always find a way to go in a direction you haven't prepared).Back on topic, I do think that the conversation is a bit narrow to try and break it down to strict or free campaigns. There are a number of scenarios involved that change the dynamic considerably.Is the DM preparing a campaign for a regular group of friends, starting a new group by inviting a bunch of friends that might be interested, or recruiting strangers?For example, let's say I want to put together an evil, or at least amoral, pirate campaign. I plan on having adventures that will often require the group to commit acts of theft and murder. I then ask that the players make characters that could work within those confines. Just for giggles, lets say that I ban non-vengeance paladins and clerics of good deities.If I'm presenting this to a regular group of friends that always gets together and it's about that group of friends getting together, I should be willing to change the campaign (either in part or in its entirety) if not everyone is on board for this dark of a campaign. Alternatively, I should let somebody else DM if I'm not feeling creative or inspired enough to do something differently. The important thing is that everybody keeps playing and having fun together.If I'm starting a new group by asking a variety of friends, it becomes a middle of the road scenario. I'm far less obligated to be flexible because I don't have to include all friends, just those that are interested in the campaign. However, having existing relationships outside of the game means that you might need to be flexible to get the right combination of your friends or make allowances for somebody who REALLY wants to play (and others want to play with), but can't quite get on board. It becomes a dialogue to find the best scenario.Finally, if I'm just really excited about the concept and want to run the game, I can try to recruit strangers to form a group. In this case, I feel like I'm the least obligated to be flexible. I can put out there via message board or whatever exactly what I intend to run, and find the players that actually want to play what is presented. I have no obligation to accommodate someone who isn't interested in playing under the parameters I have set forth. What I do have to accept is that the campaign might not happen if there isn't enough interest, or that I might not mesh will with the group of strangers that I selected.The point is, the dynamic changes considerably depending on the players involved.</blockquote>

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