Improvise or Die!

From: Tim Ellis <tim_at_...>
Date: Sat, 23 Nov 2002 15:14:50 +0000

Should one prepare ones adventures? Absolutely. Preparation is very important, It's what allows a session to flow smoothly rather than stagger and stutter from encounter to encounter while the GM stops to consider how stage the next contest. (This is doubly important if you are running an adventure written by someone else - If the players are caught out by an unexpected plot twist then it is a good thing, when the GM is caught out by one it is not!)

So does this mean one should not improvise when running a session? Of course not. Unless you have very compliant players they will not obligingly do everything you expect them to, and trying to make them stick to a script is doomed to failure. (fortunately I find Hero Wars a very easy system to improvise in).

Of course what "preparation" actually means will vary from person to person, and from group to group. Some people prefer to have a definite scenario mapped out before the game starts, others prefer to have a "situation" , and allow the characters to pick their own route through it. I have played games where the GM invents a Situation almost on the spot, and improvises from there - but they work best when they allow the Players to develop the plot up to a certain point, then call a halt to give them the chance to prepare a suitable climax for the following session. (The real skill here is in the pacing - making sure the Players don't exhaust the possibilities too soon, yet have developed some sort of plan by the end of the session...).

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