I am still a relatively new GM. I'm about to start book 6 of my first AP and first time DMing. I want to get to a point where I can roll with any curveballs thrown my way. So, I would like to learn from people that have done this.
If you've run APs and had PCs go off on unexpected and unforeseen tangents, how have you dealt with it? Did you try to get them back on track? Let them go? Did you ask for a break in the session to gather some thoughts?
I want to hear from y'all.
Check a Video from a Big DM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rKU2e5Xrx1k&list=PL7atuZxmT955pr6CT8kxN Go9lFEmAeuey&index=51| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
For more minor unexpected stuff, I usually go with the "Yes, and..." improv rule. I like rewarding player creativity.I've never done improv or taken any theater classes. Can you describe what you mean by this? It sounds intriguing.
A fundamental principle of improv is to build the story by having everybody agree on the basic information of the situation, so when someone suggests "there's got to be a meeting hall in the village, right" you agree, because of course there is even if you didn't imagine one being there before a player suggested it. This is the "Yes" part of "Yes, and..."
But in addition to everybody agreeing on the premise of the situation, you want to keep the story moving forward so after you agree you want to add new information for the other people to react to. So after saying "yes, there is a meeting hall" you can say "it might not be available since the mayor's cousin was found dead there just this morning." Adding the additional information after agreeing to the basic premise is the "And..." part of "Yes, and..."
The third part of this is "Don't block/deny". So if the PCs want to know if there's somewhere they can get a boat don't ever say "no, there are no boats available anywhere." You don't have to make it easy for them to get a boat, or even allow them to get a boat in the end, but if the PCs want to get a boat for something you should let them try. "The PCs require use of a boat and don't have the funds to just buy one outright so have to secure one another way" is a good little mini-plot, after all." So instead of "no boats whatsoever" you can instead mention "well, there are some shacks down by the docks in the bay" so to give them some idea of where to seek boating.
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For more minor unexpected stuff, I usually go with the "Yes, and..." improv rule. I like rewarding player creativity.I've never done improv or taken any theater classes. Can you describe what you mean by this? It sounds intriguing.
The principle, I believe, is that during an improv scene, when your improv partner(s) do something, you aren't supposed to find a way to negate it (basically saying "no"). Instead, they encourage you to go with it and add your own twist on it, so you're saying "yes, that's happening, and...[this other thing is happening too] [this is how I feel about it] [etc.]."
So, for example, your player wants to fly to the top of the tower and get in through the upper windows instead of one of the ground floor doors. Instead of just saying "nope, all the windows are locked, too bad," you let them do it. So they get through one of the windows...and maybe there's a lurking vampire! Or the wizard of the tower is playing cards with friends and is annoyed that you interrupted his game. Or someone was being held captive and was in the process of breaking out, but now the PCs have mucked up those plans and either have to give the person a hand or get them out of the way.
I've never actually done improv either, so I hope I'm explaining it all right. I heard of it because I know a lot of theater nerds. :-)
Ah, I see PossibleCabbage has beaten me to the explanation. And done it rather better, I think. :-)
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I think if the players are looking for a boat in a desert with no sea (glass or otherwise) nearby that is at least an opportunity to improvise a story about how funny old Tamir the carpenter spent his dotage making canoes, catamarans, and kayaks in his shed then wrapping them in tarps and burying them in the sand claiming that everybody will thank him later someday.
It's not like a fantasy world can't be populated with people who are every bit as irrational as players can be sometimes.
For more minor unexpected stuff, I usually go with the "Yes, and..." improv rule. I like rewarding player creativity.I've never done improv or taken any theater classes. Can you describe what you mean by this? It sounds intriguing.A fundamental principle of improv is to build the story by having everybody agree on the basic information of the situation, so when someone suggests "there's got to be a meeting hall in the village, right" you agree, because of course there is even if you didn't imagine one being there before a player suggested it. This is the "Yes" part of "Yes, and..."
But in addition to everybody agreeing on the premise of the situation, you want to keep the story moving forward so after you agree you want to add new information for the other people to react to. So after saying "yes, there is a meeting hall" you can say "it might not be available since the mayor's cousin was found dead there just this morning." Adding the additional information after agreeing to the basic premise is the "And..." part of "Yes, and..."
The third part of this is "Don't block/deny". So if the PCs want to know if there's somewhere they can get a boat don't ever say "no, there are no boats available anywhere." You don't have to make it easy for them to get a boat, or even allow them to get a boat in the end, but if the PCs want to get a boat for something you should let them try. "The PCs require use of a boat and don't have the funds to just buy one outright so have to secure one another way" is a good little mini-plot, after all." So instead of "no boats whatsoever" you can instead mention "well, there are some shacks down by the docks in the bay" so to give them some idea of where to seek boating.
Really nice!
Well, I jumped un feet first about 15 months ago running Mummy's Mask for a group of experienced players (my friends) and Giantslayer for a group of noobs (my son and his friends). Besides the above excellent advice, here's what I do:
While reading through each book/section, I type up a summary of each encounter, including a list of creatures encountered along with any NPCs that are relevant. I often put in some comments regarding possible PC reactions, or some thoughts on how I should role-play NPCs and baddies. I also include a list of major treasure items, traps, and any important skill rolls that may be required or helpful.
I'm fortunate in that I have a well stocked Hero Lab install, which makes encounter prep a snap. I only output statblocks, however, since the paper/ink costs are pretty high. Regardless of how you do this part, a list with tactics is very helpful.
Also, I spend a fair amount of time with necessary maps. I have several Chessex maps, which helps with sandboxes (you never know where they'll go next), but printouts and/or stock maps are helpful, too. For that matter, a good idea of how to quickly draw up an encounter may be all you need beforehand.
Finally, I've found that saying "no, you can't do that" doesn't work well. If you REALLY don't want the party heading down a path you aren't prepared to deal with, find interesting ways to discourage them. "As you round the corner, you notice what appear to be Tarrasque footprints." (j/k).
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The Cautious Yes works, but you need to keep things 'real'. If the campaign is thin on magic, Town watch wearing +3 full Plate are not going to be the rule. An area where Elves and Dwarves are warring is not likely to look favorable on a so mixed party. Conversely, a cosmopolitan city will look down on a Dwarf frenzying on a passing orc.
Letting your players into the creation of the setting will ease your work, particularly when something odd crawls across the table. Why do trolls hide under bridges? To limit and control the encounter ranges. A well worn riverbed is clear terrain to him, but difficult to the players. Actually had penalties for the water affecting them, but the trolls were too heavy to notice. The dirty trick was the players created the extras. All I did was say two trolls were flanking an overgrown bridge.
For the people that have dealt with wandering PCs, did you ask for breaks in order to brainstorm ideas? Or keep everything rolling?
Our game sessions tend to be relaxed, wandering, affairs to begin with.
Just give us 20 minutes or so & we'll probably digress into a discussion of GoT, real life stuff, football/baseball, terrible movies, etc. So no need to call a break. Ones always around the corner. :)It's amazing how much I can brainstorm as we waste 15 minutes going on about some of this stuff though.
But it doesn't hurt that I've already identified the most likely points of deviation in the sessions plan & considered 3 likely responses....
Hmm...there are a LOT of truly great ideas, advice and so much more from some DMs (I'm old school so it's DM for me)here. I have to admit that since I started running games way back in'78', I've almost never used modules, adventure paths or hardly anything published. I've read a LOT of them but always had this silly, stubborn streak in me that made me wing my own adventures. Initially, when I run a game, whether it's for a new group or a well-seasoned group of players, I have a few notes as to where they are, important organizations, NPCs and some other details. I have a GENERAL idea of where the party is starting but I love it when the party just takes off on one hell of a tangent that I NEVER saw coming. A case in point; years ago, a group of players that included a guy playing a mage was hired to recover an ancient book of magic from some ruins deep in a black, foggy swamp. The party recovered the tome & were on their way out when they came across a pyrohydra that was fighting a bunch of korax (aquatic orcs)near some ancient, collapsed ruins. The hydra also noticed the party and even though they weren't allies with the korax, both sides realized that if they didn't cooperate, both parties would die. After the battle with the dead hydra was over and only one korax left that had sworn a life-oath because the mage had saved his life, the mage asked what the ruins were. I told him that it was an ancient, collapsed temple. Well, silly me! My player asked WHO the temple was devoted to and off of the top of my head, I said Isis. Little did I know that my friend was a huge fan of egyptian lore. Knowing that 1.Isis was a goddess of magic & 2. the current deity of magic was Mezron, he asked what had happened to Isis and where she went. Well, this was when the party was about 5th level. By the time that question had been answered, the party had reached 15th level and had discovered that the god Mezron had made a deal with Asmodeus to entomb Isis within a great circle of corrupted stones of power on the 9th layer of hell, backstabbed so to speak by Mezron so many decades ago. My gaming philosophy is simply this; if it's not fun, why are we (including you, the GM) doing it? After all, your players could be doing any number of things but have chosen to spend time in a shared alternative reality. I just wing it for about 90+ of my games and it seems to have worked pretty well so far. Remember, you're games are like mind-movies and the PCs are the stars so make it a good one! One more important note. ALWAYS keep a notebook nearby just to jot down great ideas, names and other info that pops into your head. If you don't, keeping those ideas around is almost like trying to keep smoke within your closed fist, they fade.