From: sl9b4@cc.usu.edu (Deep Six)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: Re: Improvisation!
Date: 13 Aug 92 14:44:30 MDT
Organization: Utah State University

In article <BswEMC.KIn@acsu.buffalo.edu>, 
 swann@acsu.buffalo.edu (Stephen Swann) writes:
> In article <BsvzyK.4qH@usenet.ucs.indiana.edu> 
 ericg@bronze.ucs.indiana.edu (Eric Chris Garrison) writes:

Eric Chris Garrison writes:
>>How much improvisation do you do?  Do you improvise 10% of the 
>>time, when characters "go off the map"?  Do you improvise 50% of 
>>the time, writing up a skeleton for "run time" fleshing out?  Do 
>>you improvise even 90% of the time, having a basic premise and 
>>just "wing" it?

I'd say I'm split 50/50 between improvisation and preparation. But
before I go on, I define improvisation as actions, NPCs, areas and
anything else that I make up while I am sitting in my chair in 
front of the players. I define preparation as actions, NPCs, areas
and anything else that I make up before the game starts. Now, I don't
have every single thing in an adventure prepared, but I try to. For
example -- there is a desk in a certain room. It is on the map, but
I sure as hell don't have the contents of the desk written down 
(unless there's something there I want the characters to find). If 
the players want to search the desk, I know what I will do. I will
tell them it's full of uninteresting papers, then I'll roll some
dice to see if there is something unusual. I don't consider that to
be improvisation, that's just filling in small gaps in the scenario.

I usually prepare a general plot, with specific points I expect the
characters to pass through (Point 1 - they find a notebook with some
radio frequencies. Point 2 - they monitor the frequencies and find 
out there is a big terrorist attack going down soon. Point 3 - they
make their way to the prescibed area to stop the attack. Point 4 -
a red herring, a chance encounter, or another opportunity that might
extract them. Point 5 - the characters bypass the distractions and
stop the terrorists). Now, everything in between is not prepared per
se, but I have an idea of what will happen. That area between the 
points is not what I consider improv, it's variables.

However, if the players decide they do want to go off the map, so to
speak, that's what I call improv. If they get interested in something
else and wander around, I can improvise, make up spot encounters and 
map areas off the top of my head (sometimes you can make the players
think you had that part prepared too).

This happens about 50 percent of the time, but it is almost always 
secondary to the main event (the prepared areas). The improv areas are
usually not as engaging, realistic or fun.

Stephen Swann writes:
> Preparation is fine (in fact necessary) for the beginning DM, or for
> a DM learning a new gaming system. 

Hmm. I have been GMing in various systems since 1982 or so, and I prepare
a lot. Does that make me a beginning DM? I think games that are 99% 
improvised (by my definition) can get kind of silly. Game sessions tend 
to start out like ``Well, what should we do?'' And they continue with 
the players wandering almost aimlessly, finding unlikely adventure (GM: 
Uh, yeah, you find a job, you want to take it?) It's also harder to have 
complex plots and scenarios when you just wing it. If you can give the 
plot some thought, think up some twists (or maybe multiple ones) and throw 
in some good problems, I think the players can get more out of the game. 

Now, some of you might say, ``Well, I've been GMing since Christ was a
corporal, and I can make up ingenious plots extemporaneously at will.''
I don't buy it. If you can make up exciting story lines complete with
intrigue and twists off the top of your head, you're probably in the
wrong business. OTOH, if you have complex plot lines, NPCs, problems and 
other subtlties floating around in your head ready to use, I think I would 
consider that preparation, it's just not written on paper.

Stephen Swann writes:
> After that, why bother, it's more fun to make it up as you go along.  :-)

I do make it up as I go along, but I do it before the players show up
to the game. That way you can forsee problems, make adjustments and really
be, well, prepared for the game.

Okay,
+  Chadd  L.  VanZanten   SL9B4@CC.USU.EDU  +
+  ``You know,  I thought this was a good   +
+  idea but this is one weird mama-jama.''  +
+                    -- TV's Frank, MST3K   +
 

Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc