From: swann@acsu.buffalo.edu (Stephen Swann)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: Re: Improvisation!
Date: 20 Aug 92 17:59:59 GMT
Organization: UB

In article <1992Aug19.204645.58276@cc.usu.edu> sl9b4@cc.usu.edu (Deep Six) writes:
> [ "combo of improv & prep makes for the best game" ]
>This is what I have been talking about since this thread began. I got 
>involved with this discussion when Steve said he improvises 99% of the
>time and prepare 1% of the time (and that was to work with the world
>campaign map, I think).

In the last couple of years, I've prepared 
 (1) a full campaign map (previously, my players had only had access 
to regional maps)
 (2) the floormap of a wizard's mansion (which the players had warned
me that they were planning on assaulting it).
 (3) a "brief" on the contents of a scroll that the players had captured
 (4) a short history of a long-dead race, some of whose artifacts the
group had just discovered (the paper was to represent a summary of
what they learned from consultations with several sages)
 (5) "general prep" - thinking up possible sceanrios and NPC's while
I'm doing things like driving or cutting the lawn.  :-) Now the fact
is that I think of just as many (actually more) scenarios while playing
than while "off duty".  Probably because my attention is vastly more
focussed while playing.

As I already mentioned, in the "early" days of my campaign, I prepared
quite a bit more (although I still improv'ed random encounters on a
regular basis, which is where a lot of my important NPC's came from).

>A mix is best for me also. I prepare a good-sized outline of the scenario,
>with the basic events, NPCs, encounters, clues, items and areas. When I 
>see a place in the plot line where the players might diverge from the 
>scenario, I prepare what I think of as ``sub-flooring,'' which is just
>knowing what I will do if the PCs go off script at a certain time (like
>if they want to check out the shops in a town they travel to).

See, what I do, is think up a "general idea" for a scenario.  I've
posted enough of my improv scenarios that I think you have a good idea
by now of what I mean by that.  And the level of detail that I post is
about as thoroughly as I think it through in advance, although
sometimes I'll go to the trouble of deciding ("generally") what
equipment/wealth the NPC's will have, and maybe thinking roughly what
the terrain and/or buildings will be like.  I'll then fill in details
as required, while playing.

>they totally go out of the scenario AND off of my sub-flooring, hey --
>I'll wing it. 

Caught ya!  :-)

>I don't have a problem with coming up with stuff on the fly,
>it's just that I could never be in or run a game where practically every
>thing is that way (okay, I can't really say that cuz I've tried neither, 
>but I don't THINK I could play in or run that kind of game).

Aha!  :-)  Well, I have tried both ways, and you already know the
choices I made.  Although I would have to say here that I've played
(briefly) with some really lousy improv GM's and some really lousy
full-prep GM's.  The full prep ones were actually quite fun, the
improv ones were unbearably awful.  So, if there's a moral to this,
I guess it's: if you're not sure of yourself, full prep is "safer".

-- 
Steve Swann                 |    Speak to me in many voices; make
swann@acsu.buffalo.edu      |      them all sound like one...  -BOC