kjleigh
Initiate Douchebag
Posts: 24
Preferred Game Systems: Savage Worlds
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Post by kjleigh on Jan 2, 2017 22:06:01 GMT -8
Whilst listening to an older episode about prep vs improv I started to wonder about other GMs methods for improvving.
I find myself prepping very little, relying more on knowledge of the game world, NPCs, character agendas and such to drive the story naturally. Prep usually only involves generating lists of names, baddies, and maps. I know there are things I could do to improve my prep, and in turn help my improv.
So, what do you do to prep a game? How heavily to you rely on improv vs prep?
Bonus question: what's your proudest moment of improv?
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Post by uncommonman on Jan 3, 2017 0:27:12 GMT -8
I try to define the world as exactly as posible, that way I know the consequences of the players actions.
I don't have to improvise as much I can use logic to know a big part of the world.
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sbloyd
Supporter
WHAT! A human in a Precursor service vehicle?!
Posts: 2,762
Preferred Game Systems: Storyteller; Dresden; Mage
Favorite Species of Monkey: Goddamnit, Curious George is a CHIMP not a monkey! Stop teaching my daughter improper classification!
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Post by sbloyd on Jan 3, 2017 10:03:53 GMT -8
That was my method, too. Immerse myself in the setting, consider during downtime what is going on offstage while the players were doing their things. Everything else falls into place.
It is also a thing that gets better with exercise - the more you improv, the better you will be at improv, as you pick up new techniques.
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Post by chronovore on Jan 13, 2017 7:03:05 GMT -8
I only ever wrote down the barest of notes between sessions, most of which were speculation about NPCs goals or reactions to the party's actions. I'd let the players discuss at-length what they thought was going on. If anything they proposed made more sense and was more interesting than my read on the situation, I'd change course and proceed with their "facts" instead. My biggest accomplishment in improv was running a six hour game where the party had immediately veered away from where I thought they'd go. All the players agreed it was one of our best sessions. One player later asked how long it had taken me to plan the whole session, since so much had happened. In fairness, I did tell him the whole thing had been pulled out of our collective imagination on the spot.
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sbloyd
Supporter
WHAT! A human in a Precursor service vehicle?!
Posts: 2,762
Preferred Game Systems: Storyteller; Dresden; Mage
Favorite Species of Monkey: Goddamnit, Curious George is a CHIMP not a monkey! Stop teaching my daughter improper classification!
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Post by sbloyd on Jan 13, 2017 7:47:33 GMT -8
I used to run 100% improv, because I never knew who would show up, or what we'd be playing.
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