snazzy

Diaper dragon who likes diapers

Just a friendly dragon that wants you to relax a little. NSFW, 18+. He/Him. Asexual/diapersexual.


One thing I've found infinitely useful when prepping RPG material is to make problems open-ended. If you read a lot of modules, like I do, you'll end up reading a lot of text going into the rules and mechanics of a situation and also the acceptable solutions.

When you're writing a book or PDF, it's useful to provide examples of solutions to problems. If the players attempt that solution, then great, you have resources there. Or it gives you the ability to provide hints if players need a nudge. But you can't provide EVERY solution. Maybe you run scenarios for sample groups and incorporate some fun ideas the groups had (if you have time). But mostly you'll just provide like the first and second most likely ways to approach a problem and that's it.

If you've played tabletop RPGs, however, you instantly know that NO plan survives contact with the players. That's one of the things that makes DMing engaging. You're always thinking on the spot because of their shenanigans!

So, because of this, if you're writing your own material for your own party, you don't actually need to write down solutions. You can let the players provide the solutions on their own. It saves you mental energy and time as a DM and it removes the shackles of "there is only one solution" that can plague some modules.

Also, as a sidebar, I'd just like to note that a lot of non-WOTC adventures include language reminding the DM to allow players to come up with creative solutions to problems presented in the module. I wish WOTC adventures included stuff like that! It's always assumed to be allowed, but having it written gives new DMs permission to loosen up a bit.


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in reply to @snazzy's post:

Very true!

Often times I just wait for the players to come up with a solution that they all agree on, and everyone thinks is plausible, or until one of them suddenly comes up with a particularly genius or exotic approach, and then simply make that the actual solution to the problem at hand (whether it "makes sense" or not).
It's much more rewarding that way, saves preparation time, and ensures that players will never run into a brick wall unless they simply stop caring, at which point solving the problem is not more important than them having fun anyway.

Of course it's a good idea to have a backup solution in mind at all times, just in case, especially when the situation is plot-relevant xD

I do the same with most aspects of a campaign though. Virtually everything is improvised, based on the player's actions and decisions.
When I create an environment, and a player asks "Is there a big tree around that I could climb?", I will usually say yes, regardless of whether such a tree was initially planned or not. And if they say "I want to look for someone who can conjure demons", I will at the very least allow them to roll for it, even if such an NPC is difficult to justify within the boundaries of the setting or scenario.

Basically, my players shape the world just as much as I do, provided they're interested in doing so and engage with their surroundings (and me). I still spend WAY too much time preparing entire planets and stories though xP