Do you change your adventure around to suit your players?

Storm Queen · Post by **Storm Queen** » Sun Sep 16, 2007 12:16 am

Do you change your adventure around to suit your players? If your players get obsessed about a particular facet of the adventure, do you make that more prominent or stick with the original scenario "as is"? I think this is more relevant to the sandbox style adventure than a plot-based one.

See, I'm currently running the first Blacktooth Ridge adventure, and the player's are interested in this rumour that the local dwarves may be starting up a war soon, and trying to track down various fairy mushrooms in the woods. Since this is what they are 'interested' in, and focusing on, I was going make these elements more prominent in the campaign, even though they started off as rumours and red herrings.
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Dagger · Post by **Dagger** » Sun Sep 16, 2007 12:51 am

Absolutely! In all the games I've played in my gaming career, I'm usually the DM. It never ceases to amaze me the things that players will latch on to in an adventure. I ran some of the Eberron adventures when I was still into d20, and my players got interested in the backstory of one of the NPCs and completely strayed from the original storyline! Rather than try to force them back to the module's plot, I played it by ear and it turned out way better than the module would have been.

serleran · Post by **serleran** » Sun Sep 16, 2007 1:10 am

The players make the adventure. Its that simple.

CharlieRock · Post by **CharlieRock** » Sun Sep 16, 2007 1:17 am

Finding something the players like is a good sign. Play it out.
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seskis281 · Post by **seskis281** » Sun Sep 16, 2007 1:18 am

Improvisation in adventure is always key for me.... even when I spend hours preparing a pre-written module or my own written scenarios and adventure paths if I'm not flexible enough to allow for the characters to make moves and alter the flow of the campaign then the result won't be nearly as good as if the world is really THEIR world and what they make of it.
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Treebore · Post by **Treebore** » Sun Sep 16, 2007 1:28 am

Yeah, go with the flow. When I ran A 1 they did a lot fo "side stuff". I didn't ignore the main part of A1, I kept having them hear of actions taken by the Red Caps, etc... and eventually the Red Caps became important enough for them to deal with. Then they went through A1, A2, and eventually A3. At 10th level. So just go with the flow, but don't "drop" A1, just have news being heard that lets them know the issues still exist. Sooner or later they'll decide to deal with it.

Also add reasons why the government isn't taking care of it. Such as the forces of Unklar are moving against the United Kingdoms to the west, and the Emperess has called for all troops and able bodied mercenaries to protect the Western Border. Plus have rumors of Outremere joining the United Kingdoms in the war against Unklar. This will explain why no one is around to handily deal with the Red Caps. Plus why the Baron of Botkinburg will eventually ask the PC's to deal with it.
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Tadhg · Post by **Tadhg** » Sun Sep 16, 2007 1:47 am

Storm Queen wrote:
*snip*

See, I'm currently running the first Blacktooth Ridge adventure, and the player's are interested in this rumour that the local dwarves may be starting up a war soon, and trying to track down various fairy mushrooms in the woods. Since this is what they are 'interested' in, and focusing on, I was going make these elements more prominent in the campaign, even though they started off as rumours and red herrings.

Excellent. I would do the same.

And yes, I add/change/delete to suit the players and basically allow them to do anything or go anywhere, even if it's completely away from the current module or adventure.

Especially with Blacktooth Ridge, my group went all over the place including a trip to nearby Shadows of Halfling Hall.

If they decide to go NW or W, they would have encountered the Keep on the Borderland or Quesqueton.

After exploring the Vargolg and returning to Botkinburg, they agreed (with a presented hook) to go to Yggsburgh. If they didn't swallow the hook, then pretty much every way has an adventure or module ready for the taking.

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DangerDwarf · Post by **DangerDwarf** » Sun Sep 16, 2007 12:19 pm

Yup, change them or scrap them entirely. If nothing else, I've learned over the past 20+ years that even the best planned adventures can be laid to waste by a group of unwitting players.
I usually try to give my players options. Throw a small area at them and turn them loose with free reign. Let 'em nose around, find some adventure seeds and go where they want.

imweasel · Post by **imweasel** » Sun Sep 16, 2007 3:16 pm

DangerDwarf wrote:
Yup, change them or scrap them entirely. If nothing else, I've learned over the past 20+ years that even the best planned adventures can be laid to waste by a group of unwitting players.
I usually try to give my players options. Throw a small area at them and turn them loose with free reign. Let 'em nose around, find some adventure seeds and go where they want.

I couldn't agree more.
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Catweazle · Post by **Catweazle** » Sun Sep 16, 2007 4:39 pm

serleran wrote:
The players make the adventure. Its that simple.

Absolutely. If they want to check out Y instead of X, the game's about Y.
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SavageRobby · Post by **SavageRobby** » Mon Sep 17, 2007 11:27 am

I like when players express a particular interest in something. Saves me some creative work.

Nelzie · Post by **Nelzie** » Mon Sep 17, 2007 1:06 pm

You really have to.

I have to add something that I wasn't going to be using in our next session because the players were so keen on bringing it up.
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Omote · Post by **Omote** » Mon Sep 17, 2007 7:57 pm

I almost have to always configure the adventure to the musings of the PCs. I can't tell you how many times the PCs would find an object, or other bit of information that is rather irrelavent to the adventure, but they obsess over it. Most often I expands or re-work certain aspects of an adventure just so that the players get something out of every roleplaying adventure.

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DangerDwarf · Post by **DangerDwarf** » Mon Sep 17, 2007 8:26 pm

Omote wrote:
I can't tell you how many times the PCs would find an object, or other bit of information that is rather irrelavent to the adventure, but they obsess over it.

Yep. That has probably shaped more adventures than anything else for me.

Mythmere · Post by **Mythmere** » Wed Sep 19, 2007 1:14 pm

I usually try to avoid changing tactical elements of an adventure, because I want to give the players the "victory" if they figured out a way around the scenario as I thought it out. That aside, heck, if the players find a new direction they want to go, or they want more details about something, ABSOLUTELY I run with it. That's what the whole game is about, the players taking matters into their own hands and helping shape the creation of the campaign (whether they realize they're doing it or not).

A group of 4 players is going to dream up 4 times as much creative material as 1 GM.

SpencerWright · Post by **SpencerWright** » Wed Sep 19, 2007 1:20 pm

Storm Queen wrote:
Do you change your adventure around to suit your players? If your players get obsessed about a particular facet of the adventure, do you make that more prominent or stick with the original scenario "as is"? I think this is more relevant to the sandbox style adventure than a plot-based one.

See, I'm currently running the first Blacktooth Ridge adventure, and the player's are interested in this rumour that the local dwarves may be starting up a war soon, and trying to track down various fairy mushrooms in the woods. Since this is what they are 'interested' in, and focusing on, I was going make these elements more prominent in the campaign, even though they started off as rumours and red herrings.

Absolutely. Let them have fun. Don't run them over with the plot wagon.

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Do you change your adventure around to suit your players?

Do you change your adventure around to suit your players?

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