Episode 22 — Locked In Combat

[RobotsPJs 123]

I wonder if this whole water plane thing was planned from the beginning, or if he came up with it on the spot? Would be interesting if it had been planned from the start. In a way it makes sense that things are so difficult--like, if they had stayed on the ship, they could have gotten there a day or two earlier, and then when they took Spaklett down the water elementals may have still been alive, and they could have helped in the battle with the king... okay, unlikely that Sark had things planned out in THAT much detail, but interesting to think about.

 

Usually when players go off the rails after you take a break is when you go, okay, now wtf am I going to to? I could see our faithful DM rewriting everything once they hit the water. Either that or he's a master at getting the players back on rails.

[Mr Sark 227]

I wonder if this whole water plane thing was planned from the beginning, or if he came up with it on the spot? Would be interesting if it had been planned from the start. In a way it makes sense that things are so difficult--like, if they had stayed on the ship, they could have gotten there a day or two earlier, and then when they took Spaklett down the water elementals may have still been alive, and they could have helped in the battle with the king... okay, unlikely that Sark had things planned out in THAT much detail, but interesting to think about.

 

Anyway, if they do get wiped next week, that will suck but I'm looking forward to their next adventure.

 

You may be surprised! It is a compliment that you can't tell though D&D has helped with my career in production, and my career in production has in turn helped with my D&D. What you're talking about is the most difficult balancing act that a DM faces. Are you reading paragraphs out of a pre-made module ensuring that everything happens as planned but limiting player freedom? Are you completely winging it and risking losing control of the story, resulting in a random-feeling nonsensical vibe? There isn't a correct way to do it, but I prefer something like 75% planned, 25% improv.

 

What I DON'T do is improv large plot points. I save the impromptu stuff for the smaller events, and for guiding the players if they need it. This is all part of pre-production for me. Admittedly I rarely have enough time to pre-pro like I'd like (especially the last couple months due to real-world interferences). This sounds like bragging or taking credit for subconscious moves but I pride myself on spending prep time that not even the party knows about

 

Usually we do a sort of post-mortem sesh after a wipe, or a significant victory where we all pull back the curtain on missed opportunities on the player's part, or strange curveballs that they pitched and how I rolled with it. Maybe we'll do one of these for an episode. I'll ask Brian.

Teasers (planned):

They

COULD

have rendezvoused with the Water Elemental Delta Force. They also may have skipped my entire Water Elemental Plane scenario. This has happened several times to us due to the freedom that the party is afforded. Large chunks of story that fall to the wayside. I usually try to recycle them in another campaign or tie it it back in later if organic, but sometimes the pre-production just *POOF*

Also, Jayph had a sidestory that was potentially interesting / lucrative. but *BLUB* went Jayph.

Teasers (unplanned):

The sinking of the Collector Dreadnaught was a surprise. I had a couple eventualities leading to The Survivors that did not involve a Titanic reenactment.

AND

the subsequent assault on The Survivors was unexpected. I figured the stranger's aquatic advantage was obvious. I was wrong. This led to Ell Ryan's demise :'(

*quick thought on a tangentially related subject: We don't have room at the table for a

DM screen

(a little barrier that hides what I'm doing from the group in case I need to make a secret dice roll or write a note) and even in the past when we HAVE had the room, I don't even like them

HEARING

me roll sometimes. Don't tell them but I keep a

dice app

on my phone and make the rolls under the table, on the sly. Some

VERY

critical rolls were made on this especially in the next episode. Unfortunately

YOU

guys can't tell I'm rolling either but c'est la vie. Maybe we need a code word

[RobotsPJs 123]

Thanks for the back stage info. Love it.

[Silly Lacy 102]

Maybe we need a code word

 

 

Code word: Careful