In my experience, the most important thing is to notice want your players are interested in and then expand on that, in a way that is consistent with whatever has gone before. People being people, your players will end up feeling that you are running a well-thought-out, logical world . . . because from their POV it will be! :-)
On 13 May 2016 at 05:36, Richard Aiken <xxxxxx@gmail.com> wrote:On Thu, May 12, 2016 at 9:52 PM, Timothy Collinson <xxxxxx@port.ac.uk> wrote:I have to admit that this 'off the cuff' adventuring is utterly terrifying for me. (But is the whole point of what we're trying instead of my usual TravCon massive prep and writing.). My hat is off to all those experienced refs who eat this for breakfast.
I feel you. I also started out trying to detail everything. But I learned long ago that the best way to run a game was simply to drop the PCs into the middle of something, then react to their reactions. Whenever they encounter an NPC, I try to make that character memorable in some way, even if it's just a lowly clerk. If the players show any interest in that character, then that NPC becomes important and I give him/her a larger role . . . even if I initially had no idea that character even existed.Example: My players were on Koenig's Rock, when one of them decided that his character was tired of wearing standard shipsuits. So he asked me if there was anything like a tailor shop on the Rock. I pretended to look through my notes, then announced that there was a place that advertised "All The Clothing That's Fit To Wear!" The place turned out to consist of a tiny storefront with an automated weaving/tailoring machine [fed from a large storeroom holding massive spools of thousands of different kinds of thread] controlled by a flamboyantly gay proprietor named Jacques. The players made a point of visiting Jacques often after that, partly because he gave a discount to any customer who allowed him to use his "stylistic senses unfettered by conventionality," partly because he turned out to be a good source of reliable gossip . . . and partly because they simply loved watching me prance around the gaming table, cooing over "my" imaginary clothing creations and the brave characters who wore them! :)Wonderful - if we get to something similar (and I was beginning to head that way with my rental 'salesman') I shall have to channel that. "All the clothing that's fit to wear" will have to go in my file of possible lists. I think my difficulty is thinking quickly and then sustaining the conversation.For example, the PCs encountered some kids playing in the rubble of a ruined 'town' used for military training combat exercises. It only occurred to me in the small hours of last night (i.e. far too late) that at least one of the kids should have made some comment about the Vargr amongst them and perhaps generally been ruder about strangers on their turf. Ah well. If I ever write the adventure up, I can add it in then!The players seem happy to continue so it can't be *all* that bad!tc----- The Traveller Mailing List Archives at http://archives.simplelists.com/tml Report problems to xxxxxx@simplelists.com To unsubscribe from this list please goto http://www.simplelists.com/confirm.php?u=CKGWeUlXNVzOv9Ey6KwqX8aXjeTXlVSV