thread: 2011-09-08 : Trad vs Indie: FIGHT! pt2
On 2011-10-01, Paul T. wrote:
I'm really enjoying this discussion, too.
I keep thinking about that "herding engineers" example you gave, "cc":
Your job was to keep them on task.
Do you think it would have been better if you had just dictated the solutions to them?
It sounds like you were using planning and "herding" strategies to move them forward, but toward their own solutions, right, ones that you yourself would not have come up with?
Your task was to move them forward, to keep them moving forward... but not determine the end state yourself. The solutions would be theirs, not yours.
And that brings me to another point -
For the GM in this hypothetical "planning vs. non-planning" dilemma, one major sell is precisely the opposite of what you're suggesting:
Instead of the satisfaction of munching on a cigar as your plan comes together, it's the suspense and excitement of the unknown, of tension and surprise. It allows the GM to be part of the audience, to experience the story as a participant and to be moved by it to a greater extent.
