User blog:Dragokar62/Scripted vs Improvised Sessions

Scripted vs Improvised Sessions

There are usually two schools of thought when it comes to running a game session, scripting them and improvising them. There is that middle ground, but for the most part, these are the two most used by DM’s to run their game. There are pros and cons to both, as I have tried both of these on many occasions and found things I liked about them and things I didn’t like so much. I’ll share my experiences here.

'''Scripted. '''This is where you lay out all of the details of the upcoming session and put them down on paper. Nothing is left to chance and you have everything you’ll need to run the adventure. Now this doesn’t mean you have to stick to the script, but what it does mean is that you’ve taken into account the various paths the PC’s might take and planned accordingly.

Pros: The upside to this is that you won’t be caught flatfooted when someone asks for an NPC name, or what shops are in town, or what monsters will be fought and what treasure will be found. You’ve done all the legwork on that and it’s in your notes. This makes the game flow well and you are prepared for almost anything (trust me, players love to take you out of your script, and it happens).

Cons: All of the pressure is on you to have it laid out beforehand. This means it will take you quite some time to prepare for the session. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but if you are pushed for time, it makes it harder on you as the DM to plan this all out. But there are ways to speed it up for you. Have a list of NPC names, male and female, so that you can just cross them off the list when you use them in-game. Do the same with shop names. This helps with coming up with things on the fly and trying to remember them later. Note on the sheet where you used the name or shop and this will be a reminder for later.

Scripted sessions do tend to flow more easily and you’re not scrambling for a last minute name or item or tavern name (one of my favorite things to make up). It also helps tremendously in a dungeon setting, as you know where every trap is and what kind, every monster and what they have on them and every room that is laid out. Plus, at the end when they kill the boss, you have all of his loot laid out beforehand. No random rolling things or hunting through the DMG to decide what everyone gets.

The downside to Scripted sessions is when the players choose to go off script and you have to improvise some things. It’s not too difficult to bring them back onto the path, but during those moments when they are freelancing, you need to be able to pull things out of a hat (not the phrase I wanted to use here, but you get it) and run with those. Again, make some notes as you go so that you can remember what you used in that instance and what context it was put in. If you make up an NPC, write their name down and where and why you put them there. The reason it’s important to do that is, you might be able to turn that improvisation into a side quest or even a full adventure later on.

Improvised. This is where you just make a few notes on the idea for the evening and run with it, winging the entire session. I’ve done this, and some have been rather fun, but some have been a complete nightmare for me. Much of this will depend on your players and their patience with you. If they understand that you’re “winging it”, they can cut you some slack and just roll with the fun of it. Improvised sessions can be fun. Coming up with things off the top of your head can lead to some laughter and enjoyment from everyone at the table. It’s still a good idea to have a few notes about names and locales, but the rest is pure improv and that can be a blast.

Pros: Less planning and more enjoyment for the DM is the key pro of this type of game session. Just winging it and having some fun with it. You still need to go into the game with an idea of what you want to accomplish, but if you have a good group who can play along and you can improvise off the top of your head, this can be quite fun for everyone.

Cons: All it takes to ruin it is for one player to take off on a tangent and you don’t have that script to bring them back. Now that doesn’t mean you can’t run with their idea for that session, but then, who’s really running the show here? If you struggle with coming up with things on the fly, I wouldn’t suggest using this method, as players love to challenge you to come up with things on a moment’s notice and will do so at your inconvenience.

Personally, I like to script my sessions so that I have all of my information available to me, but that doesn’t mean I don’t improvise in spots. Usually when the players go off script, I improv it until I can bring them back to the area where they were supposed to go. If their change in direction is better than what I had scripted, however, I let them run with it and make notes. Sometimes, the players have some very creative ideas on how to accomplish something and dragging them through a script ruins it for everyone.

Most of my script is about names and locations, but I do add in some flavor so that I can answer those questions the players have. I fully script a dungeon crawl, because that’s vital to any dungeon crawl, but campaign sessions that don’t involve a dungeon, I tend to script those a little lighter so that the players don’t feel that I’m railroading them. I try to cover as many bases as I can in my script, but even then, someone usually goes off script and I start to improvise from there. I know what location they’ll be in and what’s there, but beyond that, I just wing it and let them run with it.

The one thing you want to avoid, no matter what way you go with the session, and that’s squelching the player’s creativity. This is why they sit there in the first place, so let them have some fun and run amok a little. Just have those notes handy for when they do.

I’ve covered the pros and cons, now I’ll talk about how to handle each scenario in game play. With a scripted session, it might seem that you should stick to the script. You did all that work and now the players are going off on a tangent that your script doesn’t cover. Don’t panic here, because it’s going to happen. Players might not see where you’re leading them and see something else that sounds better and that’s their job. You shouldn’t have to drop huge clues for them to stick to your script, because that’s not what the script is for. In my opinion, the script is really a guideline to cover any information you feel might be important to relay to the players as they move through the campaign. It’s not really a “script” but more of a guide with important information for you to give to them. It can contain anything from a full description of what the players might encounter during a session to just a few bullet points to make sure the DM recalls the information correctly. It’s not really a script, I just use that term for notes.

Improvisation of a D&D session can be a daunting task to say the least. Not having any information written down and just winging it can be scary for a DM, especially if the players are likely to go off on tangents. Making up names of shops, taverns, inns and NPC names is no easy task, but if you have a handy list of those prepared at the beginning of the campaign, the only thing a DM has to improv is the actually actions of the players, and those can be done fairly easily. You play off of their dialogue and actions, and you make up the next stage based on what you want them to accomplish to further the campaign. Winging an entire campaign is very difficult, but it can be done if you have a base idea for the players to run with.

I use the scripted method, as my memory isn’t as good as it used to be and I try to be prepared so that the players aren’t waiting on me to come up with a name for something or someone. I use this method over improvisation because I’m working more toward the dramatic goal of the campaign of good roleplay and enjoyment for the players to write a good story from my idea, but again, that’s just me. There is no right or wrong way to run a session, or a campaign, for that matter, so whichever way is the most comfortable for you as a DM to do it, that’s what you should do.