When in Doubt, Roll and Shout

Often, in spite of your most careful preparation, something surpris-
ing happens. It could be anything. No matter how much you plan
ahead, your players will come up with something you didn’t expect.
That’s all right. If they didn’t come up with anything surprising, your
duties as GM would be much less fun. But you still have to cope with
the problem.
Let’s say, for instance, that the heroes have just discovered the
Shrine of the Mother Goddess. Suddenly, they realize that they have
been followed! A dozen huge, ape-like creatures stalk through the door
and approach menacingly. There are no other exits.
There are several things the players might do, and you’re prepared.
If they want to fight, you know the combat stats for the ape-things. If
they try to make friends, you’ve already decided that they’ll be dragged
away to the ape-cave and fattened up for dinner. If they try to flee, or
use magic to make a barricade, you know there is a secret door behind
the altar – if they can find it in time. If they try to call on the Mother
Goddess, you’ve decided it won’t work – they don’t know the spells or
rituals.
However, one of the younger characters panics when he sees the ape-
things. Running to the giant statue of the Mother Goddess, he clasps
her around the knees and bawls for help. He doesn’t pray . . . he just
pleads, like a terrified child. And you weren’t ready for something like
that!
Of course, you can just say, “Nothing happens. It doesn’t work,”
whenever your players try something original. But that’s no fun.
Or you can always say, “I wasn’t ready for that. Do something else.”
But that’s no fun either.
The good GM uses his imagination to match the players’ creativity.
In a really dramatic situation, like the one described above, just go with
the flow! There’s a very good chance that the Mother Goddess takes pity
on that poor, sincere fool. Maybe she swats the ape-things out the door.
Maybe she just picks up that one character and holds him safe, leaving
the others to fight the apes. Who knows? You’re the GM. In an unusu-
al situation, anything is right if it’s fair to the players and makes the
story better.
Whatever you do, it’s a good idea not to let the players know when
you are improvising. Let them think you had it all planned in advance.
If you want to admit afterward that you were just “winging it,” that’s up
to you. But don’t interrupt the flow of the game. Roll the dice, shout
“You did it!” (or “You blew it!”), and keep going.
dream up some interesting deviltry, or
to fill out Time Use Sheets for study
and self-improvement (see Time Use
Sheets, p. 499).