Continuing to think about this it seems like there are three (?) main categories I’m trying to capture here.
Where do your adventures come from:
- do you primarily run published adventures?
- do you primarily run published adventures but only after heavily modifying them?
- do you primarily run adventures you create yourself?
What level of agency do your players have:
- they choose their own goals
- the goal is based on the adventure but players have an infinite number of choices in how to achieve it
- the goal is based on the adventure but players have multiple paths to reach it
- the goal is based on the adventure, there is only one narrative path, but the players can make meaningful decisions on how to overcome each challenge along the way
- the goal is based on the adventure, there is only one narrative path, and each challenge has only one solution
What is your mode as a GM:
- prepare a single narrative path and run players through it
- prepare a single narrative path and improvise if characters choose not to follow it
- prepare multiple narrative paths depending on likely character choices
- prepare a sandbox by defining locations, occupants, items and events and then let players wander around in it
- prepare (or acquire) a series of procedural engines and create the adventure on the fly as you play it
- improvise everything based on some vague ideas you have about the setting or what might happen this session
Actually, as I look at it, the first category may not be important or at least leaves out important choices that appear in the third category.
Thoughts?