Pre-planning vs Spontaneity - Which Are You?

[AlteredTundra]

Let's face it! Those are the most common types of roleplayers.

The Pre-planning types:
These types are those that want to plan out every single detail as much as possible. Be it plot, side-plots, environment, the environment's inhabitants, weather, economy, landscape, races, whether magic exists or not, what the focus should and shouldn't be, and all that good stuff. They are the types that prefer to scope out exactly what should happen in every main and side-arc. They are the type of person that, for the life of them, can't understand why people don't plan out every single detail. They are the types that want to outline everything so nothing is "inconsistent."

The Spontaneity types:
These are the free spirits of the roleplaying world; the "Live For The Moment" types. Above all else, they believe that there should be minimal to no pre-planning and let events unfold as they come. They believe in the process of world-building as the posts come. Whether plot takes a dark turn or it's all fluff, they let it happen naturally. There is no "let me think about this first". They come up with -enter plot here- as they type a certain post. To them, being surprised surpasses discussing it thoroughly with -enter amount of- partners here. They want the thrill of coming up with something on the spot that will be even better than if they actually thought it through. Even if it's inconsistent at times, it is, to them, fun and full of unpredictable moments.

So RPG, where do you fall? Do you like to pre-plan or let the moment take over?

[Avianmosquito]

I'm definitely a planner. But then, I usually GM, so it might just be a force of habit at this point.

[Jig]

In the games I GM, I'm very much a planner; I set the environments, the NPCs, basically everything beforehand, and don't tell my players until they go to explore them. Then, my games are mystery games, so perhaps that comes with the territory.

When playing, I like games that have clear, up-front environments and settings as well; I don't find it limits imagination, but simply gives me something to springboard from.

Both as a player and as a GM, I always make sure that the game/character was built with a few general plots in mind, into which to specialise as the game unfolds.

[Mirandae]

I've tried to be the planning type, but never again. Maybe I'm just unlucky, but I don't think it has anything to do with that after four times... or more of the same horrible outcome.

[Morden Man]

I have been known to plan some thirty or forty posts ahead sometimes.

I tend to write in bursts. So I sit down and plan out what I want to happen, write a single sentence summary for each post, and then set about writing the dialogue in each post. Then I write the description around the dialogue, be it first or third person, taking great care to make it seem as natural and organic as possible despite often having written the descriptions weeks or months afterwards. Writing this way allows me to take advantage of the bursts of activity I have and get much, much further ahead of schedule (often by some ten to fifteen posts) than I need to be.

It probably says more about my penchant for self-contained arcs than anything else because I'm far less meticulous when I'm playing in a game that requires interaction. Either way, it seems to work for me without having become so beholden to the method that I can't write unless I do it.

[Tulpa]

[VATROU]

I do a lot of both. Though most of my pre-planning comes when I'm at work. So once I get home I already know just what I want to do, I'm already in character and know just which lore will workout.

[Gowi]

Both of them— the answer for me is both of them.

I think there comes a point in planning loosely ahead and then letting the posts coming to you, especially in the GM seat as you never know how your players are going to react. You can try to predict them, but that plays on presumptions. I often like to play off ear, using my instincts guide me but as a writer I’m also fond of revisions and having some sort of start and end with the idea of the fun being how I get from point a to point b. Types of games are suited to variable approaches, but in most cases “have an idea, but never a rigid skeleton” seems to be best frequently.

[Vilageidiotx]

Both. I plan plot-arcs, and if I have an idea for a post within that arc that really strikes me then I can remember it for later (I have sat on post-ideas for two years before actually posting them.) Everything else I fill in as I go, mostly having faith in the idea that i'll come up with something I like when it comes time to considered a specific part of the plot.

[Billsomething]

just like those above me i will plan out scenarios, (fight scenes especially) perhaps days, hours or month ahead but i can also suddenly just write something

[tsukune]

I do both, but pretty much on a case-by-case basis.

I may have the RP planned out weeks or even months before, but what if my partner has other ideas or new inspirations I can use/add into the mix?
I may not have the RP planned in detail - just the basic skeleton to get started - but what if my partner decides to take the backseat?

It's hard for me to stick to either one of the habit for all the RPs I do, so depending on the premise of the RP idea and the kind of partners I have for the respective RP, I'll need to be flexible so that I can work out something that both me and my partners are comfortable with and able to keep it going for a longer term.

[PlatinumSkink]

I don't see how either extreme is possible. You simply HAVE to have both. I'll assume this is directed to GMs more than players, because players absolutely need to come up with things as the GM present them obstacles and as such they'd all be the second type. So with that.

You simply cannot start an adventure without the appropriate amount of planning. As a GM, you have to know what people the characters may interact with, how the world works and so on. Without that, there is no way to know how the world will respond to the player's actions, and the players is the one thing the GM can never control. Hopefully.

On the other hand, as I just said, there is no way one can control the players, so the rule there is pretty much "do not". As such, one simply have to be ready to be spontaneous, as there is no way one can plan every single detail. Sure, one can have a pretty good idea of what one would like the arcs to contain, but one should be ready to adapt real soon.

So, yeah. You simply must have both. Nobody can roleplay with only one or the other. Or have I plain failed to understand the first post here?

[vancexentan]

Definitely a planner. I like a good story arc that has a based that can't be changed but can be altered by character actions and stories.

[Dinh AaronMk]

Both. I plan plot-arcs, and if I have an idea for a post within that arc that really strikes me then I can remember it for later (I have sat on post-ideas for two years before actually posting them.) Everything else I fill in as I go, mostly having faith in the idea that i'll come up with something I like when it comes time to considered a specific part of the plot.

@Vilageidiotx

Same as this guy.

[TalijaKey]

I love creating the world and interesting NPC for my rps. I like having a palate of events to toss at peoples head. But mostly I let people be spontaneous they may pick up the event I gave them or do they own thing. I enjoy including those random spontaneous bits into the bigger plan and sometimes the small things a spontaneous player did I turn into a big plot point.

I dont plan arcs untill I saw where most the players are going, if a rp came to that point it means for me it will not die I have people interested enough to give them more of a arc story. I just love the challenge of fitting the puzzle pieces of my players into a good arc.

As a player my self I like planning some events I want to happen to my character and so I wait for the right moment in the rp to jump into it. In oposite I plan my post before posting in a lot of cases, so that is the reason I need a day or two to post fast and sometimes longer ^^;

Only with specific people I can go nuts and post fast and on the spot.

So I like to think about my post before I sit down and post, as well as I like planning but I do try not to scare the spontaneous people away, by sticking to just my ideas, instead finding reason for the inconsistent they made.

[NuttsnBolts]

Same as what a few others mentioned above me. I'll have thoughts of a scene or scenario that may look cool and I'll work towards it, but the post in general are made up on the spot after reading the other posts.

It's pretty much a safeguard for running out of ideas.

[Keyguyperson]

Well, I spend 99% of my time in Freeform Sci-Fi NRPs. So I'm definitely the second one, which doesn't exactly translate well when I write outside of NRP.

Plot holes. It translates to plot holes.

[Stekkmen]

100% Spontaneous.
I dislike having Biographies and Personality sections of character sheets. Feels too restricting, and if I end up going against the CS, then what was the point of having it at all? Biographies. Not sure how it makes sense that other people know this characters backstory, I would prefer to reveal my biography if it makes sense in the context of the story.

With GMing, I do planning as in "okay this is the world, it would be cool if i could work this into it" and thats about it. Planning for me, just kinda sucks the sense of adventure out of it. I'm no longer involved in the world, not exploring it with the players. That's another thing, I love it when players help build the world with me. I always find it odd how, say, in an open world fantasy RPG, characters who were born and raised in the homeland ask questions about culturally traditions that I came up with. Lame. Let's work off of eachother to get this ball rolling.

Most people keep writing and roleplaying very tight with eachother, but I personally like to think that roleplaying and writing are too completely different things.

[Royzooka]

I am actually both, I sometimes pre-plan things and other times I just do it. Like I sometimes make lores for some RPs, none I have ever got to use but they are there through planning. If I am over excited I do go bam, here it is lets do it XD. I guess I am 60% spontaneity and 40% planner. I feel random when I do things so time to time I plan things and at other times I don't, I don't know why though. My brain likes to do whatever it likes to do at the time and I can't control it.