I read Rob’s Moving Pieces and it got me thinking of my Tower of Shadows campaign (which I intend to bring back some day).
Going by the quadrant chart in that post, we fell into the GM/Player position at Dynamic/Reactive, while I was trying to create a Static/Proactive game. My reason for wanting it static is because I didn’t have a lot of time, and I had already done a merge and conversion for a different game and format. I wanted to refer to my notes and let the players play in the sandbox I had devised.
Of course most of the players didn’t have much experience, or they didn’t know the other players, as I was the common friend, and we were playing online. That, combined with my complete inability to follow a script meant that we were playing a different game than one I had planned for.
Of course that chart (and the 3x3 bonus) Rob posted is a generalization, but it is really helpful to revisit it at the start of a game, to spell out my expectations to myself. Also, I don’t think I am going to pitch an idea in the open next time. I know there is enough interest, so I can tap folks to play without having a campaign ready. I would like to try that more collaborative approach to a gaming group.