Node Status: SKETCH
GMs usually have a general plot in mind for the players to follow. What is interesting is how a GM can choose to handle actions proposed by a player that he did not anticipate. He could:
* Deny the action, so that it does not affect the plot. (This is what most computer systems must do if they are not programmed to support a particular action.)
* Allow the action because it does not affect the overall plot; in other words, it is simply "flavor" action.
* Allow the action because it changes the story only slightly. The GM can either adapt to this change or bring the story back to its original plotline some how.
* Allow the action even though it changes the story greatly. Sometimes the GM has no convincing way to deny an action that adheres to the rules and so is forced to adapt to it. For instance, if one or more of the players die due to bad dice rolls, yet the group wants to keep playing, the GM needs to find a viable story patch to get things rolling again. (This is much easier to manage in a fantasy milieu.)
There are no pre-written rules explaining how to handle unanticipated user actions. The details depend on the particular GM.
Fudging rules for sake of story.
Works Cited
