The 5×5 Rule in practice…

I’m getting prepared for tomorrow night’s gaming session, the first weeknight game I’ve played in a long time.  To get ready for this week’s session, I’m continuing on my exploration of Dave The Game’s 5×5 method, seen over at Critical Hits.  Last month, everybody’s favorite Chatty DM did a guest post where he detailed a slightly different perspective to help plan shorter term games.

Great Minds Think Alike

It seems that great minds think alike!  I used the 5×5 method to outline my current campaign, but quickly realized there were some specific plot points that didn’t quite line up to a full epic plot arc so I opted for Chatty’s approach.  That’s one element that I love about the 5×5 method: you can use it to drill in to whatever level detail that you want to flesh out a specific encounter or plot point.

I used the 5×5 method to design some roleplaying encounters in town, and after my players significantly deviated from my planned activities I discovered a new aspect of this tool: it’s very easy to apply on the fly.  I had planned that the town had a council of five prestigious townsfolk, and the rogue started asking around about if there was any underhanded dealings going on that might offer some clues on a cult that the group was investigating.  I thought this was an interesting idea, so I quickly jotted down an idea that popped into my head and during a break, I generated the five steps that led the group back onto my prepared path.  This was pretty seamless, and provided an opportunity to reward the rogue for thinking to investigate a lead that I had not considered.

Is anyone else using the 5×5 method and meeting success?  If not, you really should be.  Let’s hear your experiences in the comments!