Why You Need a MacGuffin

I said before that I think my job as a GM is to give the players a what, not a how. For a long time I thought that meant tricking them into adopting my preordained goal. Like kill Dracula, Save the Princess, or Eat the Dragon.

But then the light went on: I don’t need to write the whole goal;  I just need to give them the subject. They’ll supply the verb.

So I am going to concentrate on creating detailed MacGuffins. Find a way to hook my players into said MacGuffin. Then sit back and watch as they decide to steal, kill, destroy, marry, or whathaveyou the MacGuffin.

The benefit:  I will be able to respond to their goals, not force mine on them.