And I know there really are good modules out there, even maybe one or two in RPGA circles. But I’ll always be a sandboxer.

(Even sandboxes have walls. A sandbox without walls is a sand pile, and sandpiles get contaminated with any old thing that comes along, whether it belongs in there or not. :D)

Usually re-enforcements, or a plot device, or more often – an NPC or said BBEG’s master or sibling or somesuch.

It’s more a matter of pride or ego (if you will) when this happens, as it practically screams “DIDNT THINK OF THAT” to your players.

After that, it’s mainly a matter of wiping the smug grins off of their faces :)

Trask

Well that’s diplomatic. If any of these things break your plot, your problems are more fundamental than just a lack of ‘Think Fast!’ instinct. These things are signs of canyoneering at best and a railroader at worst.

Or you’re running a module (bleh) and for some reason think that means the players should do what the module assumes they will do.

Best option, pick and choose the cool stuff, throw it in where reasonable, and just let the game happen.

(Liquid Weird non-sequiturian digression: Modules and organized play are just not for me. If I want to watch a plot unfold, I’ll read a novel or watch TV. Both are faster than playing through a campaign, are better written, less frustrating, and actually bother to make some degree of sense. Looking for quality in RPGA modules have always been like trying to find Hemingway-level writing in piles of 70s Star Trek slash fic. Painful, scarring, and fruitless, and it spoils the original material.)