While it is quite hard to derail my campaigns, as I constantly adapt the world to the player's choices, they can still surprise me.  As in "I didn't even think of that" kind of way.

I originally created the world to lead them through path to heroism to, after dozens of sessions, slay the Last Dragon.

Yeah, not anymore.

First game we ever played I introduced them to the world and their city of operation. There are two factions playing in shadows (all standard). Now, one of those originally asked them to the city, but the other one got wind of them as well.  First major choice, who do you side with?

I thought it will take minutes and off we go on the first mission. Hah! They've spent three hours interviewing the city inhabitants in different districts, made a bloody poll, solved two minor crimes, fixed a sewer, and helped an old lady cross the street.

I've never improvised so hard in my life.

Queue ten sessions later, in their brand new mansion (don't even ask) with their Dwarven mercenaries/slaves (seriously, don't ask!)... In comes Queen Mab*, Queen of the Faeries. They are to return one of her lost fortresses that were sent to our world to help her allies.

The group Ranger somehow managed to coax Winter Knight mantle out of the Faerie Queen (By offering to kill the last one, who went rogue, and throwing three consecutive critical successes on persuasion).

They start the investigation, find a vault and a bank. The key to finding the fortress lay within.  They go in, more sides gunning for the same thing appear.

They successfully raid the vault, but are stopped on the way out.  Investigation, owner of the vault is present... little girl named Ivy.  Tourney to death is proposed for the contents of the vault. And the sh** hits the fan... Someone (goddamned thieves thinking they so sneaky) fired a shot in a half chock full of dwarves, demons, faeries...

They were supposed to talk it out, originally...

Everyone went for everyone. The Dwarven bank was leveled, when they finally decided to run, steal the key again and head for the fortress.

We are coming to the top of it.

They are sailing across the ocean and fail a save, get ambushed. Ship to ship combat against demon infested pirates. The goddamned thief, just before rolling acrobacy, asks: "Are there sharks in the water?"

"Sure," says the idiot that is me.

So she kicks one of the pirates to the fishes. And falls in a round later.

Ooooof course.

My paladin runs towards the druid who shapeshifts into a bear, and uses him as a mount to charge off the bloody deck. To ram the sharks!  Um... you know.  It's a standard procedure.

Anyhoo, they both fail their checks, bear trips on the railing, paladin loses his grip and goes overboard. The bear shapeshifts mid-flight, and does it with a critical success. Shapeshifts into a Phoenix, I might add.

The shifting created a heat wave that boiled the sea, sunk one of the ships, de-sailed the other and slammed into a nearby island, triggering a dormant volcano.

I had them sail past this island several times, so that when they find athe sleeping dragon lair under the sea, near the magma chamber they are like "Nooo way."

Except this time, they set off the stupid volcano. And through long discussion, I allowed the thief a sneak attack bonus... on the volcano.  Against the sleeping dragon.

You just HAVE to know what happened.

*sigh*  Anyhoo, the story is no longer about killing the last dragon.



*Queen Mab:  Name appears in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, appears in HBO's series True Blood, and in Merlin with Sam Neill.