Unexpect the Expected

Sometimes your adventures take an unexpected turn. Rather than fighting, your party negotiates with the enemy and finds an amenable solution. After all, those rebels were only in it for the money, what if there was a solution where you could work together to get it?

So rather than being robbed, they’re now collaborating a heist on a nearby noble house. One that I definitely prepared beforehand. It’s in these moments where you need to stop and take a breath. I am not omnipotent, I can’t be ready for everything. Take a page from your players book, and work with them. We figured out a name for the noble house and as they arrived I let their questions guide me towards a story.
“Does this place have an apothecary?”
“Do I know the Countess?”
Every yes shapes the space. If they have an apothecary, what are they making? Where do they get their supplies? What does the party want and what problems are in their way?

That’s the core of the game.
They want a magical flower. It’s in a greenhouse, the door is locked and there is a guardian inside. And where is the greenhouse? In a castle, where a gala is being held and the party needs an invitation. The players will solve your riddles because you didn’t write them with answers. TTRPG’s are not a test you need to prepare, they are a story you tell together with your players and the dice. Take the unexpected turn, your prep will always be valuable another time.