I don't mind knowing the GM is improvising. The only thing there that seems to affect my enjoyment is that the improv make sense. There are just some things I know were likely not prepared in advance (for example when a particularly curious player asks the innkeeper probing questions about the furnishings (I.e. The teakwood for the chairs is imported from the Red Goblin Forest and crafted by Morik down the road. Why yes Morik has three daughters and one son.).

Quote from: BedrockBrendan;845507I don't mind knowing the GM is improvising. The only thing there that seems to affect my enjoyment is that the improv make sense. There are just some things I know were likely not prepared in advance (for example when a particularly curious player asks the innkeeper probing questions about the furnishings (I.e. The teakwood for the chairs is imported from the Red Goblin Forest and crafted by Morik down the road. Why yes Morik has three daughters and one son.).

the secret here is not that improv is in any way bad.  We all do it all the time as GMs.  Have to.

A good GM keeps the world consistent enough that players don't notice when the GM is working from actual notes, from extrapolated knowledge, or just improv creating.  Because if the players can't tell and aren't even looking for it, just taking all the world you are spinning as a whole, then they stay more in the immersed position.
If they can tell when they've driven the game somewhere strange, and they actively know you are making everything up, even if it is cool, they are in a less immersed position.

Which is always a goal for me, at least.

Quote from: BedrockBrendan;845507I don't mind knowing the GM is improvising. The only thing there that seems to affect my enjoyment is that the improv make sense.

Everyone who has ever GMed for any length of time knows that GMs either improvise stuff now and then or everything grinds to a complete and utter halt about three times a session. I expect the GM to improvise some of the time. It's part of the GM's role. The key is, as Brendan says, that the improv make sense, fit the setting, etc. It's nice if the GM can improvise smoothly, but its not necessary since we all should know it happens.