Overplanning and Improvised Builds

[Igxfl]

I suspect I plan ahead too far in Crawl. I've mostly decided what god I'll take by the time I've picked species and background, even if that species and background are relatively flexible. I usually stick with the weapon type, spell school, and/or general playstyle of my starting background. Possibly worst of all, I notice myself choosing skill sets and gods primarily for the purpose of guaranteeing quality spells and equipment later without relying on floor loot. I'll almost always take Oka/Trog if using a launcher, for example, for fear of poor missile drops. On the other hand, I shy away from Fedhas and Ash in general, despite their effectiveness, because they won't hand-hold me through my character build like Vehumet/Kiku/Okawaru/Trog often do. I'd like to start playing in a more improvised way, taking better advantage of the random stuff I find. How do the other denizens of the Crawl Tavern handle the whole forethought vs. adaption issue?

[Sandman25]

I think you can apply conducts: take god from first altar you see, specialize in first weapon you find (and never switch to a different category), some other conducts (no conjurations or no summoning). It helps to have different experience with the same combo.
Not that I have this problem yet though, I haven't even tried several backgrounds/species/gods.

[duvessa]

You might be interested in Dg.

[sgrunt]

If you want deities to be a factor, also consider Hu - they're flexible enough to adapt to basically anything.

[Igxfl]

If you want deities to be a factor, also consider Hu - they're flexible enough to adapt to basically anything.

Yeah, I was more just aiming at not picking deities that lead to deterministic builds, although I suppose Demigod does guarantee that.
I just splatted a KoAr and a HuWr, two relatively directionless builds, and ended up immediately grabbing a sling on both. Ammo was plentiful in each playthrough, so maybe I've been overestimating the usefulness of having it gifted.

[MDvedh]

Consider Demonspawn because mutations can force you to revise your plans.

[Lasty]

Your realization that you're overplanning is a good one, and I encourage you to start branching out. I know that my play improved considerably when I started entering the dungeon with no plan and started considering more possible paths based on what I encounter (loot, altars, etc.).

If you're looking for a way to force yourself past the overplanning, then Sandman25's suggestions might be the best approach: tell yourself that you'll switch to the first god you come across, and that you'll train up the first reasonably good weapon you find (any launcher or a fast weapon with an additive brand or a damaging weapon with any brand), and you'll invest heavily in the first book you come across.

If you don't need to be forced to adapt, I recommend playing humans, and just remember to seriously consider changing your plans as new events keep happening. Playing as wanderers may also help you get in that mindset, but wanderers are often pretty tricky to get started.

[Tiber]

Chaos Knights are also really big on adaptation. They don't start with any particular build in mind, but Xom can gift almost any item at any time.

[rebthor]

Chaos Knights are also really big on adaptation. They don't start with any particular build in mind, but Xom can gift almost any item at any time.

Including hostile executioners. Adapt or die .

[MrPlanck]

I think you can apply conducts: take god from first altar you see, specialize in first weapon you find (and never switch to a different category)

I've been considering trying this as a rule for about 100 games, see how far it takes me.