Belated day 12: path.
No idea survives contact with the players. And that is my first thought on this front. it always amazes me, whichever side of the table I sit on, the path the players will take after hearing any input from the GM.
As is the unintended leitmotif of this year – my favorite path is the first one. I love seeing where the game goes after our very first scene. The amount of unexpected that we can experience after so little amazes me.
Maybe that explains my love of a good one-shot game.