QQ&A: Preparing for Adventure!
A common question I see from some new GMs, prospective GMs and long-term, struggling GMs:
How do you prepare for each session?
It’s a great question because not knowing the answer scares a lot of prospective GMs off. They think it’s a lot of work during and between the sessions, only because it can be.
The way I see it, GMs make two common mistakes when they prepare. Note that I said common, not universal. Some folks - like me - don’t make these mistakes (anymore). Others make these mistakes in the opposite direction.
Still, as far as general advice goes, this is pretty useful:
A common mistake for GMs is to overprepare the campaign and underprepare each session.
Worldbuilding is fun. It’s easy to lose yourself in your pristine campaign, unsullied by PC hands, as you add nuance and details to your beautiful plot, characters and setting.
Before you’ve even signed up any players, you know everything about the world.
I sure hope your players all fit perfectly within this dream of yours. If not, something has to give - and it’s not fair on the players to make them conform to your story.
Some overly literal, professional objectors are gnashing their teeth here. “What, so I shouldn’t do ANY worldbuilding beforehand? What, so I can’t impose ANY restrictions on the sorts of characters the players can build?”
Yikes. Anyone who can’t handle nuance shouldn’t be a GM.
I’m saying that overpreparing (not preparing - the prefix changes things!) is, at best, a waste of effort. I remember my first homebrew campaign. Of the content I created before the first session, I used maybe a quarter. On a campaign that lasted for years in real time.
At worst, overpreparing alienates your players. You already have the story you want to tell - do you even need them?
The other mistake is underpreparing for each encounter. Before each session, take a few moments to read over your notes or the module, making sure you know all the details. I’ve made this mistake as well, getting mid-session before realising I’d missed something.
Some encounters ran much easier than they were supposed to, since I overlooked an enemy’s ability.
Other mysteries were impossible to solve, since I forgot to introduce an NPC with some vital clues in one part.
I get why folks make these mistakes. Worldbuilding is play, while encounter prep is work.
Still, as a GM, that’s all part of the role you play in this game.
But I have some good news for you:
I’m good at improvising encounters. Really good, apparently. I thought what I was doing was common sense, until I realised how many GMs struggled with this.
If you want to say that’s the hallmark of genius, I won’t stop you.
Imagine taking less time to prep, because you don’t need to plan for every outcome. Imagine getting excited when players go off script, because you get to flex your creative muscles and give them something perfect for them.
It’s awesome - and an essential skill for all GMs.
I’ve sat down and analysed my process, capturing everything I do when players jump off the rails.
And I’m sharing it with you all, starting later this week, right here on this site.
You’ve read this far and you’re interested in GMing at a higher level and you now know this is coming, so why don’t you sign up to ensure you don’t miss it: