In the latest Chaotic Good Conversations episode, we dive deep into methods and styles of session planning. Whether you’re a meticulous planner like Morgan or a fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants DM like Carter, we’ve got some tips and tricks we've picked up over the years. Here are the highlights:
Diverse Session Preparation Styles: We cover the various levels of preparation for Dungeons & Dragons or other TTRPG sessions - from extensive, detailed planning to minimal prep for improvised sessions. Morgan expands on her front-loading approach, preferring to have everything ready in advance, and then we discuss the balance between detailed preparation and improvisation, highlighting the differences in our DM styles.
NPC Creation and Management: We also discuss strategies for creating and managing NPCs. Morgan describes her thorough process of designing NPCs with art and backstories for both online and in-person games, often repurposing unused material. Carter, on the other hand, creates NPCs as needed during the game and documents them afterward, which speaks to adaptability and improv.
Flexibility and Player Engagement: Lastly, we really believe in the importance of flexibility and stealing integrating player ideas. In the episode, we share techniques for repurposing encounters and NPCs based on player actions and preferences. The discussion underscores how different DMing styles use some of the same tactics. Our emphasis is on cooperative storytelling and designing and running a game that coexists with that philosophy.
Key Takeaways:
Nicole: "The key takeaway from this conversation is to try different things and check in with yourself. Did that work? Did it feel right? Personally, when I leave planning until 30 minutes before the session, no, that doesn't feel right. But experimenting with new methods can be really rewarding."
Morgan: “So the idea with this document is that I never get to the end, I'm always adding to it. And if the players throw me for a loop and do something I'm not expecting, then I write like a separate branch but keep that other path that they were on available just in case.”
Carter: "One of the pros of not planning stuff super far out is when my players come up with good ideas, I can take them and seamlessly add them into the campaign. It's a win-win. They get to feel smart, and the story gets even better."
More resources we like:
The Lazy DM: Using Notion.so for Lazy RPG Campaign Planning
Matt Colville: Prep Can Be Literally Easy and Actually Fun
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