DMs: How Much of Your Prep Work Never Gets Used??
Primitive Screwhead
First Post
I will echo Ironwolf as well.. the majority of my prep work is continuity and 'what the heck are the rules for that?' research...
Meaning about 30 to 40% of the work usually does not get directly used in the session.
However, I have little fear the party taking a sudden left turn as I have a good idea of how the planned adventure changes based on that.
Background/setting work always gets used.. just not always in that session. The town DonTadow mentions can probably be used later on in the campaign.. or even in a completely different game.
Recently I have had problems with attendance.. so this percentage jumped up to the point of making me wonder why I was bothering. My once a month game session mis-fired 2 months in a row.. leaving the group mid adventure for soo long that the players had a hard time remembering why they were even in the swamps! I still spent about 10 hours a month in prep for the session, re-reading the module, altering the encounters to better challenge the eclectic assortment of characters {Druids, Rangers, and a Monk...}
Anyway...
Meaning about 30 to 40% of the work usually does not get directly used in the session.
However, I have little fear the party taking a sudden left turn as I have a good idea of how the planned adventure changes based on that.
Background/setting work always gets used.. just not always in that session. The town DonTadow mentions can probably be used later on in the campaign.. or even in a completely different game.
Recently I have had problems with attendance.. so this percentage jumped up to the point of making me wonder why I was bothering. My once a month game session mis-fired 2 months in a row.. leaving the group mid adventure for soo long that the players had a hard time remembering why they were even in the swamps! I still spent about 10 hours a month in prep for the session, re-reading the module, altering the encounters to better challenge the eclectic assortment of characters {Druids, Rangers, and a Monk...}
Anyway...
The Edge
First Post
Running two partys in one campain world like I am, It can be quite a shame that half of my work is never seen by one group or the other. I always have to decide whether this or that party would fit the adventre more and who would most apreciate it (puting aside ones that are based around or designed speificaly for one party). Theres allway bits where you would love to see how they would have done that part differently, or would love to see how they would react to this or that.
Theres all ways the odd bit that simply gets missed too, but haveing two partys does mean that if one decides not to go with it it, the other still might, which is a better aspect of it. Being new at a double game like this Im still learning how to design adventures that can be done by both or affect each other in interesting ways; that way I can try to get 200% useage from them
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Theres all ways the odd bit that simply gets missed too, but haveing two partys does mean that if one decides not to go with it it, the other still might, which is a better aspect of it. Being new at a double game like this Im still learning how to design adventures that can be done by both or affect each other in interesting ways; that way I can try to get 200% useage from them
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KB9JMQ
First Post
20 percent of my prep work never sees the light of day, ie the encounter never happens.
10 pecent happens in a way I had not imagined - They parlay for once rather than fight.
20 percent gets used at a later date but may need reworked.
49 percent goes as planned
1 percent. The Wildcard. Stuff I make on the fly because they are going in an unanticipated way only to be discarded because the go back again to the anticipated way.
10 pecent happens in a way I had not imagined - They parlay for once rather than fight.
20 percent gets used at a later date but may need reworked.
49 percent goes as planned
1 percent. The Wildcard. Stuff I make on the fly because they are going in an unanticipated way only to be discarded because the go back again to the anticipated way.
Ogrork the Mighty
Explorer
Maybe 10-20% for me. I try to create a barebones adventure structure first and then only flesh it out when I know the direction the party is headed in.
Angel of Adventure
First Post
I'd say I use at least 90% of it. I've gotten good at using Enworld stuff, so it save a lot of writing time.
-AoA
-AoA
Galethorn
First Post
In the past, I've used as much as maybe 95%, and as little as 50%, but I think I average maybe 80%, because the PCs will inevitably only do one or two of the side-quests that I've written up the notes for three or four of.
However, I often re-tool the stuff I don't use for a later date.
However, I often re-tool the stuff I don't use for a later date.
Huw
First Post
About 50%. I'm rubbish at NPCs, especially their names, so I have some stock minor NPC's who keep popping up in different campaigns. My regular players don't seem to mind.
I also plead guilty to once moving an entire city halfway across a continent when the party went the wrong way. Fortunately, they didn't notice the change to the campaign map
I also plead guilty to once moving an entire city halfway across a continent when the party went the wrong way. Fortunately, they didn't notice the change to the campaign map
ThirdWizard
First Post
I get around 80-85% usage.
1) I plan one session at a time. I don't write big multi-session adventures at one time.
2) I drop plot hooks at the end of sessions. There is nothing skipped, because 99% of the time they follow through with what they intended to last session. This saves a lot of work.
These two things help a lot with the unexpected paths that PCs so often take.
1) I plan one session at a time. I don't write big multi-session adventures at one time.
2) I drop plot hooks at the end of sessions. There is nothing skipped, because 99% of the time they follow through with what they intended to last session. This saves a lot of work.
These two things help a lot with the unexpected paths that PCs so often take.
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