[DMs] How much time do you spend preparing the game from one session to the next?

[Buttercup]

It varies widely. I spend a great deal of time before the campaign actually starts. Then, once it gets going, the amount of prep time I need hinges upon what the players do. Sometimes I can get by on half an hour, other times I might need 10 to get ready for a session. That doesn't include the time I spend just thinking about it casually.

I love campaign creation and adventure prep, so I probably spend much more time than is technically necessary. But it's my time and my fun, so that's ok.

 

[Galethorn]

For (usually) weekly, 4-8 hour sessions, I do between 3 and 5 hours of prep (I voted 4-6, because sometimes it takes longer).

Of that, about 1 hour goes to statting all the monsters and NPCs (I'm running a true20 game, so it doesn't take any longer than that). Generally, I try to borrow and modify existing stats that either I've made or others have made, and I compile the stats of every foe the PCs will face for the session in a single document, which I print out.

The rest goes towards writing up my notes (which tend to be outline-formatted word files, divided up by area, time, etc., with some 'scripted dialogue' in there, but usually just broad strokes stuff about "NPC X will insult the players and attack if they return after they've killed his henchmen," or "NPC Y will congradulate the players for killing NPC X, and offer to put them up in his guest rooms if they've ever in town and need a place to stay."

This, of course, is not how I go about the process chronologically.

First, I try to think of the 'concept' of the adventure (I generally run 1-session episodic adventures, because I have a highly variable pool of available players from week to week).

Then, if it's something centered on a certain type of enemy the PCs will be facing, I'll stat them up first. If it's more general, I'll write up my notes first, and then determine what sorts of enemies I need to whip up.

 

[Angel Tarragon]

Never more than an hour. I keep meticulous notes. I have binders and pamphlets up the wazoo and I am currently undertaking getting choice bit from the SRD onto 3x5" cards for quick refrence.

 

[taliesin15]

This is kind of a flawed poll for some people, more than just me, I suspect. I spend quite a bit of time laying stuff out ahead of time. Drawing maps of the continent, developing adventure scenarios, cities, towns, and villages, major-to-minor NPCs, and so forth. I voted 1-2 hours because that's the average while gaming is going on, but that's not counting the several years I've spent off and on tweaking my current campaign. Now what about people who've invented languages and new cultures and pantheons? Not to mention serious house-rule based classes, features, skills, magic and combat specialities?

 

[RFisher]

This is kind of a flawed poll

All polls are flawed. You just have to choose the answer that you think fits best & realize that it's always going to be imperfect. Heck, these are informal anyway...

 

[FireLance]

About 4-6 hours on average for a 4-hour session. Time is mostly spent coming up with a basic premise for the session, selecting appropriate challenges (monsters, traps, etc.), typing out the stat blocks and printing them (the printouts double up as initiative cards to help me run combat smoothly), and coming up with some basic strategies in each encounter to showcase the monsters' special abilities.

Because of the way my group handles PC equipment, I don't spend too much time choosing and placing treasure.