Menu
News
All News
Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
Pathfinder
Starfinder
Warhammer
2d20 System
Year Zero Engine
Industry News
Reviews
Dragon Reflections
White Dwarf Reflections
Columns
Weekly Digests
Weekly News Digest
Freebies, Sales & Bundles
RPG Print News
RPG Crowdfunding News
Game Content
ENterplanetary DimENsions
Mythological Figures
Opinion
Worlds of Design
Peregrine's Nest
RPG Evolution
Other Columns
From the Freelancing Frontline
Monster ENcyclopedia
WotC/TSR Alumni Look Back
4 Hours w/RSD (Ryan Dancey)
The Road to 3E (Jonathan Tweet)
Greenwood's Realms (Ed Greenwood)
Drawmij's TSR (Jim Ward)
Community
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Resources
Wiki
Pages
Latest activity
Media
New media
New comments
Search media
Downloads
Latest reviews
Search resources
EN Publishing
Store
EN5ider
Adventures in ZEITGEIST
Awfully Cheerful Engine
What's OLD is NEW
Judge Dredd & The Worlds Of 2000AD
War of the Burning Sky
Level Up: Advanced 5E
Events & Releases
Upcoming Events
Private Events
Featured Events
Socials!
EN Publishing
Twitter
BlueSky
Facebook
Instagram
EN World
BlueSky
YouTube
Facebook
Twitter
Twitch
Podcast
Features
Top 5 RPGs Compiled Charts 2004-Present
Adventure Game Industry Market Research Summary (RPGs) V1.0
Ryan Dancey: Acquiring TSR
Q&A With Gary Gygax
D&D Rules FAQs
TSR, WotC, & Paizo: A Comparative History
D&D Pronunciation Guide
Million Dollar TTRPG Kickstarters
Tabletop RPG Podcast Hall of Fame
Eric Noah's Unofficial D&D 3rd Edition News
D&D in the Mainstream
D&D & RPG History
About Morrus
Log in
Register
What's new
Search
Search
Search titles only
By:
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Menu
Log in
Register
Install the app
Install
Community
General Tabletop Discussion
*TTRPGs General
Full-time DM, Part-time Prep
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Reply to thread
Message
<blockquote data-quote="Rune" data-source="post: 5768778" data-attributes="member: 67"><p>I have a friend who has been thinking of building a campaign from the ground up, but he has recently had a baby and gone back to school. He has little time.</p><p></p><p>Fortunately, I have been refining a style of DMing (and campaign building) over many years that requires—even encourages—minimal prep. I decided to type up a list of tips for him, and figured I may as well share them here, as well.</p><p></p><p>If some of these concepts seem familiar to any of you, I wouldn't be surprised. One of my greatest assets as a DM is my ability to absorb good ideas from other DMs.</p><p></p><p>So...</p><p></p><p><strong>How to build (and run) a campaign with minimal preparation:</strong></p><p></p><p><a href="http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?316091-Full-time-DM-Part-time-Prep&p=5768781&viewfull=1#post5768781" target="_blank">Lesson 1: Be organized.</a></p><p></p><p><a href="http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?316091-Full-time-DM-Part-time-Prep&p=5768788&viewfull=1#post5768788" target="_blank">Lesson 2: Know the rules.</a></p><p></p><p><a href="http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?316091-Full-time-DM-Part-time-Prep&p=5768790&viewfull=1#post5768790" target="_blank">Lesson 3: Reduce the bookkeeping.</a></p><p></p><p><a href="http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?316091-Full-time-DM-Part-time-Prep&p=5768795&viewfull=1#post5768795" target="_blank">Lesson 4: Get your players to do the work.</a></p><p></p><p><a href="http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?316091-Full-time-DM-Part-time-Prep&p=5768800&viewfull=1#post5768800" target="_blank">Lesson 5: Every element is an NPC.</a></p><p></p><p><a href="http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?316091-Full-time-DM-Part-time-Prep&p=5768802&viewfull=1#post5768802" target="_blank">Lesson 6: Don't plot. Hook!</a></p><p></p><p><a href="http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?316091-Full-time-DM-Part-time-Prep&p=5768805&viewfull=1#post5768805" target="_blank">Lesson 7: Never stat what you don't need.</a></p><p></p><p><a href="http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?316091-Full-time-DM-Part-time-Prep&p=5768807&viewfull=1#post5768807" target="_blank">Lesson 8: Re-fluff and recycle.</a></p><p></p><p><a href="http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?316091-Full-time-DM-Part-time-Prep&p=5768811&viewfull=1#post5768811" target="_blank">Lesson 9: Keep notes during play.</a></p><p></p><p><a href="http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?316091-Full-time-DM-Part-time-Prep&p=5768812&viewfull=1#post5768812" target="_blank">Lesson 10: Don't use weird names.</a></p><p></p><p><a href="http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?316091-Full-time-DM-Part-time-Prep&p=5768815&viewfull=1#post5768815" target="_blank">Lesson 11: Most battles should be skirmishes.</a></p><p></p><p><a href="http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?316091-Full-time-DM-Part-time-Prep&p=5768818&viewfull=1#post5768818" target="_blank">Lesson 12: Listen to the players.</a></p><p></p><p><a href="http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?316091-Full-time-DM-Part-time-Prep&p=5768821&viewfull=1#post5768821" target="_blank">Lesson 13: If the question is, “Can I do [something that's cool],” the answer is “Yes!”</a></p><p></p><p><a href="http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?316091-Full-time-DM-Part-time-Prep&p=5896856&viewfull=1#post5896856" target="_blank">Lesson 14: Look everywhere for inspiration.</a></p><p></p><p><a href="http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?316091-Full-time-DM-Part-time-Prep&p=5998649&viewfull=1#post5998649" target="_blank">Lesson 15: Encourage your players to develop background as you go.</a></p><p></p><p><a href="http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?316091-Full-time-DM-Part-time-Prep&p=6054265&viewfull=1#post6054265" target="_blank">Lesson 16: Always build toward something.</a></p><p></p><p><a href="http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?316091-Full-time-DM-Part-time-Prep&p=6054842&viewfull=1#post6054842" target="_blank">Lesson 17: Set the pace.</a></p><p></p><p><a href="http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?316091-Full-time-DM-Part-time-Prep&p=6056206&viewfull=1#post6056206" target="_blank">Lesson 18: Embrace the surreal.</a></p><p></p><p><a href="http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?316091-Full-time-DM-Part-time-Prep&p=6075339&viewfull=1#post6075339" target="_blank">Lesson 19: Trust your players to solve their own problems.</a></p><p></p><p><a href="http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?316091-Full-time-DM-Part-time-Prep&p=6076216&viewfull=1#post6076216" target="_blank">Lesson 20: Name the party.</a></p><p></p><p><a href="http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?316091-Full-time-DM-Part-time-Prep&p=6092408&viewfull=1#post6092408" target="_blank">Lesson 21: Be mysterious.</a></p><p></p><p><a href="http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?316091-Full-time-DM-Part-time-Prep&p=6102791&viewfull=1#post6102791" target="_blank">Lesson 22: Make it personal.</a></p><p></p><p><a href="http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?316091-Full-time-DM-Part-time-Prep&p=6123805&viewfull=1#post6123805" target="_blank">Lesson 23: Campaigns mean Change.</a></p><p></p><p><a href="http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?316091-Full-time-DM-Part-time-Prep&p=6167033&viewfull=1#post6167033" target="_blank">Lesson 24: Monsters may wander, but encounters aren't random.</a></p><p></p><p><a href="http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?316091-Full-time-DM-Part-time-Prep&p=6167902&viewfull=1#post6167902" target="_blank">Lesson 25: Get the dice to do the work.</a></p><p></p><p><a href="http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?316091-Full-time-DM-Part-time-Prep&p=6210849&viewfull=1#post6210849" target="_blank">Lesson 26: Use your players' imaginations.</a></p><p></p><p><a href="http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?316091-Full-time-DM-Part-time-Prep&p=6854570&viewfull=1#post6854570" target="_blank">Lesson 27: Set nothing in stone.</a></p><p></p><p><a href="http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?316091-Full-time-DM-Part-time-Prep&p=6855904&viewfull=1#post6855904" target="_blank">Lesson 28: Always leave an out.</a></p><p></p><p><a href="http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?316091-Full-time-DM-Part-time-Prep&p=6858239&viewfull=1#post6858239" target="_blank">Lesson 29: Make mistakes.</a></p><p></p><p>...So, this is my list of lessons for full-time DMing with part-time prep. Does anyone else out there have ideas or advice for campaign-building or running games with minimal prep?</p><p></p><p>—Edit: Traveon Wyvernspur has attached a PDF of these lessons (current through Lesson 25) in <a href="http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?316091-Full-time-DM-Part-time-Prep&p=5998732&viewfull=1#post5998732" target="_blank">this post</a>, should anyone want a more-easily-printable version.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Rune, post: 5768778, member: 67"] I have a friend who has been thinking of building a campaign from the ground up, but he has recently had a baby and gone back to school. He has little time. Fortunately, I have been refining a style of DMing (and campaign building) over many years that requires—even encourages—minimal prep. I decided to type up a list of tips for him, and figured I may as well share them here, as well. If some of these concepts seem familiar to any of you, I wouldn't be surprised. One of my greatest assets as a DM is my ability to absorb good ideas from other DMs. So... [b]How to build (and run) a campaign with minimal preparation:[/b] [url=http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?316091-Full-time-DM-Part-time-Prep&p=5768781&viewfull=1#post5768781]Lesson 1: Be organized.[/url] [url=http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?316091-Full-time-DM-Part-time-Prep&p=5768788&viewfull=1#post5768788]Lesson 2: Know the rules.[/url] [url=http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?316091-Full-time-DM-Part-time-Prep&p=5768790&viewfull=1#post5768790]Lesson 3: Reduce the bookkeeping.[/url] [url=http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?316091-Full-time-DM-Part-time-Prep&p=5768795&viewfull=1#post5768795]Lesson 4: Get your players to do the work.[/url] [url=http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?316091-Full-time-DM-Part-time-Prep&p=5768800&viewfull=1#post5768800]Lesson 5: Every element is an NPC.[/url] [url=http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?316091-Full-time-DM-Part-time-Prep&p=5768802&viewfull=1#post5768802]Lesson 6: Don't plot. Hook![/url] [url=http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?316091-Full-time-DM-Part-time-Prep&p=5768805&viewfull=1#post5768805]Lesson 7: Never stat what you don't need.[/url] [url=http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?316091-Full-time-DM-Part-time-Prep&p=5768807&viewfull=1#post5768807]Lesson 8: Re-fluff and recycle.[/url] [url=http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?316091-Full-time-DM-Part-time-Prep&p=5768811&viewfull=1#post5768811]Lesson 9: Keep notes during play.[/url] [url=http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?316091-Full-time-DM-Part-time-Prep&p=5768812&viewfull=1#post5768812]Lesson 10: Don't use weird names.[/url] [url=http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?316091-Full-time-DM-Part-time-Prep&p=5768815&viewfull=1#post5768815]Lesson 11: Most battles should be skirmishes.[/url] [url=http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?316091-Full-time-DM-Part-time-Prep&p=5768818&viewfull=1#post5768818]Lesson 12: Listen to the players.[/url] [url=http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?316091-Full-time-DM-Part-time-Prep&p=5768821&viewfull=1#post5768821]Lesson 13: If the question is, “Can I do [something that's cool],” the answer is “Yes!”[/url] [url=http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?316091-Full-time-DM-Part-time-Prep&p=5896856&viewfull=1#post5896856]Lesson 14: Look everywhere for inspiration.[/url] [url=http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?316091-Full-time-DM-Part-time-Prep&p=5998649&viewfull=1#post5998649]Lesson 15: Encourage your players to develop background as you go.[/url] [url=http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?316091-Full-time-DM-Part-time-Prep&p=6054265&viewfull=1#post6054265]Lesson 16: Always build toward something.[/url] [url=http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?316091-Full-time-DM-Part-time-Prep&p=6054842&viewfull=1#post6054842]Lesson 17: Set the pace.[/url] [url=http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?316091-Full-time-DM-Part-time-Prep&p=6056206&viewfull=1#post6056206]Lesson 18: Embrace the surreal.[/url] [url=http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?316091-Full-time-DM-Part-time-Prep&p=6075339&viewfull=1#post6075339]Lesson 19: Trust your players to solve their own problems.[/url] [url=http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?316091-Full-time-DM-Part-time-Prep&p=6076216&viewfull=1#post6076216]Lesson 20: Name the party.[/url] [url=http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?316091-Full-time-DM-Part-time-Prep&p=6092408&viewfull=1#post6092408]Lesson 21: Be mysterious.[/url] [url=http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?316091-Full-time-DM-Part-time-Prep&p=6102791&viewfull=1#post6102791]Lesson 22: Make it personal.[/url] [url=http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?316091-Full-time-DM-Part-time-Prep&p=6123805&viewfull=1#post6123805]Lesson 23: Campaigns mean Change.[/url] [url=http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?316091-Full-time-DM-Part-time-Prep&p=6167033&viewfull=1#post6167033]Lesson 24: Monsters may wander, but encounters aren't random.[/url] [url=http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?316091-Full-time-DM-Part-time-Prep&p=6167902&viewfull=1#post6167902]Lesson 25: Get the dice to do the work.[/url] [url=http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?316091-Full-time-DM-Part-time-Prep&p=6210849&viewfull=1#post6210849]Lesson 26: Use your players' imaginations.[/url] [url=http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?316091-Full-time-DM-Part-time-Prep&p=6854570&viewfull=1#post6854570]Lesson 27: Set nothing in stone.[/url] [url=http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?316091-Full-time-DM-Part-time-Prep&p=6855904&viewfull=1#post6855904]Lesson 28: Always leave an out.[/url] [url=http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?316091-Full-time-DM-Part-time-Prep&p=6858239&viewfull=1#post6858239]Lesson 29: Make mistakes.[/url] ...So, this is my list of lessons for full-time DMing with part-time prep. Does anyone else out there have ideas or advice for campaign-building or running games with minimal prep? —Edit: Traveon Wyvernspur has attached a PDF of these lessons (current through Lesson 25) in [url=http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?316091-Full-time-DM-Part-time-Prep&p=5998732&viewfull=1#post5998732]this post[/url], should anyone want a more-easily-printable version. [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Verification
Post reply
Community
General Tabletop Discussion
*TTRPGs General
Full-time DM, Part-time Prep
Top
