GMs: What is your prep to play ratio?

[Reynard]

Typically speaking, how much time do you prep for any given unit of time you actually play?

For example, when I run convention games, I typically prep for an hour to effectively run a 4 hour game slot. it is less (half an hour) if I am running something a little lighter like Shadowdark, and a little longer if I am running something more complex like higher level D&D. Note also that I don't "write adventures" -- I sketch out the situation, maybe write a few words of lore/description, and gather my maps and statsblocks as needed. Everything else is improv'd in play.

How about you? How much prep time do you spend for every hour or session of time at the table? If it varies from game to game, let us know that, too, and what kinds of games or campaigns need more prep time.

Thanks!

 

[prabe]

Typically speaking, how much time do you prep for any given unit of time you actually play?

For example, when I run convention games, I typically prep for an hour to effectively run a 4 hour game slot. it is less (half an hour) if I am running something a little lighter like Shadowdark, and a little longer if I am running something more complex like higher level D&D. Note also that I don't "write adventures" -- I sketch out the situation, maybe write a few words of lore/description, and gather my maps and statsblocks as needed. Everything else is improv'd in play.

How about you? How much prep time do you spend for every hour or session of time at the table? If it varies from game to game, let us know that, too, and what kinds of games or campaigns need more prep time.

Thanks!

I generally spend like fifteen minutes per session, prepping for D&D 5e/ToV sessions that average about three and a half hours. Sometimes I need to prep a bolus of stuff, such as at the start of a campaign or if the PCs move to an area of my homebrew setting I haven't written up; that can take a few hours, but it's usually good for multiple sessions.

 

[Thomas Shey]

Hmmm. There's definitely some system variance here--a game with a wide variety of broadly usable standard opposition will reduce the time because I can just plug-and-play those, and more detailed games tend to require a bit more prep time, as will games that are more structured and less sandboxy--but were I to ballpark it, I'd say I probably run something between 1/4 to 1/3 prep to play (keeping in mind my games normally 7-8 total hours per session).

 

[payn]

I probably spend more prep time than the average GM I suspect. When im running an AP, I spend a good deal of time looking at what the players will likely encounter. Most of the logistics like stat blocks are covered, I leave that to the pages. My part is more one of mentally preparing for the actors involved to come to life. What type of music might I want in the background? What could make this encounter better than the adversary itself? There is also time I spend on adding my own bits to the AP as written. I feel like they need a little adjustment, a little of my signature to feel right. I dont see that as a fault of the writer (Im pretty lenient in my reviews but when they are bad I dont hold back. I find its rare but some adventures are just badly written) so dont mind doing this work. I tend to work very well with a foundation I can build off. Im not so good at coming up with things whole cloth.

For one shots I usually go through the above exercise except with each time I run the adventure I feel more confident and the less prep I'll need. Though, there will never be an adventure I have set to perfection. I see it like writing and that you could always add, subtract, or think up something to improve.

I have run Pirates of Drinax sandbox for Traveller several times now. I have sunk probably 100's of hours into world prep on the FVTT. A lot of that is getting those game logistics into the VTT, but at this point I have so much content saved that it allows me to focus on the characters and events that I can deliver a great experience. It feels good having all that in my back pocket. Since this sandbox is unlike an AP, I dont have a good idea of what the next session will hold.

 

[Thomas Shey]

@payn just reminded me that I hadn't counted work done on basic campaign support for my VTT of choice (Maptool), which probably adds some to what I quoted, though it tends to be somewhat frontloaded.

 

[Umbran]

Hr. This is difficult to answer.

I have, for a long time now, been using a lot of published adventure materials. This massively front-loads my prep time, putting it where it is convenient, but disconnects it some from actual play, such that I don't really know the prep/play ratio.

When I am not using published materials, I am most often of the "a few notes and statblocks" kind of GM, and I probably do an hour of prep for three hours of play, or so, I think.

 

[DrunkonDuty]

If we count campaign prep/world building, then I spend a lot of time prepping.

But that's so that, once it's done, I can do minimal prep of actual adventures.

The thing I found took longest was prepping for high level PF1 adventure path. The reading, re-reading, and modifying of stat blocks so that I could play some high level caster in a way that would be challenging took up so much time.

 

[TheSword]

I would say 50:50 ratio. Three hours prep for a three hour session.

Reading scenarios, writing up events, landing pages, maps, VTT updates etc etc.

 

[aco175]

I like to have things more prepped than less and tend to make a module out of my notes. I like to sit down and just have the adventure and not need other books. I liked the 4e book where each encounter was on one page with statblocks and such, so I kept that up and write things out. I likely spend 2 hours prep per hour gaming.

Some of this might be copying monster stats into my Word doc or researching places in FR the PCs will be going to get a better handle on the lore. I might sit and type a couple time a week for an hour or half-hour while watching a show.

 

[Celebrim]

How about you? How much prep time do you spend for every hour or session of time at the table? If it varies from game to game, let us know that, too, and what kinds of games or campaigns need more prep time.

Thanks!

I think typically between 1 and 2 hours of prep time per hour at the table.

The worst ratio I ever had was probably 5 hours of prep time per hour at the table. That was when I was prepping for open table play at my local gaming story - as much 15 hours for a 3 hour session.

Since it seems that I am accused of lying about my prep time, here is an example of what I prepared for a single session, minus the map which was in two scales, one for my use and another one to lay out on the table as a battle map.

This level of prep for strangers was insane and I couldn't keep it up, but it is more or less what I prep for my real games if perhaps a bit more refined in the presentation.