GMs: What is your prep to play ratio?

[Maxperson]

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!

30-60 minutes per 4 hour session.

 

[TwoSix]

Generally less than 20 minutes for a 3-4 hour session, outside of OSR style games where the playstyle demands that I do a bit of initial "dungeon" creation. But even for those, under an hour. A little more if you count "brainstorming" time thinking about the game in the car/taking a shower/doing chores/etc.

I'm very comfortable making up encounters and new monsters on the fly, which keeps my overall prep low. I'm also allergic to about 95% of pregen material; I'll use the occasional monster block and borrow some maps and layouts.

 

[Ralif Redhammer]

About 30-45 minutes of dedicated prep time. Thinking about it, the prep time is about the same for my group that runs two hours and my group that runs four hours. But that's not including the couple of minutes here and there that I get struck by inspiration and scrawl some semi-illegible ideas and notes for the session.

 

[Reynard]

Since (general) you are here, what does your prep actually look like (some of you have answered this already)?

I tend to fill a single empty page in my campaign notebook with sketched out ideas based on what is happening next (I am running a sandbox game and I make sure to let the PCs decide what they are doing, but ask them to tell me so I can prep at least a little). After that, or just before the session, I find maps and set up encounters that are likely to be needed (I run of Fantasy grounds, so this only takes a few minutes). If something unexpected happens, I tell everyone to take 5 and then throw together the required encounter and map during the session. This rarely takes more than a couple minutes because context led to the need in the first place.

When I am running a con game -- which are usually 3 or 4 slot episodic, ongoing games -- I build "the world" and the first "adventure" before play, then use the time between slots to riff off what happened and build the next. I usually have an arc in mind and a thought about what the climax is, but more often than not player decisions change that. I explicitly only run games at cons I am familiar enough with to improv and quick prep. I learned this lesson...

 

[DragonLancer]

For myself, it's probably 2 to 3 hours prep time per 4 hour gaming time. That's reading, taking notes, making changes, looking up stat blocks and rolling treasure. In addition I spend a lot of time in my own head running potential how it will play moments, or plotting ahead in the campaign.

 

[TwoSix]

Maybe this is my own biases showing, but I feel like there's a correlation between "using modules" and "greater prep time". I think there's a tendency that if you're not using modules, you're not instead spending tons of hours making your own homebrewed adventure, you're simply more willing to ad-lib and improvise with less prep.

 

[Reynard]

Maybe this is my own biases showing, but I feel like there's a correlation between "using modules" and "greater prep time". I think there's a tendency that if you're not using modules, you're not instead spending tons of hours making your own homebrewed adventure, you're simply more willing to ad-lib and improvise with less prep.

I just think using modules is infinitely more work than either prepping my own, or improv. I am willing to do it with short adventures and isolated locations, but I don't have the patience to try and use a big adventure, let alone a campaign length one.

 

[hawkeyefan]

I just think using modules is infinitely more work than either prepping my own, or improv. I am willing to do it with short adventures and isolated locations, but I don't have the patience to try and use a big adventure, let alone a campaign length one.

I think one of the effects that modules have had on the hobby is the idea that what you need to run a game is the equivalent of a written module committed to writing before play can begin.

 

[Reynard]

I think one of the effects that modules have had on the hobby is the idea that what you need to run a game is the equivalent of a written module committed to writing before play can begin.

It makes some sense in the "OSR style" in that it is supposed to be a battle of wits between the player and GM, and in that context the GM winging it is sort of cheating. But adventuring or storytelling? You don't need heavy prep for that.

 

[prabe]

Since (general) you are here, what does your prep actually look like (some of you have answered this already)?

I tend to fill a single empty page in my campaign notebook with sketched out ideas based on what is happening next (I am running a sandbox game and I make sure to let the PCs decide what they are doing, but ask them to tell me so I can prep at least a little). After that, or just before the session, I find maps and set up encounters that are likely to be needed (I run of Fantasy grounds, so this only takes a few minutes). If something unexpected happens, I tell everyone to take 5 and then throw together the required encounter and map during the session. This rarely takes more than a couple minutes because context led to the need in the first place.

When I am running a con game -- which are usually 3 or 4 slot episodic, ongoing games -- I build "the world" and the first "adventure" before play, then use the time between slots to riff off what happened and build the next. I usually have an arc in mind and a thought about what the climax is, but more often than not player decisions change that. I explicitly only run games at cons I am familiar enough with to improv and quick prep. I learned this lesson...

In my case it usually involves reading the player-side notes to refresh my memory of the situation the PCs are in, and/or the direction they're moving. There's usually some working out what sort/s of opposition they could run into, and some picking from my physical maps (I don't run on a VTT, even remotely) though the latter I can sometimes manage in-session.

I'm running ongoing games in a world that I've at least started four campaigns in (I finished the first and second, I'm running the third and fourth) so I obviously have a lot of prior work that I can draw on and/or connect to.