How much prep time do you use each week?

[Bloodstone Press]

Before the campaign starts, I spend a lot of time preparing. After it has been going for a week or two I tend to lose interest and don't plan at all until they start to get close to the end. Then, I get interested in it again and spend several hours tying up loose ends and sorting out the ending.

 

[Galeman]

As with the way i create worlds, i run games pretty much on the fly. i've found in the past that if i overprep, my players invariably find some way to completely avoid what i prepared. but really i find games work best when you allow your players to dictate the plot to a certain extent. i find it allows for the best possible character developement. heh, in fact i've started 3 campaigns now by rolling in the 3.0 "make your own dungeon". but that's a bit of my forte, improv. taking completely unrelated things and linking them. like the crazy choice of characters in my current game. check it out by the way. links in my sig. heh, how's that for a shameless plug.

 

[BlackMoria]

Our group plays once a week. As DM, my prep time is 15 minutes. Then again, when DMing, I am the king of improv

I basically write down a few ideas as a framework and I literally do all the other stuff expected of a DM during a play session on the fly.

Been doing it for some 25 years and nobody can tell the difference between me going full out in 'flying by the seat of my pants mode' and another DM with hours of preparation.

If the players take an unexpected turn, I become very adept into making the detour into a memorable sidetrek....and without breaking a sweat or getting flustered by their unexpected action.

Then, that's me. Give me a set of dice and the core books and I am good to go....

Send me in cold, coach!

 

[LGodamus]

I know this is gonna sound stupid but .....none. I never prep an adventure. I go over the story elements in my head, and I have a good knowledge of the premade components( the setting), and let the PCs decide the course of the action...I find it definately helps avoid railroading...and after years of this my improv skills are pretty good....I would bet my players, if they read this, will be mighty surprised.....they dont know that I do things this way...but its worked the last 14 years for me so...now its hard to do things any other way...

 

[Nighthawk]

I prefer weekly sessions, and will go with biweekly meetings, but anything more drawn out and my gm performance drops greatly. The sessions tend to be in the 5-8 hours range (which is my preference as well).

With the above in mind, my prep time is usually 3-5 hours per week. I focus on the background and story elements first, and then the game mechanics second. It's all essentially free-form, not being structured, being more of a basic outline really. If the players have provided me information and/or motivations for/from their characters, the process is much easier for me.

Once I have the non-mechanic elements down, I move onto the "playtesting" part where I run the numbers (combat, skill checks, etc.). That's about it.

If I am providing campaign material for the players for each session, the prep time increases by a variable amount.

All of the above methods helps me retain the necessary information so that I rarely have to refer to written materials during the game sessions (which I find extremely beneficial). This leaves more playing time, unless a rules issue shows itself.

 

[pogre]

I run weekly for 3 to 3 1/2 hours. Prep time varies, but rarely less than four hours on the adventure. Writing adventures and making maps are just things I enjoy. I spend a 1/2 hour to an hour painting miniatures every night - I do not include that in prep time, even though they are geared for upcoming sessions usually.