How to find the "joy of prep" in PbtA games?

[BookTenTiger]

Thank you for the excellent and thoughtful response.

I do have that recollection of enjoying the prep (despite my current disposition). That said, I was thinking more along the lines of ... how does this prep that you're doing interact with the systems you are running, and the desire to keep it more improv?

I was just thinking that a lot of the time, when I have something prepped, I will (consciously or unconsciously) put my finger on the scale so that the prep is used and not wasted; is this something you are concerned about, or am I overthinking this?

(And just to reiterate, I am ALL FOR incorporating your joy of prep into the systems you are enjoying running! I am just wrestling with some other thoughts, and looking for input ... not looking for an argument on this. I am genuinely curious about how this will work together. Because I have thoughts for my home games.)

What's funny is that the way I prep traditional D&D games actually aligns much more with the advice in this thread.

In the last major campaign I ran, I had a dungeon map that I wound up reflavoring three different times because the players chose not to explore it in the first location or the second location. I had an NPC enemy alchemist who turned from a Tortle to a Tiefling to a Gnome before the PCs ever encountered him. In each location the players traveled to, I'd prepare 5 or 6 possible areas of interest, and usually 3 to 4 got explored. What didn't get used I'd repurpose in a new location.

So it turns out I've been doing this sort of "floating prep" for a while, and it's something I've always enjoyed!

 

[clearstream]

I do have that recollection of enjoying the prep (despite my current disposition). That said, I was thinking more along the lines of ... how does this prep that you're doing interact with the systems you are running, and the desire to keep it more improv?

What are your thoughts on the connected question: how does what you establish in session 1 interact with the systems you are running and desire to keep session 2 more improv?

 

[Snarf Zagyg]

What are your thoughts on the connected question: how does what you establish in session 1 interact with the systems you are running and desire to keep session 2 more improv?

Honestly, I am probably not the best person to answer that question.

Most of the time, I am either running "the standard" (D&D, which is to say a modified version of either 5e or 1e) for long-running groups, in which case I am familiar enough with what has been established that my prep time is fairly minimal.

Or I am running one-shots (or, at most, games that will be limited to a handful of sessions) that don't require that much thought on the issue. Just making sure my brain isn't addled and I can keep track of the fiction that has been established.

Obviously, a big part of this is the bi-directional trust*; to the extent that something happens (conflict with prior established fiction, for example), it's just a quick remark by someone (either me or someone else) that resolves the issue.


*I say bi-directional, from "players" to "GM," but it's really omni-directional, between all participants. Players are usually the first to point out any issues caused by me or other players.

 

[jdrakeh]

I recently helped edit a product called The Improv Almanac that is available PWYW on Itch.io. It's basically a collection of different locations, custom moves, questions, terrain features, dangers, and other narrative prompts specifically designed to help prep for Dungeon World encounters. I had a ton of fun working on it and it helped rekindle my love of Dungeon World (a game that I'd kind of forgotten about over the last few years).

 

[clearstream]

Obviously, a big part of this is the bi-directional trust*; to the extent that something happens (conflict with prior established fiction, for example), it's just a quick remark by someone (either me or someone else) that resolves the issue.

Yup, so my direction of thought was that "prior established fiction" can be down to participant prep between sessions, or can be down to participants making stuff true over preceding sessions. So if "a quick remark" resolves the latter, then one could hold out hope that it would resolve the former.

 

[Snarf Zagyg]

Yup, so my direction of thought was that "prior established fiction" can be down to participant prep between sessions, or can be down to participants making stuff true over preceding sessions. So if "a quick remark" resolves the latter, then one could hold out hope that it would resolve the former.

Well, I think that my background concern would be (as I stated above) that if I spent time prepping thing for a more improv-style session, that I would necessarily want to use those things.

Which means that I'm not really reacting to the flow of the fiction, but instead steering it so that I can use the bits I have prepared.

But I might be over-analyzing this.

 

[clearstream]

Well, I think that my background concern would be (as I stated above) that if I spent time prepping thing for a more improv-style session, that I would necessarily want to use those things.

Which means that I'm not really reacting to the flow of the fiction, but instead steering it so that I can use the bits I have prepared.

But I might be over-analyzing this.

Maybe. Surely you just remove that one word "necessarily"?

 

[BookTenTiger]

This thread has inspired me to start creating my own Ironsworn setting, and I must say I'm having a lot of fun! So far it's a little bit Conan, and a lot Dinosaurs vs Vikings.

 

[Snarf Zagyg]

Maybe. Surely you just remove that one word "necessarily"?

Dunno. We are all subject to cognitive biases.

If I've already prepped something, it's going to be in my head. Can't help it.

And no matter what I might try to think or do, I am more likely to use something that's already takin' up my very limited brain space.

Other people are probably better than me, but I know myself well enough to understand that if I have something ready to go, I am going to find myself thinking, "Self, this seems like a great opportunity to use it!"

 

[thefutilist]

Well, I think that my background concern would be (as I stated above) that if I spent time prepping thing for a more improv-style session, that I would necessarily want to use those things.

Which means that I'm not really reacting to the flow of the fiction, but instead steering it so that I can use the bits I have prepared.

But I might be over-analyzing this.

If I was doing a floating prep improv style game, this would be my concern as well. It's the type of thing I lie in bed at night worrying about.