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Minimizing Prep Time - Forked from "DMing: from fun to work "
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<blockquote data-quote="Lanefan" data-source="post: 5165210" data-attributes="member: 29398"><p>There's two different types of preparation - well, three if you count clearing off the table before the game - and how one defines prep-vs-game time depends on whether both types of preparation count or not.</p><p></p><p>The first type is all done before any dice hit the table. This is the world-building, the mapping, some general plot outlines, world and local history, deities and pantheons, cultures, adventure ideas, etc., etc. to whatever level you want to take it. This part I tend to ignore when counting "prep time" as to me it's the fun part and usually doesn't feel like work. Even the tedious bits.</p><p></p><p>The second type, which is what I think of when someone mentions "prep time" is how much do I have to do during the week to make that weekend's games sail smoothly. This varies wildly. Some weeks I don't really have to do anything. Other weeks - usually either when they're getting ready to divide a treasury or have left-turned unexpectedly and got me winging stuff - I have to spend a few hours at it.</p><p></p><p>The more completely you cover the first type of prep, the less of the second type you'll need to do. <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" /></p><p></p><p>Oftentimes I can get away with doing a small amount of "prep" on the fly during the game. If the party pick up an adventuring NPC or a hench, for example, I'll be busy rolling up its basics when nothing else is going on or when they're planning and-or arguing among themselves. Then later in the week I'll flesh it out if it's still at all relevant.</p><p></p><p>What I find usually takes more time is the record-keeping afterwards: making notes for my own records and stats; writing up the game logs; converting them to html and putting them on the website, and otherwise keeping my parts of the site up to date.</p><p></p><p>Lanefan</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Lanefan, post: 5165210, member: 29398"] There's two different types of preparation - well, three if you count clearing off the table before the game - and how one defines prep-vs-game time depends on whether both types of preparation count or not. The first type is all done before any dice hit the table. This is the world-building, the mapping, some general plot outlines, world and local history, deities and pantheons, cultures, adventure ideas, etc., etc. to whatever level you want to take it. This part I tend to ignore when counting "prep time" as to me it's the fun part and usually doesn't feel like work. Even the tedious bits. The second type, which is what I think of when someone mentions "prep time" is how much do I have to do during the week to make that weekend's games sail smoothly. This varies wildly. Some weeks I don't really have to do anything. Other weeks - usually either when they're getting ready to divide a treasury or have left-turned unexpectedly and got me winging stuff - I have to spend a few hours at it. The more completely you cover the first type of prep, the less of the second type you'll need to do. :) Oftentimes I can get away with doing a small amount of "prep" on the fly during the game. If the party pick up an adventuring NPC or a hench, for example, I'll be busy rolling up its basics when nothing else is going on or when they're planning and-or arguing among themselves. Then later in the week I'll flesh it out if it's still at all relevant. What I find usually takes more time is the record-keeping afterwards: making notes for my own records and stats; writing up the game logs; converting them to html and putting them on the website, and otherwise keeping my parts of the site up to date. Lanefan [/QUOTE]
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