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<blockquote data-quote="seasong" data-source="post: 433001" data-attributes="member: 5137">For most of my campaigns, I prepare a fair amount. Since I like broad story arcs, I usually work from the top-down, determining stuff like pacing first, and then filling in all of the major NPCs, places and things. That usually takes me a few weeks. I only run homebrew settings, so I usually create those beforehand, too. The amount of preparation required depends on the setting, of course - a thoughtful Victorian steampunk takes more effort than a stylized fantasy trope.And then I usually spend 0.5-2 hours each week ahead of the session, working out the details and how they'll fit into the broader story arc, plus another hour afterward making sure I have all my ducks in a row.With all that said, I'm currently running a 2020 superhero campaign where I've given the players story tokens, which they can spend to rewrite background elements, story direction, and personal character development (anything which has already been stated in game is 'canon' and can not be changed, but everything else is malleable). It's been a blast so far (3+ months).I also run occasional one-off campaigns for 3-4 weeks, which are completely off the cuff - I make up the setting, story, NPCs, everything, as we play. Those can be really fun, even though I have to lower my standards for intricate plots a bit <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile&nbsp; &nbsp; :)"&nbsp; data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" />.Since we're talking about D&amp;D3E, improv is a bit harder, but there are some tools you can give yourself to help. The Monster Manual is one; but you can also just establish some standard attack/damage bonuses, 'typical' skill rolls, and so on, which you can then draw on for NPCs, modifying slightly on the fly to fit.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="seasong, post: 433001, member: 5137"] For most of my campaigns, I prepare a fair amount. Since I like broad story arcs, I usually work from the top-down, determining stuff like pacing first, and then filling in all of the major NPCs, places and things. That usually takes me a few weeks. I only run homebrew settings, so I usually create those beforehand, too. The amount of preparation required depends on the setting, of course - a thoughtful Victorian steampunk takes more effort than a stylized fantasy trope. And then I usually spend 0.5-2 hours each week ahead of the session, working out the details and how they'll fit into the broader story arc, plus another hour afterward making sure I have all my ducks in a row. With all that said, I'm currently running a 2020 superhero campaign where I've given the players story tokens, which they can spend to rewrite background elements, story direction, and personal character development (anything which has already been stated in game is 'canon' and can not be changed, but everything else is malleable). It's been a blast so far (3+ months). I also run occasional one-off campaigns for 3-4 weeks, which are completely off the cuff - I make up the setting, story, NPCs, everything, as we play. Those can be really fun, even though I have to lower my standards for intricate plots a bit :). Since we're talking about [b]D&D3E[/b], improv is a bit harder, but there are some tools you can give yourself to help. The Monster Manual is one; but you can also just establish some standard attack/damage bonuses, 'typical' skill rolls, and so on, which you can then draw on for NPCs, modifying slightly on the fly to fit. [/QUOTE]

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