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<blockquote data-quote="Ktulu" data-source="post: 5343410" data-attributes="member: 13465">I'll throw in my two cents on the subject; but it's not very organized, either.I generally have an idea of where I see the game going in the next week.&nbsp; This may be due to the players making some decisions, or it may be caused by something in the plot.&nbsp; Regardless, I begin by determining how to open the story:BTW, I use Microsoft OneNote to track my ideas (though, admittedly, I'm lazy and don't update it often).Once I've decided how the session opens (is it picking up from last week's cliffhanger?&nbsp; Combat! exposition?&nbsp; Did time pass? etc...), then I move to the Encounters I suspect will happen.&nbsp;&nbsp; Each encounter (skill challenge or combat), should lead to at least 2 different outcomes (not just win or lose, either.&nbsp; That's a foregone conclusion).&nbsp; I then look at the likely options ther players will take and move to the next section (adding in NPC's, and such).Once i've got my basic layout in place, I build my combat encounters by laying out the map, then miniatures, then building the actual encounter via the Monster Tool and D&amp;D 4e combat tracker.Rinse and repeat, until I'm done.I probably spend about 30 minutes to an hour every day or so, throughout the week.&nbsp; It culminates in something close to a 1:1 ratio of planning to prep-time.What I don't do is write stuff down.&nbsp; I don't write down what NPC's will say, or write descriptions down.&nbsp; For me, I do better playing off what the players ask or look for, thus creating a world that they're exploring, not just telling them what I've planned.&nbsp; I'm pretty good at improv, so that works for me.However, I play in a game where the DM writes almost everything down--descriptions, most NPC's responses, everything.&nbsp; And that game is very good.&nbsp; It never feels as though he's &quot;reading&quot;, he just has everything heavily prepared.&nbsp; Never feels railroady, either.&nbsp; I suspect he spends more than 4-6 hours preparing in a week, though <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=":)" /></blockquote>

[QUOTE="Ktulu, post: 5343410, member: 13465"] I'll throw in my two cents on the subject; but it's not very organized, either. I generally have an idea of where I see the game going in the next week. This may be due to the players making some decisions, or it may be caused by something in the plot. Regardless, I begin by determining how to open the story: BTW, I use Microsoft OneNote to track my ideas (though, admittedly, I'm lazy and don't update it often). Once I've decided how the session opens (is it picking up from last week's cliffhanger? Combat! exposition? Did time pass? etc...), then I move to the Encounters I suspect will happen. Each encounter (skill challenge or combat), should lead to at least 2 different outcomes (not just win or lose, either. That's a foregone conclusion). I then look at the likely options ther players will take and move to the next section (adding in NPC's, and such). Once i've got my basic layout in place, I build my combat encounters by laying out the map, then miniatures, then building the actual encounter via the Monster Tool and D&D 4e combat tracker. Rinse and repeat, until I'm done. I probably spend about 30 minutes to an hour every day or so, throughout the week. It culminates in something close to a 1:1 ratio of planning to prep-time. What I don't do is write stuff down. I don't write down what NPC's will say, or write descriptions down. For me, I do better playing off what the players ask or look for, thus creating a world that they're exploring, not just telling them what I've planned. I'm pretty good at improv, so that works for me. However, I play in a game where the DM writes almost everything down--descriptions, most NPC's responses, everything. And that game is very good. It never feels as though he's "reading", he just has everything heavily prepared. Never feels railroady, either. I suspect he spends more than 4-6 hours preparing in a week, though :) [/QUOTE]

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