D&D General Zero-Prep D&D Game?

[R_J_K75]

I'd go so far to say that it's impossible to do zero prep.

No its not impossible. I've woken up, picked up the phone, called a few people, grabbed my bookbag and was running a game with zero prep in an hour or two. It's definitely not something everyone can do but it is possible and sometimes resulted in better games than ones I prepped heavily for. Granted my ability to read and retain information was a lot better back then so I had a lot of rules and lore knowledge to draw from. So sure, the time I spent reading, playing and putting together resources to use I suppose was prep; but we had no idea what the adventure was going to be until we sat down and played. Back in those days we could make characters in under 5 minutes, and all the players had been playing in the same campaign together for quite a while, so it was pretty easy to pick up where we left off and play on the fly.

 

[Reynard]

Thank you for the responses - they've been most helpful.

Someone asked for a definition of "prep." To my mind, it is dedicated time spent reading material and/or preparing notes for the upcoming session. A couple of minutes in the shower thinking about tomorrow night's game is not "prep" by this definition. Sitting down at your desk for 30 minutes is prep.

When I posed this question, I could think of three possible ways you might do zero-prep D&D:

1. Pure improv, where you and the players devise scenes keep going.

2. A generative tool that creates the adventure for you as you go. Perilous Wilds is one such tool (it's for Dungeon World, but it is perfectly usable for D&D adventures).

3. A master tome that is concise enough to just consult "on the fly". Some say they used Wilderlands of High Fantasy in this way. The players move to a new hex, the DM looks up the location (at the table during play) and then plays it through.

I think all(?) of the no-preppers who have answered so far have fallen into category 1.

I am a 1 and 2. I really like tables. If for no other reason, they spur creativity. But really, they keep me from defaulting to my preferred tropes. We all have preferences and biases and it is really easy as a GM or even a freelancer to choose the easy path. Tables (especially for "weird" games) make you really think. I use them even when I am writing for pay.

 

[prabe]

Since this is basically the structure of Blades in the Dark, I'd note that when I was doing this we were also in a city - I think that a constrained environment that has a moderate amount of established "details" may be easier to run off of then a purely open. If you're familiar with Perilous Wilds it sounds like you're also familiar with DW - but the advantage of that game is the procedures and design expectations that kinda allow players to easily direct play. You can absolutely do this with pure improv in 5e, but I found it a little easier to rely on that external structure since the system design doesn't have that.

I think I agree that if the PCs are staying where they are for a while, it's easier to run with less prep than if they are persistently moving around; and I think I agree that if they're staying in a city, there's more likely to be a bolus of prep (the "gazette" you mentioned, I think) the GM can use for a run of sessions--prep once, run a handful of sessions.

 

[Reynard]

I think I agree that if the PCs are staying where they are for a while, it's easier to run with less prep than if they are persistently moving around; and I think I agree that if they're staying in a city, there's more likely to be a bolus of prep (the "gazette" you mentioned, I think) the GM can use for a run of sessions--prep once, run a handful of sessions.

I actually think it is harder because you should be thinking about all the connections and moving parts in that location, and how the last session would impact those things. That's prep.

But an episodic travelogue? The only consistency is the PCs and those are player responsibilities. The GM can justvroll up a town and dungeon on tables while the players argue about the division of last session's treasure. Easy peasy.

I can't emphasize enough how important good tables are for this style of play.

 

[zakael19]

actually think it is harder because you should be thinking about all the connections and moving parts in that location, and how the last session would impact those things. That's prep.

Note that I run 2 Forged in the Dark games in constrained settings with 0 prep every week. We just rely on the established factions and their goals, and I’m super lazy so the faction stuff is just off the relationship chart and vibes.

I’m doing similar stuff as I set up my Daggerheart game-frame, that up front work will mean near nil weekly effort.

 

[R_J_K75]

I think I agree that if the PCs are staying where they are for a while, it's easier to run with less prep than if they are persistently moving around; and I think I agree that if they're staying in a city, there's more likely to be a bolus of prep (the "gazette" you mentioned, I think) the GM can use for a run of sessions--prep once, run a handful of sessions.

I like campaigns set in a certain region rather than the party constantly moving from place to place. My preferred region is Waterdeep, Undermountain and Skullport, just because I've ran many campaigns there over the years. There is so much there that a whole game could take place there without ever having to leave.

 

[Reynard]

Note that I run 2 Forged in the Dark games in constrained settings with 0 prep every week. We just rely on the established factions and their goals, and I’m super lazy so the faction stuff is just off the relationship chart and vibes.

I’m doing similar stuff as I set up my Daggerheart game-frame, that up front work will mean near nil weekly effort.

I get you. But I would be hard pressed to not "cast forward" based on the things that have happened. I tend to think of RPGs as episodic TV shows with some "mythology" episodes, and consistent factions are one of those things that starts to ask for some "prep" depending on the specifics.

"The players really miffed the Black Gutter Gang two sessions ago. I need to use them as opposition in whatever they do next." Is that prep?

 

[zakael19]

The players really miffed the Black Gutter Gang two sessions ago. I need to use them as opposition in whatever they do next." Is that prep?

I just do this in play, or during my walk as I build a possibility cloud. I’m not sure our brains let us show up to anything but a one-shot without at least a little percolating!

 

[R_J_K75]

I can't emphasize enough how important good tables are for this style of play.

There were two FR products that had great tables for creating a village, town or a city. Cities of Mystery and City System. Between the two of them there is probably 20 pages for creating governments, shops, trade goods, professions, creating structures, picking pockets, street scenes, etc.

Goods and Gear had some good lists of trade goods

Goods and Gear: The Ultimate Adventurer's Guide (PDF) - Kenzer & Company

Goods and Gear: the Ultimate Adventurer's Guide (PDF)

kenzerco.com

 

[Reynard]

There were two FR products that had great tables for creating a village, town or a city. Cities of Mystery and City System. Between the two of them there is probably 20 pages for creating governments, shops, trade goods, professions, creating structures, picking pockets, street scenes, etc.

Goods and Gear had some good lists of trade goods

Goods and Gear: The Ultimate Adventurer's Guide (PDF) - Kenzer & Company

Goods and Gear: the Ultimate Adventurer's Guide (PDF)

kenzerco.com

for no/low prep play, they also need to be accessible and easy to use. I found old school books of tables to often be a slog to use.