Hi all, I am a longtime player, very recently turned new DM. I have run four sessions so far of two short adventures. So for neither of them was very much prep work required. I tend towards TotM style play, only really using maps for key battles. So these short adventures were very easy to prepare for only requiring thorough reading of the storyline, setting, and key npcs, as well as some preparation of npcs to have in the wings just in case. But I have yet to try preparing a full length adventure/campaign or homebrewing anything beyond minor alterations to the storyline of our short adventures. So what are some good habits and ways to keep preparation efficient that any of you may have discovered through your dming careers?
The most helpful thing for me is reminding myself that I'm in control of the time scale. The players want to go in a direction you didn't anticipate? Of course they can-- but maybe that route need some prep. Well hey, I can throw in random encounters to stretch to the end of this session, and by next session I can have what they want to see. I do milestone leveling, so when the group is level 6, I prepare a number of interesting level 6 encounters, from social, skill, exploration, and combat options. Whenever I need something, I can pull one of them out, and it feels organic, tied into the campaign and well-prepared - but it's actually just filler. There's a lot of encounters I don't use, so I 'refit' them for higher levels, switching out monsters, enhancing threats, or changing terrains as needed.
An example of this played out recently. One of my players is a wild magic sorcerer, and uses the d10,000 table from Net Libram. Well, they were mid-escape from a collapsing underground facility, and had to face off against a variety of puzzles, skill challenges, and small combats. They were doing pretty well until they hit a sliding puzzle which they were struggling with. When they moved pieces in too many wrong places, cages broke open and monsters would attack. The Wild Magic sorcerer cast Shield to defend herself, and ended up activating wild magic... Which teleported her, and the two other PCs (two NPCs did not get picked up) 1d4 miles North.
Oh, wow. I thought. Crap. I'd planned so much more for this escape!
But! I knew that in the mountains north of where they were was a future plot point. It was a cave I wanted to use maybe... 2-3 levels from then for the big plot. I didn't have the details of the cave figured out, but I knew it was there, and hard to get to. So, they wound up on a rocky overlook atop the mountain, a sheer cliff looking out onto the destruction south of them, a mysterious plaque in a language none of them knew (I knew the new PC joining the following session had the language), and a massive stone door blocking their entrance. I decided the door itself would be a puzzle to open, and so they spent the last 45 minutes of the puzzle trying different things, until finally the Arcane Trickster Rogue cast Mage Hand to knock on the door. Deciding it was a Conjurer's Cave, and this was a brilliant choice, the door opened. The session ended, and then I had until the next session to build the actual dungeon - which has gone really smoothly! Plus, I got to use the Mage Hand trick my player came up with throughout the dungeon, making it seem like I planned it the whole time.
So, best way to cheat as a dungeon master? Control the pace of the game. Control the encounters. Let your players do crazy things, and buy yourself enough time to lay the tracks down as they go.
Never plan too far in advance would be my first point. A broad trajectory is fine to aim for, but many DMs fall into the trap of overplanning the steps in between and end up disappointed or frustrated when the PCs go in a completely different direction.
Also keep in mind Schrödinger's Gun. It's a useful tool when players go off your rails.
And speaking of rails, figure out what balance is appropriate for you and your group between railroading and sandbox. Some groups will buck hard against too rigid of planning while others will appreciate a bit of guidance.
Hi all, I am a longtime player, very recently turned new DM. I have run four sessions so far of two short adventures. So for neither of them was very much prep work required. I tend towards TotM style play, only really using maps for key battles. So these short adventures were very easy to prepare for only requiring thorough reading of the storyline, setting, and key npcs, as well as some preparation of npcs to have in the wings just in case. But I have yet to try preparing a full length adventure/campaign or homebrewing anything beyond minor alterations to the storyline of our short adventures. So what are some good habits and ways to keep preparation efficient that any of you may have discovered through your dming careers?
The most helpful thing for me is reminding myself that I'm in control of the time scale. The players want to go in a direction you didn't anticipate? Of course they can-- but maybe that route need some prep. Well hey, I can throw in random encounters to stretch to the end of this session, and by next session I can have what they want to see. I do milestone leveling, so when the group is level 6, I prepare a number of interesting level 6 encounters, from social, skill, exploration, and combat options. Whenever I need something, I can pull one of them out, and it feels organic, tied into the campaign and well-prepared - but it's actually just filler. There's a lot of encounters I don't use, so I 'refit' them for higher levels, switching out monsters, enhancing threats, or changing terrains as needed.
An example of this played out recently. One of my players is a wild magic sorcerer, and uses the d10,000 table from Net Libram. Well, they were mid-escape from a collapsing underground facility, and had to face off against a variety of puzzles, skill challenges, and small combats. They were doing pretty well until they hit a sliding puzzle which they were struggling with. When they moved pieces in too many wrong places, cages broke open and monsters would attack. The Wild Magic sorcerer cast Shield to defend herself, and ended up activating wild magic... Which teleported her, and the two other PCs (two NPCs did not get picked up) 1d4 miles North.
Oh, wow. I thought. Crap. I'd planned so much more for this escape!
But! I knew that in the mountains north of where they were was a future plot point. It was a cave I wanted to use maybe... 2-3 levels from then for the big plot. I didn't have the details of the cave figured out, but I knew it was there, and hard to get to. So, they wound up on a rocky overlook atop the mountain, a sheer cliff looking out onto the destruction south of them, a mysterious plaque in a language none of them knew (I knew the new PC joining the following session had the language), and a massive stone door blocking their entrance. I decided the door itself would be a puzzle to open, and so they spent the last 45 minutes of the puzzle trying different things, until finally the Arcane Trickster Rogue cast Mage Hand to knock on the door. Deciding it was a Conjurer's Cave, and this was a brilliant choice, the door opened. The session ended, and then I had until the next session to build the actual dungeon - which has gone really smoothly! Plus, I got to use the Mage Hand trick my player came up with throughout the dungeon, making it seem like I planned it the whole time.
So, best way to cheat as a dungeon master? Control the pace of the game. Control the encounters. Let your players do crazy things, and buy yourself enough time to lay the tracks down as they go.
Never plan too far in advance would be my first point. A broad trajectory is fine to aim for, but many DMs fall into the trap of overplanning the steps in between and end up disappointed or frustrated when the PCs go in a completely different direction.
Also keep in mind Schrödinger's Gun. It's a useful tool when players go off your rails.
And speaking of rails, figure out what balance is appropriate for you and your group between railroading and sandbox. Some groups will buck hard against too rigid of planning while others will appreciate a bit of guidance.