#dnd tip: DMs, avoid over preparing when possible. Role-playing games are largely about creating outcomes through play, not following a script. pic.twitter.com/oeiXokx07X
— Grand DM (@Grand_DM) March 28, 2019
This doesn’t work for me. Preparation, how I mean it when I say it’s impossible to overprepare, is not about a script. It’s about having a solid understanding of what’s going on in the world around and adjacent to the action spotlight on the PCs. 1/7 Many DMs who offer advice amounting to “don’t overprepare” are also DMs who know the campaign setting they’re using like the back of their hand. All of that experience and use leading up to that understanding? That’s preparation! 2/7
— Dan Dillon (@Dan_Dillon_1) March 29, 2019
Having encounters set up and ready to go is handy, and for me as a DM it’s much better than when I toss an entire encounter off the cuff. Can a spontaneous encounter work? Sure. I just have a better success rate, and the encounters are more engaging when I’ve put thought in. 3/7Having the prep work done to know what’s going on in the area, how NPCs think and act, what’s available, possible encounters and any weirdness going on allows me to react and create more organic, fluid outcomes. 4/7
— Dan Dillon (@Dan_Dillon_1) March 29, 2019
This doesn’t mean that if I read a location or design an encounter that it MUST HAPPEN! Far from it, I scrap combats, NPC interactions, and even whole plot arcs as necessary all the time. I can do that pretty seamlessly because I have a solid handle on what else is around. 5/7 When I’m planning a session if I’m not using a prewritten module, I rarely use more than a page of notes, usually more like a paragraph (barring new items/monsters I’ve designed). 6/7
— Dan Dillon (@Dan_Dillon_1) March 29, 2019
I’m not saying people can’t run great RPG sessions without a bunch of prep. I’m saying that approach doesn’t really work for me. I do my best work when I have a really good idea of what’s going on in the world, what the characters might face, and who they can interact with. 7/7
— Dan Dillon (@Dan_Dillon_1) March 29, 2019
Interesting. I always see the “don’t overprep” stuff, but reading Dan’s method and it’s much more akin to what I do. Almost every encounter/NPC I use is planned, but I also feel like I maintain a very open/freeplay kind of game by being willing to drop that stuff and improv. Planning helps me maintain flexibility. 😃
For instance, when running a published adventure I read the absolute crap out of it. Cover to cover in campaign prep, and more sections than I’ll need for each individual session.
That gives me the spotlight plus broader context.
— Dan Dillon (@Dan_Dillon_1) March 29, 2019