# Full-time DM, Part-time Prep



## Rune (Jan 9, 2012)

I have a friend who has been thinking of building a campaign from the ground up, but he has recently had a baby and gone back to school.  He has little time.

Fortunately, I have been refining a style of DMing (and campaign building) over many years that requires—even encourages—minimal prep.  I decided to type up a list of tips for him, and figured I may as well share them here, as well.

If some of these concepts seem familiar to any of you, I wouldn't be surprised.  One of my greatest assets as a DM is my ability to absorb good ideas from other DMs.

So...

*How to build (and run) a campaign with minimal preparation:*

Lesson 1: Be organized.

Lesson 2: Know the rules.

Lesson 3: Reduce the bookkeeping.

Lesson 4: Get your players to do the work.

Lesson 5: Every element is an NPC.

Lesson 6: Don't plot.  Hook!

Lesson 7: Never stat what you don't need.

Lesson 8: Re-fluff and recycle.

Lesson 9: Keep notes during play.

Lesson 10: Don't use weird names.

Lesson 11: Most battles should be skirmishes.

Lesson 12: Listen to the players.

Lesson 13: If the question is, “Can I do [something that's cool],” the answer is “Yes!”

Lesson 14: Look everywhere for inspiration.

Lesson 15: Encourage your players to develop background as you go.

Lesson 16: Always build toward something.

Lesson 17: Set the pace.

Lesson 18: Embrace the surreal.

Lesson 19: Trust your players to solve their own problems.

Lesson 20: Name the party.

Lesson 21: Be mysterious.

Lesson 22: Make it personal.

Lesson 23: Campaigns mean Change.

Lesson 24: Monsters may wander, but encounters aren't random.

Lesson 25: Get the dice to do the work.

Lesson 26: Use your players' imaginations.

Lesson 27: Set nothing in stone.

Lesson 28: Always leave an out.

Lesson 29: Make mistakes.

...So, this is my list of lessons for full-time DMing with part-time prep.  Does anyone else out there have ideas or advice for campaign-building or running games with minimal prep?

—Edit:  Traveon Wyvernspur has attached a PDF of these lessons (current through Lesson 25) in this post, should anyone want a more-easily-printable version.


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## Rune (Jan 9, 2012)

*Lesson 1: Be organized.*

There are a few lessons that I consider fundamental to this style of DMing; without them, you will find yourself doing preparation that does not need to be done, or even redoing preparation that you have already done.  In order to cut your prep, you need to streamline as much of your process as possible, and that starts with organization.

This may seem pretty obvious, but, if you intend to run a lengthy campaign, you should keep it all together, in one place.  This is particularly important for the DM who has little prep-time, because such a DM is most likely to work on bits of the campaign in a piecemeal fashion, particularly if inspiration strikes unexpectedly.  This is all well and good, but do yourself a huge favor and keep it all in one place!  Commit to this before you even begin the campaign, and you will save yourself a lot of headache (and extra work) in the long run.


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## Rune (Jan 9, 2012)

*Lesson 2: Know the rules.*

Maybe your players all want to play a light-hearted game and specific knowledge of the intricacies of the rules-set is not that important, because it just won't come up.  That's great.  However, all it takes is one rules-savvy player and your lack of knowledge is exposed.  Does it matter?  That depends on the player.  The player might act as a repository of said knowledge in the game; if this is so, take advantage of this resource!

If, on the other hand, the player is the type to look for any advantage he can get, your lack of knowledge has given him a pretty big one.  In such a case, it is particularly important that you educate yourself.

But it's important anyway.  Why?  Because the better you understand the rules, the more consistent you will be as the game rolls along and, believe me, if you are trying to streamline, consistency is your friend.

If you don't like a rule, fine—don't use it.  If you don't know every arcane minutia of the rules, that's okay, you can rule on the fly, and look something up later.  But, the more solid your grasp on the basics (and the commonly used not-so-basics), the better equipped you will be to tinker with the rules, and to make consistent adjudications in play.


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## Rune (Jan 9, 2012)

*Lesson 3: Reduce the bookkeeping.*

The last lesson kind of leads into this one.  Take a look at the rules.  There are probably several things that jump out as tedious and time-consuming.  Can you ditch them?  Do they need to be replaced with something?  How can you reduce the bookkeeping load both for you and your players?

Right off the bat, I'm going to throw a proposal out here.  Ditch the Experience Point system.  It is cumbersome and, frankly, encourages a style of play (that is, combat-driven) that will make your life more difficult.

Some DMs simply advance PCs whenever it feels appropriate.  If you would prefer a little more structure, however, I recommend advancing the PCs in level as they accomplish quests (say, 2 major quests, with 3 minor quests counting as a major).  There is some degree of tweaking that you can do here, as well.  For instance, if you want earlier levels to come quicker than later levels, you could add 1 major quest to the total needed every time a level is achieved.

With this simple substitution, we eliminate the need to figure out how much XP a party earns, how to divvy it up, how many combats you need to plan for so the party can level, and how to advance the PCs if they take an approach that isn't combat.  These things may not seem significant, but they add up, and they eat away your prep—and playing—time.


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## Rune (Jan 9, 2012)

*Lesson 4: Get your players to do the work.*

Now that you've got an idea what kind of mechanics you're going to support your campaign with, it is time to start in on the setting.  And, you know what?  Your players can—and should—help with that.  What you need to do is provide incentive to do so.  

This is how I do it:  Whenever a player takes it upon himself to do something outside of the game that could potentially enrich the play experience (make a map, NPC, prop, or whatnot), I award a point that the player may use with any PC in any game I run to alter fate in some way—turn a hit into a miss or vice versa, turn a hit into a crit, throw in a plot-twist.  This awards the players according to their initiative (as opposed to the PCs' initiative ) and has the added bonus of helping the entire party be more survivable (which, in turn, makes my job easier—it's like rewarding myself for getting them to do prep for me!).

It comes down to this:  The more minds that are excited about the campaign setting and actively working to embellish it, the richer it will be—and the less work you have to do to get it there, the better off you will be.


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## Rune (Jan 9, 2012)

*Lesson 5: Every element is an NPC.*

Everything.  That abandoned village the PCs just came across?  NPC.  The pile of loot they've been after?  NPC.  That forest fire bearing down on them?  NPC.

What does all of this mean?  It means that a little personality will go a long way.  The better your players remember things, the more sparse your notes can be.

More importantly, if you are going to do as little preparation as possible, you will not have detailed notes on many of the elements in the game.  Therefore, you need to make what notes you do have count.  Think about these elements as characters and it will be much easier to bring them to life.  As with any NPC, you should be thinking, “How will the PCs' interaction with this character matter?”  When you get down to it, that's all that ever matters.


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## Ahnehnois (Jan 9, 2012)

Limitation breeds creativity.

DMing without prep makes you a better DM, regardless of whether you start prepping again in the future or not.

Enjoy your game...


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## Rune (Jan 9, 2012)

*Lesson 6: Don't plot.  Hook!*

Seriously.  The more detailed your plans, the more clever your schemes, the more dastardly your designs, the more time you have wasted!  Your NPCs should most definitely have diverse motivations and (sometimes) complex objectives, but you, the DM, should not!  The players will subvert, dash, and render obsolete any such attempts.

Instead, throw out lots and lots and lots of hooks.  Write these hooks down (on separate index cards, for instance).  Keep them all with your campaign stuff (a box is good).  If the PCs don't bite on the hook, make a note on the card, stick it back in the box, and pull it out to complicate their lives later.

This is the core philosophy that drives this DMing style, so I will reiterate:  Every hook that the PCs ignore is a potential complication down the road.  Create plentiful hooks; they will not be wasted.


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## Rune (Jan 9, 2012)

*Lesson 7: Never stat what you don't need.*

But, how will you know what you need to stat?  Chances are, you have a pretty good idea already, but if you are in doubt, _you do not need to stat it!_  Even when you do need to stat something, _you only need to stat what you need!_  It sounds so intuitive, but, seriously, if you let yourself, you could easily sink more time into creating stat-blocks that will never get used than into any other aspect of campaign-prep.

But, what if you need combat stats for some NPC you didn't bother to stat out?  Fake it.  There are a few different ways to do this effectively.  Two of them will be described in the next lesson, but there is one thing you can and should do before you ever begin playing.

Create or acquire some generic templates of creatures/NPCs that you can quickly adjust to fit your needs on the fly as the need arises in play.  These should not be detailed—just enough to get by with.

This is a minimal amount of prep that you should do before you start the campaign and again when the PCs level.  The small amount of prep can—and will—save the day at some point.

With this as a fallback, you should have no reservations about giving as few things as few stats as possible.


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## Rune (Jan 9, 2012)

*Lesson 8: Re-fluff and recycle.*

Two other things you can do to help you put together an unexpected combat are also useful tools all-around, so they get their own lesson.  Take a monster out of the monster manual.  Great.  Now you have stats, but how does it fit in?  You could just drop it in, but if you use it a lot, things could get old.  However, re-fluff that monster over and over again, maybe make a minor mechanical adjustment, and you've got a different experience, every time.

What about that NPC that you actually did have to stat out?  Now that he's dead, you're done with it, right?  Not so!  Keep those stats handy; they, too, can be re-fluffed.

The more time you save with these creative adjustments, the less time you waste reinventing the wheel.


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## Rune (Jan 9, 2012)

*Lesson 9: Keep notes during play.*

This is going to seem obvious, but it is really important for a consistent, long-running campaign—especially one light on preparation.  When you make up something (like an NPC's name) or something happened that you need to remember, write it down!  Don't write down everything—just the important things.  Make sure you keep these notes organized with the rest of your campaign after the game is over. Peruse these notes occasionally to refresh your memory and draw inspiration from them. 

The time you save not having to remember things could astound you.


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## Rune (Jan 9, 2012)

*Lesson 10: Don't use weird names.*

That last lesson leads into this one.  Don't use weird names.  Just, don't.  Seriously, how are you going to remember Xian'thrak'halitosis when you need to without looking it up?  That's just wasted time.  Bob's no good either, because it tends to break player immersion, but at least you can remember it.

Try simpler (even, occasionally, real) names and, especially, titles.  Not lame titles.  Evocative ones.  What's the difference?  Well, that's just something you'll have to figure out for yourself.


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## Rune (Jan 9, 2012)

*Lesson 11: Most battles should be skirmishes.*

If your players want to grind out combat after combat, you should seriously consider letting one of them DM, or pick up a published adventure, because combat prep requires time and lots of combat prep requires lots of time.

Therefore, battles should fall into two categories: minor and significant.  Minor battles should never be long, overly complex, or unavoidable.  Use weak enemies, sparse (but interesting) terrain features, and multiple ways to succeed or to bypass the conflict.

Significant battles, on the other hand, should be significant.  Use difficult enemies, complex terrain features, and awesome imagery.  Give these combats the love they deserve; they should be the focal point of the session, after all.

The minor skirmishes leading up to such a battle should be easily forgettable, but should serve an important function—they highlight just how epic the major battle is and help it be all the more memorable.


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## Rune (Jan 9, 2012)

*Lesson 12: Listen to the players.*

I don't just mean listen when they're talking to you (although, obviously, you should).  Listen when they're talking among themselves.

Listen to their conjecture.  Incorporate it into the story (with some twists, of course).  This will give the players a sense of satisfaction for being right, and gives you access to a valuable resource: other people's ideas.

Listen to their plans (when they discuss them openly).  This will give you an idea what you need to prepare for in the near future.  Don't use this information against them (much), or they'll just stop talking in front of you.

Listen to their conversations.  This will give you a better understanding of what the PCs want out of the game, and what the players want.  This, in turn, will help you focus on what preparation you ought to be doing and what isn't so important.


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## Rune (Jan 9, 2012)

*Lesson 13: If the question is, “Can I do [something that's cool],” the answer is “Yes!”*

Simple, right?  But it is _the_ most important lesson.  You've got enough work to do, let the players bring the Cool.  They'll be energized and excited about the game, and all you have to do is let it happen.

If it's cool, find a way to let it happen.


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## Rune (Jan 9, 2012)

Ahnehnois said:


> Limitation breeds creativity.
> 
> DMing without prep makes you a better DM, regardless of whether you start prepping again in the future or not.
> 
> Enjoy your game...




I have found this to be true, although I prefer to think in terms of parameters than limits.


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## scourger (Jan 9, 2012)

Good advice.  I had to DM *Omega World d20* and *Savage Worlds* to really get some of these ideas, but now I spend much more time thinking about the cool story of the game than mechanically preparing the next inevitable combat encounter.


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## Alarian (Jan 9, 2012)

Rune said:


> *Lesson 4: Get your players to do the work.*
> 
> Now that you've got an idea what kind of mechanics you're going to support your campaign with, it is time to start in on the setting.  And, you know what?  Your players can—and should—help with that.  What you need to do is provide incentive to do so.
> 
> ...




I used to award exp bonus's to players who did this in my long time ongoing campaign.  I had a list of things that needed work as well as areas that players could create with minimal input from me that I would update as time went on, and it worked quite well (I always had final approval of course).  Until...  One of my players had gotten a new job assignment and he had a few weeks off of work between his old assignment and the start of his new one.  Unbeknownst to me, he went to town.  We played every other week and I showed up for one of our sessions and he had pretty much written a books worth of material.  It was obvious he has put an insane amount of work into it and it was all really good and it was going to add a lot of really good and valuable material to the campaign, so there was no way I could renege on my ongoing rule.  I reluctantly awarded him an insane amount of exp (we had a set formula for how much you got for what work was done).  With the exp award he leapt ahead of everyone else in the group.  and pretty much stayed ahead of everyone else for the rest of the campaign (several years).  

What I took away from it was we added limits to how much could be awarded at any given time as well as a maximum bonus you could receive based on the levels of other players.


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## Rune (Jan 9, 2012)

Ahnehnois said:
			
		

> Sorry I interrupted your string of posts there; didn't realize it was still going.




Don 't worry about it.   I appreciate the feedback and I have links to all of the lessons in the first post, anyway.


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## Rune (Jan 9, 2012)

scourger said:


> Good advice.  I had to DM *Omega World d20* and *Savage Worlds* to really get some of these ideas, but now I spend much more time thinking about the cool story of the game than mechanically preparing the next inevitable combat encounter.




I know what you mean.  One thing I've found is that, once things get rolling, if you've established good characters, the story pretty much creates itself.  Especially if the PCs made mistakes along the way (and they do!) that they eventually must correct.


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## Rune (Jan 9, 2012)

Alarian said:


> I used to award exp bonus's to players who did this in my long time ongoing campaign.  I had a list of things that needed work as well as areas that players could create with minimal input from me that I would update as time went on, and it worked quite well (I always had final approval of course).  Until...  One of my players had gotten a new job assignment and he had a few weeks off of work between his old assignment and the start of his new one.  Unbeknownst to me, he went to town.  We played every other week and I showed up for one of our sessions and he had pretty much written a books worth of material.  It was obvious he has put an insane amount of work into it and it was all really good and it was going to add a lot of really good and valuable material to the campaign, so there was no way I could renege on my ongoing rule.  I reluctantly awarded him an insane amount of exp (we had a set formula for how much you got for what work was done).  With the exp award he leapt ahead of everyone else in the group.  and pretty much stayed ahead of everyone else for the rest of the campaign (several years).
> 
> What I took away from it was we added limits to how much could be awarded at any given time as well as a maximum bonus you could receive based on the levels of other players.




I used to use XP as a reward currency, as well, and ended up with the problem illustrated in your post.  The problem was, I was getting what I wanted to help make my life easier and it was actually making my life  harder!  My solution was to change the reward currency to the one described in Lesson 4.

This works better, in part, because the points can be spent on behalf of anyone in the party and, so, help increase the party's survivability--which is great, because, where having a party of mixed-level PCs makes creating combats harder, not having to worry about a TPK as much makes creating combats easier.  In a way, I'm rewarding myself when I hand out such a reward.


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## Rune (Jan 11, 2012)

I have edited the original post with the following question:

Does anyone else out there have ideas or advice for campaign-building or running games with minimal prep?


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## S'mon (Jan 11, 2012)

Rune said:


> I have edited the original post with the following question:
> 
> Does anyone else out there have ideas or advice for campaign-building or running games with minimal prep?




Well, for me it's about having a monster book & minis handy so I can easily generate monster encounters at-table.  Treasure can be randomly selected from a chart, I like using the by-level item chart at the back of Adventurers Vault.

I also find charts & tables such as encounter tables very handy.

Generally, IME it is quicker to sketch out a small dungeon on a piece of paper and add notes on monsters, traps & treasure than it is to read a published Dungeon Delve, never mind a longer adventure.

So: get or make a wilderness map around 1-2 miles/hex with a base town, add several one-line NPCs there (Lord, Smith, Priest, Wizard etc), scatter several published or homebrew short dungeons on the map, and add hooks - the goblins are raiding, the barmaid's been kidnapped, the cultists are plotting, the dragon has loads of treasure.  Start the PCs in the town Inn and you're ready to go.


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## Rune (Jan 12, 2012)

S'mon said:


> Generally, IME it is quicker to sketch out a small dungeon on a piece of paper and add notes on monsters, traps & treasure than it is to read a published Dungeon Delve, never mind a longer adventure.




I know what you mean.  In fact, my notes are sometimes incredibly sparse.  I frequently fit my notes for a session on a single index card.  Once, I even went into a game with four words on a card (and that session was awesome!).  Published adventures, on the other hand, require much reading and re-reading (and sometimes adjusting) to make them worth running.  There is an exception to this, but I think I might add that as another Lesson.



> So: get or make a wilderness map around 1-2 miles/hex with a base town, add several one-line NPCs there (Lord, Smith, Priest, Wizard etc), scatter several published or homebrew short dungeons on the map, and add hooks - the goblins are raiding, the barmaid's been kidnapped, the cultists are plotting, the dragon has loads of treasure.  Start the PCs in the town Inn and you're ready to go.




Good idea.  Sparse notes on a very simple map would serve as a great outline for a pseudo-sandbox style game.  (As this is a thread on building and running a campaign with little preparation, I'm discounting a true sandbox, which requires a lot of prep up front.)


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## S'mon (Jan 12, 2012)

Rune said:


> Good idea.  Sparse notes on a very simple map would serve as a great outline for a pseudo-sandbox style game.  (As this is a thread on building and running a campaign with little preparation, I'm discounting a true sandbox, which requires a lot of prep up front.)




I don't agree this is not a true sandbox, as long as there is map of some sort + a variety of areas of interest.  Video game or published tabletop sandboxes need to be created in advance because the designer cannot script more content during play, but a GM-led sandbox is much better started sparse then developed in-play, IME.

Edit: B2 Keep on the Borderlands' wilderness map would still be a viable starter sandbox if the Caves of Chaos were just a 6-room dungeon, for instance, especially if you made a small Caves of the Unknown dungeon in addition.  You have the lizardmen, raiders, spiders & hermit as well as the NPCs in the Keep itself.


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## Janx (Jan 12, 2012)

Good ideas, Rune.

Some extra thoughts:

the enworld blog system might be a better repository for these.  Consider each lesson a blog post.

On XP: in 3e, leveling is equal to 1000 x PC level.  Therefore, if you like numbers, but are lazy, you can hand out XP as a fraction of the 1000 times party level.

So if you want the party to go up half a level, give out 500 times party level.

It still uses the XP system that the players expect, but simplifies your calculations.


On keeping NPCs simple:  S'mon/Henry have a handy method for NPC stats as well.  Similar to your ideas.  For instance, with Skills, don't assign skills until your NPC needs it.  If it's a wizard and you now need to do a Concentration roll, his ranks in it is level + 3 (max ranks).  You can easily eyeball this.

As this relates to refluffing, I do not advise wasting time applying templates and making custom monsters, etc.  The internet is chock full of NPC generators, equipment list generators, spell list generators to build NPCs.   Just roll it up and use it.

the MMs are full of monsters.  Pick some of the appropriate CR and stop trying to level up orcs to be a challenge to your 12th level party.

I have fought barely a fraction of the monsters in the MM because GMs spent too much time modding Orcs so they would be a challenge for me.

With that, one can relabel/fluff these monsters to be specialized new breeds of orcs that have a CR worthy of my time if you really want me to face more orcs.

But, I find, a lot like the concept of working with limitations, it exercises my GMing creativity to roll up a random CR12 monster and figure out how it will be the antagonist of the adventure that fits the campaign.


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## Rune (Jan 12, 2012)

S'mon said:


> I don't agree this is not a true sandbox, as long as there is map of some sort + a variety of areas of interest.  Video game or published tabletop sandboxes need to be created in advance because the designer cannot script more content during play, but a GM-led sandbox is much better started sparse then developed in-play, IME.




I agree with you philosophically, but when my friend (mentioned in the first post) said he wanted to run a sandbox campaign, _he_ meant the kind of campaign where everything was laid out beforehand and the PCs could just explore it as they like.  (Of course, _I_ knew he would never have the time to get _that_ ball of wax rolling, hence these lessons, but that's a different point, entirely).  I think, to many people, that is what a sandbox means.

For the purposes of _this_ conversation, I will refer to the light-prep sandbox that is created as the game unfolds as a pseudo-sandbox although, again, fundamentally, I agree with your point that the distinction is artificial.



> Edit: B2 Keep on the Borderlands' wilderness map would still be a viable starter sandbox if the Caves of Chaos were just a 6-room dungeon, for instance, especially if you made a small Caves of the Unknown dungeon in addition.  You have the lizardmen, raiders, spiders & hermit as well as the NPCs in the Keep itself.




I agree here completely, as well.  There is a lot of potential energy stored in this particular module, just waiting to be converted into Awesome.


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## Rune (Jan 12, 2012)

Janx said:


> the enworld blog system might be a better repository for these.  Consider each lesson a blog post.




Maybe.  I had planned only on the thirteen lessons, and, maybe, an additional one once in a while, if relevant.  Nothing even remotely like a regular column, or anything.

Also, it was, and still is, my intention to promote discussion on the topic.



> On XP: in 3e, leveling is equal to 1000 x PC level.  Therefore, if you like numbers, but are lazy, you can hand out XP as a fraction of the 1000 times party level.
> 
> So if you want the party to go up half a level, give out 500 times party level.
> 
> It still uses the XP system that the players expect, but simplifies your calculations.




That's a reasonable middle ground (although, just a note--IIRC, that amount is only true of first level.  It takes a further 2,000 to get to third, a further 3,000 after that to get to fourth, etc.  Your method would actually steadily slow down advancement as the characters gain in levels.)



> On keeping NPCs simple:  S'mon/Henry have a handy method for NPC stats as well.  Similar to your ideas.  For instance, with Skills, don't assign skills until your NPC needs it.  If it's a wizard and you now need to do a Concentration roll, his ranks in it is level + 3 (max ranks).  You can easily eyeball this.




Exactly!  "Don't stat what you don't need," does not only mean, "make stats only for NPCs that need it," but also that, when you do, the stats should only include stuff you'll actually use (and can't make up on the fly).



> As this relates to refluffing, I do not advise wasting time applying templates and making custom monsters, etc.  The internet is chock full of NPC generators, equipment list generators, spell list generators to build NPCs.   Just roll it up and use it.
> 
> the MMs are full of monsters.  Pick some of the appropriate CR and stop trying to level up orcs to be a challenge to your 12th level party.




Sure, if you've got the tools, use them.  And, let me emphasize, applying templates and and making custom monsters is, in general, exactly the opposite of what I advocate. That's not little prep; that's _lots_ of prep.  Having generic, simple archetypes that you can re-fluff on the fly, on the other hand is another matter, entirely.



> I have fought barely a fraction of the monsters in the MM because GMs spent too much time modding Orcs so they would be a challenge for me.
> 
> With that, one can relabel/fluff these monsters to be specialized new breeds of orcs that have a CR worthy of my time if you really want me to face more orcs.




Re-fluffing has nothing to do with changing mechanics.  You probably wouldn't re-fluff an orc into another type of orc, but you may well take the orc stats and abilities and reskin it as something entirely new for the players to encounter.  If you do also give it some unique ability (not a bad idea), that ability should be extraordinarily simple.



> But, I find, a lot like the concept of working with limitations, it exercises my GMing creativity to roll up a random CR12 monster and figure out how it will be the antagonist of the adventure that fits the campaign.




Interesting...


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## Janx (Jan 12, 2012)

Rune said:


> That's a reasonable middle ground (although, just a note--IIRC, that amount is only true of first level. It takes a further 2,000 to get to third, a further 3,000 after that to get to fourth, etc. Your method would actually steadily slow down advancement as the characters gain in levels.)




Just to clarify, because I think you missed my math.

Let's say as your example, the party (or PC) is level 2.

He already HAS 1000 XP.  he will need an additional 1000 x 2 to reach level 3.

Thus, if you want to move him halfway to the next level, you give him 500 x 2, thus giving him 1000 XP.

Add to his existing 1000, that's a total XP of 2000.  He is 1/2 of the way to level 3.

My math is correct.  The formula is used to determine how much XP to give out and add to their current total, not how much XP the PC has in total.

the forumula relies on the fact that 3e increases the XP by such a simple calculation.

The point of the method is to keep the players on the XP system, yet achieve the benefit of not having to actually add it all up.

Divide 1000 by how many sessions per level you want.  Multiple by the party's current level. Give out that much for the session.


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## Rune (Jan 13, 2012)

Janx said:


> Just to clarify, because I think you missed my math.
> 
> Let's say as your example, the party (or PC) is level 2.
> 
> ...




Hmmm.  It seems I misread your post.  You and I are saying the same thing about the rules and, yes, your formula does work.


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## S'mon (Jan 13, 2012)

Rune said:


> For the purposes of _this_ conversation, I will refer to the light-prep sandbox that is created as the game unfolds as a pseudo-sandbox...




I would prefer *quasi*-sandbox.


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## Rune (Jan 13, 2012)

S'mon said:


> I would prefer *quasi*-sandbox.




How about "Streamlined Sandbox?"


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## S'mon (Jan 14, 2012)

Rune said:


> How about "Streamlined Sandbox?"




That would be acceptable.


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## Li Shenron (Jan 22, 2012)

Rune said:


> Right off the bat, I'm going to throw a proposal out here.  Ditch the Experience Point system.  It is cumbersome and, frankly, encourages a style of play (that is, combat-driven) that will make your life more difficult.
> 
> Some DMs simply advance PCs whenever it feels appropriate.  If you would prefer a little more structure, however, I recommend advancing the PCs in level as they accomplish quests (say, 2 major quests, with 3 minor quests counting as a major).  There is some degree of tweaking that you can do here, as well.  For instance, if you want earlier levels to come quicker than later levels, you could add 1 major quest to the total needed every time a level is achieved.
> 
> With this simple substitution, we eliminate the need to figure out how much XP a party earns, how to divvy it up, how many combats you need to plan for so the party can level, and how to advance the PCs if they take an approach that isn't combat.  These things may not seem significant, but they add up, and they eat away your prep—and playing—time.




IMXP most players really want to receive XP points after every gaming session. But I agree that since they don't need to know how you calculate them, you don't have to calculate them by any rules, you can ad-lib your XP rewards based on how often you want them to level up.

A couple of more ideas to consider:

- I want my players to be focused on advancing the campaign plot (if any) and completing adventures. I don't want them to go looking for random encounters to level up and be stronger for the next chapter, in fact I prefer random encounters to be a punishment for wasting time. If you're of the same opinion, you may want to let the players know that random encounters and unnecessary combats (from the story point of view) will give them reduced rewards, maybe 50% XP and treasure, or something like that. 

- [WARNING: controversial topic] As as experiment, I would like to try a strange approach where I would use XP as a reward for players' efforts rather than achievement. Thus failing to defeat the BBEG in combat would still result in XP earned as long as the players didn't play poorly. The rationale for this comes from real life: we learn from our mistakes as well, not only from successes. In the game, sometimes the players manage to advance in the plot fast and avoid unnecessary combats, thus reach the BBEG when they are still too weak. Not wanting to downplay the BBEG but neither to force them to go something else for a while to "harvest XP", how about granting them XP even if defeated (assuming survived, of course)? After all, if the fight proved too hard to be won without sheer luck, this can be interpreted as "the goal has shifted from defeating the BBEG to surviving the encounter", so you're still technically handing out XP for achieving the goal  At the same time, _treasure_ can still used a a reward for in-game achievements such as actually defeating the opponents.


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## S'mon (Jan 22, 2012)

Li Shenron said:


> - [WARNING: controversial topic] As as experiment, I would like to try a strange approach where I would use XP as a reward for players' efforts rather than achievement. Thus failing to defeat the BBEG in combat would still result in XP earned as long as the players didn't play poorly.




That's fine IMO, as long as you don't allow 'farming' of the same unkilled foe. I'd typically give around half XP if the PCs fought well but had to retreat. Giving XP as for a 4e skill challenge would work, too.


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## Janx (Jan 22, 2012)

Li Shenron said:


> IMXP most players really want to receive XP points after every gaming session. But I agree that since they don't need to know how you calculate them, you don't have to calculate them by any rules, you can ad-lib your XP rewards based on how often you want them to level up.




This is why I shared my formula.  Once you realize that XP can be handled as a % of level progress times 1000 times party level, you can skip the encounter counting and just hand out a portion of a level's advancement.



Li Shenron said:


> - I want my players to be focused on advancing the campaign plot (if any) and completing adventures. I don't want them to go looking for random encounters to level up and be stronger for the next chapter, in fact I prefer random encounters to be a punishment for wasting time. If you're of the same opinion, you may want to let the players know that random encounters and unnecessary combats (from the story point of view) will give them reduced rewards, maybe 50% XP and treasure, or something like that.




one way to do that is to not hand out XP for encounters, killing, treasure or skill usage.  Instead, hand it out by achieving PC/party goals (which might be defined as quests/plots depending on style).

If the PC wants to explore and clear out a 1st level dungeon, that's 500XP.  If they want to become sherriff (possibly broken up into steps), that's 2000XP total.

By giving out XP for job completed (or steps of job completed if you can break it down that way), the methods used by the PC are his own business.  Plus, you don't have to add it all up or reward "wasteful" work that would get him more XP the old way.

I wouldn't fully worry about S'mon's point on re-defeating the same bad guy (farming).  Batman captures or defeats but doesn't capture bad guys all the time.  He still gets better at his job each time (if it were an RPG).  It's in the comic genre that heroe's don't kill, and they often face the same foe repeatedly.


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## Li Shenron (Jan 22, 2012)

S'mon said:


> That's fine IMO, as long as you don't allow 'farming' of the same unkilled foe.




I don't think any DM would allow that, but also I don't think any player would have fun doing that 

But if the players really want to try, there are in-game ways to prevent it being worth. For instance, some PC may die in the process, and if no one is at risk of dying maybe they shouldn't deserve any more XP for such encounter. Alternatively, you may also give the foe XP as well every time the party tries farming without killing it


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## lin_fusan (Jan 22, 2012)

I'd add a couple that I've found important:

Rule #0(?): Buy-In: Make should your players not only know up-front what the campaign is all about (tone, flavor, even what you want out of the game), but that they are excited at best or interested at least. For example, if no one wants to play your military-style campaign, with rigid hierarchies and focused combat goals, then your players will be off doing things they find interesting but contrasting with your perceived idea of what you think a military-style campaign is.

Maybe Rule #4.1(?): Constantly ask questions of the players, not only what their characters do, but what they think their characters are thinking/feeling and what they think their characters have done in the past. Have them answer (quickly) simple questions as you go, slowly filling in backstory. Every-so-often they will give you a nugget of gold about their character and it won't be tied to mechanics or the main "plot". Even something as simple as, "Would your character know this blacksmith? What do you think of him? Is he a jerk or a stand-up guy?" will give you clues on how they perceive the world you are creating (with them).


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## S'mon (Jan 22, 2012)

For my 1e AD&D campaign I'm running, I've asked the players for feedback re XP awards, in general terms - are they happy about getting XP for roleplaying & non-combat, non-treasure achievements, for instance. If you're not sure about your approach you can try it for a few sessions & then ask for feedback.


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## Rune (May 1, 2012)

*Lesson 14: Look everywhere for inspiration.*

Whatever inspires you (gaming material, or not), incorporate it into your idea mill.  Especially look for short adventures or adventure seeds that you can cannibalize.

There are many excellent sources for these (many on these very boards), but I'll point you to one collection I assembled (and rated) specifically for this purpose.  

I pulled these from among the best of the Iron DM Tournaments because these tournaments have, over the last decade, produced some _very_ inspiring and creative pieces and tend to be rules-light or neutral (and, thus, easy to incorporate).

Even if you don't use one of these adventures wholesale, I'll bet you can take _something_ from each and every one of them.


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## Rune (Aug 23, 2012)

*Lesson 15: Encourage your players to develop background as you go.*

Some players love to create elaborate backgrounds for their characters before the first session ever starts.  These players are great, because they provide all kinds of hooks for you to play off of right from the start—you should definitely take advantage of that (don't forget to write those hooks down and put them in the box!).

For some players, however, this type of "work" is like pulling teeth (and not in the fun way).  That's okay.  Some players like to get to know their characters as they play them, after all.

Now, there is an instinct, while DMing, to view the creation of serendipitous background information on the fly as an abuse of the game.  Certainly, some players will try to abuse such a system.  And yet...I recommend that you quell that instinct.

You shouldn't be trying to squash such creativity—you should encourage it.

First of all, there's no such thing as a serendipitous background.  _Backgrounds exist to become relevant in a game._  Furthermore, every time a player introduces a new background element to your game, it is an _opportunity_ for _you_ to reintroduce it later (as, you know, a hook)!

Furthermore, it encourages your players to think about how their characters fit in your world _constantly_.  That helps them invest in your setting, which is _crucial_ when you aren't doing that much prep for it!

So what if the bit of background seems entirely out of character?  Opportunity!  Remember that people are complex and work with (and possibly also against) the player to determine how and why this apparent contradiction came about (not necessarily on the spot).  And definitely make a note of it, so it can come back to haunt the character later.

So, now that we can see reasons for encouraging this type of thing, _how_ do you encourage it?  The method is up to you, but ought to be fairly minor (if you expect to see it happen frequently).

I would suggest granting a floating circumstantial bonus to a relevant check whenever the player applies a known background element or comes up with a _quick_ description of how some previously unknown bit of background might affect the current situation.  Then, of course, I would _immediately_ write down that potential hook for future use.

By "floating," I mean unattached, but finite. Without the finite limit, you could find that the more creatively abusive players will not only effectively have a +whatever bonus to all checks, but also take up most of the session getting it! Give the players a number of them for use in an adventure, session, adventuring day, encounter, or whatever other unit of time you think is appropriate and let their creativity determine when and how to assign them. All of a sudden, backgrounds become easy to generate, endlessly complex, and always relevant.


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## SLOTHmaster (Aug 23, 2012)

Rune said:


> *Lesson 14: Look everywhere for inspiration.*
> 
> Whatever inspires you (gaming material, or not), incorporate it into your idea mill.  Especially look for short adventures or adventure seeds that you can cannibalize.
> 
> <snip>




I'd say the easiest way to look for inspiration is to read. It can give you plots, settings, and characters to steal, and it's also system-neutral.


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## Traveon Wyvernspur (Aug 23, 2012)

@Rune , I hope you don't mind. I compiled a PDF of all this stuff and am attaching it so it's all in one place because I thought it was such a great guide for all DM's new and old!


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## Desdichado (Aug 23, 2012)

These tips very closely match my own style of GMing, so to me they seem really intuitive, and it's exciting to see them articulated so well.

Let me add a few thoughts of my own.

1) You can go beyond refluffing stats.  I play with "Schrödinger's stats"--they literally don't exist at all until you open the box and start combat.  You don't need an AC until someone rolls a To Hit roll.  Make up a reasonable one on the fly.  You don't need To Hit or damage modifiers until someone gets hit in combat.  Again, make up a reasonable one on the fly.  You don't need hitpoints at all; if a foe is meant to be a minion, anything other than a totally whiffed damage roll will drop him.  If not, gauge the feel of combat, and keep the monster or NPC antagonist up right up until the point where it'll start being tedious and frustrating that he hasn't gone down yet.

Stats are over-rated.  They aren't needed at all in many cases, except for real showcase battles against "star" antagonists.

2) There's still a place for random encounters, especially of the kind described above.  Raymond Chandler famously said something to the effect of, "when in doubt, have two guys come through the door with guns."  I've done this many times; when the players seem confused, directionless, or unsure where to go or what to do, have some thugs attack them.  Use Schrödinger's stats as detailed above.  It's surprising how often that gets them to refocus.  And if it doesn't, it's also a great way for the players to find some kind of clue planted by you on the bodies of the thugs/bandits/ninjas/whatever.

3) Tools, not rules.  Although this was the motto back in the early days of 3e, it's surprising to me how often it's been overlooked and/or forgotten.  I'd always run the game this way, and thought that doing so was common in "Ye Olde Days" of the hobby, so I was actually surprised that it even needed to be said in the first place.  Rules are there to be a support to you.  If they are the right tool for the job, use them. If not, keep them in your toolbox until such time as they are.  Don't ever feel beholden to the rules just because they're the rules.  If you think of them instead as the _tools_, it's a very freeing paradigm shift.

4) Character backgrounds, as you point out, can be a great thing that drives the game, if done correctly.  But, as you say, some players find the job onerous.  One thing I've done with _great_ success in the past is to borrow a concept from Spirit of the Century.  Rather than asking anyone to create detailed backgrounds (although they still can, if desired) have everyone create a very quick and dirty summary of what their character's been doing for the last few weeks or so.  This shouldn't be more than a paragraph or two; similar in scope to the blurb on the back of a paperback book.  Then, write each player's name twice on little chits of paper, throw them in a coffee mug or something, and pull them out at random and give them to other players.  Once every player has the names of two other PCs, have _them_ in turn add a sentence or two on how their character had some kind of minor involvement in the past adventures described for each character. 

This is kind of a fun little end of chargen mini-game in its own right.  It gives you tons of hooks to potentially use, and since it comes from the players, they're pretty invested in them.  Most importantly, if creates ties between the various PCs in their backstories, so that they're not just a bunch of random folks who are together against all reason because the structure of the game demands them to be.  This exercise has generated so many roleplaying opportunities and great character moments and potential hooks in ongoing games every time that I've used it, that I now consider it mandatory for every campaign I ever run from now until the end of the time.


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## Rune (Aug 23, 2012)

Traveon Wyvernspur said:


> [MENTION=67]Rune[/MENTION], I hope you don't mind. I compiled a PDF of all this stuff and am attaching it so it's all in one place because I thought it was such a great guide for all DM's new and old! If you don't like it, I'll remove it.




Excellent!  It's great to see added utility!  I find it especially awesome that you also included the Iron DM Anthology (links and all)!

If _you_ don't mind, I'm going to link to your post in the first one!


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## Traveon Wyvernspur (Aug 23, 2012)

Rune said:


> Excellent!  It's great to see added utility!  I find it especially awesome that you also included the Iron DM Anthology (links and all)!
> 
> If _you_ don't mind, I'm going to link to your post in the first one!



Glad you approve! I figured that if you linked it, it was relevant to the guide.

I'm absolutely cool with whatever you want to do. If you update the guide let me know and I'll add them to the PDF document for everyone. I'll also subscribe to the thread.


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## Rune (Aug 23, 2012)

Traveon Wyvernspur said:


> Glad you approve! I figured that if you linked it, it was relevant to the guide.
> 
> I'm absolutely cool with whatever you want to do. If you update the guide let me know and I'll add them to the PDF document for everyone. I'll also subscribe to the thread.




Sure thing.  I do intend to update, but only infrequently, when and if I think of something that ought to be added (so far, that's only been two lessons).  I consider this to be more of a living resource than a blog.


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## Rune (Nov 24, 2012)

*Lesson 16: Always build toward something.*

I'm going to change focus now, just for a little bit, because so much of being able to run games with very little preparation is in the actual _running_ of the games.  The next few lessons will be aimed at getting your campaign to the point where it pretty much runs itself.

First of all, I will be assuming a desire to actually run a long-running campaign (and, for the DM who wishes to minimize prep, there is a solid reason for wanting to do so), but these lessons are applicable at any scale; they are just as appropriate for running a single session, as they are for running a campaign arc, an entire campaign, or even multiple linked campaigns!

_Now, wait a minute!  Did I just say a DM who wishes to minimize prep has good reason to aim for a long-running campaign?_

Yes, I did.  It may seem counter-intuitive, but prepping for a bunch of one-shots will result in _way_ more time spent in preparation in the long run.  You see, there is a certain point where the campaign progresses forward with it's own momentum and with the decisions of the players.  If you don't want to be doing a lot of extra work, you ought to be trying to get the game to that point as soon as possible.

Obviously, a big part of this is maintaining player interest.  That's were this lesson comes in.  Always build toward something.

There are lots of little ways to spark your players' interest and imagination.  If you've had success with little tricks like cliff-hangers, or improvisational meta-games, or player input into the setting itself...good!  Use that stuff.

But, fundamentally, D&D is a game about progressing from one state to another, about standing up against and overcoming challenges (or failing to do so in memorably spectacular fashion).

It's about taking individual PCs, NPCs, plot hooks, adventures, misadventures, player expectations, and DM expectations, and building a party, a setting, a plot, a story and a gaming group out of all of those little pieces.  Always build toward something.

_Great concept, but how is that in any way applicable?_

That depends.  In the beginning of a campaign, you'll probably be introducing the setting and the tone of the campaign and watching as the players struggle to find their party dynamic.  You can use this time to introduce thematic foreshadowing and challenges to the party's cohesion.  This is best handled subtly, of course.

The idea, though, is that you're working on building two things: a feel for what the campaign is going to be about and a feel for how the PCs are going to fit into it.

Later, when you have lots of plot hooks flourishing, and still more laying dormant, when the PCs' actions are starting to reveal consequences, and when the PCs have some goals in sight, you should be aiming to build a sense of progress for the players.

Some of this is easy.  As they pursue their goals, they will naturally feel a sense of progress, or ought to have a clear idea what immediate obstacles prevent that progress.  But even down-time can be used constructively.  Guide the players toward planning their successes during these moments with gentle (and, again, subtle) nudges.  This is especially useful if they have become frustrated or lost.

Remind them that they still haven't discovered what that doppelganger was doing in the guise of the Cardinal.  Point out that an all-out assault on the necromancer's forces is bound to fail, but they _do_ know a crazy smite-happy Paladin of Legend, don't they?

Still later, when they are finally hot on the heels of the villain who has evaded them for months (or years!), the game will have plenty of momentum going for it.  At this point, you're trying to build a climax (as opposed to an anti-climax!).  Throw in close calls, suspenseful situations, situations that require distasteful solutions.  Build up the desire to _shut that villain down._  Then, when they're ready—when they can't suffer that villain to exist a moment longer, _that's_ when you unleash all hell on them!

And, once it's all over, it's all over, right?

Nope!  Wrap that story up, sure, but take some unresolved threads and build toward the next one.  You don't have to play it (and, even if you do, it doesn't have to be with the same characters), but dangle it out there, anyway.  You never know what'll come out of it somewhere down the line.

Always build toward something.


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## Rune (Nov 25, 2012)

*Lesson 17: Set the pace.*

This next bit of advice is closely related to the last.  In order to keep things running smoothly, and to keep player interest, you've got to set the pace!

Seems simple, right?  And, really, it is.  There's no need to be dictatorial about it, and, in fact, you'll be well served by merely offering a subtle nudge once in a while.

But what pace to set?

Generally, I view each session, adventure, or campaign in three vague stages—the early-game, mid-game, and end-game.  Each of these stages represents a separate focus for the game and, consequently, each will want a different pace.

As mentioned in the last lesson, the beginning of a campaign is generally characterized by a focus on introducing the setting (and foreshadowing of themes that the campaign is likely to explore) and finding the party dynamic.  Because this is so, much of the tension of the early-game will be arise from the party itself—whether internal (as the party tries to learn each other), or external (as the party strives to make its mark in the world).

For this reason, I like to let the players generally set their own pace in the early-game, only nudging them forward when I feel that they've started to flounder.  This does mean a large amount of off-topic chatter slows things down, but I'm okay with that.

I view it as an emulation of the down-time spent by the PCs in taverns or around the campfire that only occasionally gets played out.  More importantly, it helps to encourage a bonding—particularly important, as I also spend the early-game presenting racial, religious, or cultural conflicts to the party (when they, inevitably, contain such diversity).

By the mid-game, though, the focus has shifted more toward accomplishing goals set by the party, so, while I still can usually get by with letting the players maintain their own momentum, I do occasionally have to remind the players what their goals are and what resources are at their disposal.  I am far more likely to interrupt off-topic table-talk in this stage of the game.

By the end-game, it's an entirely different picture.  At this point, I'm doing everything I can to tighten the tension and build toward that looming climax.  When I remind the players of things at this point, it's usually about how dire their situation is, or how villainous that villain really is.  Also, especially, I'll remind them of any missteps they've made in getting here, and how awful it is that they've come back to haunt them.  This may _seem_ like taunting, but that's okay, too, as it kind of gives the villain a vicarious voice.  More grist for the motivational mill.

So, really, it's a simple matter.  Start out loose and gradually tighten things up.  You don't have to tell them when it's time to move on; all you have to do is focus their attention a little bit along the way.


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## Wednesday Boy (Nov 26, 2012)

Rune said:


> Does anyone else out there have ideas or advice for campaign-building or running games with minimal prep?




I find that speaking with my players about what their characters plan to do in an upcoming session helps cut down on what I need to prepare.  Obviously their intended direction can be derailed during the actual session but if they tell me they intend to get information from their contact, buy supplies for their task, and break into the warehouse stealthily, I know how to focus my creative energy for the session.  Otherwise I end up guessing what they'll do next and planning contingencies that may never see the light of day.


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## Aeolius (Nov 27, 2012)

Rune said:


> *Lesson 14: Look everywhere for inspiration.* Whatever inspires you (gaming material, or not), incorporate it into your idea mill.




Absolutely! For my undersea campaign I draw inspiration from reference books, documentaries on Discovery and NatGeo, and a plethora of websites like deepseanews.com, underwatertimes.com, and montereybayaquarium.org. I also keep saltwater aquariums from which I get loads of ideas. I’ll turn a goblin shark into a sea goblin, bubblegum coral into a forest of branching corals, and a tube worm into a water dwarf in a heartbeat.

I am one of those time-strapped DMs to whom you are referring. Offline I am married and have seven kids, my job, and a hobby farm to tend to. My last face-to-face game was in 1995 but I have been running play-by-post and chat-based games since then. My next game may very well use roll20.

I am fortunate not to have any rules lawyers in my game, as I tend to run things loosey-goosey, with an emphasis on story over stats. If the players want to spend the entire session chatting with NPCs, that works just fine for me.


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## Traveon Wyvernspur (Nov 28, 2012)

Updated the PDF on page 5 to reflect lessons 16 & 17! Awesome stuff [MENTION=67]Rune[/MENTION], keep up the good work!


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## Rune (Nov 28, 2012)

[MENTION=73201]Traveon Wyvernspur[/MENTION]:

Thanks again!

More to come.


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## Rune (Nov 29, 2012)

*Lesson 18: Embrace the surreal.*

I've talked a little bit about how consistency is a friend to the DM who has little time for prep.  That may, at first, seem to be at odds with the suggestion I'm about to present, but hang in there, it'll all make sense.

Don't get hung up on the notion of "realism."  It's a highly subjective concept, anyway.  In this thing we call the "real world," we have our own networks of illusion.  In a world with actual _magical_ illusions...well, it's an over-rated concept, is all I'm sayin'.

Now, that doesn't mean you should throw out _verisimilitude_.  But, verisimilitude doesn't equate to "realism," anyway.  What it _does_ require is an internal consistency within the context of your setting—something you should be aiming for anyway, because it makes your job easier.

It is entirely possible to maintain an internal consistency while embracing surreal elements in your game, if these elements are an accepted part of whole.  The benefits of doing so in a low-prep sandbox (a "streamlined sandbox") are profound, because trying to simulate "reality" is usually both a futile effort, and _lots_ of work!

Don't get me wrong.  Your rulings _should_ be consistent and fair—that's the kind of consistency that helps your game run smoothly!  _Reality_, though...just don't expect your players to see the same reality as you do!

_Players have different viewpoints._  If you can find a way to play with expectations, or play one set of perceptions against another, your game will be that much richer, and your players will probably be, at the very least, intrigued.

_Players have faulty memories._  Details shift over time, sometimes even the big ones.  You _can_ let this inevitability derail things, but consider incorporating these oddities into your game, instead.

I've run games set within dreams to great effect, but you don't have to go that far.  It's a world of illusions.  The players can never be _absolutely_ sure what is "real" within the world and what is not.

Furthermore, your game is a story.  You can evoke something of a folktale feel by presenting different versions of a story from time to time—or at least presenting the concept that different versions _exist_.  The very _nature_ of a folktale is that it has been passed along from one generation to the next _through many people._  Each telling necessarily has a different perspective.  There is room in your game to do the same.

The important thing is, you don't have to do anything _specific_ to make things feel surreal.  But when something surreal presents itself, don't shut it down; work it into your game!


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## Rune (Dec 10, 2012)

Well, it looks like I'll need to repair all the links in the table of contents.

In the meantime, it also looks like Slyflourish has released a book on the very same topic covered in this thread called _The Lazy Dungeon Master_.  Has anyone checked it out?  Probably some good stuff in there, if you found any of this thread helpful!


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## Yaguara (Dec 16, 2012)

One of my favorite authors, Orson Scott Card, once said "Plot comes from what characters want."  The same advice applies to games and gamers.  As a GM you need to know what your players want from the game.  It makes your planning and prep much easier and more streamlined if you have this information ahead of time.  If you know what the player's goals then the character's goals become almost automatic.  The other two pieces of advice that I always give to prospective or new GM's - Remember you only have an obligation to describe to the players what their characters PERCEIVE and not what is actually there.  A humble goblin becomes a terrifying monster when all the players have to go on is vague noises in the dark and shadows.  The other is remember your goal is to evoke emotions in your players - not their characters.  For example, many horror games have rules for simulating fear.  That is stupid - if you scare the player you don't need rules for simulating fear in the character as the player will do that for you.  To do this effectively you need to get to know your players.  Your lesson on listening to your players is probably the most important one in the list to my way of thinking.  A good GM listens more than they talk.  I used to run a convention scenario to great effect.  It was a locked-room murder mystery.  I had a victim and four NPCs as potential killers.  Each NPC had motive, opportunity, and an alibi.  I never decided who the killer actually was - I just let the players figure out who it was and how they did it for me.  All I had to do was sit back and listen, do a little role-playing, and let the players "catch" the real killer.  It worked like a charm.


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## Rune (Jan 18, 2013)

*Lesson 19: Trust your players to solve their own problems.*

We've all heard the phrase, "railroading," and the general consensus is that it is a "bad thing."  But why is that, and how does a DM who's short on prep-time avoid it?

I'm not going to comment on whether or not "railroading" in general is good or bad; instead, I'm going to point out a few ways that relying on the practice will make your life as a DM (particularly a low-prep DM) more difficult.

First, players tend to push back when they feel they have no meaningful options.  This means that the DM must put more and more work into keeping players' interest and excitement levels high.  It also means that the players are likely to rebel, which, in turn, means that the DM will have to work that much harder to keep the game "on track."  This is death spiral that ends in burnout.

Second, "railroading" is, at it's core, micromanagement.  What often begins with the fear that the DM won't be able to deal with whatever unexpected complications the players come up with leads to over-planning to prevent them.  Fear of the unexpected is a legitimate concern, but I promise you, _your time could be better spent!_

So what do you do to prevent it?  Well, if you've been following along, I've already suggested a few things:  Don't plot.  Hook!  If you remember that the plot is something that the PCs make out of the setting you provide, you shouldn't have any fear that the PCs will derail it—they couldn't if they tried!

Remember to listen to the players.  If you do this effectively, it will be difficult to be truly surprised by anything the PCs come up with.

Furthermore (and, in my opinion, more importantly), remember that if the question is, “Can I do [something that's cool],” the answer is “Yes!”

So, what else can you do?  Incorporate the unexpected!  When something _does_ throw you for a loop, don't view it as an obstacle; view it as a challenge, perhaps, but certainly an opportunity!  This gives you a chance to do something fantastic!  Roll with it!

Finally, _have no fear!_  I don't care how smart you are, your players (collectively) are going to be able to come up with more (and, often, better) solutions to any given predicament than you are.  You shouldn't waste your time coming up with a myriad of solutions for them, at all!  At most, create one _very_ general solution to use in case they get stuck.  Above all, trust them to come up with their own _and when they do, don't shut them down!_


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## Rune (Jan 21, 2013)

*Lesson 20: Name the party.*

The last few lessons have provided some general suggestions to build player investment in your campaign.  In this lesson, I'll suggest something very specific—and also very easy.  In fact, it might be the single _most_ simple bit of campaign prep you can do!

If your players haven't already come up with a name for their party, have the world come up with one (or more than one) for them!

This gives the world a means of viewing the party; a name implies a reputation (which need not even be accurate!).  A reputation gives the world a hook for relating to the party and that gives the players a means of viewing their characters within the context of the world.  And also, of course, provides motivations for changing the world, which of course, lead to hooks, which lead to adventures...

All that from a simple name!


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## Traveon Wyvernspur (Jan 25, 2013)

Updated the PDF on page 5 to reflect lessons 18-20! It now has a cover page and a table of contents added.


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## Rune (Jan 26, 2013)

Traveon Wyvernspur said:


> Updated the PDF on page 5 to reflect lessons 18-20! It now has a cover page and a table of contents added.




Thanks, again!  I like the picture on the cover page.  Is it your work, or is it picked up from elsewhere?


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## Traveon Wyvernspur (Jan 26, 2013)

Rune said:


> Thanks, again!  I like the picture on the cover page.  Is it your work, or is it picked up from elsewhere?




No problemo!

Yeah, it's pretty cool and I thought it was fitting for the subject matter. I found it a while back doing a Google search for things related to D&D/Pathfinder.


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## Rune (Feb 25, 2013)

*Lesson 21: Be mysterious.*

Now, let's talk a little bit about narration.  Assuming you are the DM, your voice is the voice of the setting.  You set the atmosphere and the tone of the game.  The way you choose to present that setting to the players will necessarily determine how the players perceive the world.

I recommend that you do your utmost to be mysterious.  Why?  For a couple of reasons, actually.

At its heart, D&D has, from the very earliest of days, been about the exploration of the unknown, whether that unknown has been the geography of the world itself, the intrigue of schemes and politicking, or the wonder of raw fantasy.  Why is this so potent a motivator?  _Curiosity, of course!_  Presenting the world in a shroud of mystery will pique the player's curiosity.

Another potent reason to be mysterious is a little less obvious.  Remember way back when I said you should be listening to your players to take cues on where to focus your prepping efforts?  Introducing an element of mystery into your narration can help you do that.

You might have an idea what the answer to a question or the solution to a problem might be, but if you refrain from laying it all out in the open, you've given yourself an opportunity to let the players come up with their own conclusions—which gives you an opportunity to let them be (mostly) right about their speculations, while also throwing in an unforeseen twist.

So what does it take to be mysterious?  If you aren't already practicing it, it might take a shift in philosophy—and a corresponding shift in habits.  You'll have to pay attention to your diction and actively work toward being subtle.

Practice describing not what is, but how the PCs perceive it.  Practice answering questions evasively—a "He doesn't _seem_ to be lying to you," instead of "He's telling the truth."  Practice, also, switching between mysterious and expository modes—hopefully subtly enough that the players don't notice the difference.  And, of course, you most definitely should practice the well-timed "evil DM grin."

Before you know it, what might have seemed awkward at first will be second nature.  Just...be mysterious.


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## Rune (Mar 16, 2013)

*Lesson 22:  Make it personal.*

If you want to run a game with little prep, you want your NPCs to be memorable.  Not only are the players more likely to be engaged in a world with memorable NPCs, but you'll find that having forgettable NPCs means lots of wasted time rehashing details about NPCs in game.  Ultimately, the players' tendency to forget the NPCs might make them harder for _you_ to remember—which, of course, translates to more prep time when using them.

Of course, there are all kind of tricks to giving your NPCs personality, but nothing will make them more memorable than pure emotion.  For now, I want to talk about just two NPC types: villains and friends.

Villains are villainous.  Of course, they do awful things to the NPCs in your world.  But if you _really_ want to make your villains memorable, make sure they do bad things _to the PCs_.  They don't have to be anything major—at least, not at first—but they should be entirely malevolent—either entirely unprovoked, or disproportionately unwarranted.  Get the PCs to _hate_ your villains and they _will not forget them!_

Okay, so that's easy, but what about _friends?_

Well, that's easy, too.  All kinds of allies might provide services or help the PCs in exchange for something, but consider having some NPCs do good things for the PCs with no strings attached.  Your PCs will probably react to this in one of two ways:  they'll either _like_ the NPC, or they'll be suspicious of the NPC.

Either is good for the game, because, assuming the NPC continues to do good things for the party, either the fondness will grow, or the suspicion will.  This leaves your options open for a betrayal down the road, or continued friendship, or even a sacrifice on behalf of the party (which could be very interesting if the party was suspicious of the NPC!).

No matter what, that NPC will be hard to forget.


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## Rune (Apr 25, 2013)

*Lesson 23: Campaigns mean Change.*

From the very beginning, I've written these lessons with the assumption that the goal is a long-running campaign.  Why?  One-shot games are plenty of fun, but they're more work in the long-run.  Really.  See, you have to recreate the context every-time you start up a new story and if you switch systems, your entire group will have to relearn or refresh your memories on a new set of rules.  Every time.

On the other hand, a long-running game will keep the same rules throughout (usually!) and, just as importantly, provides its own context.

So, that means your goal is not to change things up, right?

_No!_

Running a campaign means _growing_ characters, the adventuring party, the campaign setting, even the very gaming-group over an extended period of time.  Where one-shots are isolated depictions of a game at specific points in time, a campaign provides the entire experience of growth from one point to another, and all of the points in between!  A campaign isn't so much about _being_ heroes, but, rather, _becoming_ heroes.

_But how do you apply this concept to running a game without prep?_

Remember, you might provide the hooks, but the players provide the plot.  This means that your players should be driving the narrative and that you will be playing a reactionary role.  This, in turn, means lots of improvising on your part.

The following framework will help:  Every scene that the PCs put themselves into, from the first introduction to the final denouement—like the overall story, itself—has a beginning, an end, and a period of transition in the middle.

You just need to figure out what they are, and, more importantly, how they flow from and lead to other such scenes.

_Ask yourself, "What does this scenario begin in the context of the game?"_

Is it the start of an adventure?  The beginning of a rivalry?  A friendship?  A war?  Whatever it is, if you've just created a hook, remember to write it down and save it for later!

_Ask yourself, "How does this scenario change things?"_

Does it throw a complication in the PCs' plans?  Is it downtime used for training?  Have past mistakes finally caught up with the PCs?  Again, write any hooks down and file them away.

_Finally, ask yourself, "What does this scenario end?"_

Is it simply the end of the PCs' non-adventuring careers?  The end of a dynasty?  The end of the universe?

Asking what begins or what changes in scenario has obvious implications for the development of the game.  In contrast, asking what has come to an end may seem a little irrelevant, but it's actually very important.  It provides you an opportunity to examine how different elements of the game are being resolved—and answering this question can help you provide a sense of accomplishment and evolution for the players, all with minimal effort on your part.

Keep those questions in mind and much of your improvisational work will already be done for you.


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## LexStarwalker (Apr 28, 2013)

I think another important thing is choosing the right game.  If you don't have a lot of time to prepare as a GM, then choose a game that's less rulesy or crunchy.  E.g. D&D 3.5 or Pathfinder wouldn't be good choices.  Not only do these types of games have a lot more rules to know and understand, but they also tend to attract more rules lawyer type players.  

Find a game with a system that's easy to understand and easy to make rulings on-the-fly.  Find a game that focuses more on storytelling and less on combat.  Avoid games that use miniatures and such , again because they tend to be more rules intensive.

I used to run a lot of Vampire and Changeling back in the day (old WoD) for just this reason.  The system was SO easy to understand, that I seldom if even looked up a rule, I'd just do it on the fly.  All you had to do was find a relative attribute and ability, and bam, you had your dice pool.  I think the upcoming Numenera game will be a golden game for the GM without a lot of time.


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## Traveon Wyvernspur (Apr 29, 2013)

I've updated the attachment on page 5 with the newest lessons.


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## Rune (May 4, 2013)

LexStarwalker said:


> Find a game with a system that's easy to understand and easy to make rulings on-the-fly.  Find a game that focuses more on storytelling and less on combat.  Avoid games that use miniatures and such , again because they tend to be more rules intensive.




These are good points.  While it is certainly possible to run a prep-light game with complex systems, it generally defeats the purpose if you have to put a lot of work into jettisoning the clutter.

That said, I've prepped and run both 3e and 4e games (both systems with or without miniatures--without is definitely preferable for smooth play!) with the "streamlined sandbox" philosophy.  It _can_ be done, if you have a clear vision of what rules are standing in the way.


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## Rune (May 4, 2013)

Thanks,   [MENTION=73201]Traveon Wyvernspur[/MENTION].  Great work, as usual!


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## Traveon Wyvernspur (May 6, 2013)

No problem [MENTION=67]Rune[/MENTION] , keep up the good work on the lessons!


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## Rune (Aug 7, 2013)

*Lesson 24: Monsters may wander, but encounters aren't random.*

Building a world can be done in between sessions, but that's a lot more work than you need to put into it (though, if you _like_ world-building and have the time, by all means, have at it!).  It is entirely possible to create most of the world as you play.

Obviously, one way to do this is to use random generators to fill in the gaps as needed.  You can also just make stuff up as you go along (and encourage your players to do so, as well).

The thing is, that kind of world-building can be very haphazard and lacking in depth.  But it doesn't have to be.  In the case of randomly generated results, some oddities could emerge.  That's a good thing!  If you take a moment to consider how an unusual result fits into the world, what was an unrealistic anomaly becomes an exception that establishes the norm.  Everything has its place in the world, even if you just made it up on the fly.  Finding that place adds a wealth of depth to the world you are building.

If you remember that everything is an NPC, consider that _all_ NPCs have a purpose—a motive, or a reason for being.  Every time you introduce something new to the campaign, think, _why is this what and how it is?_

Once you've got that, you just need to tie it all in.  And you can do it in two ways that drive your game forward:

Everything has a hook attached.  Figure out what it is, write it down, and put it in the box for further use!  Not only will this potentially tie the newly created element to the campaign's future, it provides another course for the players to follow.

You can also tie your newly created element into the previously established campaign by pulling an old hook from the box and weaving the two together.  This helps to reinforce the history of the campaign (as it directly relates to the characters) and, of course, also gives them an opportunity for action (or consequences for inaction).

All of a sudden, that simple roll on a random chart, or that off-the-cuff introduction of some minor detail has become a significant factor in the PCs' lives and that world you've been building a campaign around is just a little bit more layered and interesting.


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## Rune (Aug 9, 2013)

*Lesson 25: Get the dice to do the work.*

Now, I don't mean by using randmized charts (although, you certainly can get good use out of them).

I'm talking about a philosophical shift that could completely change your entire game.  The general idea that I'm going to present here is one that I feel is fairly innovative, but it is certainly not my own innovation.  Rather, what I'm going to present here is but a generalized distillation of rules that have popped up (in one form or another) in various different role-playing games in recent years.

The basic idea is to use the dice (or whatever mechanic is used) not (only) to determine a binary success or failure of an action, but also to drive the game forward by giving the players something to work with when they don't succeed.

In games where this kind of thing isn't already baked in, all you have to change is the way you see (and describe) things.  Instead of looking at that binary action mechanic as a success or failure generator, consider that the character is attempting to control a situation in some way and that a good roll probably means that the character demonstrates or maintains such control.  A poor roll means that the character doesn't.  Now that _could_ mean outright failure, but it also might mean some unforeseen complication has arisen.

And with that simple shift in outlook, you've opened up a world of possibilities in play.  For one thing, it will help to solve a problem that many groups have with attaching dice rolls to social or puzzle-solving situations—that is, the breaking of immersion that happens when the dice don't reflect what was actually said at the table—or are used in substitution.

When you've divorced the pass/fail mechanic from the die roll, you open up room for the players' details and descriptions of characters' actions (and no, this does not mean _acting_) to determine success or failure.  The die, then, becomes a tool for adding depth and excitement to the campaign through complications.

This is all good for any style of game, but it is especially good for a prep-light game.  Why?  Because of all of the _opportunities_ that it presents!

It presents you the opportunities to spring hooks on the players and to create them!  In so doing, it offers the players the opportunities to create plot.  By doing these things, you all are afforded the opportunities to build the setting, which presents the opportunity of building immersion, which, of course, can be utilized to build interest in the campaign.

And all of this is being done _in play_, not in preparation!  Just about the only thing you might want to prepare ahead of time would be a list of common complications you can draw inspiration from.

But, other than that, you're good if you just get those dice working for you.


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## Traveon Wyvernspur (Aug 12, 2013)

UPDATED the PDF!


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## Rune (Nov 2, 2013)

*Lesson 26: Use your players' imaginations.*

I'm about to suggest something that is going to go against the instincts of many a DM.  Traditionally, we've been conditioned to think that providing more details equals better DMing.  Waste of time.  And effort.

_Details don't matter until they matter._

And, consequently, details don't _exist_ until they matter.  Now, I don't mean you shouldn't give _any_ details!  Rather, you should provide sparse details, but _suggestive_ ones.

Why should you do this?  Well, first, it makes improvisation easier and, if you're doing minimal prep, you're doing a lot of improvisation, right?  But, even when you've planned an encounter or scene, creating a few evocative details instead of a set description provides flexibility in unfolding the scene that a set block of descriptive text simply doesn't.  Not only that, but important details tend to get missed by players when they're couched amid a block of irrelevant details.

Most, importantly, however, when you give your players a few evocative details that only suggest the situation, you encourage them to ask you questions (which is good, because it helps you focus their attention) and it encourages them to use their own imaginations (which is awesome, because that's the point when it becomes _their_ game instead of just yours!).  Imagination equals buy-in.  But it also means less energy spent on your part in creating the scene.  That's a good thing.

Of course, conflicts of vision will arise from time to time.  When this happens, it is important to roll with the players' interpretations as much as possible, because feeding their imagination is your primary goal.  Shutting them down just sends the message that your imagination is more important than theirs and that is a message that runs counter to your goals.


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## doghead (Dec 17, 2013)

Rune said:


> *Lesson 1: Be organized.*




I am guilty of this. Or more accurately, not doing this. Most of my work is done on the computer, but I have notes on scraps of paper, in note books, in emails etc. I often find myself re-reading the IC thread to remember what went before. 

For my last campaign, I started using the Enworld campaign manager with its associated wiki. There have been some hiccups, but i think it, or something like it can be a great resource. 

And finally, if you know that you are not always going to have access to your computer, the internet when inspiration strikes, or time is available, have a handy notebook that you keep close by.

thotd


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## doghead (Dec 17, 2013)

Rune said:


> *Lesson 3: Reduce the bookkeeping.*
> 
> (snip) ... Right off the bat, I'm going to throw a proposal out here.  Ditch the Experience Point system.  It is cumbersome and, frankly, encourages a style of play (that is, combat-driven) that will make your life more difficult. ...




I don't use XP for the reasons that you expound. But one up side of XP is that it gives the DM a mechanism for rewarding great play or participation. Perhaps a hybrid system could work for those who want to simplify things, but keep the XP system. For each major quest, the characters earn one half the XP required to level, for minor quests one sixth. Or something like that. 

thotd

Edit: Just read #4 which essentially provides a similar reward mechanism. A more effective/useful/engaging mechanism than XP rewards as well, I think.

thotd


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## Rune (Jun 22, 2015)

doghead said:


> if you know that you are not always going to have access to your computer, the internet when inspiration strikes, or time is available, have a handy notebook that you keep close by.
> 
> thotd




Sorry for the delayed response (I've just now been going through the thread, making minor edits to the lessons and preparing to post a few more), but I just wanted to say that this is excellent advice and so obviously simple and useful that I regret not thinking to mention it, myself.


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## Manbearcat (Jul 16, 2015)

Rune said:


> Fortunately, I have been refining a style of DMing (and campaign building) over many years that requires—even encourages—minimal prep.  I decided to type up a list of tips for him, and figured I may as well share them here, as well.
> 
> If some of these concepts seem familiar to any of you, I wouldn't be surprised.  One of my greatest assets as a DM is my ability to absorb good ideas from other DMs.
> 
> So...




You received 1 xp for this lead post?  1 xp?  I figured when I got to the end it would be so dense with xp that it might break the bottom of my web browser.


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## Rune (Jul 16, 2015)

Manbearcat said:


> You received 1 xp for this lead post?  1 xp?  I figured when I got to the end it would be so dense with xp that it might break the bottom of my web browser.




Naw, there were a bunch of them, but that was before the Hack killed the old XP system and made them go away. Thanks for the new start, though! And the kind words. And stay tuned! I'm working on updating the Iron DM Anthology, and then I've got a few more lessons ready to go.


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## Rune (Mar 22, 2016)

*Lesson 27: Set nothing in stone.*

The next few lessons are going to focus a bit on running the game and, particularly, on honing your improvisation skills to do so. Improvisation can be intimidating, particularly if you don't have an anchor to center your efforts on and ground them. The anchor is important. You definitely should have one. But that anchor should be the PCs. _They_ are the only constant that matters. 

To that end you should never consider any element you introduce or resolve as written in stone. Allow yourself room to change _everything_ in response to the changing needs of the game. Especially, be prepared to respond to the PCs' actions, even if that means ditching, modifying, or replacing something you were looking forward to. 

Of course, this all seems well and good, but _why_ should you do these things, and _how_?

"Why" is simple. You _want_ to give as much narrative control over to the players as you can get away with, not only to increase their investment, but also to decrease your workload. Every time you predetermine that something definitely is one specific way, you have answered a potential future question with a "No." And that can stop the flow of collaborative improvisation (in other words, "role playing") cold. 

So, how do you leave room for change? Just don't create anything? Not at all! Go ahead and create to your heart's content! Just keep in mind that details don't matter until they matter. Don't just be prepared to change things on the fly - go ahead and look for opportunities to do it, especially when the players' ideas are better than your own. 

Now, this doesn't mean you should throw setting consistency out the window; you're going to need that to keep your players' disbelief suspended. What it does mean, however, is that the world should react to the PCs' actions - sometimes visibly. 

Of course, all of this is easier if you be mysterious in your descriptions. The more uncertain they are about the reality of their assumptions, the more room you have to surprise your players - or roll with whatever unexpected course _they_ choose.


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## Rune (Mar 24, 2016)

*Lesson 28: Always leave an out.*

It probably goes without saying that you generally want your significant villains to avoid getting boxed in by the PCs - or, at least, _they_ probably want that. What you may not have considered is that the game will flow much better if you avoid doing the same to the PCs, as well. This doesn't mean you should never put the PCs into desperate situations, but that, even when you do, you should never narrow their options to the point where desperation becomes frustration. Desperation can foster innovation; frustration can only ever hinder it. And in so doing, it will suck the energy right out of a game. 

Frustration is the enemy of improvisation, and, hence, the enemy of low-prep play. To that end, you should never engineer a scenario in which the PCs do not have a way to make progress - even if that progress is a retreat - nor should you require progression to go through a narrative choke-point. 

In fact, you shouldn't _require_ anything; that's just extra work you're putting on yourself! Remember, trust the players to come up with their own solutions and give them the latitude to do so! Save yourself from all of the extra effort that distrust entails!


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## Rune (Mar 27, 2016)

*Lesson 29: Make mistakes.*

This lesson will assert some things that I feel are universally true, but are especially relevant to the low-prep style of play, due to its high reliance on improvisation. The following should all be filtered through that lens:

Nobody starts out as a great DM, nor even as a good one. If you want to hone your craft and become a good DM, yourself, you must accept a fundamental truth - you must first spend some time as a bad one. 

Stories of nightmare-DMs abound, recounting tales of poor communication, tyranny, ignorance, incompetence, and, of course, the dreaded permissive DM who allows badwrongfun to occur. Some people are so deathly afraid of these things, they seek out (or design) games with rules of sufficient rigid complexity that the mere possibility of making these mistakes (if they even _are_ mistakes) is eliminated. There are many good reasons why folk find that style of game enjoyable (although it generally runs counter to the principals of a streamlined sandbox). As a vehicle for ensuring good DMing, however, they are problematic. 

In the first place, the ideal of a system that doesn't allow for DM error is impossible to achieve, because no set of role-playing rules can be so comprehensive as to encompass every conceivable situation that will come up in play. And those that try inevitably create layers of complexity, in which numerous unforeseen loopholes thrive. 

It is within these gaps that the intent is defeated. Establishing an expectation that the rules will dictate decision-making places undue strain on the players (especially the one running the game) in situations where the rules fail to do so adequately. 

Impracticality is only part of the problem, though. The greater problem is that a game that expects the _worst_ behavior out of its players does so at the expense of supporting the best of what players can achieve. This is not to say that such games do not allow for excellence to emerge in play - only that such excellence transcends their expectations.

Trust and experience are the two missing ingredients. 

I'll talk about experience, first. Becoming a good DM is a trial-and-error process - and no matter how good you are, you can always be _better_. All the theorycraft in the world can only help to point you in the right direction (no matter what direction that might be). To truly understand what makes a game worth playing, you've got to know what it _feels like_ to juggle the different variables involved and find the balance that equals fun for everybody. 

That requires a constant awareness of what the players are enjoying and at what points - and why - you start to lose them, so you can adjust on the fly. In the process of developing that awareness, you're going to make mistakes - sometimes big ones. Learn from those mistakes and move on. 

That's where trust comes in. All of this will be easier in the long run if the system you are using trusts you to become better by making mistakes, particularly because you also must learn to trust yourself to be able to do the same. 

No matter the system, though, you will need to establish and maintain the trust of your players; they need to be able to trust that you are constantly striving to be fair and to foster a fun experience for everyone. 

If you've got that, you've got everything you need. If you make the trust of your players a priority and consciously work toward maintaining it, you _will_ be a good DM. And every mistake will serve to make you better.


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## Sloblock (Sep 25, 2016)

I agree 100%

my favourite, my pcs climb a tower on a sky castle that is quite high, defeat the spawns by de-thatching the tower with fireball, then look at the vampire casket and say

so which way is the castle going?

i casually say the direction of the castle

ok they say.   Our plan unlock the catches on the casket, cast feather fall and Push it out.  As that way we will have moved and the casket will fall and will open and the vampire will be killed by daylight. 

Ok, I said sounds cool


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## Iron Sky (Sep 29, 2016)

These are excellent, @_*Rune*_! I agree with 90% of what you've said so far and am adding a few to my "How to Awesome GM" document.

A few other things I thought of that may be worth adding:
*
Carve Inspiration in Stone* - if you get an cool idea for an item, encounter, bit of history, NPC, whatever, don't trust that you'll remember it later when you "have time to work on it." Write on scratch paper, shoot yourself an email, text yourself, jot it in your phone, whatever. I have a notepad in my phone where I just quickly tap down the basic gist of something like "Black Carriage - steals babies" or "McJones' sister is actually the murderer!". 

It might be in the grocery store, walking to your car, waking up in the middle of the night, taking a quick break at work, asking someone to give you a second to write down the amazing idea whatever they just said sparked, whatever - just store it before it's gone. It doesn't need to be a ton, just enough that later that night (or whenever you get time to prep) you don't sit there thinking "what the hell was that really cool idea I had at the restaurant?"

Also:

*Let Your Babies Die* -The villain may be your favorite NPC ever, the huge army of necro-rabbits she's going to breed and the Rod of World Breaking she's going to assemble is going to be rad. Then the PC's get a lucky crit the first time they see her walking a necrobunny or cut the rope bridge she's traversing or drop a boulder on the carriage she just got into. 

You can make a hundred more NPCs that will eventually be just as cool - finding some crafty, McGuffiny way to have them survive the unsurvivable might just yank the victory from your player's fingers or even destroy their immersion and the campaign(I've had this happen) and you may be ruining your players' sense of accomplishment and ruining a great story ("Remember the time you cut down that redwood that so it would fall on the Giant King right after he'd sworn to come back and destroy everything we loved?")

Who knows, maybe with that NPC gone, a couple others idling in the back of your head will have room to burst out onto the stage, maybe the villain was just a pawn for someone even worse who now has the PCs on their hitlist...

Lastly:

*Other Stuff Happens Too* - every session, try to slip in somewhere a hint of something happening elsewhere in the world to make it feel like a real place rather than a "world in stasis" like in a computer game where the rest of the world is static until the players show up.

Maybe orcish refugees are come pouring through the country after someone called the Dark Hammer put the Orclands to the torch, maybe rumors fly of a Harpy Queen taking over the Kingdom of Togo or an burning airship streaks across the distant horizon. While much of it might be unrelated to what the PCs are doing right now, it might ripple down and effect them, especially if they eventually end up traveling to Togo or the Orclands.

 Other events may be prophetic, foreshadowing something they'll face later, building up threats or, even better for prep, maybe you'll be able to "backwrite" later, tying what they are tasked with now to an event they witnessed or heard about eight sessions ago.

For example, what if the burning airship streaked through the sky, then a month later your group is hired to retrieve the Sacred Astrolabe of Astrolabia and they find out it the AstroPrince is desperate, knowing the airship carrying it was ambushed by Dragon Knights a month ago but with no idea where it went down. Maybe you had _zero_ idea what the airship was about back then, but when the players piece it together, they'll think you're amazing for planning that far ahead and you'll see them nod as the world dial clicks one notch further towards "Full Immersion".


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## jasper (Sep 29, 2016)

Rune said:


> *Lesson 10: Don't use weird names.*
> 
> That last lesson leads into this one.  Don't use weird names.  Just, don't.  Seriously, how are you going to remember Xian'thrak'halitosis when you need to without looking it up?  That's just wasted time.  Bob's no good either, because it tends to break player immersion, but at least you can remember it.
> 
> Try simpler (even, occasionally, real) names and, especially, titles.  Not lame titles.  Evocative ones.  What's the difference?  Well, that's just something you'll have to figure out for yourself.



AMEN Praise hel, Demi more Gone, As Most day su and the great E.G.G. I don't care if you are THL Ramme Shoe Shoe of DoSun  in the SCA and have 40 hrs in Asia languages. If I can't spell and pronounce it. It becomes Rune what does your fighter do? 
This should also apply to modules, tie in books, and maps. In the AL ravenloft puppet module, the mansion became the Farquadd mansion because I kept butchering the name. In fact the only reason I can pronounce Burgomaster is from those Christmas specials I been watching since I was 6.


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## Rune (Sep 29, 2016)

Those are great tips,  [MENTION=60965]Iron Sky[/MENTION]! Especially the first one. Is there somewhere we can check out that document you've compiled, or is it just for your own personal use?


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## Iron Sky (Sep 29, 2016)

Rune said:


> Those are great tips,  @_*Iron Sky*_! Especially the first one. Is there somewhere we can check out that document you've compiled, or is it just for your own personal use?




I've actually started compiling it from my ramshackle notes to a somewhat readable document. I have an old blog kicking around somewhere, I'll work on posting them in a general-populace-readable format and drop a link in the near future.


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