Dennis Flemming (Okayest DM)
Figuring out how to spend my prep time was one of the biggest struggles I had when I was just starting to run TTRPGs. I would spend hours building an entire city, and the players only ever saw about 10% of the work I had put in. I wrote whole plotlines that never came to fruition because the players found them uninteresting. It was frustrating to put so much effort into something, only to see it shelved and never used. Over the years, I have refined my process to get the most bang for my buck, or fun for my time in this case.
The first and most important thing that helps me determine how to spend my time and effort when preparing to run a TTRPG is knowing what the players enjoy. Players that want to roll dice and fight monsters probably won’t have fun spending most of the game in scenes of roleplay, and players that want to create dramatic tension probably won’t have fun doing a long dungeon crawl with little plot.These things aren’t mutually exclusive, but you need to know what your players like before you can prepare a session that will be fun for everyone at the table. Before I run a game for a new player, I send them a questionnaire asking what things they like about playing games, and what they’re looking forward to in my game. This knowledge is priceless to me as a GM because it informs how I can run the game to ensure the players have as much fun as possible.
The second way to make sure you spend your time efficiently is to avoid creating details the players will never see. Don’t write scenes the players won’t witness, or intricate plot details that don’t involve the characters. For example, if you’re building a city, focus on where the characters will go instead of building the entire city. If you’re not sure where they will go, it’s okay to tell them a little about the next session’s destination, and ask them what they might do there before you prepare the session.
The third way I make sure I spend prep time efficiently is to simply spend less time preparing sessions. This is absolutely a personal preference, and works very well with my improvisational style. There are many Game Masters out there, especially new ones, that find it easier to run their games if they’ve spent more time preparing. This is actually the case for most event-based skills like sports and the performing arts. The more you practice and prepare, the better you will perform. For me, it is a matter of having more time to do other things, like video editing, spending time with family, even just sleeping more. Cutting down on the amount of time I spend preparing a TTRPG session has certainly helped me figure out how to prepare more efficiently.
While not all three of these may work for you, I encourage you to try at least one of them. You may find it shows you what really matters at your table, and helps you take your game to the next level.
About the Author
From Saint Paul, Minnesota, Dennis Fleming started running TTRPGs in 2014. An avid player and GM, he has been in several streamed Actual Plays and has his own TTRPG YouTube channel, Okayest DM.
RPG Counterpoint 
Leave a comment