You’ve probably sat down to prep “just a little” and suddenly it’s three hours later, you’ve mapped an entire continent, and you still don’t know what actually happens in tonight’s session. Or the opposite: you prepped nothing and felt like you were tap-dancing on a cliff edge the whole time.

Here’s the good news: you don’t need a novel, and you don’t need to wing everything. You just need a small, focused prep routine that serves this session, not your perfectionism.

Let’s build a lean prep method so you know what to write down, what to leave in your head, and when to stop.

Why This Matters for Your Game

When your prep is too heavy, a few things happen:

• You feel guilty if the players “miss” your content.
• You get tempted to herd them back onto the path you wrote.
• You burn out between sessions because the workload is huge.

This usually leads to railroady plots, forgotten details (because there are too many), and you quietly dreading prep time instead of looking forward to it. A lot of popular DM advice now pushes toward lighter, more targeted prep for exactly this reason.

On the flip side, zero prep isn’t automatically magical either. If you rely purely on improv, sessions can lose shape: no clear stakes, villains feel mushy, scenes drag because you’re inventing everything on the spot. That’s fun once in a while, but exhausting if it’s every week.

A small amount of smart prep gives you structure and confidence:

• You know how the session opens.
• You know what the main conflicts and stakes are.
• You have a short list of names, locations and problems ready to go.

Experienced DMs, big channels, and “lazy prep” gurus all converge on the same idea: prep what you don’t want to improvise, and let the rest breathe at the table.

The goal isn’t “perfectly prepared”. The goal is “prepared enough that you can relax and play”.

Key Ideas to Keep in Mind

➤ Prep the First 15–20 Minutes Super Clearly

The start of the session is where everyone’s brains are still booting up. If you prep nothing else, prep this.

Decide three things:

1. Where are they when the session opens?
   In the mayor’s office, at camp after last session’s cliffhanger, walking into the ruins, etc.
2. What immediate situation is in their face?
   A demand (“The mayor wants an answer now”), a problem (collapsed tunnel), or a hook (mysterious stranger at the inn).
3. What’s the “decision point” you’re aiming for?
   Something like: “Do we help these people or not?” or “Which route into the city do we take?”

Write 3–6 bullet points describing this opening situation. That’s it. With a strong first beat, players start asking questions and making choices, which naturally generates the next scenes for you.

➤ Prep Situations, Not Scripts

Instead of writing “Scene 1, Scene 2, Scene 3” like a movie, prep situations:

• A problem or tension.
• People involved (with motives).
• What happens if nobody intervenes.

For example, instead of scripting a detailed town meeting, you prep:

• Situation: The town council is split about paying bandits for protection.
• People:
  • Councilor Brin – wants to pay, scared of violence.
  • Captain Elda – furious, wants to fight.
• If PCs do nothing: Bandits get paid, bandits get bolder, nearby farms become targets.

When players show up, you don’t need scripted dialogue. You just play these people, keep the problem clear, and see what the group does.

This kind of “situation prep” survives the players doing weird things because you’re focused on goals and consequences, not fixed scenes.

➤ Decide What You Refuse to Improvise (and Only Prep That)

Different DMs hate improvising different things. That’s where your prep time should go.

Common “I refuse to improvise” items:

• Stat blocks and monster mixes – if combat math on the fly stresses you out, prep encounters.
• Maps or spatial layouts – if you need to see a dungeon or airship, sketch it beforehand.
• Mysteries and clues – if you’re bad at inventing clues under pressure, prep 3–5 ahead of time.

On the other hand, many DMs are happy to improvise:

• NPC personalities and voices.
• Exact room descriptions.
• Random side shops and minor loot.

You don’t have to copy YouTube DMs or blogs that say “preload X, Y, Z”. The common advice is: prep the parts you personally don’t like inventing in the moment, and skip the rest.

Grab a scrap of paper or doc and split it into:

• “Prep this” (my weak spots).
• “Improv is fine” (my comfort zone).

That becomes your personal prep checklist.

➤ Use a One-Page Session Sheet

Try limiting yourself to a single page (physical or digital) for all your notes. This forces you to be concise and makes it easy to actually reference during play.

A simple one-page layout:

• Top: Session headline
  “Escorting the relic to the old temple” or “Heist at the noble’s masquerade”.
• Left column: Moving pieces
  • Villain/faction goals this session.
  • 3–5 NPCs with a 3-word description each.
  • Any timers or looming events (“Storm hits in 1 hour”).
• Right column: Possible scenes
  • 3–6 bullet points of things that could happen:
    • “Bandit ambush on mountain road.”
    • “Argument at camp about who carries the relic.”
    • “Old temple warded with a moral choice.”
• Bottom: Toolbox
  • Names list (5–10 first names).
  • 2–3 “drop-in” complications (lost gear, sudden patrol, small omen).
  • Any rules you know you’ll forget (short reminders only).

If you can’t fit it on one page, you’re probably prepping detail you won’t use.

➤ Plan Consequences, Not Plot

Your job is not to predict what the players will do. Your job is to know what might happen when they do it.

For this session, jot down:

• What the villains are currently doing.
  “Cult is performing the third ritual at midnight under the mill.”
• What happens if the players succeed.
  “They stop the ritual but anger the goddess’s avatar.”
• What happens if they fail or ignore it.
  “Ritual completes; undead spread into the district by next session.”

This keeps your campaign feeling alive and reactive. You don’t need a flowchart of every path—just a couple of clear consequence lines you can lean on when players zig instead of zag.

It also makes prep faster: you’re not trying to cover every possible route, just the big turning points and fallout.

➤ Time-Box Your Prep

Left unchecked, prep expands to fill every spare minute of your week. Instead, set a timer.

For example:

• 10 minutes: Review last session and current situation.
• 15–20 minutes: Fill in your one-page sheet.
• 5–10 minutes: Check any stat blocks, maps, or rules you flagged.

Then stop. You’re done.

Many experienced DMs and popular advice sources report that 30–60 minutes is enough to prep a solid session once you have a structure like this.

If you want to worldbuild more for fun, awesome—just separate “prep I need” from “worldbuilding I’m doing because it’s a hobby.”

Final Thoughts for Your Next Game

You don’t need a master spreadsheet, and you don’t need to fly blind. You just need a repeatable, lightweight prep routine that gives you:

• A strong opening.
• A few solid situations.
• Clear stakes and consequences.
• Enough tools that you’re not scrambling.

For your next session, try this small experiment:

• Cap your prep at one page and 45 minutes max.
• Focus on the opening 15 minutes, 2–3 situations, and villain consequences.
• Write down only the things you hate improvising.

Then see how it feels at the table. Adjust next time. Over a few sessions, you’ll find your personal “just right” amount of prep—fast, sustainable, and actually fun to do.

Common Questions