Minimal RPG Game Prep & NPC Dialogue for Maximal Results

Game masters often prepare extensively for their RPG and D&D games. Some role-playing game preparation has high value and gets used; Dungeons & Dragons game prep might be a waste of time. So how can a dungeon master know how much to prep for their game? In this video, I discuss the 20% of prep work I often do to get me 80% of my results. We also discuss how to prepare for NPC dialogue before a game session.

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Editing ▶▶ Zack Newman
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#dnd #dungeonsanddragons

[jgr]

I remember playing in the mid 90s, when friends just said "yeah, let's play a TTRPG" & I had to GM whatever came to my mind with whichever dice were available. ppl from then still tell me that I invented great stories & that they had so much fun, while I'm looking at them thinking "100% of it was made-up, but whatever".
we were kids who just wanted to have some fun, no one wanted to play an epic story not go thru an adventure that an editor would publish. we just wanna roll dice & have fun.

[wraithreaper]

There's nothing wrong with planning dialogue. I do between npcs for important speeches. Sorry you think that's "lame", but it helps bring the characters to life. Then the players give their input and we just continue. Plus it's a great exercise to develop the personality of npcs.

[SpookyGhostIsHere]

If you practice improvisation, understand your world, and understand the characters in your world, you can get it a point where 10 minutes of prep can get you ready for 2 hours of gaming :) Most wasted prep time is used preparing for things the party never gets to, so by being able to improvise within a general framework, you’ll only end up preparing for what you need.

[damiencullen]

Prep in the areas you are weak in improv is great advice.

[imSephirot]

Talking to myself is now called roleplaying and/or practicing. Nice.

[SomoneTookMyName]

Experience helps, for sure. I have learned to keep most of my notes very modular. This way if I need to plop something down at a given time I can. I know this may sound like im sort of following the players with the adventure. well, yes and no. Here is an example that I found that works. Ill have various bits of info that will not be tied to any specific npc or even location. I just fill in the blanks when needed. This works wonders when you players are so random.

[cloudonyt]

Planned games almost never work, improv with really strong notes and it goes so much better than a planned game. Love the content <3.

[ItsEZbaby]

You deserve way more subs man, best DM content on YouTube, so succinct and easy to understand. 10/10

[linesg]

Got my 10th successful session under my belt as a neophyte dm largely due to your sage advice! Thank you!

[rustlepalace-inn]

You are doing an improv exercise with what you were talking about at the end!

[KaineVillante]

Going through your format as a play tester for your game was difficult for me lol mainly because i didn't make it. But everyone is different. You seem more organized than me tho so can't really complain hahaha

[norsecosmos]

Haven't been able to catch any streams as of late so I'm happy to see the vid :D

[alexandramaclachlan]

Perfect timing for this. Awesome video man, very helpful xx

[ryangraber]

I really felt the whole brushing your teeth pretending to be the wizard thing.

I catch myself all the time in the car thinking about my game and working on npc dialogue and their tone and stuff and how they'd address certain pcs. Love doing it honestly.

The only time I've ever written something out word for word is if it's like a certain monologue or introduction or something

[pondrthis]

>"Do you plan dialogue?"
I only plan dialogue that has to either a) reference something in a character's backstory/previous adventure or b) foreshadow something in a future adventure. Basically, any time it's REALLY, REALLY IMPORTANT that something gets said, I will plan that. I otherwise just treat it as a natural conversation.

[DarrylCross]

I think prepared word-for-word dialogue does have its place - an old nursery rhyme about a crypt in the woods, a riddle, a pertinent clue to an upcoming puzzle. Something where the delivery or a specific wording might be key.
Everything else can be fluid and dynamic surrounding that (including if the NPC decides to use it at all)

[mokane]

Last week I ran a full 4 hour session without any "true prep" that week.

Like you said, if you understand the 'character' of your characters speaking for them shouldnt be too hard.

I had already had the 4 named important NPCs with background I was probably going to need from prior adventure prep.

I DID spend an hour or two over the week just daydreaming about the scenario.

"The missing gnome guard was beaten and killed by the Casino pitboss and left in the nearby drug den/brothel motel to throw off any trail"

I did half railroad them into this, this time, because the characters were returning from the last quest and by the time they did that and resolved the "rewards and reporting" the in game time was conveniently pretty late to set out on one of the other alternative missions but early to just go to bed, and the idea of some gambling and exploring the city underbelly seemed to sound good to the players.

Much fun seemed to be had as they won and lost some money, failed at flirting with or even picking up on the hints of something wrong when mentioning the name of the missing (dead) gnome from the bar maid, met the crime lord of the city(but probably dont fully realize), found the body and half burned down the "motel" even though the door man was desperate to have them meet privately so he could safetly share the info, but they thought his request for a moment of patience and privacy was suspicious and secrecy.

So its good i didnt waste hours preparing for things other than fires and fleeing night-workers and junkies! 😅

Also next session should be pretty easy because they gave away what they want to do next which was a suprise at the moment for me when i shoehorned them into the above hook by reminding them that the "Druids of the Rotting Grove" were two day travel back the way they came. For some reason I was totally unprepared for them to want to track them down after resolving and saving the town from the corruption they had started, but now im going to have a good setpiece piece with miniatures fight and maybe a monolog and if possible a recurring villian if the boss can survive to flee the encounter.

Next few weeks im a player, but I think I might like DM more.

[Brashnir]

I generally agree with you about not writing dialog. I will (very rarely) write out a major speech given by an NPC in a situation where there will be no interaction from the players, but that is something I've only done a handful of times ever. When I do, I like to keep it to about a minute in length or less.

However, one thing I do like to do with my NPCs is to write out a single sentence of dialog that speaks to who they are as a person and/or how I want them to treat the PCs.

"What the F do you want?"
"Oh, you poor little dears."
"Shine my boots, worm."
"nobody cares about your insignificant problems."
"I respect you, but I also pity you"

Things like that. It's not something that is going to get read aloud, (well, maybe the first one would...) but it's something that I can see that puts me into the headspace of that NPC. Sometimes the same NPC's sentence will change from adventure to adventure based on things that have happened.

[timgalivan]

Once I put in a lot of time to build these notes, it takes me very little time to prep lol

[GuardianTactician]

In public speaking, you will be told not to read what you want to say, even if you have your script all figured out and it is effectively a monologue. When you read text, your tone changes and you do not have eye contact. So instructors will tell you to practice your speeches and keep a notecard handy in case you get off track. Everything else follows from the rehearsal.