1. The Eight Steps of Lazy GM Prep from Return of the Lazy Dungeon Master (2023)

[@thegreengrotto]

Mike's Notion Notebook has transformed my prep, and Lazy GM's steps pushed that to the next level for me - I can focus on running the game and not hoping I am prepared.

[@liondovegm]

I lived Notion but when they rolled out changes I didn't like and whispers of a databreach I jumped around till settling on obsidian. i use two google drives and my phone as the main databases and have everything sync at night, on my PC i have a plugin for git to commit and push from obsidian, and ive discovered so many baller plugins that It even started to replace some of libreoffice.

[@leonardoraele]

01:06 Step 1. Review the Characters 02:07 Step 2. Create a Strong Start 03:17 Step 3. Outline Potential Scenes 04:34 Step 4. Define Secrets and Clues 06:28 Step 5. Develop Fantastic Locations 07:42 Step 6. Outline Important NPCs 08:48 Step 7. Choose Relevant Monsters 11:03 Step 8. Select Magic Item Rewards

[@SlyFlourish]

I can’t believe I forgot to add a toc!

[@DaudAlzayer]

The one added step I have incorperated is writing down my pregame recap- it's the first thing I do after characters so that I remind myself of the context for the next session.

[@nick-qb5wu]

I do the same thing

[@fireworksfactoryshow]

Nioce. Same here. 👍

[@jazzyzjas9701]

I used to overengineer my notion pages with a dozen databases, links, relations, callbacks and a ton of prep work only to get burnout before even hosting the session. I watched some videos from you, used the Notion template that you provide for FREE and guess what, my players are saying my DMing has improved. That I am making them more immersed in the sessions compared to before where I had to hold off for a few seconds to minutes before I review my notes for encounters and events. Love you lots you crazy man. We don't deserve such great things.

[@loadedstapler1459]

One thing I added to Step 1 is consequences. What positive or negative consequences to their actions does a character face. These sometimes turn into secrets and clues. I really appreciate the additional insights you consolidated in this video. Thanks!

[@Smittumi]

I picked up the pdf a year or two ago. It changed my life.

[@dm4life579]

The best step that really changed it for me is secrets and clues. This step is by far the most modular and flexible of all steps. This is the good content that I always liked from you Mike. I wish you could do more system agnostic videos and variety of reviews on systems rather than focus on 5e and third party 5e products.

[@RIVERSRPGChannel]

I still need to get this book

[@SlyFlourish]

Do it!

[@justplainlyluis]

You're a legend, I just found out about your work, thanks for this video❤

[@dylanwatts1045]

I love this book! So useful!

[@adambusenbark63]

I think the scenes step gets the most mileage for me in preparation and image training for a session. I need to work on actively checking and deploying the secrets and clues but I do find them very useful when I stay on it. Definitely changed the way I approach session prep, don't think I could go back to something else!

[@christopherblanchard890]

I use these eight steps in so many of my games, not just D&D. I find it's useful in other 5e games, but also for games like Forbidden Lands or Coriolis, and even in a Marvel Multiverse game I'm running. Very few changes to the steps themselves for these games (though I did make changes to the Notion template for these games).

[@andreacavalli4290]

Got It, It really opened a world to me!Thanks a lot Sly Flourish!

[@abramfriesen9472]

This is incredibly valuable advice for dungeon masters, and is the reason for my subscription to both the channel and Patreon. I was already doing most of it in my prep, but hadn't formalized it into a template for preparation until hearing your summary of it in an earlier video. Doing that has saved me a ton of time and made me feel more confident in my prep.

[@Frederic_S]

You are doing gods work here! Thank you so much! Cant wait to share this with every one once it is public.

[@Shu_BLN]

Wacthed this many times and re-reading the book yearly. Gets more relevant the more experienced I get as a DM! Also the older I get lol.

[@zionich]

Love this breakdown for DMs, new and experienced.

[@michaelcremin6496]

Awesome as always, Mike. Thanks!

[@seiyikun1]

Since 2018, ROTLDM it's my fucking bible. BEST RPG book by FAR, you sir are a gentleman and a true scholar.

[@MrRex977]

I used this steps for my prep for years now and the best thing about that: it's working! 🙂 Gave a huge boost for my prep methods. I'm DMing since the early '90s, but (or bc that) I learnt many useful tips and methods from Mr Not--Really-Lazy Mike 😉

[@ChazzKaskes]

Always love your work

[@wanderingbardagain6945]

I have to say that these steps have been a HUGE help in prepping my games over the years. They work great when working with published material (campaigns and settings). They work especially well with home-brew settings and games. And with a little tweaking they work great with other game systems. I used a slight variant to prep for a Call of Cthulhu game, and it was very helpful. Just wanted to say thanks for all the hard work and time you've put in. Its lead to some great game sessions that my players and I will remember for years to come.

[@billrubine1318]

It sounds like your mich is a lot better since the old ROTLDM videos

[@sortehuse]

Bought the Return of the Lazy Dungeon Master on Amazon earlier this year. I'm staring a new campaign in the fall. There are lots of good ideas in the book - I'm really looking forward to DM in the lazy style 🙂

[@iganciomenchaca5456]

Hi, how do you prep dungeons and puzzles. It’s hard to just on the spot to create a balance dungeon and fun puzzles, with clues and challenges to the pc’s. I really struggle with this aspect of prep. Any suggestions are welcome.

[@liondovegm]

you could go over the 8 steps every year and not change a thing and we'd probably still click everytime

[@SlyFlourish]

It needed a refresh

[@nissanfreak22]

Is the video supposed to have “1.” in the title?

[@macoppy6571]

A hint at things to come...

[@benhodges988]

He made a series of videos about 4 years ago going through the book and this seems to be the start a revamp/updated version of it. So we will maybe see updates to the other videos in the series as well