Minimal RPG Game Prep & NPC Dialogue for Maximal Results

𝐋𝐚𝐢𝐫 𝐌𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐳𝐢𝐧𝐞 - Reduce prep time and improve your games with this monthly D&D magazine ▶▶ / thedmlair
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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[@theDMLair]

𝐋𝐚𝐢𝐫 𝐌𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐳𝐢𝐧𝐞 - Reduce prep time and improve your games with this monthly D&D magazine ▶▶ www.patreon.com/thedmlair 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐃𝐌 𝐋𝐚𝐢𝐫 𝐒𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐞 - Get back issues of Lair Magazine, map packs, 5e adventures, and other DM resources ▶▶ the-dm-lair.myshopify.com/ 𝗧𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗰𝗵 𝗟𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗺𝘀 - Get your DM questions answered ▶▶ www.twitch.tv/thedmlair 𝐃𝐌𝐋𝐀𝐈𝐑.𝐂𝐎𝐌 - Get free D&D 5e adventures and DM resources ▶▶ www.thedmlair.com/ 𝐍𝐄𝐖𝐒𝐋𝐄𝐓𝐓𝐄𝐑 - Get free D&D 5e adventures and DM resources in your email ▶▶ thedmlair.getresponsepages.com/

[@markporter3522]

Do you ship to the UK? Thank you, I’m hoping so!

[@jgr7487]

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.

[@guille787]

As I grew up I became more and more exigent with myself as a GM. I put a lot of effort in building a coherent world and interesting plots that makes sense. But I can definitely say that my most nonsensical table was the funniest of all. Seems inevitable in a way, because we mature as creators and owr players as na audience....The Hobbit may be more fun but grown ups are going to expect The Lord of the rings

[@wraithreaper22]

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.

[@meikahidenori]

Same. Sometimes there's important information you can't always improv.

[@Cyberlong]

I am very bad at talking irl, so even in a normal conversation i would get stuck because i forgot a word or name. Having a script or dialog bullet points really help me with that difficulty

[@SpookyGhostIsHere]

I think this totally works, one thing I have found for this channel is that the content is geared a little more toward new DM’s. So for a new DM, I would suggest not planning dialogue because they might not know how to work prepared dialogue into their games reliably, or might not know how to do planned dialogues in a way that is fun or interesting for players. So while I do agree that planned dialogue can be a good thing, I would also say it should be used wisely and using it well is a skill that usually develops over time.

[@cleanseroftheworld]

I do it in small, occasional blurbs. It keeps me on track, but I let them come in and interrupt if the dialogue/monologue gets too long and predictable.

[@nightfall89z62]

I plan a few lines of dialog every now and again. It helps define npcs personality for me. Also it is almost required for conveying specific information for quests snd such.

[@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.

[@damiencullen7060]

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

[@imSephirot89]

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

[@sinisterlaugh872]

well, if it is in character...)

[@imSephirot89]

@@sinisterlaugh872 its always in a character... XD

[@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.

[@DMtheDM93]

The kitty cam is the best

[@pondrthis1]

>"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.

[@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

[@Its2EZbaby]

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

[@norsecosmos]

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

[@alexandramaclachlan7597]

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

[@theDMLair]

Happy to help! :-)

[@line6sg]

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

[@cloudonyt8886]

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

[@mokane86]

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.

[@rustlepalace-inn7229]

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

[@friendlytalbot4050]

I have a difficult time improving dialog and conveying the information I want or need my players to know. So I need to write down essential dialog. It's basically me getting into the mindset of the NPC, and how they speak, and I have some lines to practice a voice on. But I don't recite it 100%, I try to make it fit the conversation so it doesn't feel like my players are talking to a robot. I also keep this kind of prep for important NPCs that are part of the actual plot only. Random NPCs I just improv the hell out of, because they're just people in the world who has no idea what's going on.

[@ryangraber6099]

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

[@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.

[@theDMLair]

Precisely. You plan the dialogues with bullet notes you might even practice them with yourself in the mirror or in the car or wherever. That's the rehearsal. But when you're in the actual game you don't read things were forward from what you have written down. If you plan things out and practiced sufficiently than the dialogue the back and forth between the NPC and the characters should happen organically without a problem. I've done public speaking to so I can attest to its exactly what you're saying.

[@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)

[@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.

[@christophermurray9777]

Great video.

[@princesskanuta3495]

Very helpful information, thanks.

[@theDMLair]

You are very welcome. :-)

[@timgalivan2846]

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

[@chellobalgar9552]

Its amazing how making a rough draft organizes the mind. Too bad no one made one for cats, Guapo's adventure is improvised.

[@davidbabbitt1839]

Caveat, it depends on the DM how much you need to prep. I run an amazing game, but for me, to pull that off, I prep hundreds of hours on an adventure and campaign. Spent almost 4 years on my epic campaign and still prepping. But when I run it, its absolutely stunning. But if your more of an improv DM, you can get away with less prep. Also helps to get assisting products/patreons. I subscribe to over a dozen of them. The advice you hear on this channel and others is only general advice. Its different for each game/session/group/DM

[@mikegould6590]

I reduced prep by having my players recap the last session. That means they're taking extensive notes, as well as informing me what hooks worked and where their focus may be. I can improv entire sessions, but having my players act like a memory base in real time is huge. For minimal prep, write down ideas, names, stat blocks etc on note sheets or 3x5 cards. Have a Map they've not seen. Pinterest is your friend. Develop a great poker face. They'll never know you're making it up as you go. Sell your moments with passion. Be open to questions, and be willing to accept player input as canon.

[@rustlepalace-inn7229]

I also ask my players to share their notes with me on discord. Miss less stuff and also find out what’s important to them.

[@krinkrin5982]

My current 20% is a short description, a map, and a list of names for NPCs, so that I don't forget them.

[@zendikarisparkmage2938]

I'm not late anymore! And Luke Hart still doesn't suck!

[@FrostSpike]

So, do a *load* of preparation up front in terms of authoring the whole adventure (which doesn't count as prep time), then on a session-by-session basis just do the tweaks to it you need based on past party actions?

[@CoolCat68]

wow...am i the second commenter on a DM lair video?! This is an achievement

[@chellobalgar9552]

Improvised!

[@mokane86]

Why are YOU up so late? 🕵️‍♂️ Me??? Incase Luke posts a new video, obviously... 😉😆 🧟‍♂️

[@norsecosmos]

@@mokane86 Me? Playing video games

[@CoolCat68]

@@mokane86 me?? studying for a test

[@blackhawk8920]

cute cats and thanks for tips/advice for dm.

[@johnsalkeld1088]

Scripted dialogue should be - herald speaking for a king or announcing new law. Cleric in ceremony. Guards man initial words After that improv

[@joshuakinnear4202]

Looks like that's 10 hours of writing for the adventure there. How often have you tried just winging it? I personally make a few notes/dot points after thinking about my session for a day or two and create as we play. Gets us a 4-6 hour session

[@aurelian5234]

Is there something to be said for planning your larger overall adventure and planning smaller sessions within that adventure? I personally find that when you’re organizing characters and character motivation for a larger adventure it can be a lot of fun but also very very time consuming. Whereas when you plan a smaller session or dungeon, it takes far less time Bc you put in the work earlier to figure out who is doing what and where in your overall adventure.

[@RIVERSRPGChannel]

Yes you start with an idea and write somethings down and then improv the rest

[@scottieapplseed]

The only dialogue I write out is some kind of catch phrase they might use.

[@bonbondurjdr6553]

How long does it take you to prep?

[@mrl9418]

They should teach this in school

[@xornxenophon3652]

Repeating the same mosters over and over again should have been avoided. Why not replace some of these Ice Toads with something else? A room with a cave-in, a lake or some puzzle would have been a good addition.

[@theDMLair]

because when you're doing a low prep Adventure it isn't perfect. It's pretty much the 20% of effort for 80% of the results. What you're referencing is the other percentage of effort that I didn't do for that particular Adventure. So could the adventure have been better? Absolutely. Are there different things that could have done to make it more variety from room to room? Absolutely. And that would have taken more time which I did not spend on this adventure. So my players had tons of fun but if I had spent more time maybe the adventure would have been more robust. However there's also a point to be made that the players did not go to every single room. They found one path through the adventure and got the final boss. Which brings us back to the idea of 20% of effort for 80% of results. I wasn't aiming for Perfection with this adventure. I was aiming for a fun game.

[@Frederic_S]

So true - but I needed 25+ to get this.

[@barak219]

I like his human voice |:

[@KaineVillante]

Making a map takes me hours lol I suck at it

[@rustlepalace-inn7229]

Find free ones on the internet and make them fit! Saves so much time! 😁

[@KaineVillante]

@@rustlepalace-inn7229 yup that's where I'm at lol

[@mke3053]

Throw dices over a blank page and use a pencil. Thats the map.

[@KaineVillante]

@@mke3053 huh? I don't understand this method like connect the dots?

[@scottwagner2566]

Maximal results? Well, that’s just prime.

[@shock_n_Aweful]

Improvised dialogue is the most difficult part for me

[@ThorsShadow]

Think about it that way: When you talk to a person in real life, you don't have every sentence planned. In fact, I'd wager you usually don't have any sentences planned, if you're just talking to someone. Put the same principle behind improvising dialogue in a game. Just go with the flow of the conversation, basically. If you're a player and you want information from a random guard, ask the guard and respond to their responses. Just like asking people questions in real life. If you're a DM and your players ask a random guard for information, you know what the guard knows or what the guard "could" know given their job as a guard and you know how much information you want to give away to your players. So, being the DM should be a bit easier in this case, because you can decide the outcome of the conversation.

[@mikegould6590]

Know what your NPCS want. Know what they hate. Then let them react organically based on PC interaction.

[@shock_n_Aweful]

@@ThorsShadow playing an important NPC like a guard is not so difficult because I guess I don't feel any need to flesh them out as a person. I'm more thinking about important characters. I get what you are saying regarding real life, but the difference is its pretty easy to be yourself. Rather than someone else while trying to suppress my actual self. I spend a lot of time out of game thinking about how to express personality traits in a realistic manner that isn't just a shallow a gimmick for yucks. I realize I could just do the same for NPCS but I guess I am looking for something easier because I need to be more than just 1 person when I am DMing.

[@ironlord7991]

I suck at social encounters I try to keep improving but man just not good at it

[@danieldurham5891]

same here, but to get better we have to keep doing them

[@itsyaboiexplosion9377]

if i used maps that big my players would riot

[@Brashnir]

That's a pretty small/tame map in the grand scheme of things.

[@theDMLair]

Yeah that's a pretty small nap. Especially if you compare it to many of the maps in the published modules. We just come off from playing against the Giants and those Maps were insanely huge. My players were relieved when they got a peek behind my screen and saw that the map for the Dragon's Lair was one that I created.

[@itsyaboiexplosion9377]

@@theDMLair It's probably because all my players are a little more "get to the point players". I tried using a wizard tower that had maybe 12 rooms that weren't just for progression in the entire tower and it didn't work out. they told me it was the map being too big.

[@mke3053]

Google for 5 room dungeon

[@itsyaboiexplosion9377]

@@mke3053 yea I've been doing so thereafter been pretty useful to find stuff like that

[@elgatochurro]

Word for word dialogue memorization is stupid, it's much harder to do than to just read it and know the basics and can more often come out as forced

[@hexchad765]

An hour is still too long

[@theDMLair]

You get what you prep for.