A whole new world

Often my session recaps are about what has happened during the session rather than my prep I have done before, today we’re going to flip that convention and chat a little bit about the setup.

For me, preparing to run a session is often a rather haphazard fluttering between each of the details that catch my eye. Like flowers in a field I bumble between them, spending fleeting moments between preparing a combat and drawing the likeness of an NPC.  I oft end up feeling like I have done a lot of ‘useless prep’  as I don’t quite feel ready to run the session, yet have many little trinkets or niche interactions prepared. In an attempt to try to leave more space in the story for my players, I have been steadily reducing how much of a session I plan ahead or know. So this time was a pleasant surprise when I felt properly prepared and I owe it all to my good friend: Mythic Bastionlands.

As a DM, it is our duty to steal from what we love. And this session I copied a system very similar to the Myth’s. Rather than preparing what will happen, I made all the small steps of the plots happening nearby.

1. A flyer posted about equal rights for birds.
2. Druid’s picketing the castle walls
3. Missing poster for a local falconer.
4. No more bird songs in the morning, seemingly vanished.
5. A meeting between Druid leader and Lord
6. Druids and birds attack the city.

The party can choose to engage at any point, or they can pursue their own path. The plot will move until they stop it. Instead of designing a quest where the lord hires them to go and investigate the disturbance, show them the problem. Letting a plot simmer on the side follows one of the most important DM principles of showing the players the threat before you follow through. When the world doesn’t revolve around your players it’s much easier for them to find their place within it.