DM Workstations

[Ranis]

Calling all DM's! I'm curious to see where you do your preparing for the next session.

For me, it's my bed. I make it up, then throw my laptop in the middle, and I end up with 10-20 books all opened with papers strewn about, my notebook in my lap, writing about the next session.

How about you guys?

[B!shop]

I usually prepare the story and all the fluff in office during pauses from work (thew inspiration strikes whenever she likes ) and then - sometimes - refine all at home, on my desk where I can look up my manuals.

By the way, I'm an impromptu DM, so I don't write too much

[Dark Knight Renee]

My bed ends up like the OP's when I'm working on character sheets or the like, but most of the time I DM by winging it. Not very effective, but we've found that doing anything else does not work for me - and if I'm not having fun, the game slows down, often to a complete halt. Such is the fae of the reluctant DM.

[Knight_Of_Twilight]

Usually starts with me pulling out all my MM's, my DMG, and whatever splatbooks I need, and huddling all about my laptop, notebook in my living/dining room.

Then my girlfriend sighs, and asks me to put the books away when I'm done. And then, like I always say, "I'm never done" and I blow her a kiss so she's not too mad. XD

I love her dearly but she doesn't understand...

But really, I just come up with encounters and stats. My pc's are too..uh..spontenous for a rigid plan.

[Ermete]

Usually I prepare the session at my desk (locked in my room...I hate being disturbed while I'm working... )...and sometimes on the train while I'm going to university (of course on the train I just brainstorm or write down some drafts...) you know: inspiration strikes everywhere!

[Zophiel]

I generally do my concept stuff and rough sketches at the office, then take my notes home and use the process of typing it all up to refine my ideas, double-check continuity, and firm up the mechanics. Once in a while I'll bring a book to work when I know things will be slow, but in general I don't need them much (not because I've memorized them, I just modify things so much the books are rarely more than a starting point). When I'm at home doing the more serious work, I'll usually take over the study, spread my books out, fire up the desktop pc, maybe even get the laptop up as well if I'm feeling super hardcore, and get down to it. By the time I'm done, it looks like WotC exploded in the study and I'm ground zero. During football season, I usually bring out my notebook and stick to jotting down rough ideas during slow parts of the game. It drives my girlfriend crazy though, because she mistakenly thinks I'm not paying attention. My opinion is that at least 50% of a football game isn't really that important anyway.

[Oeryn]

I'm with B!shop. I usually get inspiration at work, and jot it down on whatever's handy. So preparing for a session is usually me sitting in my chair in the living room, sorting through about 75 Post-It Notes and various receipts and other scraps of paper.

[valadil]

Depends on if I'm running from my computer or not. I prefer doing the prep work on my computer, but I don't like lugging the thing to games, so I only run off it if I'm also hosting.

When I run on my laptop, I like to set up a folder for that game. That folder has several subfolders: PCs, npcs, plots, and sessions. The first two are straightforward. My npcs are also usually sorted by whatever faction they're involved in. Plots is full of files for individual plotlines. After each I'll add how that plot advanced and where I'm going with it.

I do some general musings in each of these over the course of the week. When I prepare for an actual game I basically compile it all into a session. This is where plots start to entangle each other and NPCs interact. The session is the file I leave open (on top anyway - all the other files are open too) while running.

Since my games are more plot/story than game mechanic I don't need a whole lot of books open. I usually just have one or two open at a time plus d20srd.

I like having a single notebook plus a folder for each PC when I ignore my laptop. Again I don't use more books than I can hold in my lap. Less musing happens in a notebook. I fill the back with characters and the front with plots and sessions. Generally I brainstorm a bunch of plot ideas for the beginning and leave each of those with a page for more musing. Once the campaign actually starts I don't muse over the plots as much. I just do sessions. It usually works out so that one page of session comes to 4 hours of gameplay, so I aim for 2 pages per night and have leftovers.

For the most part though my workstation is contained to a notebook in hand, a book in my lap, and a back full of books by my side.

[Fixer]

I find myself 90% of the time working to try to keep the characters going in a general direction (it is a lot like herding lemmings) and pulling stuff out of thin air to make it happen.

The remaining 10% of the time I rely on my near-encyclopedic knowledge of the game. I know D&D like most sports nuts know batting averages.

When I forget something I crack open the book (or, if mobile, open a PDF of one) and refresh my memory. Unfortunately (like now) I don't have the PDFs handy so I have to write it somewhere and wait until I get home to look it up.

I come up with campaign ideas all over and just write them down.

[elliott20]

I have a tendency to just jot things down on a notebook while I'm sitting on my couch. However, my notes are sparse and at best provide only a bare minimum skeleton frame work.

The only thing I really spend any significant attention on is jotting down stats for monsters and traps and what not.

[jjpickar]

On the couch with nothing more than some pieces of blank paper, the DMG, and occasionally the MM. It's all you ever need.

[Penguinsushi]

I usually sit at my desk - which is next to my 'shelf of mayhem' (where all the d&d books are). Generally I sit here with my 3-ring binder, a mechanical pencil, some graph and lined paper and whatever books I'm using at the time. I try to avoid actually using my computer for any part of the session planning (I live on this thing, so i try to keep it out of my gaming. everyone needs a break) - except for the occasional usage of a random name generator.

~PS

[DrummingDM]

Quite literally, I do most of my prep in the shower at 5:00am. I usually only write down/stat out exactly what I need to (major NPCs, this month's Major Monster du jour, etc) and then pull out a few sheets of graph paper and draw out any floorplans I need. Everything else comes to me when it comes to me, and apparently, I brainstorm really well while showering to get ready for work in the morning.

[Quietus]

Most of my planning takes place at the computer, and I have my stacks and stacks of books on the shelf behind me, or on the nighttable beside my bed (my computer's in my room). When I'm doing planning that requires books, like sorting out stats for various monsters or the like, my bed starts looking like a disaster zone, because it isn't far from my computer, so what I use gets opened, used, then put on the bed so when I need it later it's within easy reach.

When I get really stuck, I find soaking in the tub helps a lot. Get rid of all the distractions (except the cat, that thing LOVES to play with bathwater), and let my mind wander. Walk myself through the area of the world the PC's are in, figure out what's going on in the world, who's trying to do what, and usually some off-the-wall idea comes to me that'll fit in perfectly with what I'm doing.

[adanedhel9]

Initial thoughts end up on my Wiki. That way, any time I have Internet access I can record my ideas in a centralized (and backed-up) location.

In-depth work usually happens on my couch, with my laptop, piles of books, and a notebook on the coffee table. I usually do this just so I can watch random TV while working (usually Discovery channel). If I want to really focus, I'll turn off the TV and move to my dinner/gaming table.

If I'm working on something that's more fluff-like than crunch-like, I'll usually move to my actual desk and work on my desktop. This is more comfortable for long periods of time, and I'm less likely to get distracted. The disadvantage being that I don't have a lot of room to spread out my physical resources.

Oh, I suppose you can say that my kitchen sink is part of my workspace as well. Despite having a dishwasher, I always wash my own dishes. I've found that this simple activity is extremely conducive to creative thought.

[Ranis]

Oh, I suppose you can say that my kitchen sink is part of my workspace as well. Despite having a dishwasher, I always wash my own dishes. I've found that this simple activity is extremely conducive to creative thought.

Dude, I do the exact same thing. It just gets annoying drying my hands to write something down, only to take the plunge once more.

[SpiderBrigade]

Dude, I do the exact same thing. It just gets annoying drying my hands to write something down, only to take the plunge once more.

You need a stenographer.

[Call Me Siggy]

What I do...well, I tend to keep brainstormed plot thingies in my head, and only write down stat blocks. Before even starting a campaign, I have a general idea of the beginning and the end...the middle I make up as I go, with several crucial plot points put in so things don't go TOO far away.

[adanedhel9]

Dude, I do the exact same thing. It just gets annoying drying my hands to write something down, only to take the plunge once more.

Well... I don't go that far. Dishwashing time is generally more about abstract thought and images. I don't try to make sense of it till after I'm done.

[Krimm_Blackleaf]

I have a small desk in the living room with an old rocking chair facing me to my left, on which sits a few books and a small portion of my sword collection. Under the desk is my huge bookbag full of books and next to my laptop, which is on top of the desk is usually a plate with food remnants and lots of used glasses. Then I crack open books for whatever I need, averaging around 3 at a time and I write.

[Ravyn]

My actual work usually gets done at a small desk with a laptop--loft beds aren't too conducive to this sort of work, or I'd use that. My materials are almost entirely on my computer, though, so I can work anywhere I have an electric outlet. (Extra bonus if it has an internet connection.)

Inspiration, however... it all depends. My favorite place to find it is outside doing yardwork, though I've been known to have it strike between classes, during work, just about anywhere. Generally I'll grab an image and be refining it in the back of my mind for most of the day.

[ilovefire]

First, think of what 'feeling', what emotion I want to convey this session. Fear? Longing? Passion? Cheesecake?

Then, open the following books: DMG, DMG 2, PHB, PHB 2, MM, MMII, MMIII, MMIV, FF. These are my 'baseline', what I use for the standard. Pick out monsters or social encounters that help to convey the emotion or feeling picked in step one.

If none avialiable, open up other books until you find something that works.

Toss the thing together, and run it impromptu.

This is usually odne an hour or an hour and a half prior to a session, UNLESS it is an important NPC I am making, in which case I will take my time statting them out.

[Damionte]

I also do it while at work, during "pauses" from real work. Like NOW for instance.

[Accolon]

Right now,I do all of my campaign work at my computer desk in my living room. I have three 3 foot high bookshelves of books, and a TV table surrounding me. I draw my maps, make my notes, and write the campaign there. Occassionaly I'll take the lap-top into the bedroom and write there, but I have too many books and not enough bed. The bookshelves also give me a handy second "tabletop" because they're only waist high. So they wind up the tables for the Latin to English Dictionary, the Tolkien Guide, the regular dictionary and the King Arthur guide. I'll be moving soon, though, so my wife and I have already mapped out one of the bedrooms in our new house as my D&D room, where I can paint minis and write campaigns.

[Gamgee]

I think of a good begining, an end and some middle points. When I write it is at the table. I usually dont put much work into it as I improvise everything when I play. So I just go whith the flow :P this allows supreme flexibility when I dm.

[Jimbob]

Myself..... Well most of my best ideas come to me either at work or on the loo, so I very oftern find scrap bits of paper and write down what im thinking, and as for the loo, a pen and paper now lives in there, was getting fed up with writting on loo paper. And when I get down to it, after my gf saying "oh do you have to do that now?" I get my MM DMG and PHB and all my paper work and go at it like a blue ar*e fly!

[OverdrivePrime]

I do most of my DMing prep work on my precious flash drive, connected either to my work computer (during fits of boredom or when inspiration strikes), or on my more heavily fortified desktop at home. In my office at home, I'm a lot better armed, with multiple reference books (The Oxford Companion to the Earth is a favorite) as well as ridiculous quantities of game books surrounding me. I keep a few PDFs of my books as well as multiple SRDs (for d20 games) and rule write-ups on my thumb-drive and back it up frequently.

I prefer to do most of my work on my computer at home, where I can bust out Illustrator and Photoshop for mapping and have a better word processor than I've got access to at work (Lotus Word is t3h suq).

In preparing a campaign and individual adventures, I tend to design the world and metaplot in great detail a long time before allowing PCs to sully my carefully tended landscapes.

Like a few posters above, I tend to prepare a number of personalities and encounters that may or may not have to do with my overarching plot. I find that this makes recurring NPCs more flexible and interesting - recurring villains and allies are frequently not who I expected them to be when I first designed the NPC. Some ho-hum individuals sometimes end up taking a major role, while others who I thought were glaringly obvious suspect NPCs were ignored almost entirely.

My flash drive is absolutely filled with stock locations, NPCs and creatures that I can call up when needed.

Systems I DM for:
D&D 3.5
Immortal 3rd edition
some White-Wolf here and there

[LotharBot]

When I'm running a module, I just take the module book, whatever monster manual the module uses, a few sheets of paper, pens and highlighters with me to the museum where I volunteer on Thursday mornings. I mark key points within the book and rewrite all of the monster stat blocks on paper (so I can be sure I understand the key abilities.)

If I'm creating something from scratch, I start by just tagging down a simple outline describing the main plot points and some of the encounters on the way. Once I have some idea where I want to go, I usually sit on the living room couch or at the dining room table with about half a dozen books (PHB, MM1, DMG, Spell Compendium, and no more than 2 others). There, I stat out my encounters and write up room descriptions and such.

[ZeroNumerous]

I like to jot down what I'm aiming for with tonight's session. Then I reflect on the notes I take about a character and how he/she functions within the group.

...

...

...

Then the session comes, I forget everything I was going to steer them toward, and end up winging it.

...

Winging it hard.

[DraPrime]

During english class. While my teacher "interprets" literature, I brainstorm ideas. Once I get home I write my ideas down, create the newly thought of villains, and stuff like that.