Take a 10-minute break…
It’s perfectly okay to take a break as a DM in D&D. Breaks are important anyways, to help everyone stay focused and attentive during gaming sessions. But sometimes we, the DM, need a break to quickly prepare something for the next part of the adventure, or to read ahead in the published adventure we are running. Take a ten-minute break whenever necessary.
…when players go in unexpected directions
Sometimes players take the story in a wholly unexpected direction. That’s a core feature of the game, and the reason why we can prepare obstacles without solutions. But it also means that players sometimes put us DMs on the spot. We want them to take the unexpected route through the plane of dreams, even though we haven’t prepared for it. In this situation, take a ten-minute break and prepare a single encounter for the direction the players are now headed in.
Prepare a single encounter
10 minutes usually isn’t enough to prepare an entire adventure. But what we can do is prepare a single encounter in 10 minutes. What do we need for that encounter? The following three elements are outlined by Mike Shea in Return of the Lazy Dungeon Master. In 10 minutes, prepare the following:
- a fantastic location
- an NPC and/or some monsters
- one or more secrets to discover
In ten minutes we can come up with these three elements to run a fun encounter wherever the players choose to take the story.
To come up with these elements quickly, we can use random generators. Use random tables for locations, or even quickly search for a map on dysonlogos.blog/maps. Then, use random NPC or monster generators to fill the location with creatures to interact with.
Lastly, we need a few secrets which the player characters can discover during the game. Most likely, we already have an idea for one or two after generating the location and its inhabitants. The following questions can help us come up with a few quick secrets to discover:
- Who owns the location? Who owned it before them? Who built it?
- What is the conflict taking place here? Are there warring factions within the location?
- Which connections to the location or its inhabitants do any of the player characters have?
Jot down a quick statement for each answer to a question, and keep them handy to deliver to the players once they start exploring the location. NPCs can reveal secrets, as can inspecting the writing, architecture or magic within the location.
Take breaks anyways
Even if we don’t need the ten-minute break to prepare an encounter or read ahead in the published D&D adventure we are running, breaks are important. By taking a break every 45 to 90 minutes, we can counteract the attention fatigue that sets in. After a short break, everyone will feel refreshed, and the story can continue with everyone’s full attention.
