006 - A few years ago, I was running 2 full time, long running campaigns, and I would spend evenings just pulling together pages of notes for each session. I was spending so much time.

And you know what’s worse?

It wasn’t really helping my games at the table.
I had tons of notes, but they only got in the way during play. I knew I had notes on where the players were at, I just couldn’t find it in the huge stack I brought with me to the table.

I needed to get better at prep.

https://engineeredadventures.com/ep006dndsessionprep/

I liked the one page template. It needed to be less restrictive though. 
I liked the easy access to sensory and character details, but I needed it to fill up less space. 
I wanted to chart out the scenes the characters would see during the next session. 
I didn’t want to over prep, but I also wanted to be sure I was ready for the crazy twists and turns the players would explore. 

As my sheet went through many playtests, these are the 5 components I found critical to effective prep.  

Use your Campaign Length to your advantage 
Prep to fit the session length
Prep fluid scenarios in a “Mind Map” 
Make details easy to use at the table
Balance structure and freedom to create complex roleplay

This template worked so well. 

My games got better, engagement was up, and there were more amazing moments at the table. This template really set us up for success at the table. I was excited to prep again. I loved playing even more. Plus, the template helped me discover key principles that make a better game. Those 5 points above, not only make an amazing prep template, they also create really epic games.