My thanks.

My thanks.

You can see the cross-post here:
http://www.phoenixgamesclub.org.uk/index.php/topic,1900.msg11832.html#msg11832

Thanks for a fantastic article btw.

@LesInk – Even for my home games I roll the initiative for the encounter beforehand. It just makes life easier. As long as you take that first roll I don’t see a problem with it.

I also have index cards ready with the vital details of NPCs for 4e games. 4e may be easy to prep compared to previous releases of D&D, but it is still pretty heavy book keeping compared to other RPGs. That is why I don’t like to run 4e games at conventions. You get a wide selection of potential players, but I’d rather run a system that requires very little prep instead.

Something I just thought of: Contact info. Request that the players email you feedback on the game, and put your name and an email address on the character sheet. Because I wish at least one of my GMs this year had done that…

For example, 4E games tend to have a fair amount of combat, so I print all the creature stats on individual 3×5 cards, one per creature. I also have pre-printed cards for the characters that just need an initiative roll. They are now ready to sort into initiative order quickly, and I’ve already done so with the creatures (I go ahead an have their initiatives rolled). I then do this for each combat and have them divided into groups so I can just grab a pack of rubber band cards. If the game calls for treasure, I’ll also print out the individual treasure items on 3×5 cards with their rules on them as well.

I’ll also have my figurines for each encounter grouped in baggies with the cards. Again, just grab and go.

Other things to have ready — quick reference sheets for the players — one per player. Don’t overload them with stuff, so keep it to a single sheet (try not to use the back).

Oh, one more thing, even though this sounds like railroading, its not intended to be. If there are any dice rolls and/or decisions that you are going to make for the game that don’t depend on player actions, do them up front.

It can be alot of up front work, but I figure the time I spend up front is time NOT spent at the game. Everything moves much faster and when the pressure is on to get through the material, you’ll know you did everything you could.