The Excitement of Uncertainty in Game Mastering

Here’s a secret: I am never as prepared for a night of Dungeons and Dragons as I would like to be.

Perhaps my players shouldn’t read this, but then again, I don’t really think it’s a secret to them.

As the Dungeon Master, each time we play, I need to have enough material prepared that the player characters can start acting.  Sometimes this is relatively easy – especially when the previous session has ended but the characters are still in the middle of something.  For example, if the characters are exploring a dungeon, they’ve just reached a new door, but decide to open it next time, because now, in real life, it’s late and everyone needs to go home.  Starting the next session is simple -- we open that door, and I probably already have the room behind that door prepared.

Sometimes, however, the options for which actions the player characters will take next are quite diverse.

And that’s where I am today. 

Last time, the group of player characters reached a significant milestone, defeating a major villain and radically changing the environment of the city which has served as their base of operations.  I had prepared very extensively for last session, with rooms and traps and creatures – I even had a cool miniature-ready map.  It was really fun.

Now, however, there are many possible next steps.  In order to help me prepare, I used our private facebook group.  The players gave me input, I gave them hints, they asked me questions, I had non-player characters give them answers.  All of this allowed me to imagine various possible encounters they might have tonight.

But imagining various possibilities is not the same as having scenarios created.  It’s not the same as having monsters ready to go, room descriptions written with detail, maps created and so on.  So I am going into this evening’s session knowing, at a high level, the major challenges which the party should face.  What we’ll all do, together, is build the story that gets them into those challenges.  How will they get there?  I don’t know!  I’m not being coy – I really just don’t know. 

And that is part of the excitement of role-playing games -- the creative excitement of the unknown.

I'm excited!  Let’s do it!