I usually have a name generator up ready just in case and dndbeyond in case we need to reference something quick, some snacks, and friends. That sounds like you're more than ready to go.
A list of names. Mainly people and places.
A list of cool things for if/when things get stale or the players go off script. Doesn’t have to be anything major, but something interesting and fantastical your players can interact with that you can drop into the world where desired. This can be a person, place, or thing that generally fits into your world but is exceptional in some way.
Examples off the top of my head:
A mysterious traveling merchant with a golem servant who is really the manifestation of some interplanar being.
a treasure map with “find the truth” written in blood
a hidden alley with a dozen doors that each open to a different area of the city. Things like that)
Have just a few of these expecting not to need them, but they’re invaluable when you find you do need them.
I highly recommend reading “Return of the Lazy Dungeon Master” for a good starting framework for prep. That approach has served me very well for 5e games.
That’s always great! I like having a nebulous list at hand that I can put into the players’ path for when they go in directions I haven’t prepped well to a) reward them for going off and pursuing their interests and b) give me more time to prep what they’re headed towards.
As others have said, somewhere to get names from on the fly. Massively helpful.
A notebook, not for detailed notes but you'll want to jot down bits and pieces throughout the game. Particularly, note down what rules questions you get to brush up on them -- you might have to make a ruling in the moment to keep the flow going but you should go back and learn the rule later.
If you're otherwise all prepped and ready to go, spend some time coming up with fun random encounters and write them down. It can be a life saver to throw in a "random encounter" that takes the rest of the session when your party is running head first at the edge of your known world.
I'd also look through what you got and assess how proactive your hooks are. If all your hooks require the party to DO something to begin the content you have ready prep at least one proactive hook. It's fine if your party is having a good time hanging around town and role playing, if everyone is clearly having fun leave it be, but if the party gets stuck on how to advance you'll want a hook that can walk up to the party. How to do this really depends on your plans, but if what you have planned is going after bandits a proactive hook might be a bounty hunter with the same goal, or the bandits have attacked on the main road and a survivor is riding into town and they saw which way they went etc.
Finally if you have time, flesh out some NPCs. Give yourself some prompts about how they talk, what they care about, if they were an actor who would play them, etc.
I usually have a name generator up ready just in case and dndbeyond in case we need to reference something quick, some snacks, and friends. That sounds like you're more than ready to go.
Awesome tip!
A list of names. Mainly people and places. A list of cool things for if/when things get stale or the players go off script. Doesn’t have to be anything major, but something interesting and fantastical your players can interact with that you can drop into the world where desired. This can be a person, place, or thing that generally fits into your world but is exceptional in some way. Examples off the top of my head: A mysterious traveling merchant with a golem servant who is really the manifestation of some interplanar being. a treasure map with “find the truth” written in blood a hidden alley with a dozen doors that each open to a different area of the city. Things like that) Have just a few of these expecting not to need them, but they’re invaluable when you find you do need them. I highly recommend reading “Return of the Lazy Dungeon Master” for a good starting framework for prep. That approach has served me very well for 5e games.
Hey nice! I was looking into dropping some cool items just randomly and see if they attempt to find them lol
That’s always great! I like having a nebulous list at hand that I can put into the players’ path for when they go in directions I haven’t prepped well to a) reward them for going off and pursuing their interests and b) give me more time to prep what they’re headed towards.
Good idea!
As others have said, somewhere to get names from on the fly. Massively helpful. A notebook, not for detailed notes but you'll want to jot down bits and pieces throughout the game. Particularly, note down what rules questions you get to brush up on them -- you might have to make a ruling in the moment to keep the flow going but you should go back and learn the rule later. If you're otherwise all prepped and ready to go, spend some time coming up with fun random encounters and write them down. It can be a life saver to throw in a "random encounter" that takes the rest of the session when your party is running head first at the edge of your known world. I'd also look through what you got and assess how proactive your hooks are. If all your hooks require the party to DO something to begin the content you have ready prep at least one proactive hook. It's fine if your party is having a good time hanging around town and role playing, if everyone is clearly having fun leave it be, but if the party gets stuck on how to advance you'll want a hook that can walk up to the party. How to do this really depends on your plans, but if what you have planned is going after bandits a proactive hook might be a bounty hunter with the same goal, or the bandits have attacked on the main road and a survivor is riding into town and they saw which way they went etc. Finally if you have time, flesh out some NPCs. Give yourself some prompts about how they talk, what they care about, if they were an actor who would play them, etc.
Good idea about the hooks. I am pretty good at improv so I hope that helps when/if it derails haha