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Write One Page of Prep Notes

by Mike on 3 March 2025

When prepping my game using the eight steps from Return of the Lazy Dungeon Master, I like to narrow my prep down to one page of notes. Lately I write my notes in Obsidian and have a custom stylesheet to export it to PDF in a nice single-page two-column format. I print this page out for each game – whether playing online or not. I don't include things like annotated maps in my one-page of prep – I print those separately. Some GMs may be able to stay down to one page of notes with a map but I'm more comfortable with a page of notes and a page with an annotated map for most games.

But for my prep notes themselves – I stick to one page.

Why is a single page of prep notes ideal?

It's Easy to Reference

When you only have a single sheet of notes, it's easier to find the things you need when running your game like the proper names of NPCs, towns, political groups, locations, and other stuff. It's easier to reference your secrets and clues when they're all on a single page. You can skim your notes quickly just before a game when it's on a single sheet.

It Limits Your Prep

Overprep is a common problem with many game masters. GMs often find themselves prepping a lot of material – too much for one game. I think the drive to overprep comes from the nervousness of being creative in front of our friends. When GMs overprep, however, many lament that the material they prepped never gets used. Limiting prep to a single page helps break this cycle. The more comfortable you are when keeping your notes to a single page and seeing how your notes support you at your table, the more comfortable you'll be recognizing how little prep you need to run a fun game for your friends.

It Gives You a Structure

The eight steps from Return of the Lazy Dungeon Master aren't the end-all be-all of RPG prep instructions. GM books rarely offer a clear structure for game prep because they know there are so many ways to do it. Return offers the eight steps, but I recognize that this structure isn't the only way to do it. Structure for prep, whatever system you prefer, is important. Focusing on a single sheet ensures you find a clear structure that fits on that page. Whatever your own steps, you only have one page to fill.

It Focuses You on What Matters

One page isn't a lot of room so something has to be cut. Maybe you don't put in entire custom monster stat blocks. Maybe you don't write long paragraphs of read-aloud text. Maybe you don't describe every room in a dungeon. You must choose what to put on a page and those choices help you focus on the things most important for your prep. Limiting prep often forces you to eliminate non-essential things so you have the things you really need.

It Takes Less Time

Not having enough time to prep a game is probably the second biggest reason GMs have trouble running games – the first being finding and maintaining a great RPG group. When you refine your system of prep down to a single sheet, it has the beneficial side effect of reducing the time you take to prep. Less prep means your prep fits easier into your life and lets you run more games.

It's Fun

There's something fun about the constraint of writing all your notes on a single sheet. It feels refined. It sharpens your blade. It makes you feel like you have what you need and sets a boundary on the game itself – it doesn't need to be any harder than what you have on that page. It's a good feeling.

More Sly Flourish Stuff

Each week I record an episode of the Lazy RPG Talk Show (also available as a podcast) in which I talk about all things in tabletop RPGs.

Last Week's Lazy RPG Talk Show Topics

Here are last week's topics with time stamped links to the YouTube video.

Talk Show Links

Here are links to the sites I referenced during the talk show.

Patreon Questions and Answers

Also on the Talk Show, I answer questions from Sly Flourish Patrons. Here are last week's questions and answers.

Last week I also posted a couple of YouTube videos on The Top Tip for New GMs – Lazy GM Tip and The Red Portal Part 2 – Dragon Empire Prep Session 13.

RPG Tips

Each week I think about what I learned in my last RPG session and write them up as RPG tips. Here are this week's tips:

Build scenes from locations, inhabitants, and situations.
Be prepared for the characters to negotiate with even the worst villains.
Assign a quartermaster to keep track of all loot and who received it. Have them share a spreadsheet.
Give players additional roles like cartographer (mapper), quartermaster (loot tracker), scribe (note-taker), and caller (arbiter of choices).
Be ready for characters to bypass combat encounters through subterfuge or negotiation.
Use random tables during prep and play to shake up ideas and come up with unique situations.

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