Tips to Run Your Sessions More Smoothly
Ever run a session where, despite all your planning, it does not feel like it ran well? Over the years, I have had many. Here is my list of tips to help your session run as smoothly as possible.
Make a list of names and have it ready for if your players ask the name of an NPC. You can do this using your own lists, or the back of Xanathar’s Guide to Everything. When your players inevitably ask the name of a merchant, tavern keeper, or random NPC you will not be caught off guard. Bonus points if you had some additional details like race, appearance, and mannerisms.
Instead of a stop time, come up with a period of time where you would like to have your session end. Pick the earliest you would be fine with stopping (Soft Stop) and when you must absolutely cease playing (Hard Stop), and keep your session end within the two. The end of the session will be less abrupt, and have a more natural feel to it. You can even have more control over where the party ends, creating a clean cut in the flow of action for a better start the next time you play.
Encourage and reward players sharing character details with one another. Players often craft interesting and detailed backstories for their characters, but often that is only known by the player and the DM. When it’s appropriate, try to give the party a chance to interact with one another, sharing those stories with one another. This can help the players grow a little closer together, and encourage newer players to get involved.
Try to prevent out of game talk, and minimize it when you cannot avoid it. When the conversation shifts from the game to the real world, player immersion will start to suffer. Steer clear of that out of game talk whenever possible. When it does come up, try to limit it, and pull the party back into the game when it is appropriate.
When running combat, let a player know when their turn is next. Announcing that the next person in initiative is “on deck” will help focus the player. It pulls their mind to the actions they want to take and helps keep combat from stalling due to unpreparedness.
Come up with a method to differentiate NPCs, especially if you end up with multiple NPCs in a single scene. Accents are useful for this, but word choice and other speech patterns can also help players differentiate one NPC from another, avoiding confusion and helping with recollection.
Try not to stop a session to check a rule. The time that it takes to look up that rule can slow momentum and cause a disruption in immersion. Instead, acknowledge you are unsure but make a ruling on the spot, letting the party know that you will research the actual rule after the session. If the rule is significant, and could affect a player's death, you can always retcon the ruling.
Prepare descriptions ahead of time. Cultivating and maintaining the atmosphere you want relies on being able to describe what the players are experiencing. Creating a vivid description ahead of time is easier and allows you to keep consistent. Try to engage multiple senses in each description, painting a vivid picture for your party.
Avoid Role Playing Shopping unless it is important for the story that the party gets to know the shopkeeper. Some players really love to roleplay haggling prices, but it can grind a session to a halt. Try to streamline shopping or, if possible, handle it between sessions.
Try to avoid letting a session’s momentum stall because of player planning or discussion. While it’s important for a group to plan, talking about what they want to do can sometimes overtake a session and prevent them from putting their plans into motion. Let a party plan, but try to remind them some time to do some action. This keeps the game moving and exciting for everyone.
These are my tips, and they help me a lot. Got something you do that helps you out? I would love to hear about it below!