TTRPG advice and how tos?

[red-night]

How do my fellow Dungeon/Game Masters do session prep & play? I'm starting a new campaign soon and would love some advice or ideas on how best to set up a fun session for my players .
My current workflow is writing a beginning and an end to a session, along with some basic plot points/places for them to visit. I want to hear about others and how they do it, too! Also, I'd love to hear about some different TTRPG systems past DnD, as I'm a little wary of all the bad practices of Wizards of the Coast. Thanks!

[mortaki]

Hello, hello! SO. I've been told how I prep for campaigns is insane, so just know that going into this.

For one, I don't really do plot points or big bads at all. My campaigns are generally lore and location based instead. I craft a location (a city, a country, or perhaps several countries) and then populate them with different secrets and people and shops and quests or whatever the case may be. I feel that this approach gives the players a lot of freedom while not leaving me completely unprepared for unexpected turns. It gives players the opportunity to choose their own goals and create their own story. It's really great for minimizing railroading, if you're worried about that. I've never gotten any complaints like that!

Two, before the campaign even starts, I usually talk to my players about what kind of game they want to play. We hash out the setting, the scale, if there's magic or not, what kind of creatures are around, what kind people they can meet, etc. etc. I, personally, homebrew almost everything anyway, so I let my players do whatever the hell they want for this stage. I'll literally tell them, "do whatever you think is coolest, I'll make it happen". That is A LOT of prep work though, so don't be like me if you're not up for that. It's also around this stage that I subtly find out what my players' goals are for their characters. Sometimes when they're talking about their characters, they'll just outright tell you. But if not, some leading questions will help a lot when building different scenarios and opportunities.

Three, I throw my players into a starting scenario that gives them clear immediate direction. What this might be depends on what you know about their characters. I always plan my starting scenario around things I already know my players want. If one of my player is greedy, I'll put them in a bar where some shady folks are planning a robbery. If they're looking for something, I'll put a knowledgable character in an obvious spot so that they can ask for information. That kind of thing. I focus on why their characters are there. Another thing I do that's somewhat related to this: I often intertwine my player's backstories. It's semi-secretive in that I'll ask one player if it's okay while keeping it a surprise for another player. For example, if one character is looking for a magic necklace, then I might ask another player if it's okay if their character knows where it is, perhaps an heirloom or something. I don't typically have any issues with this as I try very hard to pick connections that are too funny or too cool to NOT do. Match the connections to the players' sense of style, yk?

THe best part of this method for me is that it's flexible and easy to expand on. If I have things that weren't used in one location, I can move them elsewhere. In between sessions, I can incorporate ideas that my players had or inspired without disrupting anything. It's a lot of prep work, but I find once play actually starts, it takes a lot of the pressure off and just lets you have fun playing without worrying about staying ahead.

[Cabbage]

I follow 8 Lazy DM steps by Sly Flourish, highly recommend. I picked it up years ago and it has helped me run so many campaigns with little stress or worry, and I think it really helps develop improvisational skills that can help players feel more engaged with the world.

For other systems, it depends on what you're looking for. One system/setting I would check out is Dolmenwood, published by Necrotic Gnome. Grimm's Fairytale-like setting inspired by UK folklore with fun things like talking catfolk a la Puss in Boots, noble goatpeople families, and fat, jolly, wine sipping friars. The system is more lethal than D&D 5e - hit points are low and the game encourages randomly rolling your stats on character creation - but my party of mostly 5e players didn't have too much trouble with it. This could be a good system to try if you want to try some 'old school' DnD gameplay loops without having to use D&D 2nd Edition.

If you like something comically, over the top dark, check out Mork Borg. Half art book, half ttrpg system, the rules are easy to pick up for both DM and players alike. I've only run short adventures and one-shots, though, so I'm not sure how it handles full length campaigns.

Lastly, for something more on the weird side, Triangle Agency has the players work as low-level employees of an organization that captures dangerous reality-bending anomalies before the general public finds out about them. Each player is powered by an anomaly of their own and they must manage their work life, personal relationships, and connection to their anomaly between missions. Out of all my recommendations here, this one is definitely the hardest to run and likely the hardest to play, but I haven't had an experience like it in any other system so far.