The most common mistake is writing setting material the players may never touch. Another is keeping campaign notes in a form that is impossible to scan mid-session, which is how prep becomes invisible right when it should be useful.
Common traps to watch:
- over-prepping fixed outcomes instead of flexible scenarios
- letting campaign notes sprawl without fast in-session access
- forgetting to update prep docs after major player choices
References that help correct the drift:
- Ironsworn downloads: ironswornrpg.com/downloads
Free tools and PDFs that are genuinely generous for solo or guided campaign work.
- Dyson Logos maps archive: dysonlogos.blog/maps/
A deep public archive of maps that can kickstart prep without flattening creativity.
This folio post is meant to be saved and revised. Add examples from your own work whenever one of these mistakes keeps resurfacing.
Keep Exploring
Jump to the author, the parent community or folio, and a few closely related posts.
Related Posts
A pre-scale review for ttrpg campaigns before expanding the scope
Before I call a campaign system healthy, I want to see that prep is reusable, open questions are visible, and the notes help the next session start in action ra...
TopicFolio Research in GM Prep Library · 0 likes · 0 comments
Three live arguments in ttrpg campaigns that are worth having in public
The debates worth having are about how much prep is enough, whether rules-light oracles reduce or deepen creativity, and how much campaign continuity should liv...
Parker Reed in GM Prep Library · 0 likes · 0 comments
A genuinely useful starter pack for ttrpg campaigns
A useful TTRPG pack should include one open ruleset, one free campaign toolkit, one oracle or generator suite, and one note system built for play. That gives a ...
TopicFolio Research in GM Prep Library · 0 likes · 0 comments
Explore more organized conversations on TopicFolio.