The Grim Prep Method

What I need to prep to run the Grim North:

Rumours: Each week before the game takes place I roll three times on the Big F’ing Rumour Table and then cut and paste the results into the appropriate Grim North channel on my Discord. This table is in Notes and has some redundancy. There are currently 112 entries and it’s a d100 table. So by cutting the entry, whatever is at 101 now drops to 100 and is potentially in play for next session. So, in order to keep ahead of the game I need to prep 3 rumours appropriate to the table. Some examples that have already been used: 

99. By order of the Tyrant, the wearing of sandals and socks simultaneously shall henceforth be punishable by the Blood Eagle

84. Deep within the Grimwood lies the Oakenhall, a strange fortification of a forgotten civilisation that holds the treasures of a bygone age

82. The ancient Kellites drew their power from the gods they stole from conquered cities

Encounters. Usually random ones. Each district of the city has a small random encounter table, say d6 size, that’s tailored to its peculiar nature. These are triggered by means of a random encounter roll or automatically, if I’m flagging for ideas in the session and need something to happen. These don’t need to be in depth or particularly balanced or anything. I’ll settle for thematic but thematic and interdisciplinary better. 

Locations. On average I find players will burn through 3 to 5 dungeon rooms, or the equivalent of, per session. At the time of writing the PCs are exploring an abandoned patrician’s mansion now home to some unorthodox squatters. Getting a room added a day would keep me well ahead of having to improvise in session. Adding minor locations to the city or putting some meat on the bones of something that already exists goes here too. 

NPCs: There are enough NPCs in existence to service the current state of the game, so adding new ones is not that essential. Maybe developing their movements and schemes is appropriate. New NPCs do crop up all the time though, largely because it’s hard to predict whether Miscellaneous Guard no.3 will become a campaign fixture until the PCs interact with them. 

Jobs for the Board: These are the paid scenarios that have resulted in most PC endeavours across the Grim North throughout its existence. Adding a new job is the most labour because it requires a patron, a fee, a task, locations, obstacles and other rewards. I tend to build these up piecemeal using the Tiny Prep method, adding tiny bits as I go. 

Before the game I roll on a few of my pre prepped tables for items that always come in handy and to add an element of the random to the evening’s proceedings. Examples include a random tavern table a random thieves crew table, an Omen, the weather, the What’s Complicating Tonight’s Session Table. In session I’ll probably roll at least once on the What’s in the Possession of the Formerly Alive NPC Table and some random events tables. Prepping these tables was a sound investment of time and pays off literally every session. 

The way I’ve laid this post out it seems like a follow a fairly structured method of prep but the reality is all of these things are cobbled together as they come to me and quickly jotted down in my Notes app or in a handy journal. It’s a bit chaotic but it’s what’s achievable. It might not be the best method even for me but I can’t deny that it works.