One of the good things about my Daily Game Prep Table is that when I roll a 5 then the task is to, “Write down a consequence from last session.”

The first time this happened it was easy. I simply thought about what had happened and focused on the ways in which the NPCs encountered might react to the immediate activities of the players. Action and reaction comes pretty naturally.

Today I rolled the same result again and it has me thinking about how being pushed to come up with a second or third consequence from the session forces me to delve a little deeper into the session we just had.

One of the best pieces of creative advice I came across arose when I was training to teach:

Imagine there’s a metaphorical high shelf filled with ideas. Don’t just reach up and grab the first idea that comes along but rather reach up and take down two or three. Compare those ideas, examine them, and then choose the best one for the moment.

Thinking again about the consequences that arise from my roleplaying sessions has proven to be a powerful tool for locating less obvious and more interesting effects from the player’s actions.

Next time you are thinking about your prep, think about two or three consequences that might arise from the last session. By all means use all of them, but pick the best idea to develop into a subplot.

Game on!