Get a totally new game to your table next week
Last week I ran the Wildsea. Next week I'll run Mythic Bastionland. The week after I'll run The Electrum Archive. A week ago I hadn't read any of the games' books, and some weeks I only have an hour's worth of reading time. Here's how to get a game to the table quickly, with a twist at the end. Illustration by Hairic under CC4.0 1. Don't read the book cover-to-cover. Go straight to the index, glossary and play sheets (such as character sheets, GM sheets and a quick rules reference). The more RPGs you've played, the more you'll already be familiar with the concepts of a new one. Ignore sections you're already familiar with, and ignore sections that you can avoid during your first session. 2. Ignore sections that you can avoid during your first session. D&D5e has separate 'play modes': exploration, travel, downtime and combat. If you're in a pinch, you could skip the sections on travel and downtime and start your session by locking...