Quick Prep

Goal: Generate a complete scene when you’re short on time Requirements: An active campaign and an AI subscription (Companion or Power; beta testers have Power-level access)

The scenario

It’s 5 PM. Session starts at 7. You know roughly where the story’s going, but you’ve got no stat blocks, no backup NPCs for when they talk to someone unexpected, and definitely no plan for when they ignore the Campaign Marker entirely and head to that tavern you mentioned once three sessions ago.

Quick Prep was built for exactly this moment.

⚡ Quick Prep Speedrun

In 5 minutes, you can generate:

• 1 encounter with setup and rewards
• 2-3 NPCs to populate it
• 1 location with atmosphere and sensory details
• 1 Campaign Marker if players need direction

That’s a complete scene, ready to run.

Step 1: open Quick Prep (~10 seconds)

1. Open your campaign in Campaign Familiar
2. Click the Quick Prep card (or sidebar entry) on the campaign dashboard to open the Quick Prep page

The Quick Prep page shows all available generators with their controls, and your recent creations alongside each generator. Pick the generator you need most. (Mid-session, you can also reach a compact version through the floating Session Companion -> Quick Generators - it offers a Tone dropdown and Generate; open the Quick Prep page for the full controls.)

Step 2: generate an encounter (~30 seconds)

Start with what you need most - something for the party to do:

1. Click Quick Encounter
2. Set the Difficulty (Trivial, Easy, Medium, Hard, Deadly)
3. Choose a tone preset (Dark Fantasy, Heroic, Mysterious, etc.) - tone steers whether you get a combative, social, or investigative scene
4. Leave Use Campaign Context on (under More options) so the generator references your existing NPCs, locations, and factions
5. Click Generate

In seconds, you have:

• Setup and description
• Creatures or NPCs involved
• Environmental factors
• Possible rewards

Step 3: generate supporting NPCs (~30 seconds each)

Need characters for that encounter or other scenes:

1. Click NPC NOW!
2. Pick a tone that fits the character (Gritty for an enforcer, Comedic for a fool)
3. Keep campaign context on
4. Click Generate

You get a complete character: name, role, personality, appearance, and combat stats where they fit.

Step 4: generate a location (~30 seconds)

Need a place for the action:

1. Click Location Generator
2. Pick a tone
3. Click Generate

The location includes:

• Name and atmosphere
• Sensory details - what players see, hear, and smell (read these aloud when they arrive)
• Notable features
• Dangers or hazards

Step 5: keep generating as needed

Quick Prep offers 8 generators for different needs:

Step 6: keep what matters - promote to your campaign

Quick Prep content is “ephemeral” by default - it appears as recent creations alongside the generator, not your permanent campaign library. This is intentional: you can generate freely without cluttering your world.

When something’s worth keeping:

1. Find the content you want to keep among the generator’s recent creations
2. Click Promote to Campaign
3. In the compact promotion dialog, set the Creation Name (the generated text is shown as context)
4. Click Confirm

The content moves from ephemeral storage to your permanent library. Five generators promote a single Creation each:

A Session Outline promotes as a batch instead - it creates the NPCs, encounters, locations, and Campaign Markers from the outline as separate Creations in one step. Random Event and Dialogue Starter stay ephemeral.

Step 7: use ephemeral content in session

Content you don’t promote stays in the generator’s recent creations:

• Access it instantly during the session
• Reference it without cluttering your library
• Promote it later if it becomes important
• Let it fade if you never need it again

This keeps your campaign library focused on content that matters.

Example: 5-minute prep for “they went to the tavern”

The party just announced they’re heading to “that tavern the merchant mentioned.” You have nothing prepared.

Minute 1: Generate a location - “The Broken Oar Tavern”

• Smoky atmosphere, creaking floorboards, sailors and dockworkers
• Smells of salt, cheap ale, and fish stew
• Notable feature: a massive whale harpoon mounted above the bar

Minute 2: Generate the bartender - “One-Eye Peg”

• Gruff, practical, protective of regulars
• Knows every ship that docks and every rumor that sails in

Minute 3: Generate a shady patron - “Kellan the Whisper”

• Nervous, shifty, has information to sell
• Comes with quick stats in case things go sideways

Minute 4: Generate an encounter - “The Debt Collectors”

• Three thugs arrive looking for Kellan
• Social encounter that could turn combat
• Environmental factor: crowded room, overturned tables

Minute 5: Generate a Campaign Marker - “The Sunken Cargo”

• Kellan knows about a ship that went down with valuable cargo
• Urgency: another crew is already searching

Result: A complete tavern scene with NPCs, tension, and a hook - all generated while your players were still rolling for initiative on their bathroom breaks.

Tips for last-minute sessions

Start with the encounter That’s usually what you need most. Everything else supports it.

Generate NPCs for key roles The villain, the questgiver, the witness. You don’t need everyone.

Use campaign context Keep the Use Campaign Context toggle on - drafted material references your existing world, which is much more useful than generic fantasy.

Don’t over-generate Create what you need. Improvise the rest. That’s what DMs do.

Promote as you play When something becomes important during the session, promote it then. Don’t try to decide beforehand.

Next steps

• AI best practices - Get better results from your prompts
• Quick Prep generators - All 8 generators in detail
• Sessions - Structured session preparation for when you have more time