I think the player types is important.

I’ve had players who will engage with stuff and make good things happen, and then I don’t need to play very much. They’ll see the awkward tavernkeeper and the village blacksmith and run cheering into ROM COM TIME. Can’t really plan for that.

But I’ve also had players who are just wallflowers. They don’t take initiative. They don’t push for their own goals. They’re timid and easily discouraged. “The tavern keeper doesn’t want to give you the staff. It was his grandfather’s, he says, and he doesn’t want to hand it out to just anyway.” “Uhh… uh… ok… i don’t know what to do. Can I charm person him?” “You can, but that’s an escalation and people will be mad if they find out.” “Oh nevermind I don’t know what to do.”

Meanwhile the other party got the staff by getting him and the blacksmith to finally go out on a date, and now they’re all on great terms.

The timid party needs more planning (but still only a session or two in advance) because otherwise they’re going to just stall out and get frustrated.

Maybe one day I’ll have a group that’s consistently engaged, thinks about the game between sessions, and knows the rules of the game reasonably well.