Maneuver node delays

[SunnyBoy]

I'm currently attempting to dock with another ship in orbit around kerbin. I've already gotten into orbit and set up all the maneuver nodes I need to to align myself with the other ship. Right now, my only issue is the interception. I've been told I can delay the maneuver nodes in order to get the interception nodes close together, but every time I delay the first maneuver mode, it messes up every other node and I don't understand why that's happening. Could someone please explain how delaying these nodes works?

[Sharpy]

First, the parameters nodes store are node time (not locatiion!) and amount of prograde, normal and radial burn. Whatever these mean at the time.

As you change the first node, your planned trajectory changes. The other nodes retain their time (but the location at that time will be quite different!) and their burn amounts (but at the new location, normal, radial and prograde will be entirely different directions!)

First, it makes no sense to prepare more than 2 nodes ahead. You can use more for planning, but after the first burn they will be entirely useless. And even the one ahead will require adjustments. Say, you plan your Kerbin departure and Minmus capture nodes - the Minmus capture at the periapsis of the flyby. An error of 0.1m/s, or of 1s of leaving Kerbin orbit (even resulting from the fact your burn is not instanteous!) will change arrival time by hours. As result, your arrival node will move by hours from periapsis.

So, first, for rendezvous: how many nodes do you need? If you're skilled, one. If not so much, two - plane matching and encounter. Encounter will be probably many hours past plane matching and the error of your burn will accumulate so much there is absolutely no point to plan it before the plane change burn. Just perform each phase of the operation before preparing the next, instead of trying to squeeze all the planning into the beginning.

If you're making more nodes than that, you're doing something definitely wrong. (Sometimes, I create an extra "orbit-matching node" at the rendezvous point, visually matching my new orbit with the target, but its role is definitely "advisory", the final phase of the rendezvous must be improvised using instruments and visual cues, it can't be done with nodes and planned burns.)

[StahnAileron]

Really, you shouldn't rely on multiple nodes in one fell swoop. Set one, execute, set next, execute, ad infinum.

The time between node executions is usually long enough that you have plenty of time to set and adjust a new node long before you need to execute it. KSP itself, players, and even autopilots are not precise enough to be able to execute each node exactly as planned. I've used multiple nodes for rough planning (making sure I get encounters, around WHEN I need to due the burn, how much delta-V I might be using, etc.), but I only execute one node at a time, even with an auto-pilot like MechJeb. (Actually, ESPECIALLY with an auto-pilot like MechJeb. Complex mods can easily glitch on you suddenly...)

As @Sharpy mentions, there's too much uncertainty in the first node that the later ones are dependent on to reliably plan out a series of nodes in one shot.