5 Step D&D Campaign Creation Process
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- Опубликовано: 4 окт 2024
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Every dungeon masters needs to create a D&D campaign sooner or later, and it doesn't need to be hard or complicated! In this video, we discuss my five-step method for making Dungeons & Dragons campaigns that I've been using for years to good effect.
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I ran a homebrew campaign for 3 years, and I basically used the exact format you laid out here. The players loved it, and they're really looking forward to the "sequel" I've been working on. I tried as much as was possible to tie their backstories into the campaign and gave them all their own character arcs. It was quite a bit of work, but there was heavy investment from the players as a result. One of my players even recently told me, "I trust you implicitly with storytelling and lore." Pretty high praise!
I know it's a ton of work, but I still miss the skits of your crew sitting around the table. That said, there are some good nuggets here. Thanks Luke!
I think he’s doing those mostly as shorts now rather than full videos.
I'm glad he doesn't do those that often. That rogue and barbarian voice drove me mad
Personally I found them annoying and would often skip then. I prefer this style of video better for content like this. Direct and to the point.
With my players, I come with 3-5 pitches that are a sentence or two. Folks decide which pitch is the next campaign and then I plan the central conflict and the first adventure.
Since I have experienced players, I ask them to give me “GM ammo” when they come for the opening session. That means important NPCs, wants, needs, aspirations. They usually deliver but if someone has only a few vague ideas, they likely aren’t looking for deep backstory. There’s always elements of the plot to tie in if players wish
The big campaign I've been running since 2020 is a combination arc/sandbox game.
The PCs met at a call to action to find a bunch of gardening artifacts. Much like the magic shovel in the old faery tale, these artifacts each perform their function upon command until the task is done. The artifact then disappears, relocating to a hidden place to be found again in the future and another locale (or continent) when needed. These tools were to be used to repair a taint to the land following a war that happened 15 years prior to the campaign time. During the course of performing all kinds of subquests in order to find these tools, the PC party helped all kinds of people along the way and had all kinds of personal adventures. The party succeeded in finding all the tools and got to see the effects of its work on a city, the people, and the entire continent.
And then... one of the PCs decided it would really help the land if the big haunted city of mystery and fright was cleansed of undead.
The nearly three-millennia haunted ruins being cleansed? Ooookay. Sure, why not? Lemme just roll up my sleeves and flesh it out! They're in the last complex now, and likely to finish up in two weeks. Which means I need an Epilogue for their chars as well as the final boss fight planned carefully with contingencies... Oooh Contingency. What lich wouldn't use a Contingency? Plot twist!
The small campaign I've been running since 2020 is a high fantasy undercover cop political faction campaign. That one is less of a sandbox, and it's had a lot of character replacement on the part of one player as he's adjusted to the dilemmas of undercover work. The two players in that work very well together and have a lot of fun with char interactions and char development. I'm not as organized running that game, but we all have a lot more fun. It's less stressful from cleaning the play area and house before game to game prep, to playing.
I like the Session Zero/Invitation/Campaign Pitch method, because it spells out my expectations and intent as well as offering a springboard for char creation and development. I cover everything I can possibly think of in the pitch, including alignment expectations, ongoing rule modifications, and drop in the background information for the setting (place, time, monetary system, political situation, etc.).
I am a still a rookie. I make a lot of mistakes, take a lot of notes, address errors as I notice them and ask for input from the other GM at the table, ask for player input, and explain my intentions as much as reasonably possible. I codify my modifications as I make them, and track how PC actions affect world history. I track NPCs, and locations. (By the by, even if you're not a Pathfinder GM, the Pathfinder 1e "GameMastery Guide" is an invaluable resource for running a game. It covers world-building, campaign setting, NPCs, Treasure, Player Types, Handling Players and Player Conflicts, and provides all kinds of generation tables from NPC names and titles to Tavern Names and pre-fab NPCs by class. It's really quite brilliant.) My friends keep asking me to run the game, and there has been a time or four where one of the players has needed tissues because she felt the story arc was touching. So, here I am, doing more research to get better at what I do.
Next up, some accent videos. I need to figure out Spanish/Italian accents, and growing up next to Italians and Portuguese has somehow not prepared me for this at all. I really really should have at least asked them all to teach me to speak their languages when I was growing up.
I didn’t really have an idea for a campaign when I started. I had some ideas for a few sessions. I just kept building on each session. They’re level 20 now chasing a lich across the multiverse
WotC: "Chase a Lich across the multiverse you say?"
I’ve been DMing since I was in Jr High school in the late 70’s. D&D has changed a ton over that time, but the points you make in this video are just as true now as they were then.
3:10 I'm SO glad you said that.
I've heard it said over and over again that it doesn't matter what the DM wants or likes, his job is to make sure the players are having fun.
EXCUSE ME??? No, sorry, but if the DM is running a campaign that he's not excited about or enjoying, the WHOLE game suffers. The DM is there to have fun as well
I'm not even making a DnD game, just a story with DnD elements, and even that is hard. Your channel has been providing so much help and I appreciate the work you do. Keep up the great work bro
The OGs remember the old videos with Luke sharing a PDF of the Monster Manual lol. I watched again a few months ago when I was about to start another campaign :D
Love your content Luke, been playing DnD since middle school. Had been on a 10 year hiatus returned to playing not to long ago. Your content has helped me get back in. Thx
Currently starting out with my first campaign, and first time DMing. I came up with the concept for the BBEG and threat and just sorta work shopped my way into turning it into a campaign. I saw the lore surrounding Atropus, Atropals and all that negative energy goodness and just knew i had to make a cosmic horror doomsday cult trying to bring ultimate death to Toril. The players are in the first dungeon where one of the lower ranking leaders is trying to set up a base of operations by taking over a small town with some kind of mass charm effect, where they will defeat (or join???) him and find out about the other lieutenants and leaders. They must defeat (or assist) them in time before the final ritual all while learning a lil bit about forgotten realms theology and cosmology, and ✨themselves✨.
While I've got a couple of ideas set in stone like the soon to be met main quest giver, and who the main cult leaders are, Im looking forward to seeing what my players do and what that means for what I can make the story turn into.
I'm a big fan of the pitch. I tend towards distinctive campaign ideas that favor a specific mood or theme. So getting player buy-in is crucial.
I have a remarkably hard time homebrewing as of late, but watching your videos give me enough encouragement to keep trying. Thanks.
Can t wait for your sandbox tips
Hi Luke, great video. Im dming for the first time for a group of first time players and we're doing lost mine of phandelver. I really want to continue the campaign with my own content and take them to level 10. This video has been a great help to give me inspiration. Think I'm going to centralise it around an invasion plan from the drow, which explains the black spider's involvement. He was sent ahead to capture the forge and make magical weapons for them all. Climax will be them heading to the underdark and taking on a drow priestess and her elite guard.
I haven’t created my own campaign yet as it felt daunting. This is helpful. Thank you
Good video, Luke! Sounds like we plan our campaigns in a similar manner ~ kinda loosey-goosey with a big picture in mind, then flesh out the details as we go 🙂
I created my campaign by pitching the world and the general theme to my players, I then threw them into a guildhall initiation(a gauntlet, the last team standing was invited to join the guild). Once they finished I then gave them 8 plot hooks in the form of guild job postings. I asked them to choose one adventure to go on, and then I spent a week creating the first adventure.
Now here's the thing, I had no idea what the overarching story was going to be, I just took the plot hook they chose and created an adventure around that. What I did after that was listen to my players speculating why these things were happening and why the creatures I chose(honestly they seemed like fun lol) were involved. So after 2 sessions they have started to uncover a threat from underdark denizens to the city of Arbrook, their investigation have led them to believe that the underdark is trying to gain power through Gods of death and dreams to accomplish these goals. Now they need to figure out how to prevent this attack before it's too late.
Moral of the story, listen to your players. I don't think mine have realized that they wrote the plot of this story rofl
The points of interest bit at the end could work quite well for Traveller, especially if you use the existing setting where the players can pull up the Traveller Map website and peruse it like they were using the starcharts in their ship’s computer. Especially if you go with a region that’s got a lot of lore written about it over the decades, like the Spinward Marches, so you can get a feel for each world they might go to based on that pre-existing lore (some of which also have plot hooks written into them).
Or, if the party doesn’t have a jump-capable starship yet, just flesh out the planet they’re on the same way based on what transport the party does have and how populous the world is once you go outside the starport. If they have something capable of achieving orbit that point of interest could include things like space stations or the like near the main world.
I usually do a combination of central campaign and sand box. I set my campaigns in a location and then I plan what might be something going on in that location. And then the players are free to pursue it or not or some combination as they choose. The bbeg is going to move forward with his plans regardless of what the players choose to do and they may or may not run across the bbeg and his minions while doing other things.
I find this allows agency to the players and creates and organic reason for the players to care--or not--about the conflict.
The campaign I'm currently running is based loosely on the Three Kingdoms Era from Chinese history. The players are all peasants who spent the first few sessions doing simple adventures: clearing a cave full of mites and boggles, saving the harvest festival from bandit attack etc. Recently, they've been drafted into the local lord's army to deal with a rebellion (The Yellow Turbans part of the Three Kingdoms). This exposes them to the bbeg but yhey can still do side missions or completely desert the army and strike out on their own. We haven't gotten to that decision yet. Regardless of what they choose though, the war is going to go on and is a permanent part of the setting with a beginning, middle and end.
Even if the players decide they just want to sandbox the entire time, that is a choice that affects both them and the world around them. I just find that makes it feel more real
Thanks for the useful recap/guide. As I'm about to start a new campaign, this video was a timely refresher.
I do enjoy making the central campaign arc around the characters - basically making the character arcs the campaign arcs. This + collaborative worldbuilding at session 0 = a very sure way to get players engaged as well as providing me some creative limitations - making character arcs be intertwined is a very interesting task
That works really well and can be lots of fun with the right group of players.
Thanks for all the advice. I find it very useful as a GM.
I love ALL the DM Lair videos!
Personally I'm more a fan (As GM and player) of the adventure path campaigns for Pathfinder by Paizo. Everything is prepared in advance but things can be altered by player actions. Every time I have tried to do a campaign in the style you describe it has floundered because there is no rough course to follow. My group and I much prefer to have a story to work towards while still maintaining player character freedoms. We are probably more storytellers than improvisors in that regard.
I use the less successful three step process.
As I take the last three steps to the table, I improvise what I am going to do.
Solid advice! Thanks Luke. ✌️
As always, great information.
Your "Lairs and Legends" products are all 5e based. You have been vocal about liking Pathfinder. Are you going to create stuff for PF?
1:29 Get *inspired*
3:26 Create the *Central Conflict*
7:00 *Pitch* the Campaign to your Players
10:02 Plan the Campaign at a *high level* (11:50 Central Arc "Roadmap" & "Rough idea of adventures that may or may not happen". Consider what you'd like to emphasize, ranging from maps, religions, environment etc)
14:37 Player Arcs
16:14 Create your *first Adventure* + Do you need a Central Arc?
How to make any campaign better = Watch DM Lair and serve bacon at least 1/month at game sessions.
It's okay to understand not every player has to want to play every game. This can be harder when you play with friends - it feels bad to leave someone out - but if your group was going to a football game and someone didn't care for football would you go bowling instead?
I know in my campaigns I'll have a part 1 and a part 2, part 1 is 1-10, basically it would be the simple campaign, a civil war will start and they have to end the civil war, but their choices will lead part 2 in if they would have a easy or bad time at the BIGGER threat 11-20, basically 1-10 the king is evil, the have a choice to kill the king or to let him live, if they kill him, the invading force will be stronger but if he lives, they will be weaker since his influence is still in his kingdom
The BBEG Harengon has cornered the Local Rutabaga market which has decimated the local Pastie market. The Bakers guild is seeking help.
Thank you Luke
Make sure, when developing those high level arcs and themes, that you have What the characters are going to be doing Be the cool part of the story. Everything leading to where your players come in shouldn't be something they would have liked to be part of.
Have you ever made a video for adventure for only One Player? I will try to DM (for the first time, but lots of D&D experience) for just one friend soon. They will have a DMpc "Character Team" they can choose from one at a time like in NeverWinter 2 and Baldur's Gate 3 (I've heard). But any tips on how to build the adventure challenge-wise?
You don't completely suck, Luke :-)
In a recent video the Grungeon Master channel did they covered how realism in campaign prep is a trap. I left a comment about realism eventually leading to medieval fan fic that isn't really functional as a campaign setting or tool box.
If you want realism throw your players into the war of the roses. If you want fun start your players on the deck of the space cruise ship from fifth element, intro each character by running them through the opening scenes from Final Fantasy IX, then after they theater troupe fails their hiest crash the cruise ship into the jungles of Ixalan and see how they handle the ongoing war between Aztec dino riders and vampire conquistadors.
Bacon is delicious...first
How to use character arcs in a campaign where player turnover is likely to be high? Such as an online campaign
I have two long running and one new campaign that literally has zero plot or "story" to complete. The players are enjoying the open world that just adjusts based on what they do and they have full control of what they do, who they fight, and where to visit too. This is a type seldom considered, it seems, when talking about campaigns in favor of the plot and storyline games. I also do not use character archs or adventures for character backstories either.
Sandboxing is a totally legitimate way to play. Players just have to be on board with it. I wouldn't mind trying that style of play myself at some point.
Skip to 1:25
Sandbox games without a story arc are pointless. It's just one encounter after the other.
Aww, sandbox games are so much fun the problem is that doing a story arc needs to be set in about 3rd or 4th session.
@@matthewhamlin392 - I very much dislike sandbox games. Every one I have ever played in lacks direction and fizzles out shortly after hitting levels 5-7. They have no goals, and feel pointless.
What do you find fun about them?
Well, sandbox game are all about story arcs. In fact, multiple story arcs. The thing is it is not character dependent. The grand story arc should be style dependent tho. Dragon slayer? Make BBEG a dragon, put the dragon cult and kobold in a smaller story arc. Archeologist? Well make a bigger story arc about a mysterious site, maybe the bandits had info, the minotaur is from there, the king wants to give an old relic from said ruins...
The best way to do it is to create a bunch of rumor. Characters hear them, decide what they investigate. Depending on which one is done and not, they are consequences. Sure they went to investigate the bandit, but two towns east were destroyed by a ravaging minotaur. Oh and now the king is celebrating is princess 16 birthday, he wants a good gift for her! (Maybe a horn from a minotaur?). Maybe both can be done, but what about the earlier rumor of the wyvern sighting or the hobgoblin horde at the border?
Also character agency is important. Ask for a one sheet character description and motivation. Also ask for 5 named NPC in their background (or suggest them). This give motivation to players.
In my previous example, let say the fighter grand-ma was displaced because of said minotaur, bet you the player would feel more motivated to deal with that.
@@maximetremblay6424- I completely disagree. Sandbox games are full of tiny story arcs and have no overarching story line - that's why they are called sandbox games.
The player agency of deciding how to overcome a challenge is much more significant than determining which direction to go.