BEST Way to Start a CAMPAIGN | Dungeons and Dragons 5e
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- Опубліковано 5 вер 2024
- Start your Dungeons and Dragons Campaign off with a BANG! Have the BEST First Session You've Ever Had! Start yours off in the most memorable way possible with these 7 options. I also include a "Bonus Method" that could change the way you start your games forever!
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I try my hardest to make quick and efficient videos to make your games more creative and more fun! My goal is to get people thinking outside of the box when it comes to D&D. I want players and DM's to come together and create a game experience that is as unforgettable as the ones I have had over the years!
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In session 0, all my players indicated they were most interested in RP and less into combat. I did start them in a tavern but, shortly after, set the town on fire. This allowed them to role play and try out their abilities solving problems caused by the fire, without much combat.
Knowing what aspects of the game interest your players should influence how you design encounters.
midnightwaps I love this SO much!! I laughed when you said “then I set it on fire” so perfect!
Always mold your game around your players, you nailed it!
Was literally googling new ways to start a campaign for a new campaign Im starting, when I recieved the notice that this video was up.
JLAR 17 I sensed it... and answered the call!! Haha hope this gets you goin!!
It seems like it is your destiny to use at least one of these ideas.
The first campaign I ran started with party all being strangers on board a party boat (like a small cruise ship). That was traveling to the isles west of the sword coast. The PCs met each other as they explore the ship, carouse, gamble and play games or competitions on the ship. In the night a massive storm hit and a rogue wave tore the ship apart. As the sun was just begining to rise, the PCs awoke spread outbacross an endless beach among the wreckage. As the explore the beach and wreckage they find each other and realize they are the only survivors from the ship.
Not only was this video top notch content but seriously just what can I say to you and our amazing members in the Community that gave me that gift! I was shaking and had watery eyes (terrible allergies this time of year, just dreadful ;P) when I opened that book in the mail.
This is the kind of people the Coach brings to the table and I am so happy to be apart of it!
Keep up the great work in content and as catalyst for bringing such people together to make the best Community this subculture has seen!
taeurus there you are man! You’re a huge part of this community we got goin here! Glad to be a part of such a kind gesture! You rock man! We’ll keep spreading the love!
@@TheDungeonCoach well I have been at work all day so I can only look at things on my short breaks :P.
In my new campaign, the characters will wake up in a temple, having just been reincarnated. They now each have an elf-mark on their hand. Not only are the source of the marks a mystery, each grants special abilities that will progress as they level up. Now they have these mysterious marks, and owe their patron who paid to have them reincarnated.
The twist - they're actually people from the "real world" that have been put in the bodies of these 'reincarnated' adventurers.
This started as a book series idea, but I decided to run it as a game to flesh out world-building and I won't have space in my writing schedule for a while.
Jon Osborne what a GREAT start and a HUGE twist! Man... that’s epic!
This video generated a discussion between a coworker and myself this morning. It is okay to start off in a tavern or the cliche prison break but you, as a DM, need to provide the correct amount of depth/backstory for the players. I feel this is what providing a “read ahead” for the players can prove valuable. As a DM, you are a storyteller. If you have the art of storytelling down, you can make any intro scenario work.
Do you ever give “read aheads” to your players? Your players are likely teenagers and adults so they should have some baseline knowledge of the world around them. I like creating a 1-2 pager with common customs, lore, geographic locations, etc and then a rudimentary map to acquaint players even before a session zero. Then any questions that are generated will lead me to create a second “read ahead” so the players really have an idea of their world as they are rolling up their heroes. If you do anything like this, it may be an idea for a future video (as you likely already have enough content you still have to put out).
Eric Thompson a read ahead would be a great thing to provide your players with! My favorite thing about what you said is “as the storyteller you need to provide enough depth”
That is SO true and SO well said!
Me personally I do not have a preset world I have my players come play in. I could do a video on this for sure, but I’d also talk about the method you just said too! (So many videos to make! lol) But I have a session 0 where everyone gets together about what kind of game/ characters everyone wants to play THEN I make an entire world/ plot/ weaved story around them. This is definitely harder to do, and I have done it both ways (having a premade story vs creating one)
A good way to have a session start in a Tavern is if you have it be an illusion spell. So have your players start the gaming thinking they are in a tavern but then maybe when they make certain interactions or make good perception skills they see things are not how they should be. Maybe they go to reach for something and their hand goes right through it, or an item drops from the illusion. A person that used to be there but then suddenly isn't. Did they leave the bar and you just missed them leaving or...?
This keeps your players on their toes and starts the campaign on the illusion (haha) that it wasn't going to be a cliche
Rachel Pietras ooooooooon love that! Your playing into the “meta” and I love it!!
@@TheDungeonCoach Thank you! ^-^ That means alot
You're a damn good DM... these are great
sillymonger You rock dude, I appreciate it! Always tryin to keep things Spicy!!
A strong start to a campaign goes a long way of setting the right tone for it! I really like these ideas and try to implement some of them to my next campaign!
Rampe you said we’re about to start a new one! So this vid would be perfect’ I think you might get though all my videos in a 2 day span! Haha you rock dude!
Thank you a hundred times Dungeon Coach! I've got 82 subscribers and counting. And you've given me great tips on making my videos better. I've got another one going up Tuesday so hopefully I'll get some constructive feedback again. And the PC Brainstorm is a great idea; it gives the players a chance to role play and think about how their characters are in the world the the GM has created before play begins. It's a perfect example of the organic nature of D&D when we homebrew a campaign.
Going to be starting a new campaign in a few weeks and this is going to help a absolute ton. I'm planning on having my party be kidnapped by cultists known as "the cult of the dying rose", as always keep up the great work.
Perfect! I love the kidnapping!! And cult of the dying rose sounds sick! Glad to help man!!
Good ways to start. I would like to suggest my method. I typically do a session zero on individuals where we make a character a backstory and then I make a session based on them and that backstory with the end goal that leaves them in the path of the others or maybe one other PC. Sometimes this makes the start of the campaign a little slower but it's a really good way to integrate everyone into the world, acclimate new players without being intimidated, and for me as a DM get a feel for how they want to play their character which can help write sessions that fits everyone in or can easily shift the spotlight.
This is my #1 video favorite from you to answer the call of the challenge on the Discord! If things do not start off well foe the party in a way that fits their dynamic then it is a truly uphill battle in the game for the DM for awhile.
taeurus I love this challenge! Love hearing my communities favorite videos, great feedback for myself to learn from!
And heck yea! Start your campaign off with a bang!!
Kids game started with them already on the road, an explanation of who they are and what they were doing given and letting them. Very much in media res sort of deal. (But then, I mostly made their characters.)
Grown up Game had a session 0 where they made up their shared history and backstory and session 01 was 'you are called away from your post and given a job' start.
Stephen Harris always love to see into how people start theirs off!!
I love the shared backstories too, let’s them establish it already and not feel forced!
I am so jealous of your kids game!! I can’t wait to run one of my own!
Here's 5 fun ways to start off a campaign that'll get the creative juices rolling:
1) The party awake on the floor of a cave with no memory of how they got there, they feel like they're back in their prime and exploring the cave reveals to them parts of their past. This cave is actually the afterlife and each player is actually dead. trying to move on out of pergatory.
2) The party was invited to a game show that is being aired to millions around the world. The risks are real but anyone who dies will be brought back and sent home. The goal is to grind your way through this grueling challenge and have them learn from each other that this game show has some really messed up values.
3) The party work for a news paper or museum and are out to discover a secret ruins that holds histories long forgotten, they employ the party because not just anyone can do this.
4) The party is coming back to reunite after a shared problem in the past. don't want the prisoner campaign, have this campaign start at 3rd level and that prisoner campaign be in their shared past, this can gain bonus mention to a future one shot after these characters are fleshed out, for the pc's to play their characters again but without the development they've had over that time.
5) Let one of the players be the patron. This is tricky, but if you have a DM player or very experienced player, give them power in your world and make them the patron to the other players, this has the value of a DM PC without the DM juggling another character. Do keep in mind however, that this is for a group that are comfortable with this clear favoritism and not recommended for first time groups, but in a consistent group, this'll feel natural as the patron both needs the pc's protection but also doesn't have all the answers.
GunnarWahl wow dude! You are seriously creative! You’ve gone through and watched almost all my videos since you found me! I am SO glad to have a creative mind like yours join me here! You have already gave me some great ideas too!! So thank you!
@@TheDungeonCoach no problem, i can listen to you while i work, so i've just binged the channel. There wasn't too much so it wasn't too hard. I love the energy man, keep it up.
GunnarWahl more to come every Saturday! Haha thanks dude
I loved the "therapist" rp to help the players build their relationship.
But all of these ideas were great. Thank you for sharing!
What would you say to do if a module/pre-written adventure has a group start in a tavern because it's necessary for later? Work in one of the other ideas anyway or go with "what's written"? (I'm past starting now for that group, but I used Matt Colville's Delian Tomb adventure as a hook for later - I was co-DMing; it's complicated)
xoxlyss hahah I know right!!
I would just look at what pieces you need to give your players as that hook, and have that run across them somewhere besides a tavern. Like after a fight or once they make it through some big cool thing. Study in the tavern is fine as long as you make sure to spice things up really quick after! And if they already know each other and aren’t sitting around awkwardly lol
Ohh geez, have you been reading my campaign notes?
#4 - starting the players off on a ship, that has a run-in with a kraken before the ship sinks and they party washes up on the shore or a near-by island.
I'm gonna have to find a way to shake it up now... *thinks for a moment* ahhh ..... 2 krakens, they'll never see that coming :D
I only do "You are in a tavern..." for first-time D&D players, esp first-time RP-ers. I find it easy to introduce them to roleplaying - easy to talk to the bartender, or other patrons in there. Then cue an incident that gets the action going. Like Matt Colville said "Taverns can be a microcosm of your world"
I'm gonna keep it simple...this guy is AMAZING!
Keep up the good work!
Dang man! Thanks! I try and step it up more and more each week!
You get a like a sub for promoting the small guys
I've had an idea of starting of a campaign with everyone being captured as slaves on their way to a gladiator arena, to either be sold or forced to fight, so they have to escape before or once they get there.
If they manage to escape, and depending on how they do it they might get grateful ex-slaves to help out some times and/or slavers hunting for them (recurring villains). Bonus points if I can tie their backstories as to why they were taken as slaves in the first place.
Piqipeg LOOOOOVE IT!!! makes me want to start a campaign!!
@@TheDungeonCoach and after looking at your video about skill challanges I think I could implement this without it being too dreadful for the players! =D
Best channel about d&d, keep going!
Fede wow! That’s a huge compliment! Thank you so much! I’m tryin to be!!
good stuff man! love these ideas, some of them are my favorites! i think that starting with player discussion and overlapping backstories is a must, though, and those steps are a standard part of my session zero.
Benjamin Harl yea for sure, heavily recommend PC brainstorm, and even if you ask them about it and they decide they DONT want to already know each other... at least they know it’s important and it’ll be in their mind at the start of the campaign. Thanks man!
I love these ideas, and I think I'm going to use the flashbacks idea!
The PC brainstorming to start a campaign is god damn genius!!!
Thanks man!! I appreciate it! In the video I made last week about PC backstory I show how I let my PCs unknowingly create the entire campaign from what they give me. I only am “plugging” that since I think you’d like that too!
One thing I like to do is prologues, so I have a pre- session whith every player and they play and learn a bit how to use the PC then it ends whith the player getting in starting place of session 1.
Peter Craig that’s perfect! That really lets them “get into character” so much better, that’s huge man!
When I was bringing my players over from forgotten realms to Pathfinder. They were part of a religious group to spread the word of their god. The ship was torn to sunder by a storm and landed on a beach. New world no one spoke the language and had to live in the shipwreck on the beach till they became part of the town. So when the monsters attacked it gave them reasons to save their new homes.
Warning: I reckon this is gonna be an absurdly long comment, but here we go...
First off, D&D Homebrew’s subscriber count has already doubled - fair play 👏
Secondly, Brennan is SO underrated, but I reckon he’s reaching his limelight soon 🎉
Finally, I had an idea for a campaign involving Slaadi as the villains (274 - 278 in the 5e Monster Manual if you’re interested). They’re cool monsters that I think are often overlooked. The campaign would start with the PCs (and a couple of NPCs) fighting a (probably slightly nerfed) Red Slaad where one of the PCs gets clawed and fails the con save, meaning they have an egg in them now. After the combat we jump 3 months forward - brainstorm together what’s happened in that time (love that idea) - and rejoin an established adventuring party out questing when OH NO, shock horror, one of the PCs dies suddenly when a giant tadpole thing busts out their chest! Panic ensues, and the adventure begins.
What the party wouldn’t know is BEFORE our character building in session 0 I met with one player and asked if they were down to build two characters - their main one now, and a basic temporary human in session 0. THATS the one that gets Slaad-egged and hatches, and at the end of the sudden-death session the player takes over their real character, who’s been in the party as an NPC from the beginning.
It’s long winded, it’s complicated, and it needs polishing but I think it could work with the right group. Would be really interested to hear anyone’s thoughts - whether you think it’s actually possible to pull off, or anything to make it a better!
Fushi Con DUDE THAT IS AMAZING!!! I have played around with this idea before, of a PC having an epic early death to set up their actual character... would be amazing AND emphasize the plot of your campaign! This is brilliant and you have to do it and let me know how it goes!
I used Slaadi multiple times and for some reason just LOVE them! This sounds so fun!
Brennan is my literal favorite and has inspired me more than anyone before. Matt Mercer is great but I like Brennan’s style!
Glad to give back to the community too!
Started my new job earlier this year and a couple of the guys have played a bit before - I’m thinking if I can stitch a group together they’re the perfect experience level to understand that crazy shizzle like this can happen, but still easily surprised when you know... a massive frogbaby climbs out of someone’s heart? Gonna be a while in the making though so I’ll probably get back to you in 2022 on how it goes 😂
Fushi Con your idea makes me want to do something like that in my next camping... I’m so inspired right now!
Cool Video!! Also a nice "T"
Thanks Frank! I like the purple cuz its "on brand" haha! Getting close to 1000!
@@TheDungeonCoach Congrats!!
Or how my campaign is going to start with the party is going to be teleported to the top of a tower. They have to help clear the tower to help the wizard of the tower escape. 3 floors of enemies and 2 floors of puzzles. But with this video I am going to do a small flashback for the characters before they are teleported
I started one of my campaigns with the players traveling to the campaign setting and being attacked in route.
I personally think that starting your campaign in the middle of combat is always better simply because its so much easier to roll dice in combat instead of figuring out how to role play a new character especially when know one know who or what they want to be doing yet.
O for sure! I like to set my players up for success in RP especially new players/ at the start of a campaign
I like the flash backs for this (small mini RP sessions)
But I definitely make sure there’s combat session one... feels like there has to be lol!
Unless your group specifically is there for RP
What about starting the game where characters are epic lvl 19 or 20. Only to lose to the BBG and all die. Only to comeback as their clones. Problem is the spell was corrupted and they don’t remember anything. Only to wake up in some dungeon . They have vague memories and dreams as they lvl up to try to avenge how they died. And know must live with the repercussions of a world in which they could not save the first time
My idea? So, on gameday I bring all the players to the first game one-by-one. I give them a folded and wax sealed letter, (It never failss to impress) along with some notes. (These are the files I use. Feel free to change them to fit your world: drive.google.com/open?id=1e0I8LFowa-_nhxZ17bM2V2Xz1vww8mxD and drive.google.com/open?id=1nb8V5iCrlqVZ4mguY4B8XH-J7KEYx_gH-OeX3aFjFKY ) I tell them that they found the letter, or pickpocketed it, etc. It turns out the letter is a form letter to try and recruit adventurers for a specific job. :) So we have a perfectly plausible explaination for a first meeting.
Lasivian Leandros you have “never failed to impress” me sir!! WOW! That is NUTS! I love that, taking handouts to the NEXT LEVEL! Impressive for real!
@@TheDungeonCoach Thanks. :) I run my entire game with LEGO as well, heh. imgur.com/gallery/LkzsJve
I tried searching for that D&D Homebrew channel, but couldnt find it. Is there a link to amy of his videos ?
Albert Smith
Here ya go!
ua-cam.com/video/-ap9LRdDy7Y/v-deo.html
I thought it was in the description but it’s not! Good lookin out!!
Maybe start with a jousting tournament but not a carnival.
Comment.
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reznet2 you won!! Haha I should do a giveaway for the FIRST comment lol