How to Plot THE FIRST ACT of a D&D Campaign

if you're reading the title and you see act one you're probably thinking but this isn't a movie or a book and I'm here to tell you you're wrong today we're talking about plotting a campaign like a pro starting with Act One let's dive in welcome back adventurers so first of all if you're trying to run a 100% sandbox game where the story is not dictated by you and you're just more of a referee this video is not for you this video is specifically for those DMS out there that are trying to tell a specific story with a focus on narrative now with that out of the way before we get into this I want you to start to think of your campaign less like a game and more like a novel or a movie and of course like I said this is only if you want to learn how to tell better stories and put more thought into the narrative if you prefer a beer and pretzels type of game and you think I'm sucking the fun out of the game with this that's fine but you probably wouldn't be here if that was the case now the reason for thinking of your story like a movie or a book is for two main reasons because for the most part the game is set up to be a theater of the mind which means you have to be able to communicate what is happening in visuals that are easy to relate to and easy for the players to grasp this helps them from getting bored and it keeps their internal movies as I like to call them running and it helps immerse them but also because it gets you thinking in pictures and scenes instead of just encounters and numbers it helps me let me know in the comments if I'm crazy and I'm the only one so when I say that the intro of your D and campaign should feel like a movie or a book it's because chances are that's how your players are seeing it fight me on that now first up let's get one thing clear you don't have to create a massive world with every detail plotted out if that sounds overwhelming or if this is your first game just paint in Broad Strokes I would suggest starting with a small town and going from there this gives you time to build up the world around your players and it gives you less work to think about when your players are visiting only a handful of stores versus a city that has dozens either way whatever you end up doing step one is to pick a location now I'm a visual learner so I'm going to plot out this entire video for you in Step One the key is to have just enough detail to wet their appetite for exploration leaving the rest shrouded in mystery for them to uncover gradually and here's the million dooll word naturally don't do Expo dumps unless it's 100% necessary it's like the opening chapter of a book give them a taste of the world but save the full course for later so in Step One what you want to do is describe the world they are in give them a feeling of the tone of the story and the vibe of the world that they're in and that you're setting up it doesn't have to be scripted but it's good to be prepared with something just so that you can draw them in and that way they can understand not only what they're getting into but also to get a feel for your DM style so whatever that is have an intro for them trust me it's good to have this and it can still be 100% you without being scripted now step two what I want you to do is think about what your main threat is this can be summed up more simply to why are we tuning into this story at this specific time is it the characters that are so important and if so why what makes them special is it a place in your timeline where something big is about to happen and the players don't know it yet if there's nothing special that makes this place and time stand out you need to find one this is going to be your inciting incident now the inciting incident is the thing that makes your story really begin figure out why the players should care about this specific moment in your world and what that thing is going to be that kicks off the story it should go from a normal World think of the Shire and into the story which is the moment that froto is tasked with leaving the Shire the normal world for you as a DM is really your intro and the little bit of role playing that will go on in the first couple of hours but if you want to let them intro a little longer this can go into one or two sessions however I would strongly advise to leave the inciting incident as the big mic drop for the end of Session One ending the first game on a bang can be a great way to get play is really excited to see what happens from there now this inciting incident should set up what the initial conflict of the story is going to be it can be a big threat something existential like a necromancer or a world- ending event it can be something smaller like a Crime Boss or a horde Of Orcs or it can be natural like a plague or natural disaster it doesn't have to be directly connected to the bbeg if you haven't thought of one yet and you can always connect them pretty simply later on if you want to make it look like you had it all figured out even when you didn't but thinking about what the bbeg is going to be now is a good idea and at the very least you should be thinking about what level you picture the endgame being at and what the big climax of your story will be or what you're picturing for that for right now the point of step two is for something important to happen that directly affects your story and your characters and gets the gears of the game turning beyond that initial you meet in a bar moment step three is to start planning the trail of Trials the goal of this step is to test their skills get the players feeling their characters a little bit but get them in acting and have them facing actual dangers but at the end of it all the story needs to get real I'm talking personal life altering so what do I mean I mean if your initial threat is a plague that's been spreading around a local area across a few small villages players should feel inspired or otherwise nudged in the direction to help figure out a solution to the plague and investigate or perhaps forced to investigate if one of them is actually sick or all of them then along the road to those towns and in between their investigations they will face a series of encounters that are connected to that disease and or the investigation whatever they're facing it should lead them somewhere and put them on a series of initial tasks or trials in the hero's journey this is your trail of Trials let's call these trial a trial B and trial C feel free to add as many as you like but the more there are the longer your act one is and likewise the more sessions it will cover but write down what your story's inciting incident is and write down what the big personal moment or the point of no return is if that doesn't make sense we'll talk about it in depth a little bit between them you're going to have a series of Milestones or steps they need to encounter or take in order to get from the intro to the next big plot point which we will talk about in step five for example a Crime Boss is extorting people one of the players family members was directly involved so they are in town looking for answers and Justice the other players have their own reasons for wanting to find this boss usually it's NPC Bob paid me to or something this leads the players to running around the town into the sewers where the crime boss lives like a mle person and right into the meat of the adventure just like you planned so in this example trial a can be them running into the goons outside of the crime boss's place or sneaking in trial B is their encounter with his army along the way stopping the enemies whether by combat or or guile or whatever and trial C can be their confrontation with the Crime Boss themselves this should be a sort of first job for them so be nice to them especially if they're low level raise the stakes more and more with each encounter with each trial and make sure that the first hints of the bbeg are getting dropped here and there but leave lots of mystery because that's what makes the best moments anyways spooky voices Visions or masked enemies are a good way to go without giving too much away in the beginning especially since you probably have no idea what is going to happen 10 sessions from now anyways and that brings up a good point like I said earlier make sure you're at least thinking about the BB think about who they are and ultimately decide what the BB wants if you haven't asked yourself what do they want and what are the steps they need to make that happen now is the time now your players have had a few encounters they should feel connected to the story and you have planted the seed for the next big step and speaking of Our Heroes step four is to get their back stories flowing as part of the narrative why because you don't spend time with a party of people and not get to know them eventually you start asking questions plus if everyone is keeping secrets and being edgy it just gets old really really quick your PC backstory stories are threads that can and should be woven into the narrative they gave them to you for a reason a player's search for a lost family heirloom can be tied directly to the bbeg and for now at least they have no idea and only know that they need to get to the ancient ruins or whatever and you have a trail of trials for them between the intro and the ruins the important thing is to use a session zero to discuss these Back stories and see if or how you can tie them into the grand scheme of Your World this not only enriches the story but it also ensures that the players are invested from the very beginning also make sure to prompt them to speak about themselves in their Adventures especially after they've had a few encounters help strip away some of the Mysteries between them by meeting some special NPCs that start to ask questions help guide the story and provide some insight for example a mystery doctor asking a player about their condition or a thief in the night looking for their stuff back are great ways to get the players raising eyebrows and learning about each other's characters just a little bit and when your players finally get to the trail of Trials step five is the point of no return now this is the end of of that chart by the time you get to this part of your story your players should be stuck in the story it should feel personal for example maybe during their confrontation in the sewers they find evidence that hints at a larger conspiracy within the kingdom and you set up the bbeg as being the monarchy or maybe the Crime Boss utters a name with his dying breath an ancient Necromancer maybe a name one of your players recognizes great way to make it personal is to tie this part into their back stories bring up that long lost brother the parent that's supposed to be dead or finding out Uncle Ben died and now you want to make a costume do to swing around the city and get revenge whatever you do this is the hook that cements their path forward it should make the narrative pivot in a Direction that's clearly pointing to the heart of your campaign this is where the stakes heighten your players aren't just adventurers anymore they're chosen by Fate entangled in events much bigger than they imagined remember step two was to ask why am I telling this story and it should be because it connects to the main characters somehow now the story is clear you throw in some Random Encounters between travel if you need some extended sessions or if you're like me and you forgot to prep for a day or just want to run run an encounter to get away from the burnout trust me I get it and it happens and you have yourselves at least 20 sessions probably more of introduction and setup you can throw in some light-hearted episodes to bring tension down between big plot points like festivals or holidays or just good old-fashioned shopping and you can enhance your world by adding NPCs that they interact with and probably fall in love with along the way becoming best friends and through rumors Town criers guards and more you can drop hints of the larger story at play and present smaller threads to pull them off track and give you and the story time to breathe as story gets revealed more and more at the end of the day as we wrap up act one remember this crucial point the introduction isn't just about setting up the story it's about setting up the players as the central characters of that story their decisions their backgrounds their motivations they all start with you but it's the characters that will carry on the story throughout the entire campaign all of that is so that by the end of the intro phase your player should feel anchored in the world with personal motivations that align with the unfolding story they should be intrigued by the Mysteries you've presented and compelled to peel back the layers of your world so really quick let's take a look at an example I just created right now because I know it helps some viewers more to see actual examples so step one the setting is a small Coastal Village known for its mysterious folklore and its Uncharted nearby Island the players are initially drawn to the Village by different personal motives again this is probably NPC Bob paid me to be here if you really want to make it special tie in their back stories to one of the islands or the local Town step two why do we care well as they explore the village and interact with its inhabitants they uncover clues about a long lost civilization and a legendary artifact rumored to be buried in the Island's depths however the village also Harbors a secret a cult that seeks to harness the artifact for their ominous purposes now as they're exploring the town a comet swings by and its presence activates the artifact on one of the distant Islands the players witness a beam of light that shoots into the night sky on the horizon something that the locals have never seen before and the cult performs a dark ritual or steals a ship or something that gets them moving because now they have a motive what this does is it sets up that not only is this something that has never been seen before making this point in time very special but it is also something that is intriguing to the players and will probably get them to want to go investigate now step three is the Players must now decide whether to venture to the island to seek the artifact before the cult does now if you really want to get them moving have the cult attack them or something like that or have somebody be attacked in broad daylight and have the player step in and now they're involved with the cult and feel even more compelled to actually stop them since they can have a few different options here I would start by having the local mayor or Lord offer them money to investigate that usually does the trick but if one of the players is being Broody and not taking the bait then we jump into step four and connect their backstory to the event somehow so the trail of Trials might be trial a the players must steer their ship through a dense fog that blankets the sea near the island hidden among the fog are Jagged rocks requiring the navigation and teamwork right along the path they are sailing they are attacked by Meo and must help the crew fight off the creatures trial B is an ambush in the jungle as the players are moving through the jungle they are ambushed by cultist that are camouflaged among the foliage after they fight off the Ambush players then come across a cult ritual in progress they can choose to stealthily gather information disrupt the ritual or attempt to capture a cult leader for interrogation whatever the case this leads them to the ruins in the center of the island which is trial C in the heart of the island players find the ruins with inscriptions in an ancient language deciphering these correctly reveals the hidden entrance to an underground chamber and this place is also crawling with more cultists giving them more of a challenge if you need it if they seem to be having fun or if it already feels like it's challenging enough get rid of the cultist let them just walk right in once they're inside the ruins they find that the ruins are actually guarded by animated statues that will not let anyone pass as for step four connecting their back stories if they have a lost brother well their brother came to them in a dream and told them to go to the island if they're running from the law the law shows up in town and chases them towards the island if they're seeking an ancient artifact well guess what's on the island suddenly find a way to connect them if the story needs a little guidance or if they need a push but usually with the session zero everyone should be on the same page and going with the flow until they get a better feel for their characters trial D at the heart of the cavern lies the artifact guarded by a mystical creature bound to protect it players must defeat the guardian and take hold of the artifact I would probably make this like a wolf or a panther or something cool like that just to make it feel like next level encounter not just a cultist and finally step five now that they have the artifact this kickstarts The Next Step which is the point of no return upon securing the artifact it activates projecting a holographic map this map shows locations across the continent each marked with with an ancient symbol one of the players recognizes a symbol on the map it's related to their lost family's Crest hinting that their family history is intertwined with the artifact Legacy as they witness this a new enemy walks in the cult leader who is a powerful sorcerer this is a sort of boss fight and climax for the island adventure once they defeat the sorcerer they head back to the town where news of the player's deed spreads attracting interest from various factions one of the Kingdom's Lords envoys seeks their help while a Thieves Guild now wants to steal the artifact for its power now you've set in motion some big big events the larger world and their enemies know who they are which forces the party to stick together for safety and you have connected at least one or two character stories and they have an idea of what's in motion even if they aren't really fully aware of what it is yet now if I really wanted to space this out between the trials I might have some random Ocean Encounters or a jungle encounter once they reach the islands they might meet a strange NPC on the island that offers them help or encounter a pirate crew that is also on the island looking for the artifact on their way out they can find some smaller ruins if I want to pull them off track or make it feel like the island has has more history to offer the point is the main beats are plotted you know where you're going your players have a direction and even if things go off track you have a plan and you can very easily guide things right back onto the track and most importantly you have set the stage for the second act and there you have it plotting the first part of your campaign if you think I forgot something leave it in the comments down below tell me how you plot your own intros and act ones thank you so much for watching for John my friends and we'll see you next time adventurers and now it's time for the quick shout outs for those of you who are paying attention for Tobias quillfire 7144 says the cutest displacer Beast kitten I have ever seen first of all yes and second of all if you have actually seen a displacer beast in real life you need to contact me right now and call a local scientist spin sauce 2687 says little buddy I might name a displacer kitten after him in my game that would be amazing seeing as the party might go to the layer and adopt any babies they find don't ask what happened to the parents or why the party was there well now I have to ask also at the very bottom of the comment you put ra I was mentioned well guess what you got mentioned again so there you go for the rest of you leave a comment with the time stamp of when you see Tobias in the comments and you just might be shouted out in the next video

Channel: The Fantasy Forge

Views: 249,655

Keywords: dungeons and dragons, dnd, d&d, tabletop roleplaying, dice, dm tips, d&d tips, beginner d&d, how to play dungeons and dragons, displacer treats, dungeons and dragons gameplay, gary gygax, dungeon master for beginners, d&d for beginners, tips and tricks, dungeon master tips and tricks, d&d tips and tricks, critical role, dimension 20, nat 20, dnd beyond, roll20, onednd, how to be a dungeon master, how to dm, how to be a dm, how to gm, game master, pathfinder, how to game master

Id: EdDE1fw0oYg

Length: 15min 37sec (937 seconds)

Published: Mon Jan 29 2024