One thing I like to do before finishing the heavy detailing of my campaigns and campaign worlds, is get the first adventure planned, and the events shortly after fleshed out. I typically do a prequel session. A session where everyone has a chance to get used to things and learn what their lives were like before the campaign gets underway. I did this great effect in my Prime campaigns where the first session was simply letting the players live out their everyday lives as level zero characters. So, technically the adventure I am planning for an example is not the first session, but the second. I just want to avoid potential spoilers!
First and foremost, keep things simple. My session planning is typically trimmed down to one or less page of notes. My dungeons, I limit one third of a page to each part. Players often do the unexpected, keeping things simple lets you get your point across while leaving breathing room for winging things. This is especially effective when your players come up with solutions to problems you don’t expect.
I’m falling back on my “Player’s Guide” article where we get to see the current happenings in the small village of Stonefjord. It leaves us with three possible first adventures. This campaign is all about rebuilding, mystery and discovery, and eliminating the demon threat. If you don’t see that yet, let’s look at the current happenings one more time, just at a glance.
- Storms damaged pipes, and messed up several lifts.
- Hunters report plagued beasts, growing in number at their hunting grounds. Eliminating Demon Threat.
- Young kid finds his way back to town, tells stories of shadow people, and suffers from madness. Mystery and discovery.
Will each one of my sessions have all three of these elements? Not likely but, they will have one or more. Since this will be their first session after the prequel adventure, I need to show these prominent elements and themes. You should too, allow players to start off with a few hooks then build from there. This will help you focus on the things they like in later sessions. If my players decide they want more hack and slash, there is the option to eliminate demons. If they prefer role playing, then there is rebuilding. If they want a balance of the two, there is mystery and discovery. So, try and think of three themes that you can build to suit those three segments of players.
Once again, since I am writing this article, I cannot give spoilers, so my examples are just that; examples. The next thing to do is get a piece of paper or blank document ready. My session notes typically feature;
- Last time: A short paragraph to refresh the players at the start of the session, to help develop tone and mood as well.
- This time: Notes for events that need to happen during this session, two short paragraphs are my standard.
- Important NPCs: Any NPCs that show up during this time, I use last session’s sheet for anyone around during the last session that is still here. Include Name, quick description, mannerisms or quirks, and any story related information the players might get from them.
- Next time: What you have planned for the next session, this helps tie things together; especially if the players deviate from what your current plans are.
- Notes: This area is left blank, normally whatever space I have left on the page or document. Quickly note anything important that happened during the session to help plot the next session or answer potential questions that arose during this session.
Time to plan the first session.
Last time: Players did the prequel session, not posting spoilers! Major storm hit for this session and we start off with the three Generals of the Bloodcloaks giving orders. The players are given the choice to take orders, or volunteer to …
This time: Players have three major options to choose from:
- Rebuild the elevators and pipes. They can help gather supplies, cast spells, craft, or escort villagers. Their success will help relieve the stress on the town and shorten the repair time needed.
- Clear the hunting grounds. The hunters will show the players various points on the map for the nearby area. They can hunt down and kill of the plagued beasts, and if daring enough seek out the cause of the plague and eliminate it.
- Investigate the troubled child. They can visit the family and get answers for this mystery (no spoilers, but my final notes will include a bit more detail here).
NPCs: None of these appear in the player’s guide.
- May Durmacher (human) – Mother of Billy Durmacher (human), the kid who has gone mad. A nervous wreck seeking any help she can get. Husband is Roy Durmacher (human), a woodworker in town. He works hard and doesn’t seem to have much to help. A town priest, Llyndrir Alenwry (elf), is typically at their house. He answers what he can and attempts to get answers from Billy as well.
- Korin Leafdancer (half elf) – Hunter, well known, pinpoints the worst spots on the map. May be willing to travel with the PCs. Likes to chew on his gillweed straightpipe.
- Blake Lester (human) – One of the men in charge of the repairs on the pipes and elevators. He is a hard worker but also a skilled mage. He is very blunt, to the point of seeming as if he is constantly giving orders even when he is just asking for some help.
- High Saint Morlana Windchild (elf) – The temple elder. She is wise, patient, and seen things. She tends to the temple as her many brothers and sisters of worship do. She demands a lot of respect, works as hard as anyone in the village, and is extremely caring. She may have answers when the PCs need it most. Not even the scummiest of scum in the town show her disrespect. She is often present during Major General Errol’s rulings; offering the Gods’ forgiveness for criminal’s punishments and atonements.
Next Time: Simply going to take notes and see where things go as the players choose, then build next session off of that. The rest of the page is for notes, and coming up with other NPCs as needed.
So, looking at the above, if it were put into a document at most size 11 fonts, we’d have plenty of space for notes! Next time would be left blank, for notes for that particular session. I would take as much as I could for important things, or come up with NPCs on the fly. The next thing we need to do is flesh out the surrounding area and fill it with stuff the players can encounter. I like to come up with an overview map, then smaller encounter maps. The overview map gives us a few days’ worth of travel around the village. The encounter maps are used for planned and random encounters. I use roll20 to run my games, my overview maps end up using the hex grid, while my encounter maps use a square grid. It just helps me keep up with fluid travel.
Looking back at our previous notes, we know that it’s too tough and risky to travel on foot, and rather than set a specified distance and do lots of extra math; we’ll keep things super simple. One hex will be one day of travel on foot, and mounts can take you three times as much, so on the back of a horse (though very risky) can take you 3 hexes. The encounter maps will likely just be a simple solid color with tokens showing where trees or difficult terrain may be, stuff for line of sight blocking and the likes. This is my rough draft for the local area overview.
As far as what dangers are in the surrounding area, it’s up to you to make sense of that. I cannot tell you what I will do because, spoilers… However, if you want a big bad monster like a Purple Wurm around, think about how that effects the local area. Or, if a tribe of kobolds threatens the area, what damage do they cause? What do they attract? Kobolds might draw the attention of a young dragon, the wurm may open tunnels that attract cave dwelling monsters. I like to think of a big danger first then fill things up. You can do it from the reverse though! Fill the area with dire bears or wolves, then ask what lies beyond those, or why are they in that area? Keep asking and before you know it, you’ve populated your map with random encounter material that makes sense! Don’t forget the dangers of local flora as well. Plants, and the environment can be just as dangerous as any monster or beast.
That’s it for this one, next session is all about fleshing everything out and making everything understandable, at least for the start of the campaign. We’re not looking to make a three hundred page published adventure, but we are looking to have a really good source for our own reference! Until next time! If you have questions or suggestions email me at adventamp@gmail.com. This article is Patreon supported, if you’d like cool stuff and early access to articles, help support me at www.patreon.com/vexar!
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