5 Tips to START a D&D campaign the EPIC way

[@GregMcNeish]

@5:03 Clearly, the key to starting an epic campaign is to introduce an adorable displacer kitten.

[@SpazaliciousChaos]

"You all meet in a tavern. Probably not where you would usually be found on a monday morning, but between the smoke, the charging soldiers, bestial roars, and that earth rattling boom, it was the closest stone walled shelter with an unlocked door you could find. After taking a moment to catch your breath, you look around the common room. You hear rapid footsteps and scraping on the floor boards above you, as well as the tinking of glass and occasional grunt coming from behind the bar. Arranged around the room you see an orc villager craddling his face in his hands, a halfing woman holding a badly burned halfling man while shushing her child, a human and a dwarven merchant pair quietly bickering over a table, and, to your delight and surprise, some folk who look competent enough to get you out of this mess. Please, describe yourselves."

[@TheFantasyForge]

LOVE THIS

[@hibiscut5708]

5:04 Tobias would make a fun companion for Indy! Mrow! Also, this video (and all of your videos) has been super helpful! Thanks!

[@TheFantasyForge]

appreciate the love! :D Mrow

[@Pebls]

Wish you got more views big man, great consistent content, I hope you make it on yt

[@TheFantasyForge]

Aw shucks I appreciate that. Honestly I'd rather have 1000 people like you than 1 million fakes. You guys make it worth it

[@monsaemon]

Ah in the middle of some work training! Dropping a like and a comment. Ok. Be right back. Ok. Bye now.

[@TheFantasyForge]

LOL appreciate the love

[@iLikeDucks_]

Man just tanked the videos watchtime D:

[@monsaemon]

I watched it all the way through after work. So I’d say it’s fine.

[@TheFantasyForge]

LOL thanks for caring about the metrics@@iLikeDucks_

[@TheFantasyForge]

​@@monsaemon appreciate that haha

[@Cyolx]

Do you think you could go more in-depth for the in media res part? I feel like that's trickier to pull off well compared to the other steps.

[@TheFantasyForge]

Definitely! I'll probably just make a whole other video on that. But I think that just starting in the story is a much better way of getting people invested. Skyrim is the one that my brain goes to. You don't have time to think, the game just starts. You meet the NPC's, get some quick background on them, and then boom, RUN! DRAGON! I think another is Saving Private Ryan. Imagine just starting during a landing. You start the game in the middle of the action, craziness and chaos all around them, with a quick background that you all come from the same batallion. I think the important part of this isn't the action part, it's the fact that you're already subconsciously showing them the world and giving them background on themselves, the setting...etc, without making it feel like it's on the players to get that rolling. Makes it easier to digest rather than putting a spotlight on them and saying "...aaaaand ROLEPLAY!"

[@SillyRobot]

I’m so happy, im starting a new campaign with a new group, but even though I’m so happy that everyone’s picking it up so well, it means I have to get ready fast, so this really helps

[@itscapbuds]

I’m running my first campaign this summer and I’ve been struggling to piece together my story arc, this has been so helpful!!

[@TheFantasyForge]

aw yay! I'm glad! Maybe one of my other videos will help too :D

[@itscapbuds]

@@TheFantasyForge yeah they have! I’m currently watching your three act series just to better understand how I want to plot this thing, especially since I’m home brewing everything but basic mechanics (it’s a horror/no magic world set in the late 1800s US)

[@rabidspatula1013]

Checking after 6 mos, how did the campaign go? Hope you all had fun!

[@itscapbuds]

@@rabidspatula1013 ah we never got around to it because of scheduling, but I still want to run it one day!

[@ahorseofcourse7283]

In this video, The Beheaded from Dead Cells tells us how to start a good D&D session before murdering a rotting ogre with a frying pan.

[@creepercommande4171]

Hooray, a new fantasy forge.

[@TheFantasyForge]

appreciate the love!

[@letteracura]

Just commenting again to wish you the best! I think i would enjoy a lot to play a campaign directed by you

[@TheFantasyForge]

aw shucks thank you! I'll probably open up my channel to do one shots with my followers some day so stay tuned!

[@ItsT1G]

I was expecting intentionally bad advice because its April fools, but no its genuinely great and helpful advice. Good vid :)

[@TheFantasyForge]

I thought about making an April fools joke but I thought better haha

[@EksaStelmere]

Ah, the hook. The one truly universal trait I noticed that is unaltered and unchanged in every style of writing I've learned so far. Even if Chinese and Indian epics don't give three snickers about the Hero's Journey, they both still need something to latch onto just like a European epic.

[@TheFantasyForge]

Humans have the attention span of a gerbil lol, even 3000 years ago

[@EksaStelmere]

@@TheFantasyForge It's probably fine. Everything with an attention span is a "wait for it" ambush predator. The funnel web spiders can keep that niche. xD Side note, wasn't expecting responses to ALL my marathon comments.

[@TheFantasyForge]

​@@EksaStelmere LOL heck yeah. Also, I will comment on all the comments until I physically can't. One day maybe, but I genuinely love the connections I make with the subscribers. I recognize names in my comments and love to see the returning viewers.

[@theredhand1786]

Yet another absolute BANGER vid, nice work!

[@TheFantasyForge]

appreciate the love!

[@invictuscenturion8468]

This is helpful, back starting a campaign after a 20 year hiatus

[@ItzArmadillo]

my personal favorite way to start a campaign > "you are sprinting through the city. heart hammering in your chest, your legs feel like they're on fire. what does (character name) see as they look back for just a moment?" i like the start in the climax approach. plus, i find letting them decide what is chasing them is a quick and easy way to get them engaged. usually its the city guard or an animal that escaped from the zoo, but sometimes its something that ties into the characters backstory

[@TheFantasyForge]

My favorite way to start too. Just throw them in

[@Wintermere66]

Enjoying all the tips! Sure hope Tobias escaped the rolling boulder trap (5:04). Maybe if he speaks Hovitos, like Belloq?

[@assassincharizard]

5:04 nothing puzzling about how adorable Tobias is.

[@l979corvette]

would really love to see a video on charisma encounters

[@TheFantasyForge]

Ooo love this idea!

[@elowaywhite477]

Tobias makes me think of animorphs, but keeping a lookout in these videos might rewire my brain 5:05

[@TheFantasyForge]

omg animorphs what a throwback

[@tobiasbyrnes8523]

5:04 found Tobias! Ironically my name as well lol. Love this style of video with the very narrative focus! Keep it up girlie!

[@TheFantasyForge]

name of champions

[@ezekieltemnyvolk]

5:04 I have spotted the kitty! Normally I only have the audio on to listen while I perform menial tasks at work, so it was neat to get to actually watch the video, and I have been rewarded with baby

[@TheFantasyForge]

you may now pspspsps

[@donaldtrumpscat2443]

That's a nice displacer Tobias at 5:04

[@thedeaderer8791]

I think the a good session 0 helps alot as well. Ask ur players what they want. And the whole thing of the dm asking how a session went and how they can improve is so crucial. But remember to not take their answers personally. If they keep coming back u must be doing something right so just remember that

[@TheFantasyForge]

Yeah definitely can't take it personally lol. It's hard

[@sigmawarlord9055]

Love this stuff man. Keep up the fantastic work!

[@TheFantasyForge]

Appreciate the love! Always happy to see you in the comments

[@lorken22]

5:04 kitty 😸

[@srmillard]

Great advice

[@TheFantasyForge]

Thanks for the love! :D

[@mikemckinney7031]

Looks like Tobias was giving Indy some pointers at 5:04 how not to set off a boulder trap but rolled a 1 in his skill check. 🙀

[@TheFantasyForge]

At least we all know Tobias had it right. It was Indy's fault

[@Crits-Crafts]

Tobias at about 5:00 Is he joining the campaign too?

[@wayneslater5531]

Kitty sighting at 5:04 !

[@TheFantasyForge]

good eyes 😉

[@thalia.tenebris]

Ferocious beast at 5:04!

[@TheFantasyForge]

the ferociouest

[@gasmanoo2]

Instead of starting in a tavern, start your campaign from a prison. Jail break is great for players to learn to work together, plus it is a really small scale setting so the dm can also take it easy. No need to overthink the politics and factions of the starting town or a city.

[@TheFantasyForge]

I've personally never played as a PC in a jailbreak but I know i would love it haha

[@DrOmegaBattleSphere]

On 'bang and a question', my group play a pretty tight 3 hours in general, if they speed through what is planned, or alternatively take a long time, how do you ensure that the bang and question comes at the end of the session, without sacrificing the pacing and just spinning fluff or rushing through events? Advice would be appreciated, but I know this video isn't new!

[@TheFantasyForge]

Roleplaying is what I would say. Or throw in a non-combat encounter like "you realize your coin purse is gone" or anything like that. Makes the world feel alive. Another way to do it is a sort of psychological thing, where I ask them "what else they want to do" rather than "do you want to do anything else". One makes them think of more and the other makes them think of resting. But to answer your question, can't always control it, but there are little ways to steer the conversation. If I notice they are talking too much, I would just be better at pacing them, getting them back on track, cuz I know I have to talk about X Y Z soon. If they aren't talking enough and I see it might be too early, I throw in an NPC or encounter or a combat that I would have pre planned. I go into every session kind of knowing what different routes I might need to take haha

[@DrOmegaBattleSphere]

@@TheFantasyForge Comprehensive reply, I kind of thought along these lines but didn't want to colour your answer. Cheers for the response, recent follower and I'm enjoying looking through your back catalogue.

[@TheFantasyForge]

@@DrOmegaBattleSphere Thanks for the love! Don't look too far back haha, the oldest videos are so different

[@an8strengthkobold360]

I don't recommended starting in the action or in a completely neutral "roleplay amongst yourselves" situation. Go for a middle ground. Start the players in a somewhat neutral environment but give them a direction, a simple task they're already working towards. Don't just drop them in a tavern, tell them who they're at the tavern to meet.

[@TheFantasyForge]

Also good advice! Totally depends on the vibe and the kind of rp you want