How to Plan A D&D Campaign: The 3 Arc Structure - DM Academy

  Рет қаралды 102,647

Enter the Dungeon

Enter the Dungeon

Күн бұрын

How do you plan a full length D&D campaign? Many new DMs do not know where to begin. In this video I will walk you through the 3 arc structure and how you can use it to make your next epic dungeons and dragons campaign!
All of the advice in this video is based on my own subjective experience. If you are already a DM and use a different method, good for you. However, this advice has worked for me and my many DnD groups for years.
00:00 Intro
02:38 Immediate Arcs
04:00 Narrative Arcs
08:20 Handling Player Solutions
10:41 Plan Something, Anything!
11:21 Campaign Arcs
15:07 Have a Time Limit

Пікірлер: 116
@enterthedungeon
@enterthedungeon 2 жыл бұрын
This video is made from my personal experience. Obviously, I am not saying this is the only way to build a campaign. This method is simply the best way that I have planned my campaigns for levels 1 to 20.
@adampender2482
@adampender2482 9 ай бұрын
Just so much 5e. I cringe everytime I hear plot, storyline, backstory
@teknobardthewanderer479
@teknobardthewanderer479 8 ай бұрын
Important sidenote I didn't see the Author go over: Don't be afraid to work with a player who is losing interest in their character. Work with them to find a satisfactory resolution to that character's story arc (or not, if they're REALLY done) and sunset that character either gracefully or dramatically as appropriate, then introduce the new one. This can always be done, and can mark some interesting turning points in the story, making for some memorable twists.
@jessie968
@jessie968 4 ай бұрын
I wish my DM would've done that with a character my friend was playing. Instead, my character woke up in the room we were sharing in the inn and he finds his close friend BRUTALLY murdered. Then to have my friends new character come in an completely be disrespectful and inappropriate with the crime scene. My character almost took out my friends new character because of it LOL.
@claude-alexandretrudeau1830
@claude-alexandretrudeau1830 10 ай бұрын
This is the ingredient I was missing. When I tried DMing, I never ran out of ideas and I found out I had a hidden talent at improv. No matter what happened, I could sheperd the players in an interesting direction. There was never a railroad. But after a while, it all started falling flat. Kind of like a fatigue that could be overcome less and less. My campaign eventually became disjointed and boring. Improv is the content. Structure is the container. I lacked the container, which is why it all ended up spilling and losing strength.
@davidmorgan6896
@davidmorgan6896 4 ай бұрын
What's the difference, in your mind, between shepherding and rail-roading?
@claude-alexandretrudeau1830
@claude-alexandretrudeau1830 4 ай бұрын
@@davidmorgan6896 If sandboxing is not your thing, which is the case of many people, then some clues as to what would be relevant to do next are appropriate. Like a friendly barman who will give you three rumors, or the wreckage of a ship containing information about a doomsday cult, the shipping details of an underground fence ring and a letter to the duke warning him of impending assassination attemps. Railroading is when you force a sequence of events on the players. They MUST befriend local sheriff, who will then introduce the party to the local judge, whom they MUST undersand is corrupt, but MUST NOT openly antagonize just yet for reasons. The first paragraph describes shepherding. The second, railroading.
@JoelYoungnpa
@JoelYoungnpa 2 жыл бұрын
This is a really clear guide. I started D&D back in 1979, DM’d from around ‘82-‘90 all in AD&D. Things have evolved so much (and for the better IMO). I introduced my daughter to D&D when she was 8 (2004) and she started full on playing 5e at Uni and asked her old school Dad to ‘guest’ in her last campaign and then I DM’d a few AD&D sessions for them (they were horrified 😂😂😂). But it’s re-inspired me to get my DM boots back on and jump into 5e (research via 2 CR campaigns)… so this was a fantastic pre-campaign design revision/update for me. Thank you!
@liesdamnlies3372
@liesdamnlies3372 2 ай бұрын
Disagree; I constantly miss what he’s saying because of the music. Clear as mud.
@kickbackkid8866
@kickbackkid8866 4 ай бұрын
What a phenomenal guide. Many DMs say that "narrative and plot is evil" at least in circles I view. This is what I need. Thank you!!!
@kookookapleksky2410
@kookookapleksky2410 Жыл бұрын
As a new DM crafting a world from scratch, this video saved my life lmao. Surprised this video isn’t more popular. It’s a really solid guide!
@elric58
@elric58 Жыл бұрын
Excellent stuff! One suggestion (if you haven't already done this), dial down the volume of the background music or drop it. I found it very distracting in places and had to replay a few sections to understand what you were saying. Thanks for the content and keep cranking out stuff like this!
@andymattina7702
@andymattina7702 2 жыл бұрын
You gained yourself a subscriber with this one! I'm doing my first homebrew world and campaign I've written from scratch. I've been having the damnedest time trying to link ideas naturally and this has helped so much!
@enterthedungeon
@enterthedungeon 2 жыл бұрын
I’m glad I could help. I was in your same boat years ago. Remember, you’re a better DM than you think you are and as long as you’re players are having fun, you’re doing a great job. Good luck friend! Thanks for the sub
@eminercy6126
@eminercy6126 2 жыл бұрын
This is an incredibly underrated video, thanks a ton for this!
@enterthedungeon
@enterthedungeon 2 жыл бұрын
Glad it helped!
@joancornudella6255
@joancornudella6255 2 жыл бұрын
This was incredibly useful. Please DO make more videos like this one. Super clear, actionable stuff.
@enterthedungeon
@enterthedungeon 2 жыл бұрын
That's the goal! No vague information. Just stuff you can use as a DM
@waffleman7776
@waffleman7776 3 ай бұрын
Thx for the tips me lads. I've dm a campaign for my friends that has been run for 10session, early on I improv the whole thing as I'm actually pretty good at it as it's an open-world/sandbox type of game. I though those kind off campaign just goes with the flow of the party. But slowly and this year I realize having a structure is actually very very nice. Now i'm rewritting everything, writing every city lore, the world lore, and give the player a plot hook which the immediate and narrative arcs. I usually just goes with immediate arc, but I realized having everything flesh out till how my sandbox campaign end is insanely nice for me. So it's easier for me to improv things as I already planned out how the whole world goes. Again thx for the tips
@moose6330
@moose6330 2 жыл бұрын
This video helps me so much in my campaign planning. Much thanks!
@chrismoore8177
@chrismoore8177 2 жыл бұрын
Great video, and more DMs of all experience levels need to watch this on repeat. There are so many truths within the words that could change a game for any group. SUB earned. Well done.
@chefsg591
@chefsg591 Жыл бұрын
As a new player (2 months) who has just done his first session as a DM (last weekend), this is an amazing video. The theoretical approach to the various arcs really helped me get a grip on how I want to approach this. As another comment said, having a video that shows practical aspect as well would be an amazing addition to this.
@BummerSlug
@BummerSlug Жыл бұрын
This is great! I have what I think will be an amazing long campaign. I have struggled to get it all together so I can fill in the gaps without “planning” the entire story. This is the method I needed. Thank you so very much.
@Marcus-ki1en
@Marcus-ki1en Жыл бұрын
Great content, just found your site. Television provides a great reinforcement of your premise. Individual Episodes (Immediate Arc), the Whole Season (Narrative Arcs), and Show Finale / Spin-Offs, (Campaign Arcs). Thanks for validating what makes a better GM and a better player experience.
@handaniel6139
@handaniel6139 10 ай бұрын
I am building my campaign with Theros as a base game and modify from there. Your videos are helping a lot. Thank you so much!
@brianwhitney8710
@brianwhitney8710 Жыл бұрын
This is so good, Thank you! really helped me wrap my ideas together into a starting narrative arc where I feel comfortable Dming. One thing I still feel uncomfortable with is the introduction/ bringing the party together. I would love to see a video describing how to plan for a first session!
@gstaff1234
@gstaff1234 Жыл бұрын
Such a good video had to watch it twice to account for that one who won’t watch all the way through. Excellent t work and tremendous ideas that can be very useful /implemented
@kencutpro
@kencutpro 9 ай бұрын
I’ve heard a few of these videos. Liked hearing your Flee Mortals review, and these videos re: plotting and webs have been a great reminder. Stuff I learned from reading Angry GM blogs, but re-contextualized here.
@connordempsey5129
@connordempsey5129 10 ай бұрын
Just from somthing that was mentioned at the start of this video ,My favourite tips for not railroading but putting them in the right direction 1. Dont give them the whole sandbox at once 2. Just because you planned something to happen somewhere untill it has happened it can be anywhere. 3. Tempt them to go places with a promise of something that benefits them. Like magic items a pc is trying to attain. That's how I got my party to go to leilon after lmop
@captainnolan5062
@captainnolan5062 2 ай бұрын
This is great advice for writing. I am going to leave you a comment that I wrote originally for another channel, but much of it applies here. I do like your video and how you try to minimize the railroading. Here is the comment: In my opinion, DMs are not storytellers (and a roleplaying game is not best played as a storytelling game. If you want to play a storytelling game, there are games designed as storytelling games that do that much better). A GM places challenges in front of the players, the players try to solve the challenges, and after you are done playing, then you can tell the story (or stories) about what happened at the table. As a byproduct of play, a story may emerge. It occurred to me recently that, at some time in the past (maybe around 3rd edition of D&D?), professional writers took over the design and adventure making of D&D; as opposed to the original D&D material which was written by a shoe repairman and a security guard, and other wargaming hobbyists. Sometime around then the game became about telling stories (which is just what you would expect a writer to be interested in) rather than the exploration of maps by PCs and combat with fierce creatures to obtain treasure [in a hexcrawl or a dungeon delve]. Video game influences (which are much more linier and similar to chose your own adventures) also began to influence TTRPG design [for the worse in my opinion]. Modules began to be written as movement from plot point to plot point, rather than allowing characters to roam around in the sandbox pursuing their own ideas and motivations. It seems like this was around the time that the term "railroading" arose and was used as a derogatory term by those of us who had grown up playing the open world/sandbox type of campaign to describe these ‘plot driven’ 'straightjacket' type of adventures. The linked videos are a great example of this point of view (which I agree with): kzbin.info/www/bejne/apScc6KnepKdm7s and kzbin.info/www/bejne/hnq0oYmEl7Gqq6c The 'story' is what happens at [or away from] the table AFTER the GAME is finished for the evening, when tales are told of what happened during the game. When I hear GMs, game designers and players talking about the three-act structure, overlaid by the Shakespearian five act structure, and then talking about the 'realization moment' in screenplays [coming at approximately page 80], and the climax of the story, and [heaven help us] the denouement, etc., etc., I know that I am listening to someone who likely learned to play after the rise of the 'storytelling/video game' type of adventure. Back in 1974, when age 10 to 25 year old 'kids' were putting together their D&D worlds and building sandboxes for others to play in, we had little formal education about 'story structure' and the like [and wouldn't have thought about using it in the design of a 'dungeon' or wilderness adventure anyway], but we knew enough to create situations and challenges for players to overcome, which creates the environment for conflict (which is critical to drama), and with players having created motivated characters who were seeking fame and fortune, and were placed in such a sandbox environment, they organically created story through play. Look at things like the Judges Guild materials from the late 70s. They are filled with locations, creatures, NPCs, random tables and such and not plot points, a main narrative, etc. A DM is not a storyteller and RPGs are best used as role playing games (which creates an immersive experience), and not storytelling games.
@jarrodjansevanvuuren291
@jarrodjansevanvuuren291 2 жыл бұрын
You should have way more subscribers! Excellent video!
@theawarewolf8847
@theawarewolf8847 10 ай бұрын
I really agree with a lot of what this vid stated (now subscribed, thank you). My original campaign arc was the elimination of slavery (taken from the book series “The Sleeping Dragon” by Joel Rosenberg). It was something that everyone was against and tons of crazy/scary moments. Kudos my friend.
@23Stopher
@23Stopher 2 жыл бұрын
This was amazingly helpful!
@helenemenemu
@helenemenemu Жыл бұрын
thank you so much, i can't even put into words how much that helped, i'm a first time dm in a homebrew setting and this is like finding a goldmine
@enterthedungeon
@enterthedungeon Жыл бұрын
Glad I could help. Good luck with your first campaign!
@criticalcatastrophe8150
@criticalcatastrophe8150 Жыл бұрын
This is, by far, the most helpful video about DMing I've watched. I'm writing a campaign and this is so helpful! Thank you!
@enterthedungeon
@enterthedungeon Жыл бұрын
I'm glad it was helpful! I've got another video about planning a D&D campaign coming out soon so hopefully it can help with your campaign. Thanks for commenting
@greystorm9974
@greystorm9974 9 ай бұрын
I struggle to find KZbin videos that can learn me something (i have been gming for 30 years). I mean, i might have been doing this for years, but this is is formalising and reflecting so well. Thanks - i learned something
@WinningSidekick
@WinningSidekick Ай бұрын
Legit dude, your videos contain the best DM advice on the platform. Both this video and your plot web videos contain some of the most useful DM advice I've ever seen, and I love how in the plot web videos, you just use Google docs and photoshop. When you demonstrate a way I could improve my DMing and storytelling, you do it in a way that I can also do at home right now without buying anything. It's insane to me that you just post your advice online for free, but I appreciate it a whole lot. No shade to other D&D creators btw, I like a lot of them! I'm just mad I didn't come across Enter the Dungeon sooner!
@Nightsky107
@Nightsky107 2 ай бұрын
Perfect. Thank you. Just what I was looking for :)
@nathanaelthomas9243
@nathanaelthomas9243 4 ай бұрын
Very well done, thanks for the video!
@michaelpaul7040
@michaelpaul7040 8 ай бұрын
From a story structure standpoint, this is really good, and I think it applies for other non-D&D rpgs
@seam6783
@seam6783 Жыл бұрын
Damn, this video was fucking awesome! I can't believe I haven't heard about an arc structure for D&D planning, it makes so much sense!
@Douglas-nt7jd
@Douglas-nt7jd 7 күн бұрын
Dwight D. Eisenhower once said "plans are useless, planning is essential" this quote applies to Table Top RPG's
@jasonz7788
@jasonz7788 Жыл бұрын
Thanks 👍 great work Sir
@Metal-Spark
@Metal-Spark 2 жыл бұрын
I loved this video and this approach to campaign design. I'm currently planning my next game and I've been thinking of a similar approach, 3 adventures with an overarching campaign - but you took it a step further by tying in individual sessions too. I'd love to see a further exploration of this idea, maybe with campaign and adventure examples - but more importantly I'd love to see an example of how you might actually plan a campaign like this. How you format your notes, your ideas, keep track of everything etc.
@enterthedungeon
@enterthedungeon 2 жыл бұрын
I'm in the middle of this process right now! Don't worry, I'm recording it all
@Metal-Spark
@Metal-Spark Жыл бұрын
@@enterthedungeon Is this something you're still working on/planning to release? I came back to this video to refresh my memory and then remembered you mentioned the more in-depth video but I can't see it on your channel.
@enterthedungeon
@enterthedungeon Жыл бұрын
@@Metal-Spark I still have plans on it. However with college and now a recently broken hand, video content has been slow. There's a huge build up of videos that I'll get to some day lol
@alejandrogangotena9033
@alejandrogangotena9033 7 ай бұрын
I have rewatched this several times and will do so several times more. I want to burn it deep into my subconscious.
@sonnzzels7884
@sonnzzels7884 Жыл бұрын
This is an amazing video and it's helped me out a lot! I will say though that I found the music to be a little too lound, not quite drowning out your voice, but almost on par with it. But its just a little nitpick, wonderful video!
@BigCowProductions
@BigCowProductions Жыл бұрын
This is a great video!!! The only difference I would make is to make 'Character Arcs' also. Character Arcs would be kind of in the same vein as Narrative Arcs. But yeah. Thanks!
@CaseyWilkesmusic
@CaseyWilkesmusic Жыл бұрын
One thing I would consider is that not all campaign has to go to level 20 to be “successful”. Most campaigns “should” be at least one tier of play (in 5e that would be 1-5 level.)
@starshade7826
@starshade7826 Жыл бұрын
The only immediate arc that I "railroad" is the very first adventure. Mainly because the first adventure is the establishing adventure which leads to the campaign theme that I pitched to the players in the first place, so it would be illogical of them to make a character unwilling to go on that adventure. Aside from that, my usual method of campaign planning is to have a World erected around the characters to a certain distance with various Planned Events that will occur at a certain time. If the characters are in a position to influence those events when they happen, they can change the course of future-history. Else, future-history occurs as it is planned out in ways that may lead to all sorts of shenanigans up to and including the End of the World as we know it. I do give them hints and hooks to lead them to interfering with the villains plans, but if they decide they'd rather be dinosaur ranchers than fight the big bad guy, I let them do it. Ha ha ha...
@paulsavas2394
@paulsavas2394 2 жыл бұрын
Great vid!
@WouldbeSage
@WouldbeSage 10 ай бұрын
Great stuff. 10/10.
@jacobgardner1851
@jacobgardner1851 2 жыл бұрын
This video is fantastic. I do have a question about how to connect two or more narrative arcs. In the video you used the example of the Necromancer and being a cog in a great machine. Would the next Narrative be another Necromancer? How would you make the 2nd Narrative arc distinct from the first? You gained a sub from me on this day. Thank you for the video.
@enterthedungeon
@enterthedungeon 2 жыл бұрын
Hey, thanks for the comment! To answer your question, the easiest way to this is a genre shift. Maybe our Necromancer arc was in the adventure genre, but exploring the cult is more mystery. Distinction can also come via a setting change. If each arc has its own unique setting, it helps subconsciously differentiate the arcs in the mind of the players. I.E. a player saying "that time we killed a dragon in the capital" or "the mission in the underdark fighting the drow." No matter what, when switching to a new narrative arc, I try to make the new arc villain memorable. There *could* be another necromancer for the next narrative arc, but my experience is that you should have a very different necromancer is you're going down that road. I have found that players like it better if the villain type (and thus enemy / encounter type) is different. For the necromancer example, I'd have the next villain be a cult leader or a mid tier demon. That way we: 1. Get away from undead 2. Start messing around with the Abyss and Demons 3. Can uncover new demonic lore / problems 4. Allow for completely new roleplaying opportunities and ways to tie in player backstory I hope I was able to answer your question. I'll be making more campaign writing videos soon (probably in another 2 or 3 weeks. There are two series I must finish first before I really start exploring campaign writing). Thank you so much for the sub. It really helps the channel!
@alexiavya722
@alexiavya722 2 жыл бұрын
this shit is so helpful. I think I already did this anyways, but putting a name to it really helps to know what I should do as a dm :)
@profoundpronoun4712
@profoundpronoun4712 3 ай бұрын
Nice dude! Have a sub ❤
@lukemartinserrano4765
@lukemartinserrano4765 9 ай бұрын
Love the video dude! Learned a lot. Just a quick note (that is completely my opinion only), Music is kind of loud and is competing with your voice
@hmoadhajali
@hmoadhajali 2 ай бұрын
I want more please.
@anathema1828
@anathema1828 11 ай бұрын
Thanks for posting this! PeakContent
@randoramma
@randoramma Жыл бұрын
Way to bring the nebulous idea of "I want to start a campaign" down to manageable bite sized increments.. you've unblocked me sir! Thank you!
@duttdits
@duttdits 8 ай бұрын
I'm much better at improv and my session notes can usually fit on one standard index card as a few important bullet points of what I expect to happen that session as big vauge ideas, info I need to make sure I deliver to them in some fashion, and names of npcs or monsters who's stat blocks I need on hand. The only thing I feel like needs careful planning is a dungeon or an event directly involving a major plot point.
@Frederic_S
@Frederic_S Жыл бұрын
Very solid GM advice useful for every kind of ttrpg imho. Why not promote this as system agnostic?
@enterthedungeon
@enterthedungeon Жыл бұрын
Anything without D&D in the title simply doesn't get clicked on sadly. However, things might be changing
@---jx4vh
@---jx4vh Жыл бұрын
Will it be correct to say that during the campaign the players will concentrate on campaign arc more and more then on other arcs?
@user-cq9jb5mf9n
@user-cq9jb5mf9n 5 ай бұрын
so how should i use this ? should i do immediate, narrative and then campaign arcs. or should they flow together? i’m a little confused
@Zamun
@Zamun 4 ай бұрын
Thanks for the content. Oh neat, 100th comment.
@ADT1995
@ADT1995 Жыл бұрын
Out of curiosity how often do you level up your players characters in a 1-20 campaign? I've toyed around with different time frames and haven't found one I'm satisfied with
@enterthedungeon
@enterthedungeon Жыл бұрын
It depends really. For some groups I level them once every 5ish sessions and other can be on average every 2 or 3. Whatever feels right for them. Since I use milestone leveling, I usually level them whenever a story changing plot point happens. Not very exact but I hope this helps!
@ADT1995
@ADT1995 Жыл бұрын
@@enterthedungeon thanks, and yeah I guess it does depend on the group and progress made, I was just looking for a general target and this did help.
@rainyatsu4588
@rainyatsu4588 8 ай бұрын
Can there be a campaign that concludes in like 3 sessions? My friends are only casual players with mild interest in the game so it would be better to give them something where it doesn’t feel like they are getting drafted into a year long military deployment
@ChadJonesAYelpInTheDark
@ChadJonesAYelpInTheDark 4 ай бұрын
Necromancer raises a village's dead as an undead army, and marches off to war. Village hires heroes to get the bodies of their loved ones back.
@demonheart13
@demonheart13 11 ай бұрын
We play from 7pm to 11pmonce a week but it feels like my pcs take an hour to do anything. If I present them with a cave they will look around the entrance for like 30 minutes despite nothing changing. They also role for need every time they do something like the scene is a pinatas and they just have to keep searching for something and rolling despite nothing changing. A magical sword or beast isn't gonna burrow out of the calm ground.
@FrostSpike
@FrostSpike 10 ай бұрын
Just tell them something like "After searching around for X minutes, you fail to find anything or even see anything to make you think that you will if you continued looking." You can even do it OOC, and *tell the players directly* , to make it *really* clear. In the 3.5x edition world it was called "Taking 20" - if you could take enough time you could assume that you'd be able to roll a 20 and basically find/do anything that you characters would be capable of with a maxed out roll. You only needed to roll if there was a chance of something "going wrong" that might cause "something bad" to happen.
@Maiasgameroom
@Maiasgameroom 10 ай бұрын
Please tell me there is a template or outline for all the tips given in this video! 🙏🏾
@FrostSpike
@FrostSpike 10 ай бұрын
Take a look at Dungeon World "Fronts" - search for the SRD - it's got a lot of information on this sort of topic with Campaign and Adventure Fronts (kind of the arcs talked about here).
@anniehubble9626
@anniehubble9626 Жыл бұрын
how long are your table's sessions? Mine are usually 3-3 1/2 hours, they probably couldn't clear a dungeon or a heist or simular arc every session
@enterthedungeon
@enterthedungeon Жыл бұрын
2.5-3 hours weekly!
@Maiasgameroom
@Maiasgameroom 10 ай бұрын
Whats the main difference between the Narrative Arc and the Campaign Arc? (A little confused there)
@enterthedungeon
@enterthedungeon 10 ай бұрын
A narrative arc handles a specific quest line. For instance solving a murder or clearing out a large dungeon. It is a linking thread that connects multiple sessions. This would be a chapter in a prewritten adventure. A campaign arc is far more vague and covers the entirety of the campaign itself. This is what a campaign is about. In Curse of Strahd, the first narrative arc would be the Death House and entering Barovia. Meanwhile, the campaign arc revolves around defeating Strahd and escaping Barovia. Multiple narrative arcs fit in the campaign arc.
@aleckalfus5918
@aleckalfus5918 Жыл бұрын
The fact I watched this and already formed the arches lol
@kameronk2012
@kameronk2012 7 ай бұрын
Me want more
@arcticwiz2249
@arcticwiz2249 8 ай бұрын
Hello, you said that these are quick solutions but they are bad? How so?
@blargiefarg93
@blargiefarg93 Жыл бұрын
Wait is the Devils losing the blood war that common of an arc?
@arlaxazure486
@arlaxazure486 3 ай бұрын
I used to be one of those GMs scared of being a "railroad" GM. Haha I still remember going up to my players a day after the first couple sessions being all like "Excuse me, but am I a bad GM? 🥺👉👈" I laugh about it now, but its honestly making me a bit sick how scared I was over nothing.
@piperat6624
@piperat6624 Жыл бұрын
So when can I be a player in your campaign 😅
@anonymouskitten4715
@anonymouskitten4715 2 жыл бұрын
I very much misread “arc” as “act”
@enterthedungeon
@enterthedungeon 2 жыл бұрын
It happens to all of us!
@kayosiiii
@kayosiiii Жыл бұрын
I think this is good advice but not the best advice. I have a few comments. 1) The amount of guidance a group needs depends drastically on the specific players. It's a feel thing at the table as to whether the group needs you to offer more or back off and let them have their fun. 2) The story should happen at the table - not in the planning. I like most of your advice for the intermediate arcs but I wouldn't structure this as a linear story, instead make a network of NPCs that are in conflict with each other and give those NPCs motivations and world views it works best if the players could reasonably take more than one side. Leave out any planning that assumes the PCs should want to do anything in particular (*). I like to end each immediate arc with a question that creates a change that propagates the the web of NPCs and based on where that starts to take the story, other NPCs in the web will take moves that change the setting propagating more changes. (these changes will typically occur in the background of the next immediate arc you want the action to overlap. 3) Rather than having an overarching arc I would do two things. One establish themes, mood, vibe of the campaign to the players before anybody creates a character. Get everybody on the same page as to what sort of story this is. This helps create a level of coherence that generic D&D just does not have. Secondly use your knowledge of story structure to ramp up the cadence of action over time, building tension and releasing it but always ratcheting up the stakes. You don't need to have planned out a specific story arc to do this. (*) there is an exception to this rule and this is when the player comes to you and says that they want their character to go through a specific type of arc.
@petereberhard5374
@petereberhard5374 2 жыл бұрын
this seems like a good video but the music is way too loud and its really distracting
@pancakiy7531
@pancakiy7531 Жыл бұрын
my friends refuse to play a module they want me to make a game. ive tried a few times, but they refuse to accept that i have no idea what goes into a game lol. i got lucky with a ew funny moments but thats about it
@jordyvangraven5915
@jordyvangraven5915 3 ай бұрын
hey I know this vid is old and I like the content in it, but I do think the music is too loud compared to your voice, which makes it hard to follow at times.
@turost3034
@turost3034 5 ай бұрын
Nice vid but the music is pretty distracting
@Blobby3822
@Blobby3822 Жыл бұрын
Good video but the music is far too loud.
@arttuluttinen
@arttuluttinen 2 жыл бұрын
Good work, but it would be helped by more specific examples. As it stands it's not really a guide on how to make a campaign, but more a philosophy on how to approach it.
@enterthedungeon
@enterthedungeon 2 жыл бұрын
Would a video of me walking through the 3 arc structure, actually planning a campaign, help you more?
@arttuluttinen
@arttuluttinen 2 жыл бұрын
@@enterthedungeon Absolutely. I don't think many DMs struggle with the concepts behind what they do (although they do need help with structure), but seeing it applied practically helps the most. Going through examples is a major part of what made people like Matt Colville successful. KZbin is filled with theory, but there's a paucity of application.
@steveyoungwork
@steveyoungwork 10 ай бұрын
Your writing the adventure story for the players to experience before hand? The story is what the players characters do and experience not following a scripted story.
@enterthedungeon
@enterthedungeon 10 ай бұрын
Scripted? No. Like I say in the video, the higher level you go in an arc the vaguer it becomes. I suppose though I should ask what your opinion on prewritten adventures is? Books with chapters, defined locations, and endings.
@steveyoungwork
@steveyoungwork 10 ай бұрын
@@enterthedungeon I dont use them, I crate my adventures fluidly as my players play, I may have an idea for a plot before a game session, or some vague notes, depending on what my players do, the plot varies, they are the ones who make the story, Why write it before hand.
@NoActuallyGo-KCUF-Yourself
@NoActuallyGo-KCUF-Yourself Жыл бұрын
This is all fine, and your campaign can be perfectly planned to never run out of encounters, have plenty of options, etc. but players stop playing. Players move away. Play groups fall apart for all sorts of reasons, and the reason is never that GMs aren't prepared unless sessions are being cancelled too often for that reason. It can't always be the gamemaster's responsibility to keep the game going.
@MannequinMG
@MannequinMG Жыл бұрын
Great video, but the audio is overpowering and sort of drowns the important information out
@chassmith6778
@chassmith6778 Ай бұрын
The background music is _way_ too loud
@davidmorgan6896
@davidmorgan6896 4 ай бұрын
It's sensible to think in terms of structural 'arcs', but you seem to want them to be simple and non-overlapping. I think it's better to offer choice. In the real world, there are choices. You could explore the Orinoco or you could tackle cocaine gangs. Both of these, and many more, possibilities exist simultaneously. There might equally be more than one campaign arc. Following one arc might see a bad outcome from another. I would not waste time on solutions to problems. The players can do that on their own. There is an army of undead, I'd leave the reast to the PCs. By the way it's pronounced over-arch-ing. No over-ark-ing.
@omital-ittna1200
@omital-ittna1200 Жыл бұрын
Cool video but the background music is super annoying
@tonyr6365
@tonyr6365 Жыл бұрын
I am pretty sure that you should plan adventure this way. Creating new Player Characters. Becaus you are a killer Game Master this is nessasary. Kill a few low level monster's or the whole town because the Players Made revenge characters just because you killed off thier whole party the last four times you got together. Then you let them fight the big boss. The will probably die here, but if they don't you can give them a big catch of loot which should include fools gold, cursed items, poison potions and lots of deadly traps. Just remember it is you against them.
@bigdaddy6670
@bigdaddy6670 10 ай бұрын
'You against them' is not at all how most DMs approach the game, and its often advised not to see the game in that way.
@KayTelleHoel
@KayTelleHoel 9 ай бұрын
nice, the muzak is tiresome :) you do not need it
@dario9507
@dario9507 9 ай бұрын
Some criticism to you improve here: The begginig of the video is tough. Please, stop using this background music, and be more straight (you don't need to repeat the same thing 3x in 3 minutes). Idk If you already do this now days, but i'm trying to watch this vídeo for the 3rd time, and always want to close It because of the music and repetition in the begginig.
@enterthedungeon
@enterthedungeon 9 ай бұрын
Thanks for the criticism! Yeah, this is a very old video before I knew how to balance audio / make a concise KZbin script.
@aaronsomerville2124
@aaronsomerville2124 3 ай бұрын
Too much railroading. Set up situations and adjudicate the players’ interactions with them. You’re not writing a story, you’re creating a situation.
@asyourattorneyiadvise9063
@asyourattorneyiadvise9063 3 ай бұрын
You do a great job of repeating yourself over and over...oh and then you repeat the same thing again. This video should have been 5 minutes long.
How to Write CAPTIVATING Lore for Your D&D Campaign
17:00
Enter the Dungeon
Рет қаралды 20 М.
How to Make a D&D Campaign (the easy way)
9:17
Bob World Builder
Рет қаралды 126 М.
TRY NOT TO LAUGH 😂
00:56
Feinxy
Рет қаралды 13 МЛН
Китайка и Пчелка 4 серия😂😆
00:19
KITAYKA
Рет қаралды 3,7 МЛН
Top 20 Most Fun D&D Subclasses
23:37
Enter the Dungeon
Рет қаралды 136 М.
The 3 Stages to Creating an Awesome D&D Adventure
27:59
How to be a Great GM
Рет қаралды 53 М.
10 Steps to Prepare Your First D&D Game
19:54
the DM Lair
Рет қаралды 154 М.
How to Create a Mystery for a D&D Session
17:05
Master the Dungeon
Рет қаралды 277 М.
Pitching Your Campaign | Running the Game
15:41
Matthew Colville
Рет қаралды 346 М.
How to Start Your D&D Games
6:59
XP to Level 3
Рет қаралды 1,2 МЛН
11 Incredible D&D Campaign Ideas
12:40
Enter the Dungeon
Рет қаралды 255 М.
Your D&D Plots Suck Because...
5:49
Enter the Dungeon
Рет қаралды 11 М.
Your D&D Character Builds SUCK. This is why.
17:06
Deficient Master
Рет қаралды 132 М.
Everything you Need to Know to Run a D&D Campaign
17:04
Pointy Hat
Рет қаралды 269 М.
Универ. 10 лет спустя - ВСЕ СЕРИИ ПОДРЯД
9:4:59
Комедии 2023
Рет қаралды 1,2 МЛН
Зу-зу Күлпәш.Түс (16 бөлім)
40:42
ASTANATV Movie
Рет қаралды 853 М.
Miroşun siniri 🤣 #springonshorts #özlemlinaöz
0:18
Özlemlina Öz
Рет қаралды 62 МЛН
😳 МНЕ НУЖЕН ЕЩЕ 1 ПОДПИСЧИК !
0:28
Настя, это где?
Рет қаралды 6 МЛН
ДОСМОТРИ ДО КОНЦА!🤣#катядима
0:28
КАТЯ ДИМА Life
Рет қаралды 3,4 МЛН