SESSION 1: The Right Way to Start | D&D/OSR

[@LokisLair]

Thank you guys for your continued support of the channel. If you like the channel and my continued videos, make sure to give the video a LIKE. If you have any ideas of content you'd like to see such as worldbuilding videos, crafting towns, etc, just let me know in the comments below.

[@Marcus-ki1en]

One of the best campaigns I ever ran started with a session 0 for each of the players individually. (back then I had the time). Thus at session 1 they had their individual histories, and back stories that fit into my world. All that was left to do was hire them for a job (why they were all together) and away they went. They provided each other with interesting details about my world based on their location. That campaign ran for 10 years with up to eight players a session. Those were the good old days.

[@montymontymonty1000]

Something that I love about the DCC funnel adventures is that it gives the players a common cause (we have to work together and survive level 0) and a hot start with an objective.

[@LokisLair]

Funnels are honestly fantastic and I think it's how I'm going to start most of my campaigns when I'm running DCC or Shadowdark.

[@sw33n3yto00]

Keep everything small. Let the players build the world through their actions.

[@LokisLair]

Amen to that.

[@raff3486]

Cheat sheets are definitely sometthing I didn't think before & gonna add to my games. Thanks!

[@Zirbip]

The good ol' Goblin Ambush is always a good first encounter. And I love asking my players to fill in details of the scene. I'll ask them "What do the goblins look like?", "The goblins are wearing a symbol or some kind of heraldry. What does it look like?" and "Why did the goblins choose this location to ambush you?". Players seem to love to contribute to the world and you can take their answers and run with them. I've used this with great success.

[@LokisLair]

That’s a cool idea.. sounds very collaborative.

[@Zirbip]

It takes a lot of pressure off of me as the GM to come up with everything and often the players come up with stuff WAY better than I ever could. For example, my players were entering a land corrupted my wild magic and I asked what it looked like. One player described how the land was littered with withering and blackened trees that seemed to move and rearrange themselves when you weren't looking at them. How cool is that? I never would have thought of that. And now this moving forest has become quite a thorn in their side and is a great GM tool for me to use.

[@paavohirn3728]

Great advice! I wouldn't emphasize having a fabulous first session quite as much because it shouldn't deter GMs from actually starting to run games. Other than that solid stuff. I absolutely agree that starting on smaller scale with actually achievable goals is important. I've played and GMd a good number of games, where the big mystery, or bad guy or whatever is hardly beginning to emerge before the game dries out. I like starting in action. I'm one recent-ish game I actually did a flash-forward to a zombie attack in a swamp before going back to the chronological beginning in a tavern where the characters planned for their future adventure 😁 I also like to start a sandbox campaign with a more contained adventure through which the setting also begins to come alive. I will attempt to keep in mind the idea of a short list of things the characters know at the very start. That might help in the initial immersion and clarify things for the GM as well.

[@LokisLair]

Thanks man. I definitely don't want to deter DMs from running games, I just think it's important to start strong and always put your best foot forward if that makes sense? Glad you liked the idea of a cheat sheet, I've found it really helps players understand what's going on at the start.. I usually create one for each player and a lot of the bulletpoints are uniform across all of their sheets, information like the Lord's Name, Name of Towns, etc.. The Cleric might know the name of the local chaplain and the Fighter might know the name of a mercenary band in the area.

[@paavohirn3728]

@@LokisLair Yeah! I especially like the idea of personalized sheet! I also agree about the strong start particularly with the emphasis of getting into immersive active gameplay right away rather than endless loredump. As i tend to get onto tangents with everything I'm trying to learn to make elevator pitch type things. I'm planning on trying again with my longest time group to get into OSR and megadungeon/sandbox style play. Meanwhile I'm using our current game of 5e with the Essentials Kit minicampaign to further hone my GMing in the direction I wish to evolve.

[@LokisLair]

Cool to hear that you're running 5e games but looking to make a push into OSR. Good luck!

[@paavohirn3728]

@@LokisLair Thanks! Yeah, I tried with this group three years ago and it didn't quite fly. Since then I've had the privilege of bringing all new players into the hobby via OSR systems. Even in this one group players have experience with everything from RoleMaster and Merp, through many D&D editions and homebrew. Funnily me and my wife are the only ones who started with D&D (BECMI /2e). 5e can be just so addictive to players. I know, it was for me too for many years. The problem is my lack of interest in it especially as a Gm.

[@levihankenson3801]

You ought to do naval combat. The stuff that exists for 5e is terrible!

[@LokisLair]

If people like this idea, like his comment and I'll do a video on the subject. I have rules and everything for it.

[@seanfsmith]

My standard statement at the beginning of a new campaign is "this is the sequel: you all met in the last film", and then jumping right to some peril.

[@Avoloch]

need a video on how you prep you games

[@LokisLair]

Might do a video on how I've prepared my new Shadowdark Campaign.

[@willmendoza8498]

I'm more into 3 mile hexes. Kind of a middle ground that just seems to run smoother for me

[@LokisLair]

never heard of anyone using 3 mile hexes before.

[@johnmagowan6393]

I misread read it as "ruining" and was like, Oh I got that part down.

[@LokisLair]

hahahahaa

[@johnmagowan6393]

@@LokisLair love your videos FYI. Always have actionable stuff. You're part of my work day most days.

[@LokisLair]

Really happy to hear that John. I've been a bit sick recently hence not many new videos but I'll be posting some dynamite videos over the next few weeks.

[@johnmagowan6393]

@@LokisLair hope you feel better. I only recently found you so I have a back catalog to catch up to anyway. I also replay them since I miss stuff while I pretend to work.

[@neilhenderson6602]

God help me but I always start my players in the tavern.

[@LokisLair]

If it works for you and your players, then it's fine. I just think it's a bit slow and dull.

[@neilhenderson6602]

I don't let them stay beyond 20 minutes of the session. The "Old Portal' in the trading city of Plantar is a place to buy rations, obtain prophecies from a talking fish and get that session's adventure hook. There's also a dancing bear. @@LokisLair

[@finger3181]

Agree re the hot start. I started my current campaign with the characters separately in a small village as a stop off on their travels.An orc raid kicked off in the night when they're all at different areas of the village and they all ran in to join the villagers to repel the attack. So they all first met fighting side by side and have a reason to talk to each other over some drinks and form a party, plus they immediately get some notoriety with the locals to then be approached for quests.

[@finger3181]

Long pre-written campaigns bore me to tears. I like to not know where things are going to go. It's not a novel.

[@accessyourinnerlight971]

I swore I had posted a comment, but maybe it was considered inappropriate?

[@LokisLair]

I don't see any other comment and it's not in my "Held for Review" section so.

[@accessyourinnerlight971]

Thanks for that. It was kind of off topic. I just wanted you to look into By This Axe I Hack (an OSR rule set based on the Black Hack) and let us know what you thought of it. @@LokisLair

[@accessyourinnerlight971]

Its available on DTRPG or I can try to gift you a copy.

[@LokisLair]

I saw you joined the Discord so you can always send me that type of stuff via Direct Messages. I'd definitely be interested in checking it out.