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Message: <blockquote data-quote="FrozenNorth" data-source="post: 8399135" data-attributes="member: 7020832">Concept-Skeleton-First adventureAnd all during the process, Buzz.Easy to remember with the handy acronym CSFB. <img class="smilie smilie--emoji" alt="😀" src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f600.png" title="Grinning face    :grinning:" data-shortname=":grinning:" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" />First, Concept.  Unless this is a one-shot, my first step is to come up with about 6 different campaign ideas that I would be enthusiastic to run.  I don’t need much at this stage: one or two paragraphs for each Concept.  The most important thing at this stage is emphasizing what would make this campaign different from bog-standard D&D.I then put the different concepts to a vote by my players.  There are many, many ways to do this (secret ballots, open ballots, multiple votes, single votes, ranked choice, etc.), but the most important point is that I present each concept and why I am excited to run it (this ties into Buzz later).Once the group has chosen the Concept, next step is the Skeleton.  This is the Skeleton of the campaign.  It should not take more than a single page!  It should set out what are the big expected “beats” and “set pieces” of the campaign, as well as the levels at which I anticipate them occurring.  This serves several purposes;<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">setting expectations: is this going to be a 1 to 6 campaign, a 3 to 5 campaign, a 1 to 10 campaign or a 1 to 15 campaign?  How much material do I believe I have?</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">setting up foreshadowing: I will refer to this document all through the campaign.  If I know that the second arc will take place in the Feywild, I will set up that there are portals to it (and how they work) in the first arc;</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">identifying issues and challenges before session zero.  If the campaign will mostly take place in the mountains, this would be useful if someone wants to play a ranger.  Conversely, it’s less interesting to play a sailor in an adventure taking place in a land-locked country.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">highlighting synergies before session zero.  Maybe this pirate-themed campaign will be great for sea rangers, coastal druids and fathomless warlocks!  Or tritons and veldrani.  Tell your players this!  I have seen players that are unwilling to try certain builds because they read an “optimizer” post somewhere that said it was underpowered.  Creature of the sea is a lot more useful when you are exploring shipwrecks.  GWF Fighters are less useful when many fights are underwater.</li> </ul>Third, the First adventure.  I generally don’t need to sketch out more than the First adventure, but it is important to me that the First adventure really set the tone for the campaign.  One, it should introduce the NPCs, the world, and the concept of the campaign.  Second, I will try to include at least one-mindblowing moment.  Maybe a battle in a temple that is slowly sinking, so that the characters must find a way out before they drown.  Maybe a single tough monster that makes the finale feel more like the Alien franchise than D&D.  Maybe something like the scene in Spiderman where the commoners the heroes helped start pelting the villain with garbage just when the heroes need a breather.  Again, the details of the adventure can wait until after Session Zero.  At this stage, I’m only thinking about what I want to introduce in the adventure and the big set piece.  I don’t need to stat out every encounter.Finally, Buzz.  If you’re excited, your players will be excited.  But very often, your players may not see how excited you are.  Share your enthusiam with them, it’s infectious. When pitching the Concept, tell them why you think the Concept is awesome.  When building your Skeleton, share your information with them about classes or races that are particularly well-suited, or why you are excited about something. When preparing the First Adventure, ask your players if they have any idea about their backgrounds to help you set the adventure up.</blockquote>

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