No video

An EASY template for writing your FIRST CAMPAIGN

  Рет қаралды 51,181

Power Word Spill

Power Word Spill

Жыл бұрын

This is an easy template that you can follow to write your first TTRPG campaign! Writing a TTRPG or D&D campaign can be daunting task. This is an easy template that you can use as the structure for your campaign, that allows you to be able to break up your campaign into a series of smaller adventures, that are tied together with a single thread. This template is all about story, so it will work with any system including Dungeons and Dragons 5e (DnD), Pathfinder, Dungeon Crawl Classics, OSE. This idea isn't new, it has been used in TV, film, and many pre-written campaigns. But looking at it like a template, or story skeleton can be helpful in getting you started with writing your own campaign.
Since it relies on your players' backstories, you could run this campaign multiple times and it would be different every time!

Пікірлер: 85
@abdallahatia7209
@abdallahatia7209 Жыл бұрын
Idk what I did to make my KZfaq consistently recommend me up and coming creators but I’m so glad it does. Otherwise I’d miss out on stuff like this. Thanks for your help king
@Boom-Town
@Boom-Town Жыл бұрын
Second this!
@bender7167
@bender7167 Жыл бұрын
Yeah, not sure how I’m in on the ground floor with this channel. It’s really good
@hjumn
@hjumn 2 ай бұрын
Same
@dakotahrivers6640
@dakotahrivers6640 6 ай бұрын
Your mustache is incredible, brother.
@FinlayBlundell
@FinlayBlundell 2 ай бұрын
Yes
@scottlette
@scottlette 26 күн бұрын
And yes. This is a moustache that the Great God Tam-Sellek would be proud of, enough for him to consider you a potential Avatar of his power.
@MrValint
@MrValint Жыл бұрын
This was so perfectly timed in my journey. Just started making my first D&D 5e world and needed some reassurance and direction on making a campaign. Thank you for your work and clarity!
@powerwordspill
@powerwordspill Жыл бұрын
I'm so glad! I hope you have fun building it, and don't worry about making it perfect because you will learn a ton and your next one will be even better!
@wariorneverdie
@wariorneverdie Жыл бұрын
That last sentence came unexpected and filled me with joy and pride for being the DM of my group. Your channel randomly came up in my yt feed and I can't stop watching. You're great!
@AzraelThanatos
@AzraelThanatos Жыл бұрын
For this kind of campaign, there are a few things that are well worth doing before it. If you're running it, you kind of need some basics of the world first to, somewhat, guide your players in character creation as well. One example of this that I did was a more primitive setting than normal D&D that I ran back in 3.5. I kind of wanted a "Dawn of Civilization" type setup and went about going through the books that I had and seeing what fit the world I wanted and went from there. Starting with culling the class list down to ones that fit and ones that didn't, which meant that certain classes that a lot of people overlooked (or variants of others) could be very effective in it while more standard ones wouldn't make sense (Artificer/Wizard/Archivist doesn't really work in a setting where writing is barely something at all), and shifted things around (I actually found a use for the bit in the BoVD about bones being used as scrolls). The Arms & Equipment guide also helped a lot with the way lower tech worked there for gear... But, essentially, it's setting up the world first, and making sure the players both know that and know that things may change (especially for new DMs), otherwise there can be a lot of havoc in what you get from your players. But ontop of a campaign digging from the characters backstories, you can go with something simpler. One of the easiest setups that I did for a campaign was set it up around a traveling, nomadic caravan that the players had hired on with to get to a major destination, then had the players explain why they were joining it. It worked for about seven adventures and then six or seven more at the end of it where they ended up heading to. If you need ideas for that kind of thing, look for some things with Oregon Trail and slip that into the story as complications or events, it also gives you several characters you can keep with the group as NPCs tied to it while also opening up a lot of adventures with some easy conversion to fit what you want
@altr-d5177
@altr-d5177 Жыл бұрын
Your videos are SOOO useful and are very chill to follow. You’re 🫵🏻 my new favorite D&D creator now
@phi2923
@phi2923 4 ай бұрын
I'm gonna attempt to write a mini campaign for my family and this was very helpful! I've ony found your channel recently but your videos are amazing, informative and fun to watch!! Thank you :)
@peterpope2538
@peterpope2538 5 ай бұрын
I found your videos yesterday while looking at different mapmaking tools, then saw this one linked in the sidebar, and... THANK YOU. I've been tempted to dip my toe into the waters of being a DM, but have been intimidated by running my own campaign and just the "getting started" of it. This video is a GREAT place to start, and I really appreciate it! Thank you!
@Privatestock10
@Privatestock10 5 ай бұрын
I found your channel yesterday and love it. The campaign you describe in this video is remarkably similar to the one I've been running for a year and a half. The BBEG is locked away and the PC's are looking for keys, but I have a minor BG trying to unlock and release the BBEG and the PC's are trying to find the keys first to keep it locked away. I wasn't planning to have them unlock it to confront the BBEG because it's almost god level powerful, but after this video I'm thinking about having it use the magic in the keys to release itself. I'm starting to plan a second campaign, kind of a sequel to this one, and I think I'll wrap up this campaign keeping the BBEG locked away, call the campaign season one, and have it come back late in season two. Thanks for that idea! The D&D cookbook opened to a different page in each video is a very nice touch. Love everything you're doing here.
@choff-
@choff- Жыл бұрын
Dang this video gave me two really rock-steady ideas for my pre-existing campaign (has had ~60 sessions) that has me really excited, thanks!
@powerwordspill
@powerwordspill Жыл бұрын
I'm so glad!
@adrianflores4036
@adrianflores4036 Жыл бұрын
Thanks for the advice! I GM for Pathfinder 2E and I’ve been wanting to branch out and make my on adventures! You’re awesome!
@connorcook815
@connorcook815 Жыл бұрын
This is a great video, offering an example solution to this detail is pretty rare on youtube. Thank you!
@powerwordspill
@powerwordspill Жыл бұрын
Thank you!
@RoberiusRex
@RoberiusRex Жыл бұрын
"Orphan (comma) sad" --- I'm dying! Very funny, and oh yeah, great video and solid advice. Thanks!
@hontes
@hontes Жыл бұрын
I am just fleshing out my first campaign and this is just pure gold. Thank you for your videos! I enjoy them very much.
@scottlette
@scottlette 26 күн бұрын
It's a year later and I'm discovering this creator and watching his content for the very first time. Don't ever make the mistake, 'content creators' (the word is author, don't fall for corporate, non-consensual denegration), make your work as if it is a long-term text. And thank you, PWS, for making this and other videos. My players, and perhaps even readers, will never know directly that you helped. But you did.
@Panther7718
@Panther7718 Жыл бұрын
Great video! Very well organized, explained, and great examples to put it all in context.
@powerwordspill
@powerwordspill Жыл бұрын
Thank you!
@unknownnumber8886
@unknownnumber8886 9 ай бұрын
Bro, you're prolly the most helpful d&d youtuber out there
@powerwordspill
@powerwordspill 9 ай бұрын
Thank you!
@Jasales42
@Jasales42 Жыл бұрын
Really good template and advice. I really enjoyed hearing how you used it in your own campaign. Very helpful!
@ismaelreis6543
@ismaelreis6543 Жыл бұрын
Great video! I just love the quality you put into these, your channel will definitely grow! And by the way, the tips you bring in this video sure will help me a lot, I was writing a campaign just now and saw how it could improve. Thanks a lot! Keep up with your great work!
@powerwordspill
@powerwordspill Жыл бұрын
Thank you, that means a lot! I hope you and your players have a ton of fun!
@erven5865
@erven5865 Жыл бұрын
Dude this is one of the best DnD channels out there. Randomly recommended to me yesterday and the algo NAILED it. Great stuff!
@TheUglyGoblin
@TheUglyGoblin 7 ай бұрын
Absolutely brilliant video! Even step 0 alone! I don't think I've ever considered what level I want the campaign to end at. That is wisdom! Loved this video :3 (Also such a cool idea that the villain can cast spells through keys)
@foreverspellman
@foreverspellman Жыл бұрын
Power Word Mustache
@mre6659
@mre6659 Жыл бұрын
Aw man here I am 3 campaigns in already. Otherwise this would have been great for me!
@seanocallaghan3133
@seanocallaghan3133 Жыл бұрын
Kelly, your content absolutely spectacular man. Ripper work mate
@powerwordspill
@powerwordspill Жыл бұрын
Thank you so much!
@tdworwood
@tdworwood Жыл бұрын
Loving this channel. Keep it up!
@powerwordspill
@powerwordspill Жыл бұрын
Thank you so much, that means a lot!
@joke5735
@joke5735 Жыл бұрын
I love this chanel and I am shocked that it doesnt have more subs.
@michaelsalmon5073
@michaelsalmon5073 Жыл бұрын
Really enjoying your videos, Keep up the good work. You should do a video on things that you can use to up the game night enjoyment. Such as, the beakers of dice you have on your table and even the table itself.
@powerwordspill
@powerwordspill Жыл бұрын
That's a good idea!
@JAGomez
@JAGomez Жыл бұрын
Bro this is the best tabletop channel I swear
@stadtjaeger
@stadtjaeger Жыл бұрын
its so easy, i dont understand why a lot of people use chatgpt to write for them. Also... i like you stache game... top notch !
@jasperdevosfilmt
@jasperdevosfilmt 3 ай бұрын
I was just searching around on youtube for tips on making a better campaign, but I just wanna say cool mustache
@MrTurtleMan_
@MrTurtleMan_ 10 ай бұрын
Ngl the most helpful dnd campaign guide iv watched
@Knightmare_69
@Knightmare_69 Жыл бұрын
Wow. I used to run pre-made campaigns or settings for a while now. I also did one or two campaigns in the past (WAY in the past). Right now, I got a skeleton down for a new campaign up to level 15. And then I saw your video. Glad to see, I kind of doing it right, I planned most of the things you describe the way you described them. It's not the re-assembly of an item, but they have to have several items to negate specific powers of the BEEG, so that's a thing, too. I haden't thought to anchor those items in my PCs backstories, though. That's a great idea. I'm still waiting for them to actually write their backstories. Only one player has decided on what he wants to play - we will be finishing another DMs campaign first, so mine will start mid 2024 or so ;-) Thanks for the tips.
@powerwordspill
@powerwordspill Жыл бұрын
That's awesome, I hope you have fun!
@animeboomerscodingdragons
@animeboomerscodingdragons 7 ай бұрын
Very nice video; worth to watch it twice and take notes.
@nikolasversteeg
@nikolasversteeg Жыл бұрын
Hi Kelley! That was super helpful! What is that "nonplayer characters" book you have on the side? I'd be interested in looking at it!
@powerwordspill
@powerwordspill Жыл бұрын
It's called The Game Master's Book of Non-Player Characters by Jeff Ashworth, it's excellent! Definitely recommend.
@WishIHadLeica
@WishIHadLeica Жыл бұрын
Love your videos and how you present the info. Its really helpful for beginners like me 😊😊
@zinaking8299
@zinaking8299 8 ай бұрын
Strong work sir
@tap5445
@tap5445 Жыл бұрын
I subscribed because of the channel name and the mustache alone!
@Zamun
@Zamun 8 ай бұрын
Thanks for the content.
@robbrown3495
@robbrown3495 9 ай бұрын
I love this dudes content. Sounds like he would be such a fun dm. Someone tell me he lives in Louisiana please lol
@ladyofpain
@ladyofpain Жыл бұрын
Amazing
@Boom-Town
@Boom-Town Жыл бұрын
Call possession mechanics bud... I love it!
@daethwing188
@daethwing188 3 ай бұрын
Can you take a look at planning a campaign with notion, please?
@varrondy7810
@varrondy7810 Жыл бұрын
Thanks for the advice dad!
@powerwordspill
@powerwordspill Жыл бұрын
You're welcome my child.
@reinpogo4601
@reinpogo4601 Жыл бұрын
Great video man! I really enjoy all your videos, I cannot believe you only have 1000 subs!? One thing that I always struggle with is once I have created a campaign outline that works with my players backstories, I don't know how to proceed when one of the pcs die. Moving the mcguffin is one thing, but especially with multiple deaths in a party I struggle to find new and creative ways to introduce new characters to the party and story. Any advice?
@powerwordspill
@powerwordspill Жыл бұрын
Thank you! Yeah that can be tough for sure. I had a PC die whose backstory was really central to the plot, so they rolled a new character for the time being, but the party actually went on a quest to Valhalla to break them out of the afterlife and bring them back. So if the PC backstory is critical to the plot you've come up with, that's an option. But it becomes more difficult with multiple deaths. When introducing new characters I find it really helpful to give the new PC a piece of the plot puzzle that the party doesn't have yet, and then have the new PC not know something that the rest of your party does know. You can work with your player to come up with a backstory that gives them similar goals to your party. Then you can give your party a quest hook like 'go talk to this person in town to get this next piece of information you need', and that person is the new PC. Hope that all makes sense, and that it helps!
@imagineitqll
@imagineitqll Жыл бұрын
Is that a wood burning stove in the back? Very nice
@powerwordspill
@powerwordspill Жыл бұрын
It is! Very cozy in the winter but lots of work chopping wood
@talldarkstrangerpr
@talldarkstrangerpr 2 ай бұрын
Would've bben nice if there was a pdf of this.
@serpentinesecrets6771
@serpentinesecrets6771 Жыл бұрын
The game masters guide to non player characters is a fun book I’m dming the adventures in it now
@powerwordspill
@powerwordspill Жыл бұрын
Yeah I've really enjoyed it! Lots of great stuff in there
@serpentinesecrets6771
@serpentinesecrets6771 Жыл бұрын
@@powerwordspill the author also has a book on dungeons puzzles and traps there’s good stuff in too
@Drudenfusz
@Drudenfusz Жыл бұрын
Sounds fine for a campaign that resolves around external struggle, but since I prefer to run my games more centred around internal struggle of the character, I have not much use for the advise.
@Grimmlocked
@Grimmlocked Жыл бұрын
sounds like you're on your 4th campaign
@eclatshwartzbaumcybertune2063
@eclatshwartzbaumcybertune2063 Жыл бұрын
I start with 8 chapters (plot points) then i title them, from there i add more to each one. Later i add more gameplay.
@JackCat101
@JackCat101 8 ай бұрын
I am making my players at the start of the campaign run from the BBEG (the dragon queen) and my DMPC has to cover his baby dragon's eyes because she(dragon) was scared.
@SaỊnt-YT-Music
@SaỊnt-YT-Music Жыл бұрын
Idk why but your template seemed to perfectly match the one from the balance arc in The Adventure Zone by the McElroys. Coincidence?
@powerwordspill
@powerwordspill Жыл бұрын
I haven't listened to the adventure zone, but I want to! It's been recommended to me many times
@jerb9718
@jerb9718 2 ай бұрын
if i know i have a powerful player who is very good and knows how to ruin a campaign how do I deal with them?
@powerwordspill
@powerwordspill 2 ай бұрын
I guess it depends what you mean by ruin. If they are actively trying to derail the campaign and do things that are not fun for the rest of the party, then I would have a conversation with them outside of the game and let them know that by doing certain things, other people in the group aren't having as much fun. If they still are doing it, then you might have to ask them to leave the group. If they're just really good at figuring out puzzles and killing monsters, but everyone is still having fun, then just make everything harder. More monsters, multi layer puzzles. I also wouldn't build a campaign so that one victory or puzzle solve could resolve it. If they need to get ten pieces of a magic item to save the world, then they at least need to have ten little adventures. Even if they ace one, they can't skip straight to the end. I think I'd just put more steps between my players and the final solution. Hope that helps!
@yoroshiku137
@yoroshiku137 Жыл бұрын
Great advice: use your players' backstories in the campaign to drive the story forward. It also already get their buy-in!
@jellybingey2850
@jellybingey2850 Жыл бұрын
was thinking about writing a campaign and this just pops up. the feds are trying to communicate with me
@powerwordspill
@powerwordspill Жыл бұрын
They're on to us...abort! Abort!
@igku8339
@igku8339 4 ай бұрын
It seems like this kind of template encourages a certain style of play that assummes that the players characters will simply not die. If one of the player characters dies then everything would fall apart. TTRPGs are not novels.
@miked.9364
@miked.9364 Жыл бұрын
Such bad advise. This is why the majority of campaigns suck.
@SillySyrup
@SillySyrup 8 ай бұрын
how so?
@miked.9364
@miked.9364 8 ай бұрын
@@SillySyrup This is suppoed to be your first campaign, yet STEP 0 : decide what level campaign you will run(end at). No. This is bad, bad, bad advise for a first campaign. Better advise would be Run 3-5 levels. This gives the DM and Players a beginning, middle and ending. STEPS 1 - 4: Is why most campaigns fizzle. People are tired, so, so, so very tired of fetch quests. You realize TTRPGers have running Fetch Campaigns since the 1970s. 45 years. Think about it.
@miked.9364
@miked.9364 8 ай бұрын
@@SillySyrup Buy *Under Illefarn* it's 5$ Yes it's 1e, but it's not the stats you are needing it's everything else.
@DaDunge
@DaDunge Жыл бұрын
Sorry but sealed evil in a can is so done.
I built a D&D DM screen with a built in display.
11:34
Power Word Spill
Рет қаралды 517 М.
Write your Campaign in Just One Evening!
9:33
Dungeon Masterpiece
Рет қаралды 281 М.
How I Did The SELF BENDING Spoon 😱🥄 #shorts
00:19
Wian
Рет қаралды 35 МЛН
Пройди игру и получи 5 чупа-чупсов (2024)
00:49
Екатерина Ковалева
Рет қаралды 1,4 МЛН
Harley Quinn's plan for revenge!!!#Harley Quinn #joker
00:49
Harley Quinn with the Joker
Рет қаралды 30 МЛН
Box jumping challenge, who stepped on the trap? #FunnyFamily #PartyGames
00:31
Family Games Media
Рет қаралды 30 МЛН
10 Amazing D&D Campaign Ideas (or any TTRPG)
15:09
Power Word Spill
Рет қаралды 45 М.
This FREE D&D campaign management app made me a better DM
15:14
Power Word Spill
Рет қаралды 264 М.
D&D puzzles that make your players think
13:41
Ginny Di
Рет қаралды 689 М.
How to write your first D&D campaign arc
14:40
Tales Arcane
Рет қаралды 21 М.
What Pro DnD DM's Do Before Their Sessions
17:56
Bonus Action
Рет қаралды 247 М.
How to Plot THE FIRST ACT of a D&D Campaign
15:38
The Fantasy Forge
Рет қаралды 284 М.
Write One-Shot RPG Campaigns! (GM Tips w/ Matt Mercer)
6:52
Geek & Sundry
Рет қаралды 1,6 МЛН
LEVEL UP your online D&D
12:42
Power Word Spill
Рет қаралды 51 М.
CHEAP and EASY props to LEVEL UP your D&D night!
9:58
Power Word Spill
Рет қаралды 516 М.
How I Did The SELF BENDING Spoon 😱🥄 #shorts
00:19
Wian
Рет қаралды 35 МЛН