Planning

Once I’m satisfied with the setting, I stop my own development on the campaign. Now I turn it over to the players. I send them a link to a LegendKeeper (a world building wiki tool) with all the information on the setting, and I ask them to make characters.

Once I have the kernel of an idea, I need to build up a world around it. Even when I’m using published adventures or settings, I will flesh out the setting more. I make sure it has enough detail that my players can develop characters that are richly tied to the setting.

Here's a practical, behind-the-scenes look at how I build my D&D campaigns—from the first sparks of character ideas to laying the foundation for adventure.

Folks drift in, one-by-one, idle chatter and friendly hellos fill the space. We all sit down around the table. Takeout orders, homemade dinners and freshly popped beers in front of us. Eventually I speak up, “alright y’all. Let’s get started. Last time we played…” and we fall back