You could also introduce conflict in some way. Conflict drives every story and makes you engaged. It's not mendatory to have a battle in the first session but it won't hurt especially if part of the characters know each other. Adding some tension is great. One great way is to introduce the BBEG or a miniboss in the first session but don't fight. The evil guy(s) could just be seen or spoken with. It's not necessary to show that they are the bad guy(s) from the beginning. Work around the opponent's strengths and the first meeting can be amazing. The charactera could just hear a rumour or some people talking about the bad guy(s) or the effect of their actions on the people and environment. They could see what they are doing from a distance or in the audience or in some public place or event. There are many ways to show a glimpse of the badness in the first session. This can be the cliffhanger too. Grat tips in the video!
id argue a word of cautious with the "introduce the world" part. Obviously, do more show than tell. But most importantly, the first session should get the players excited and invested. Players are not immediately excited or invested in story or world building. They are invested in the character they created. So id argue, ensure they get to experience their character and get to showcase it to their fellow players. Exploring the world can be done over time. Also when it comes to introducing NPCs, I like that for session 0 where players can introduce NPCs their characters are connected to. Use some of those in the first session to make it come alive. An elaborate world building monologue is a great way to get some players to grab their phone immediately. If you want to get them invested in the world you've built, connect it to their character and/or introduce it in the form of mysteries and treasures the players themselves are interested in. Everyone wants to fight a dragon, so just mention there are rumors of dragons in the faraway mountains. Want them to delve into a cool culture you came up with? Tell them about the mysterious problem this culture faces that no one has been able to solve. And as a counter argument to myself id say: You as the GM should also get to enjoy and show off the cool stuff you came up with. As with all things, its a matter of balance.
Oh this is a good point! They are 100% invested in their character not the story. But hopefully the excitement is enough to make then WANT to be invested. Definitely all about balance. Appreciate the comment!
Best tip I can give is to just have a direction for each session. If you know where you're going, it's easier to move the game in that direction. Here's a quick video I made a while back that might be helpful: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Ink4oMGrIBg.html
Great timing on this video! Starting my first homebrew campaign soon. Edit: Also as a tip, I'm opening my campaign up at a harvest festival in a town with shopping and carnival games to win prizes, after sometime the town is raided enemies.
That's a great way to start it. Gives the happy feels, warm and fuzzies, and then drops the climactic inciting incident. Kind of the same way that Fellowship of the Ring starts with Bilbo's birthday before dropping the "by the way this ring is a world ending event" story line lol.
Great video again as always my guy. Im starting the 2nd arc of my campaign next session and wanted to do it like an opener so this video is right on time.
@@TheFantasyForge first arc started with a murder at a wedding. This next arc will start in a festival & They know of a potential assassination attempt there. Will they identify the assassination? Can they stop it? Will they get cotton candy at the festival? Find out on the next episode of.. dragon ball z!
Things I do to get players going before game; Make 4 rumors about your character, true, false, kinda true, hella outlandish and I give them to other players in the group. Also I ask players to make atleasr 5 NPCs, ppl they can contact for a favor or quick assistance, they don't need any real info, just a name and why they might know em.
Not even a minute in and I’m loving how to-the-point your delivery is!! These tips are DEFINITELY things I wish I’d known when I started DM’ing, and I will certainly use them in future campaigns.
