WARNING TO ANYONE IN MY D&D GROUP: This has spoilers about the upcoming campaign. You may not want to read any further and experience the twists and turns as they happen. Assuming that is you come across what I am discussing in this post. It’s always possible you may never come across it.

Session zero is this weekend. This will be my first session zero as a DM. So once again I’m a little apprehensive about it. Not as much as I was for the taster session. But still the nerves are there.

However my thoughts aren’t really with that session zero. They are more with the start of the campaign and the first encounter and “dungeon”.

The plan is starting to formulate in my head. So now I need to start capturing those thoughts. Which brings us to this post.

From the player campaign intro sheet that I wrote (you can get it here) we know that the first encounter for the campaign will be the players and the ship owner and his crew. So I have that handled. Happy with that.

I’m thinking of having the players end up on a secluded beach somewhere. There will be cliffs too difficult to climb, trapping them on the beach. But they will discover a cave entrance. I’m toying with the idea of having an encounter on the beach with possibly a giant crab.

Naturally it would be handy if the players explore the cave. Inside they find it empty but at the back will be carved steps going up.

This will be the secret entrance to a pirate den (is that the correct word to use here?) And so the party will explore the den and fight some pirates, eventually they will emerge into a tomb. This tomb will be the secret room from the taster session. Yep they will be exiting the pirate den through the tomb of the Delian Order. There won’t be any goblins in it, just their decayed remains.

From there the party will… I’m not sure. So I have a plan, kind of.

Let’s go back to the pirates.

I had been wondering about what creatures to use for the first dungeon. Then it hit me this is a nautical, island hoping campaign. There will be pirates.

So naturally I’ve been sourcing pirate miniatures.

But my pirates are not solely humans. They are a mixed bag of races. I have human pirates, a dwarf, half elf, orcs, and some vikings (which are human).

Why vikings as pirates? Well I thought there were bound to be some in this band of pirates considering that a large part of the Moonshae Islands has a Norse influence. Which says to me viking. Or they look like them at the least.

The pirates do have a leader, and I’m blatantly borrowing the leader from MtG. The leader is Angrath the Minotaur pirate.

I’ve found a cool Minotaur mini to use for him.

Angrath is going to be a major character in this campaign. So I like the idea of introducing him early on. I’m also toying with the idea of having the half elf be his lieutenant. And also a recurring character.

I’d love to have a Vraska pirate mini also, as I’d love to have her as a character. But as I type that I’m thinking I can still do that. I can have Vraska and Angrath as two competing pirates, with the players always getting caught in the middle.

Now to design a pirates den!

My friend kindly printed off a sample cave entrance for me from the humble bundle 3D models I purchased.

So what follows is my notes of the steps I took. Basically so that I can recreate what I did for other pieces when I get them printed.

So Saturday night I primed it ready for painting with a light grey primer. It was the only grey I had. Mind you I like the light grey generally any way.

Then Sunday I gave it a coating of Black Grey paint. Which as I write this part of the post is drying.

I followed that base coat up late afternoon with a coating of grey paint. But I used a not dry brush technique! By that I mean the brush was more wet than it would be for dry brushing. Not much wetter, I didn’t want the paint getting into all the gaps.

I then applied a dark tone wash, which the following photo shows having just been applied. I’ve not used any washing up liquid with the wash either.

This is the completely dry model. The wash has dulled down the grey nicely. I’m not sure I need to do any dry brush highlights.

So here we have the finished tile. It’s not going to win any model painting competition but I’m happy with the final look. But I’m gobsmacked how cool to me it looks. A lot better than I thought it would. At the beginning I was very apprehensive and expecting it too turn out a total train wreck. But somehow I avoided that.

I’ve applied some varnish to finish it off and protect it. And that’s all he wrote!

Well it’s a single page. But is it any good? I don’t know. Oh what am I talking about? The Player Intro to the campaign. Or the one-sheet.

This is technically my second one of these (first attempt at one can be found here). Although it is the first to be used in anger.

I’ve copied straight from the campaign pitch the pitch for this campaign. It sets up the over all campaign story arc. Or hints at what may come to pass. But it also sets up where the players will be starting (although I still have to place Saltmarsh along the Sword Coast) and why they are there.

It also details the source books we will be using for the campaign and any restrictions (spoiler there are none) on characters and classes.

I’ve also photoshopped (which in reality means that I used Photofox on my iPad) to create what I hope is a collage that evokes the spirit of the campaign.

For those interested here is a pdf of the one-sheet I wrote: dandd player campaign intro
Now onto the planning of the first adventure!

You’ve read my thoughts on how my first time as a DM went. I think folks had fun.

So I shared the campaign pitch document with the group after the taster session on Saturday and also created and shared a google form to track responses.

The votes are in and the group has voted for…

In the wake of Pytheas.

So it looks like we are floating around the Sea of Swords and the Trackless Sea. Visiting the Moonshae Isles, Tuern, The Purple Rocks and all the other islands.

I’ve already started the player introduction document.

This campaign will be using the Players Handbook, Dungeon Masters Guide, Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide, and The Ghosts of Saltmarsh source book (once released).

Looking for maps of the Moonshae Isles I stumbled across some adventures (4 in total) from the Adventurers League and a supporting region guide that are being used as the start of a new campaign called Rising Shadows. There is an old Dragon article that has some background info.

Although this next adventure isn’t set in the part of The Forgotten Realms I’m interested in. It does act as a useful inspiration for an adventure.

Shadows over the Moonsea

Naturally I do need The Ghosts of Saltmarsh for the finalised official rules for ships. However there is a ‘work in progress’ document that WotC used for play testing called Of Ships and the Sea. I’m going to assume that whatever finally appears in print will be some form of improved version of this. But this is enough to get started with.

There are also a couple of old AD&D supplements/adventures that cover the area too.

So with the extra information I’ve managed to dig up, the Sword Coast Adventurers Guide there is a lot of material to use for creating a campaign and adventures. And that’s before I even think of populating any undocumented islands with my own ideas or adventures that happen solely at sea, or exploring the depths of the Under Dark that exists here.

The boat above is the sort of vessel that I imagine them setting sail in from a small jetty in Saltmarsh.

The map does not do this part of The Forgotten Realm justice. I am so looking forward to exploring it with the players once they set sail.

Saturday afternoon saw my first D&D game as a DM.

As long time sufferers will know this had been in the planning stage for a few weeks now.

Overall I think the session went ok. I think that the players had a good experience. They’d like a campaign and to create their own characters. That’s a positive sign?

What follows now is how I think I did, areas I can work on.

I was a little apprehensive before hand. Let’s face it I’m not Matt Mercer, so there was not going to be any dramatics and voices.

A few days earlier in the week Jonathan kindly printed off my notes for the session (see the link below). The notes worked really well. I found having the D&D spell cards on hand was useful too for finding what spells did quickly.

I think the initial inn and getting the party hooked could have been better. That definitely wasn’t as smooth as it could have been. Nor as role play as it could have been. Describing the occupants of the inn could have been better, especially the other patrons. Which didn’t get introduced at all. I was hoping the players would mingle. It was then I’d describe them.

I also think the travel to the dungeon could have been better. My descriptions could have been more descriptive, and vivid. Bringing the travel more to life.

Once we hit the dungeon I was happier with the way things went. I revealed the goblins too earlier in the first room.

Also once again the description of the tunnels although dark, could have had reference to noise, and smells.

I felt that the dungeon up to the “big” boss room had been maybe on the easier side. Although the surprise attack by the goblin patrol straight after they thought the combat had finished worked well. They were due to appear at the end of the second round of combat. Which just so happened to be the point when the goblins in the room had been defeated.

The riddle worked really well, and the players solved it opening the secret door. The players nearly didn’t discover the riddle. If they hadn’t searched the statue they wouldn’t have found it.

Having the player stats handy was useful. As was tracking their HP. It meant if need be I could fudge the damage rolls. Which I did do once or twice.

I tried to keep a hands off approach, and let the players discuss and plan without me adding my two pennies, or push them in particular directions.

The Dungeon Tiles Reincarnated were affective and helped the players a lot.

Hopefully some useful links for those thinking of doing the same.

My notes for the session.

My campaign pitch document.

Link to my post with links to original files.

A while back I shared my campaign pitch document that I’ll be possibly sharing with the group if after trying the taster dungeon they would like to play some more (assuming also that they would like me as DM).

Naturally the creative process doesn’t just stop. Ideas come and go. So that they don’t get lost I could write them down in a notebook or I could torture you with them by sharing them on here. Obviously I’m going to do the later.

Army of Darkness (Big Dungeon)

I need to work out who the big Evil is that is coming back. Which means hitting the books and researching gods, demigods for The Forgotten Realms and finding a suitable one. Or if none of them grab me creating my own.

But I have come up with three possible locations for the dungeon.

• The legendary subterranean dwarven city Gauntlgrym
• Dread Ring fortress of undeath
• Thornhold and the caverns of Clan Stoneshaft

If I went with Dread Ring I’d also get a villain the wizard Valindra Shadowmantle.

I’m pretty sure that the dungeon will be 3 – 5 levels deep. Plus any keeps and holds on the surface. I kind of like the idea of using the tomb that the party found and cleared out in the taster as a secret entrance to the dungeon.

In the wake of Pytheas (Islands/Ships)

I know how I’d start this one and it wouldn’t be in a tavern. The plan is to have the adventurers meeting up on a small jetty in Saltmarsh (location on the coast to be decided) waiting for a small boat to ferry them to a to be determined island and it’s annual infamous festival.

The small boat was the only one they could get, passage on all the larger boats was taken up. It’s a very popular festival. People come from far and distance lands to witness it at least once in their life time.

Found the following map online that will act as the world map for the campaign.

Some inspiration The Odyssey, Jason and the Argonauts, Pytheas.

Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap (Sandbox)

Need to decide which town to base the adventurers in for this. Candidates are Phandalin (Lost Mines of Phandelver), Hommlet (The Village of Hommlet), Orlane (Against the Cult of the Reptile God), Keep on the Borderlands, Fairhill (The Crucible of Freya), and Winterhaven (The Keep on the Shadowfell).

Well I hope that was boring for you. At least you can tell me below in the comments “have you thought of…?”

Here it is out of order, the first half of the D&D post from the other day.

From the way the dramatic retelling of events ended, it would be safe to assume that Dram left the party of adventurers.

Which mirrors the decision that I’ve come to, and that is I’m leaving our D&D group.

It wasn’t an easy decision. But after sleeping on it I know it’s the right decision.

So why or how did I come to this decision?

A couple weeks back the person playing Sarmyar left due to a change in life events. Which is fair enough. Life changes, stuff happens. It meant our group went from 6 in the party to 5 (not including the DM).

Last session I turn up to our scheduled session and there at the table was a new player. It was obvious that those there already knew all about this. It was a bit of a shock. And I thought a bit rude. I don’t think the player of Nick was comfortable with it either when he arrived. And also obvious that he knew nothing of it either.

It also puts you in an awkward situation. That isn’t fair.

Which brings me on to group dynamics before returning to this initial point.

Our play group is clearly split into two. One group plays a second D&D game on an alternate night and other boardgames/videogames together. Which is fine, not a problem. While the rest don’t. But it’s starting to seem cliquey.

The ones that knew about the new player were the ones in the group that plays together outside our session. In fact the new player was the girlfriend of one of them.

I thought I was being unreasonable thinking before a new person joined the group having it discussed and being asked how I felt. So in the middle of the night I checked with a group of DM’s on a discord server I belong to. It turns out it’s not unreasonable to be notified before hand at the least.

I know and accept that as a part of the hobby people leave and join a group through out a campaign especially if it’s one that has been running for a long time. It’s inevitable. But especially when some-one new is joining for whatever reason it should be discussed before hand.

It felt like game/group decisions were being made by a handful and not the whole.

At the end of the session one of the group then proceeded to congratulate me on participating more this session. I was so glad to have his approval, and said so sarcastically. But the only players he seems to rate on their playing seem to be ones not in the other gaming group. Because the other one he commented on was the only other none member of that group. No other players were commented on, despite one of his gaming group this week participating less than the rest of us.

I wouldn’t mind such comments if I felt they were justified, or he was some amazing role player. But like the majority of us he’s new to RPG’s and boy does he meta game. This session was super meta gaming. And by that I mean his character was doing stuff that was based on information it would not know. For me that kind of ruins a session a bit.

I’ll come back to this participating thing. Sometimes people have off weeks, or they don’t feel that session has the opportunities for their character. And if you feel that the person is not participating you chat to them away from the group, check that they are ok. There may be stuff going on in their life you have no idea about. They may as I said have felt the sessions are not giving their character the chance to shine.

I think this public praise thing at the end may be intended as being positive. But it’s not coming across as that especially with the “you played well but…” feel to it.

I feel better having said this. It’s a bit more in-depth than the bullet points I gave our DM when I broke the news to him.

Naturally there are two sides to everything, and my interpretation of events will differ from others involved. I try and be as factual as possible and remove the emotional side. But sometimes that’s harder to do at times. This being one of them. I also try and not make it personal and that is not always successful either. And as they say the truth lies somewhere in the middle.

I am happy how I wrote him out of the adventure. We haven’t seen the last of Dram. I’m sure we will be hearing about his escapades on the blog from time to time.

The last few days the sea based setting I came up with as an option for players to consider exploring has been rattling around in my head. Inspiration for this setting has always been a trading in the Mediterranean kind of thing based around Greek mythology. In particular the film I’ve watched many times over the decades Jason and the Argonauts. And my little knowledge of Odysseus and his tale of trying to get home after the Fall of Troy, The Odyssey.

So I thought I’d rewatch that classic. While looking to see if it was included on Netflix and Amazon Prime I stumbled across Hawk the Slayer and Krull. Both movies I had fond memories of from my youth.

In a previous post I did a brain dump of cyberpunk films and tv to get in the mood for the FFG Android Shadow of the Beanstalk source book.

So taking a prompt from that post, my Amazon browsing, Appendix D of the DM Guide and Appendix E of the Players Guide and the lists of literature to use as inspiration for playing D&D from both sides of the DM screen. I thought I’d do a brain dump of films and tv to inspire players and DM’s alike for D&D.

This is by no means an exhaustive list, and there are some very big obvious omissions. Those being The Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Hobbit trilogy (which should only ever have been a single movie, two at most), the Harry Potter series and spin offs. I thought they were a given and didn’t need saying.

For Jim Henson’s The Storyteller I’m including the original series and the Greek Myths one. Likewise with the 80’s Clash of the Titans I’m going to lump in with it the remake and the the remakes sequel Wrath of the Titans.

Again The Golden Voyage of Sinbad (my favourite of the Sinbad movies) also covers the other Sinbad releases.

Yes I know The Neverending Story had sequels too. But they are best forgotten and avoided. Watch them if you must.

Finally I nearly forgot to recommend this next one. That would have been a true crime.

So that’s a long list, some easier to watch than others. Whether that’s because they are hard to find or just haven’t aged well. What would you add to the list?