The Session Template: How I've started

Recently, I've been researching using templates to prepare for one-shots. This Gnome Stew article served as inspiration. I also read Never Unprepared by Phil Vecchione and The Lazy Dungeon Master by Mike Shea. I aimed to develop a personal template that gave me a lot to improvise from, but didn't lay out an entire linear story.

Shea's 3X5 adventure design method actually has been very ideal for me. Since January of this year, I've been running a Mini Six campaign for my home group using this method. It's worked very well. I've delivered some of my best sessions from a GM's perspective. And my players are getting into the story, too. Win-win!


But it did limit me somewhat when it came time to start writing adventures for conventions. More involvement in that arena has been a goal of mine this year. And I felt a need to approach those games with more forethought.

My Five Step Campaign Creation Process

So, I'm a brand new GM. I never GM'd a long-term campaign at all. It's something I wanted to do for a long time, but I never really got the chance to do. Part of it was a lack of time. And part of it was a lack of confidence. Not about ideas.I always have those. I was more afraid that I couldn't get the characters to interact with the plot that I wanted.  I had always heard that players will inevitably marr the story that the GM wants to tell, so I decided to abandon this idea and work with my gaming group to develop a story that was based off of the characters wanted to make. These were the steps we followed, and I thought it has turned out smashingly well.