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Every group starts somewhere. From someone gathering friends to try a “new” type of game to complete strangers meeting in a local game store (or online) because they are looking for new friends to play with, each table top is surrounded by people who chose to be there. What happens in those early steps?
Showing up at a store (or online) and sitting down at a table is the easy part for those who are looking for a group. After sitting down, it becomes a bit more difficult. You begin to interact with these strangers and decide if this is the table for you. I’ll be honest, some you’ll like immediately, others…not so much. Don’t take it personally, it is different for everybody. Gathering friends to start playing seems the more tiresome task when starting a home game. Getting commitment from others can feel like beating your head against a wall at times, but don’t give up. Eventually you’ll nail down a date and time for all to sit at your table. Run the game, get feedback (especially from the ones that tried it for the first time), and set the next date. Honestly, getting a regular time to meet is the best option. This allows for the players to plan in advance and keep their schedule clear if possible. Things will come up and they will have to miss a session here or there, but if it becomes consistent, you may want to give them a call. Whether you play with strangers that are yet to become friends, or a group of friends at home, don’t give up after just one session. It takes a little while to get to know each other and become comfortable in roleplaying. Each time you try, you will learn more about yourself and be able to pick the right game for you.
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Everybody loves a mysterious letter, a locked box, or a map at the table. The players become even more engaged when there are objects to interact with. All of this material takes time to prepare though. With a little creativity and time to put it together, your players will love it. When you play online, we are not able to pass around the map or read that letter, so how do you provide some engagement with objects? Well, you don’t…not really.
Sitting around a table with your players comes with a lot of benefits. In person roleplay not only allows for better communication, but also provides a shared experience when a material is given to the group. Watching the excitement spread across the table is a simple joy for myself, the GM, that just does not replicate online. So we have to compromise. The number one tool can be done through online programs. Maps are good for spatial awareness and strategies for the players and there are several ways to display this to your players (I’m not listing them here, I trust you can find those). Other things can be mailed or emailed to your players if you want them to receive something privately, or email the whole group for a grand reveal. In one game, my players had frequent dreams that I would text to each of them, individually, and allow them to share with the group when they wanted to. What I’m doing in my current campaign are newsletters. I have started creating articles with generic pictures about things that are happening in the world around them periodically. Some of these articles include the events that the players were involved with or affected. My players seem to be enjoying these as they do bring them up in game and in text discussions outside of the game. I will not commit myself to giving them one every week, or even every other week, but I am trying to send them out during major in-game downtimes. If you are at the table, consider what kind of materials you could give your players to aid in their engagement with the story and the world they are exploring. Get creative. No matter how silly it may seem, your players will recognize the effort you put into it and appreciate it. Don’t let being online stop you either. If your group meets online, or even play by post, you can still do this through email, text messages, or even snail mail. Be creative, think outside the box, and ask for advice from others to come up with engaging material you can give your players. Most D&D campaigns stop before any characters reach this level in D&D. Some stop because of outside forces such as scheduling conflicts or interest, but others are cut short by the GM because high levels are overpowered. This creates issues in arranging combats and even encounters with NPCs.
The people of the world know these characters. If they have reached level 20, they are world renowned at what they do, nearly celebrities (some have even saved the world from complete destruction). These NPCs will have some shock and awe when they walk through their town, provide free lodging and meals, ask for blessings on their children, and possibly hold celebrations. This can slow down any session if you take it too extreme. I skip all of that. Typically, when I let players use a level 20 character it will be for a one-shot. This means we have no time for antics, we go straight to the issue. Mainly, I have to be prepared for combat. Planning monsters and their environments can be overwhelming. I cannot rely solely on challenge ratings or formulas provided to do this. I have to take a look at the characters, know how many times and how hard they can hit, what kind of spells are going to be cast, special abilities that could insta-kill my bad guy, etc. Look through what monsters are available to me and possibly adjust them for the inevitable fight. Unfortunately, I am a forgetful person. Once things are in motion, I tend to lose track of the lair actions, legendary actions and resistances, on-going battle effects and more. This does make it easier for my players to take out my monsters, but as long as they are still having fun it’s worth it to me. (Holding up a glass) Here’s to another high level one shot in the books (clink)! One of these days, I’ll remember all the stuff…or not. I avoid this topic if possible. I do not like to make an entire world with lore and history for my players to learn (I’m just not that into it). However, I do create worlds with my players through their backstories and current adventures. I essentially lay down the tracks as my players drive the story.
Like all GMs, I will start with a town, a few NPCs, and a plot hook. The players take it from there. They interact with people and places to discover things. I will often throw in items of intrigue, or a random mysterious person for them to think about. In a good session, the players will be discussing what it all means openly (and I will use it later) to drive the world forward. Sometimes I come to the table with a campaign setting. These provide me with maps, cities, people, and even some lore or history to build from. However, I am forever a homebrewer that lets the players push the story and will find myself not quite in line with the prewritten world. I do find I will often use maps and names within my story, but only loosely base them on what was designed for this setting (you know, the one that my story was supposed to be in). Then there are worlds like what my group is running in now. The history is extensive, the major players and governmental structures are in place, rules and expectations are set. I find myself trying to put together game nights in fear of upsetting what has already been established. Sometimes I have to remind myself that my players are there to have fun being someone else for a time. They want to build their own story within the world, and that means breaking the lore at times. Like I’ve said before (and I’ll keep reminding everyone), as long as we are having fun…I don’t care if I am following the pre-written campaign setting. Throw the book out the window if it begins to bog things down, or makes it too rigid for character development. I will bend, or even break, the rules to allow my players epic moments. My advice to all GMs is to put players first, everything else will fall into place for a good session. |
AuthorJodie 
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October 2025
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