Running your First Session

So you've Created an Adventure or have chosen to run a published adventure and now you're ready to run your first session. You meet with the other players, who've already created their characters, and gather around a table with some dice and snacks. You're ready to get started!

Introduction

In your story introduction, you want to give the players a brief description of the overall setting, perhaps reiterating what you've already told them about the adventure background. Here you should introduce the general area where the adventure is taking place (town, region, etc), any important background (such as historical or current events that are important to the story), and describe why the PCs are there. If you are running a published adventure, you will likely find descriptive text to read aloud or paraphrase to the players.

For example, Jeremy's introduces the setting to his players:

Jeremy: You find yourselves at the edge of the kingdom, traveling from hamlet to hamlet looking for work. The frontier is dangerous, and you have had no problem finding the odd goblin tribe or wolf pack to fight off. You've now made your way to Briar Cliff, another small village in the middle of nowhere. It's late autumn and the air is brisk. You're hoping to find lucrative enough work here to keep you fed and warm through the coming winter, but if not it's just a few days journey to the next village.

Next go around the table and have each player introduce their characters. This should include the character's name, physical description, and any background information that the player wants to share (i.e. their class, why the PC chose to become any adventurer, etc). More in depth information about a character's background can come to light as the story progresses, so at this point player's need only share what is considered to be "common" party knowledge. This is also an opportunity for players to determine the relationships between their PCs if they haven't done so already (i.e. how they know each other, how they came to be adventuring together, etc). For your first adventure, we recommend having the PCs know each other before the adventure begins, but more experienced GMs may choose to have PCs meet each other through the course of the game.

For example, Jeremy asks his players to introduce his characters:

Charles: My character's name is Kelan. He's a human, about 6'4, dressed in heavy furs with long blond hair and a trim beard. He's a barbarian who wields a pair of axes. He seeks to avenge the death of his tribesman at the hands of filthy orcs.

Karen: Gershwa is a fire sorceress, with bright red hair and piercing blue eyes. Her hair color is odd for an elf, so her people always believed her to be flame touched and pushed her to hone her gift. She chose to adventure as a means to see the world outside her small forest village and further learn about her sorcerous heritage.

This continues until all players have had a chance to introduce their character.

Your First Scene

Once you have introduced the setting and the characters, you are ready to begin your first scene. This is your chance to establish the tone and feel of the story, as well as give the PCs a chance to interact with each other. You may choose to jump right into the action here, starting things off with a combat or similarly high paced encounter. Alternatively, you may choose to give the PCs more of a chance to Roleplay, letting them get comfortable with the character's personalities and how they interact with each other. You should try to allow for both in your first few scenes, but exactly how you begin the adventure is up to you. If this is your first time as Gamemaster, we recommend that you begin your adventure with every character in the same place (and the same scene), but you can alternatively have your characters begin in different scenes and then work to slowly bring all of the characters together.

When running a scene, the first step is to describe the scene to your players. Start with describing what the PCs see when the scene begins, then supplement with descriptions that appeal to the other senses (sounds, smells, etc). Try to use vivid language that will convey a tone and emotional feel to the scene (i.e. homey atmosphere, eerie silence, etc). Make sure to account for any other creatures in the scene, such as NPCs, monsters, and the like and include some mention of their overall appearance and expression (i.e. hostile, guarded, friendly, etc). If you're using a published adventure, you may have pre-written text to read aloud or paraphrase the describes the scene for you.

Once you've finished describing the scene, ask the player's what they would like to do. This is a cue to the players that you've set up the scene and are now turning things over to them. Sometimes the description will necessitate a particular type of action. For example, if you complete your description with an NPC greeting or questioning the PCs, it would signify that the PCs should respond in some way. Alternatively, if you end your description with "and then the monsters attack," a combat scene is likely to follow and you'll then call for Initiative.

For example, Jeremy begins his first scene by narrating the following:

Jeremy: It's early evening when you arrive in the quiet town of Briar Cliff and make your way to the Golden Rose Tavern for a respite from the chill that's starting to set in. As you enter, you immediately feel a rush of warm air from the blazing fire within the hearth and hear the murmur of conversation from a group of the Tavern's patrons. In addition to the bartender and serving maid, a lone traveler sits at the bar and two groups of men (miner's judging by their clothing) gather around the tables. What would you like to do?

After you've given your description of the scene, be prepared to answer any questions the players may have. The players will then decide what their character's do and how they interact with the creatures and objects in the scene, describing their actions as they go. As the Gamemaster, you are responsible for narrating what happens and determining how NPCs, creatures, or other aspects of the scene respond to the PCs actions. Through this interaction, the players should be presented with any information or opportunity that fulfills the scene objective. For example, if the objective is information, the PCs should gain information through their interactions in the scene. Similarly, if the object of the scene is to present the PCs with a social challenge, that challenge should be presented to them.

Jeremy's scene continues:

Karen: Is there an empty table over by the fire?

Jeremy: Yes.

Karen: Gershwa goes and sits at the table, catching the barmaid's eye as she does.

Charles: Kelan will follow her over there.

Tim: Shevahn as well.

Jeremy: Okay, you make your way over to the table and the barmaid comes over promptly. "Wha' can a do ya fer?" (speaking for the barmaid).

Tim: "I'll have an ale and whatever yer serving for dinner tonight."

Jeremy: "We've got a boar stew or roast pheasant. Which would you like?"

The roleplay continues in this way until the group has made their orders and the barmaid has brought the food around. Throughout the interaction, Jeremy speaks for the barmaid Leucinda. After she's delivered everyone's orders, Jeremy decides to move the scene forward towards the scene objective: getting information to the characters.

Jeremy: "So, I don't recognize ya folks, which means ya must be new in town. What brings you to Briar Cliff?"

Charles: "We've been traveling around, picking up odd jobs here and there. Just took care of a goblin problem out in Mire Mark. Do you happen to know of any work that needs doin? We're particularly good at pest extermination." he says with a smirk.

Jeremy: "Nothing that I can think of off the top of my head, but make sure to ask around. Folks around here are mostly trying to find their way, ya know? There is always someone looking for help. Belkemar, the old wizard out the other side o' town, occasionally hires some mercs for the odd job. Recently I think he was interested in them ancient ruins about a day's ride outside town. Might not hurt to start with him."

The conversation between Leucinda and the party continues, allowing the PCs to ask any questions they may have. Jeremy has served the scene's purpose by introducing the information about the ruins, with the added bonus of mentioning the wizard Belkemar.

When the objective of the scene has been completed, and the gameplay has progressed to its natural end, you are ready to finish the scene. Sometimes determining when to end a scene is easy, as it is necessitated by the PCs decisions on the next course of action or a change of location. Other times you will do something to prompt the change in scene: interrupting with another event (i.e. "you hear a crash outside") or narrating the passage of time (i.e. "you continue drinking and joking late into the night, and now it's morning").

After the roleplay with Leucinda has concluded, Jeremy moves to end the scene and transition to the next scene.

Jeremy: You continue your dinner for a while, enjoying the low buzz of nearby conversation and the crackle of the fire in the fireplace. Suddenly, your pleasant meal is disturbed by a bloodcurdling scream and corresponding yelling coming from somewhere outside. The other bar patrons look up with a start, and gaze around curiously but make no move to go outside. What would you like to do?

Introducing the Plot

If not in your first scene, then certainly somewhere in your first session you should introduce your PCs to the plot of your story. Typically, this is done through the introduction of some sort of Adventure Hook, a bit of storyline or premise that gets your PCs started on the main storyline of your adventure. There are many ways that you can introduce the plot to your characters. They can learn about it directly from an NPC who asks or hires them to complete a task; or they can learn about it more organically, by presenting the PCs with bit and pieces and leaving them to explore the rest.

In his next scene, Jeremy has the cultists attack the nearby Inn, searching for the artifact that they believe is hidden there. Though the cultists don't find it, this will eventually lead to the PCs finding the box instead. With the box found, the PCs already know of a dangerous group that is after it and must seek answers as to the boxes significance.

Transitioning between Scenes

The section above discussed briefly how to end a scene, but how do you transition from scene to scene? Typically, transitioning between scenes simply requires the Gamemaster to narrate what happens (if anything) between one scene and another. If there is a change in location between scenes, the Gamemaster will narrate through the travel between locations, pointing out whether anything interesting happens along the way (which could insert a new scene all its own). Similarly, the gamemaster can narrate changes in time between scenes (i.e. you spend several days waiting about town for your audience with the Duke). Events can also serve as a scene transition, prompting the PCs to move into the next scene. For example, when the church bells begin to toll a warning, it may prompt the PCs to investigate (leading into the next scene).

When transitioning between linear scenes (i.e. scenes that occur one right after the other), you as the Gamemaster are simply responsible for jumping over the gap in time or the travel between scenes. Sometimes, however, the scene has an open transition, where there are multiple options for the next scene and the PCs choice will determine where the PCs go from here. When a scene is open, the type of transition may depend on what the PCs decide: whether the PCs wait till morning or explore during the night, whether they visit the library next or the wizard's workshop.

After the cultist attack, Jeremy must transition to his next scene: Finding the Box. This can be done in a number of different ways, depending on what the PCs decide. When the combat is over, and all the cultists have run off, Jeremy will ask the PCs what they want to do. If the PCs decide to go back to their dinners at the Tavern, he will narrate through the time and location change, then transition to a scene where the Innkeeper asks for their help. If the PCs decide to investigate on their own, he will ask them how they wish to do that? This could transition into social scenes where they question the Innkeeper or patrons of the Inn about what happened or could have them searching the Inn themselves.

Ending the Session

You will continue running through your adventure from scene to scene until you are ready to end the session. You may have a set point in the story where you choose to stop, or you may have a time frame within which to play. When possible, it is best to end the session on a point of anticipation: setting up the next scene or foreshadowing things to come. This will allow you to build excitement for the next session and jump right in when the time comes.

Once you've drawn the gameplay to a close, make sure to award any Experience for the session if you haven't already. This is also a chance for the players to ask any last minute questions that they didn't have a chance to get answered during gameplay or to discuss anything about their character with you. If you have time, it's useful to ask the players to give you feedback on the session: what they liked best, what they didn't like, what was fun vs what was boring, etc. Encourage your players to be open and honest, as this is a learning experience for both of you. Know that you won't be perfect the first time around (nor the 50th) and any feedback that they can give you just helps you to make a better game in the future.


Back to Creating an Adventure