Planning

Thinking Critically: A D&D Discussion

This episode is all about "Planning" campaigns, chapters, sessions, calendars, and characters. I'm joined by Jeff Nabors, the DM for the Reroll Expectations actual-play podcast and media director for Chasing XP. We discuss our various methods for planning our campaigns from the micro of moment-to-moment improv, to the macro of embedding meaningful character development into grand campaign arcs. There's a line between over-planning, and failure to plan (is planning to fail), and the thickness of that line, and it's position, is different from person to person, campaign to campaign. Inevitably, there will be some encounter that never sees the light of day; take solace in that you are not alone, and learning from the loss is something every DM has to come to terms with.

• 01:11 - The challenges and rewards of planning a large homebrew campaign
• 17:15 - How to mitigate the impact of surprise incidents
• 23:54 - Coming to terms with lost potential of dungeons
• 28:46 - The meat in the middle - architecting chapters
• 39:33 - IRL TPK - Calendar Scheduling
• 45:45 - Frontloading character development
• 54:05 - Planning the proxy - divining divination requests

Find Jeff (@_RKDnc) on:

• Website: https://jeffnabors.best/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/_RKDnc
• Reroll Expectations: https://rerollexpectations.com/
• Chasing XP: https://chasingxp.com/
• Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/rkdnc

Follow me on:

• Website: https://www.thinkingcritically.co.uk
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/Danilo_DnD
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thinking_critically_dnd/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ThinkingCriticallyDnD

References:

• The Pomodoro Technique for time management
• Modular Prep Method by u/ElendFiasco

Intro Music: 'Local Forecast' by Kevin MacLeod
Intermission Music: 'Chill' by Kevin MacLeod
Outro Music: 'Local Forecast - Elevator' by Kevin MacLeod