Start a campaign
Start a campaign. Keep it going.
Get your group playing, give your future game master a clear starting point and carry on the adventure after I leave.
Whether you're colleagues establishing an after-work D&D group or friends ready to start a campaign, I can help you get through the first-session questions and into a game you can continue yourselves.
You bring the group
Someone needs to want the job.
You might already have someone who wants to be the game master. You might want to try a session first, see what the role involves and choose someone afterwards.
Either way works. We'll talk it through before we begin. By the handover, someone in your group needs to want the job.
You can start with Dungeons & Dragons or ask me to recommend another game that suits the group. Explore the games
Group came together over Baldur's Gate 3? Here's what changes at a real table
The launch
From first conversation to handover.
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First
A conversation
Tell me who wants to play, what you enjoy and what has stopped you getting started so far. We'll discuss the kind of game you want, the practical arrangements and whether anyone is already interested in running it.
Together we'll agree what you need from the launch and handover, and what that will cost.
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Session Zero
Get everyone on the same page
We establish the kind of story you want, what should stay out of it, how the characters fit together and how the table will work. We also talk about the practical questions that keep a campaign moving: where you'll meet, how often you want to play and who will organise the next date.
We'll agree how to prepare characters so the launch session has time for an adventure as well as introductions.
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The launch game · normally three hours
Then we play
I run your first game, explain the rules as they come up and show you what running a table involves. At useful moments, I'll pause briefly to explain a decision behind the screen: why I called for a roll, how I judged a consequence or how I responded to an unexpected plan. There's time to ask questions afterwards, too.
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The handover
A handover your GM can use
Once your group has chosen its GM, we talk through where the story has reached, what the characters are trying to do and how to prepare the next session. The handover includes useful campaign notes and a practical plan for what comes next.
We agree the amount of handover support in advance. The aim is to leave your group ready to organise and run its next game.
Get the practical bits working
Set up to keep working after I leave.
If you choose D&D, I can help people set up their own D&D Beyond accounts, get characters into a campaign and work out which tools and materials the group needs.
We choose tools that suit the game and the people playing it. Any books, subscriptions or other ongoing costs are agreed before booking.
Help for your game master
Coaching, if they want it.
Your GM can book further coaching if they want support before or after a later session. We can work on preparing a manageable adventure, explaining rules, judging uncertain actions, improvising when the plan changes or helping everyone find a place in the game.
Further coaching is arranged and priced separately, so your group can ask for the help it needs when it needs it.
Tell me about your group
Pull up a chair.
Email us with:
- How many people would like to play.
- Whether you have a game in mind.
- Where you'd like to meet, or whether you prefer online.
- Two or three possible dates.
- Whether someone is already interested in being the GM.
We'll agree the launch, handover and complete price before you book.
hello@academyofdungeoneering.com
