From planning campaigns to prepping encounters, turn every part of your game into a gripping story with the same 5 steps.

As newer DM's, we would prep for games by throwing d&d spaghetti at the wall and trying to see what would stick. It was a mess. This podcast is about finding systems and structures that help with that, to consistently play great games. Well, it's pretty rare we discover something simple that can be applied to every layer of our prep and our collective storytelling, but that's what this episode is about. We hope these steps help you as much as they did us.  

In the Strategy Stateroom, we get into the steps. Adapted from The Story Grid: What Good Editors Know by Shawn Coyne, we present a structure for every story:  

Hook - This one's familiar. It's about starting things off with a compelling question of what will happen next and introducing a goal.
Challenges - The trials the party will face along the way. To make them great, remember to increase the stakes and difficulty of each challenge along the way.
Choice - Where the party reaches a meaningful decision point that is going to reveal something important about who they are. Chase the villain or save the innocents?
Action - Where the rubber hits the road, and the party must follow through with their decision. Can they pull it off?
Aftermath - What are the results for the parties involved?

You can use these to plan campaigns, arcs, adventures, quests, side plots, encounters, and even individual turns if you get a little obsessed like we did.  Join us and let us know how it works or your best story tips on our discord! 

As always, huge thanks to the support for making this episode a reality.

Michelle T., Steven V., Alan E., Matthew T., Felix R., Chris F., The Senate, Lucas D., Lyla G., The GM Tim, Nevermour, Thomas W., Tyler G., Ty N., Heavyarms, Erik R, Aldrost, Leprecan, and Will H-P.