Phase 1: The Spark

Every campaign begins with a spark—that initial idea that excites you enough to build a world around it. This phase captures and refines that inspiration into a workable campaign concept.

Finding Your Spark

Sparks come from many sources:

• Media Inspiration: “What if Game of Thrones met Aliens?”
• Mechanical Interest: “I want to run a campaign about naval exploration”
• Thematic Question: “What does it mean to be heroic in a morally gray world?”
• Visual Imagery: “A city built on the back of a massive, sleeping dragon”
• Player Request: “We want to play sky pirates!”

Our Tutorial Spark

For The Ironhold Insurrection, our spark came from a thematic question:

“What happens when tradition becomes a prison?”

This led us to dwarves—a race often portrayed as hidebound traditionalists—and the idea of a society tearing itself apart over ancient customs that no longer serve them.

The Big Three

Once you have your spark, define your Big Three—the essential elements that make your campaign unique:

1. Core Conflict: The fundamental tension driving the campaign
2. Unique Element: What makes this different from generic fantasy (though honestly, there’s nothing wrong with generic fantasy—sometimes you just need to save a princess from a dragon!)
3. Player Role: How the PCs fit into this world

Tutorial Example: The Big Three

Here’s how we developed the Big Three for The Ironhold Insurrection:

## The Ironhold Insurrection - Big Three

1. **Core Conflict**: The Hammer Crown (symbol of dwarven unity) is missing. 
   Five clan lords claim the throne, each with ancient grievances. Civil war 
   threatens to destroy the last great dwarven city.

2. **Unique Element**: The city's legendary forges are failing—weapons crack, 
   armor splits, tools break. Some blame the missing crown, others whisper of 
   sabotage, a few fear something worse rising from the sealed deeps.

3. **Player Role**: Outsiders hired by the desperate Merchants' Consortium to 
   find the truth before the city tears itself apart. Neutral parties who can 
   go where clan loyalists cannot.

The Starting Point

Define where and how the campaign begins:

Essential Elements:

• Physical Location: Specific place where Session 1 occurs
• Initial Situation: The immediate problem/opportunity
• Party Connection: Why these PCs are together
• First Adventure: 3-4 session mini-arc to establish tone

Tutorial Example: Starting Point

## Starting Point: The Neutral Ground

**Physical Location**: The Brass Monkey Tavern in Ironhold's Foreign Quarter—
the only district where clan law doesn't apply.

**Initial Situation**: The Merchants' Consortium offers 1,000gp each to 
investigate the failing forges. Simple diagnostic job—except their last team 
never returned.

**Party Connection**: All outsiders (non-dwarves or clanless dwarves) with 
skills the insular clans lack. Recruited specifically because you have no 
stake in local politics.

**First Adventure Arc** (3 sessions):
- Session 1: Investigate the Royal Forge, discover sabotage, fight forge-spirits
- Session 2: Track saboteurs through Undertown, uncover larger conspiracy
- Session 3: Prevent assassination at Clan Moot, earn trust/enemies

Creating Your Campaign Pitch

Your campaign pitch is a one-page document that sells the campaign to potential players. It should excite them while setting clear expectations.

Tutorial Example: Campaign Pitch

# The Ironhold Insurrection
*A D&D 5e Campaign of Politics, Mystery, and Ancient Threats*

## The Pitch
The last great dwarven city teeters on the edge of civil war. The Hammer Crown 
is missing, five clans claim the throne, and the legendary forges that built 
an empire are failing. Hired as neutral investigators, you must navigate deadly 
politics, ancient customs, and rising darkness to save Ironhold—or watch it 
burn.

## What Makes This Special
- **Political Intrigue**: Every clan has secrets, every alliance has a price
- **Mystery**: Why are the forges failing? Where is the crown? What stirs below?
- **Meaningful Choices**: Support a clan? Restore the old ways? Forge something new?
- **Grounded Stakes**: Save a city, not the world (at least at first...)

## The Tone
Think *The Departed* meets *The Mines of Moria*. Political thriller in a 
fantastic setting. Your choices matter, violence has consequences, and the 
"right" answer isn't always clear.

## What I Need From You
- Interest in political intrigue and investigation
- Comfort with moral ambiguity
- Regular attendance (weekly games)
- Character tied to the premise (outsider with useful skills)

## Session Details
- System: D&D 5e
- Starting Level: 3
- Sessions: Weekly, 4 hours
- Session Zero: [Date]

Phase 1 Artifacts

By the end of Week 1, you should have:

1. Campaign Pitch (1 page): Elevator pitch for players
2. Big Three Document (1 page): Core elements defined
3. First Adventure Outline (1-2 pages): Your notes for the opening sessions
4. Inspiration Board: Images, music, media that captures the feeling

Time Investment Breakdown

• Day 1-2: Brainstorming and spark refinement (2 hours)
• Day 3: Define Big Three (1 hour)
• Day 4: Create starting point (1 hour)
• Day 5: Write campaign pitch (1 hour)
• Day 6: Outline first adventure (2 hours)
• Day 7: Review and polish (1 hour)

Total Phase 1: 8 hours across a week

Common Pitfalls

“My spark is too vague”

Solution: Ask “What specific situation would showcase this idea?” Turn concepts into concrete conflicts.

Example: “I want to run a campaign about the nature of heroism.” That’s a philosophy paper, not a campaign. But “The greatest heroes of the realm have all mysteriously turned evil, and the only people left to save the world are the B-team cowards, con artists, and comic relief” - NOW you have players making concrete choices about heroism every session.

“I have too many ideas”

Solution: Save them in a backlog. Focus on ONE core conflict for now. You can add complexity later.

Example: “I want political intrigue AND cosmic horror AND dragon riders AND a murder mystery AND…” Stop. Pick ONE. Here’s why: You spend 6 hours crafting the perfect political subplot where the barmaid is secretly the exiled prince, complete with supporters, enemies, and escape routes. Session 1: Your murder hobos kill her for looking at them funny. There goes your political intrigue!

Start with dragon riders. That’s it. When players show interest in something (not murder it), THEN add complexity. They befriend a rider? Now you can add politics. They investigate weird sky phenomena? Cosmic horror unlocked. Let player interests guide which ideas come off your backlog. The rest stays safely in your notes, not wasted on unplayed content.

“It feels too similar to [existing media]”

Solution: That’s fine! Execution matters more than originality. Your players will make it unique.

Example: “My campaign feels too much like Lord of the Rings.” Sure, but remember that Tolkien’s cast was a bunch of well-meaning hobbits who wanted to save the world. Your players all decided to roll murder hobos who’ll probably try to keep the Ring and open a franchise. Same premise, VERY different story once your players get their hands on it!

Checklist: Ready for Phase 2?

Before moving to Session Zero preparation:

• Campaign pitch excites you to run it
• Big Three are clear and specific
• Starting location is defined
• First adventure sketched out
• You can explain the campaign in 2 minutes
• You know what kind of players would enjoy this

Next Step

With your spark refined into a clear vision, you’re ready for Phase 2: Session Zero Preparation, where we’ll create everything needed to bring players into your world.