Don’t call it a comeback; they’ve been here for years.
A briefer game comes with its own issues and advantages.
Here are a few tips to keep it short and sweet.
Icespire Adventurers by Greg Rutkowski
Decide On A Game Length And Commit To It
A ‘short campaign’ can be ambiguous.
Duration
Contents
Player Expectations
Two to four sessions
One central plot is pursued over several games.
No time for personal quests tied to player backstory.
Ashardalon by Jesper Ejsing
The focus will be on the narrative and gameplay.
There is enough time for the characters to go through simple arcs.
Characters have the room for growth expected of a longer campaign.
Ashardalon by Jesper Ejsing
The length can also determine what types of stories you’re able to tell.
At the same time, several months is a long time to dedicate to a single murder mystery.
you might alsohave the time limit to be part of the setting.
Official art via Wizards of the Coast
The party are routed by the local gang bossand needs to gather allies over several sessions to defeat them.
Theplayers start with a Candle of Invocation, giving unlimited first-level spells for the duration of the game.
Some come with campaign concepts attached.
Strixhaven: Curriculum Of Chaos by Wizards Of The Coast
Carefullyconsiderwhere these bottlenecks can occurand how you could resolve them.
Reduce the size of the next encounteror skip it entirely if the plot doesn’t require it.
The crash of lightning scared away the wild dogs that were going to be in the next fight.
Puzzle
The party is stumped on how to open a magical door.
Allow a brute-force solution orworkaround that imposes a consequence.
Create prompts and scenarios thatencourage the players to investigate other leads.
The bartender is attacked by the actual culprit while the party is shadowing him.
The same applies in reverse.
Having an order to the content is important becauseshort campaigns will frequently have faster leveling and character progression.
Gameplay balance and narrative pacing can get skewed, and you’ll have fewer opportunities to recycle skipped encounters.
Discover the role of a Support Character in DND with our guide.
