Plus some GM prep ideas to help you along the way!
In our newest video, Beth walks you through the three steps you’ll need to take to start a new one-on-one D&D campaign. Check it out below!
As you’ll note in the video, I cite several examples from our new home game—I’m still working on a cool title for it! I wanted to use the conversations we had setting up our game as a model for how you can go about launching a new campaign with your duet partner.
This post may contain affiliate links which means that—at no cost to you—we receive a commission when you follow the link and make a purchase.
When is it time to start a new duet campaign?
In several of our posts from 2023, I mentioned feeling like we were at a place of stagnation in our home game. We have a couple long-running campaigns that are at major turning points, but none of those were really speaking to us in an exciting, inspiring way.
Oftentimes when we reach this point, it means it’s time to switch GM and player roles, at least for a little while! So we decided that I would GM our new campaign and, lucky for you, that also means I’ll be running a GM-prep campaign diary on our YouTube channel as we go!
With the switch in place, it was time to look back so we could look forward.
Step one: Reflect
If you’ve played in a duet campaign before, your first step will be reflecting on what went well and what you’d like to change.
- For us, this involved changing around some of the world and story details to better fit my process as a Storyteller/GM. I tend to experience fantasy worlds I’m creating through the eyes of my character, and I often don’t know what my character doesn’t know so in this case, I needed a GMPC who knows more than the PC but not so much as to sour their relationship as they’re just getting to know one another.
- Don’t be hard on yourself or your partner here. GM-burnout and feeling a lack of inspiration are very real things! This reflection is just as much about looking back on what you enjoyed in past campaigns as it is trying to find what you’d like to be new and different.
Step two: Set up the basics—characters and story
For your second step, you’ll sketch out the characters and narrow in on the type of story you want to tell together.
In the examples below, notice how simple and low-key we keep the decisions.
- If possible, figure out what you both want here, not what you don’t want. Jonathan wanted to play a wizard, and we talked about character age and experience. We played out a couple different scenarios—if we made this character decision, what might the campaign arc look like versus that character decision. He decided on a young wizard who’s hungry for knowledge but inexperienced, looking to prove himself.
- I knew I wanted a story where we could planes-hop since that’s something I’m working on in the wider spectrum of the Storyverse and in my fiction right now, so I needed his character to be set up to do that.
Steps like this are key! When you’re both on the same page and open about what you want, it simplifies your campaign prep. It’s also a great way of practicing the collaboration you’ll need in your duet game!
A caution about secret-keeping
It can be tempting to hide things from your player or, vice versa, from your GM, but both of you being on the same page about character motivation will go a long way toward your campaign being easier to plan, run, and play.
I’m also planning a follow-up video and post about avoiding the temptation to keep too many secrets from your player and their PC as this can decrease buy-in into the experience. For the short version: in a duet campaign, the PC is the one driving the story, and so they have to know what kind of story they’re in, where they are, and what’s happening around them to be able to fully engage. More on that later!
And a second caution about over-prepping
One of the motivations behind this series for me is my conversations with new GMs who put an enormous amount of pressure on themselves to have SO MUCH prepped before they can even begin. If you have the time and find this process creatively fulfilling, then by all means, plan away!
But GM prep shouldn’t be getting in the way of you and your partner getting to play. That’s something we’ll return to throughout this series and why inspiration will be a keystone concept as well.
Player’s job in step two: Sketching out a character backstory
With this initial setup in place (young wizard + planes-hopping), Jonathan wrote a brief character backstory for me. (By brief I mean 2-3 paragraphs.) We decided to keep the PC in the world of Azuria that we know so well for now with plans for them to move outside Azuria soon.
And remember, you can always co-create the backstory as you go! (This is one of my favorite things about duet play!)
- With his backstory in hand, I was able to sketch out the backstory for my GMPC for our campaign and to introduce him and his character to her as well as the people he already knows in the world.
GM’s step two next step: Prep session zero
For our session zero, I sketched out the people the PC would need to interact with and had a list of names ready! We love FantasyNameGenerators for this, and I always keep a running list of names on my phone for campaigns and stories.
GM Tip: Ask the player for their input and ideas!
Before we played, I ask Jonathan if there was anything he’d want to do in his first session and made sure we were set up to do just that. We also flipped through the Strixhaven book together for inspiration and atmosphere since with his younger wizard character, we decided to begin at a magical academy.
As you prep for session zero, lean into what you learned about the character in the PC backstory.
In my discussions with Jonathan, I learned that his character wanted to challenge himself, to really lean into his magical abilities and become a great wizard. Lots of stories with wizards, like we see with Gale in BG3, involve that balance between power and longevity—they have so much potential but only a limited amount of time.
GM Tip: Don’t be afraid to lean into story types and arcs you’ve seen/read before!
From novel writing, I’ve learned how meaningful it can be in a story to place the protagonist and villain on the same spectrum about an ideal. So if Jonathan’s PC is going to be struggling with the allure of power and how to balance that with his other responsibilities in the world, our villain is going to decidedly not value that balance and fall completely on the “wrong” side of the scale.
Jonathan’s character backstory already set me up with the villain—or at least a villain—for our campaign. That character didn’t show up at all for our first few sessions, but he’s beginning to dip his toes into the action of the world.
Step three: Run session zero!
My advice for session zero is to give the player low-stakes choices where they’re getting to drive the story while also getting to know their character.
For early sessions in a campaign, remembering how much I enjoyed the setup we use in First Blush, I keep the stakes relatively low and give the player a chance to settle into the body and mannerisms of the PC.
Character immersion is such a key part of one-on-one D&D and is one of our favorite parts of gameplay and for both of us. It can take a bit of time to figure out the nuances of your character. I knew I’d done this well when Jonathan told me things that had surprised him about his character about our first session, how there were parts of his personality he hadn’t anticipated in his character design.
If you’re stuck on what you want to have happen first, ask the PC to walk you through a “normal” day for them, and then introduce the dramatic change that launches them on their adventure. (Remember, stories are about change!)
And now you’re set!
So now you know our basics of starting a new campaign!
- Look back to go forward,
- figure out the basics and what you both want—character aspects and the kind of story you want to tell,
- work with the player to create a barebones PC backstory,
- and design a few low-stakes interactions that will let the PC make choices and move the story forward from the get-go while still getting to know their character.
- From here, you’ll be set up for a great duet D&D campaign!
And speaking of new campaigns…
In case you’re looking for a new campaign to start with your duet partner, we’re just one day away from our Kickstarter launching for the compiled Land of Vampires campaign!
Click the link above to follow our campaign and add your pledge on January 31st!
In our next video, I’ll show you more of the tools I use to prep the campaign and keep my notes organized during the campaign. I’ve been trying to make this easier and more streamlined since the last campaign I ran, and I’m excited to share with you what I’ve learned! Please leave any GM-prep questions you have or questions on setup for a new campaign for me in the comments below!
We’d love to hear your thoughts and questions!