Dungeons & Dragons campaigns come in many styles. Whether it’s a straightforward adventure, open exploration, or a player-driven mystery, each approach brings something unique to the table. AI is changing how Game Masters (GMs) create these experiences, offering tools that streamline preparation and enhance storytelling.
But amidst all the possibilities, one style stands out for me: the story-first narrative campaign. Here’s why it resonates and how AI makes it even better.
Understanding the Different Types of Campaigns
Every campaign style has its strengths, and knowing the differences helps you choose the best fit for your group. Here are some of the most common approaches:
Linear Campaigns
These follow a structured path, with clear objectives guiding players from start to finish. They’re great for GMs who prefer control over the story and for players who enjoy steady progression. However, they can feel restrictive if players seek more freedom. This is often called rail roading the players.
Sandbox Campaigns
Sandbox games hand the reins to the players, offering a world full of possibilities. This style encourages exploration and creative problem-solving but requires extensive preparation to ensure the world feels alive and engaging. The GM often creates different organizations and tensions, builds a conflict and then drops the players into the middle of the conflict watching what they do. If you want to learn more about sandbox style campaigns check out this blog.
Hex Crawl Campaigns
Built around map exploration, hex crawls focus on discovery and the challenges of traversing unknown terrain. They appeal to groups that enjoy survival mechanics and uncovering secrets but can become repetitive without varied encounters. Check out this blog about Hex Crawls.
Episodic Campaigns
These are made up of self-contained sessions tied together by a larger narrative. They’re perfect for groups with inconsistent attendance and provide flexibility, though maintaining a sense of continuity across episodes can be challenging.
Story First, Narrative-Driven Campaigns
These campaigns center on storytelling, emphasizing character arcs and emotional stakes. They require strong collaboration between GMs and players and are ideal for groups that enjoy roleplaying for the players write the story as it is played out. The downside? They demand more preparation and adaptability from the GM.
Collaborative Campaigns
In these campaigns, players help shape the world and story, sharing creative responsibilities with the GM. This builds player investment but can make it harder to maintain cohesion without strong group dynamics.
Strengths and Challenges of Each Style
Every type of campaign has something to offer, but each also brings its own set of hurdles. Linear campaigns shine in their clarity but can stifle creativity. Sandboxes and hex crawls thrive on freedom but can often feel flat or repetitive and require teamwork from everyone.
Episodic adventures are accessible yet can struggle with overarching narratives. Narrative-driven and collaborative games foster emotional engagement but require a good amount of prep work for the GM.
This variety is where AI tools become invaluable. By handling the heavy lifting—whether generating NPCs for a sandbox or fleshing out character arcs for a narrative-driven game—AI helps smooth out these challenges, making any campaign style more manageable for GMs.
There’s no single “right way” to build a campaign—each group’s style and preferences shape what works best for them.
Why Story-First Works for Me
A story-first approach doesn’t just tell a tale; it invites everyone to be part of it. The central conflict pulls players into the action, while personal stakes keep them engaged. By tying character backstories to the main story arc and building tension, the adventure feels personal and immersive. Each encounter has different outcomes and depending on the outcomes it will change the direction of the story. The outcomes of the encounters influence the next session and thus write the story. As a GM I present scenarios for my players to react to. Sometimes it goes how I thought it would go, but most of the time they go a different direction or there is an outcome that surprised me.
"In a story-first campaign, the narrative unfolds like a gripping novel, with each player's choices driving the story forward, creating an immersive and unforgettable adventure." - DM
Story-first campaigns pair seamlessly with AI assistants, as a well-crafted campaign planning document trains the AI to understand your narrative, ensuring it supports and enhances the story you’re creating.
I often find myself building tension through opposing organizations. They’re not just enemies—they have motivations, goals, and layers. AI can understand these layers and play the role of the different organizations and villains. This adds depth and gives players choices that matter. Whether they side with one faction or play both against each other, it keeps things exciting.
And then there are the emotional moments. The betrayal of a trusted NPC. A hard choice between two bad options. These are the scenes players talk about long after the campaign ends.
I love playing a character in a story-first campaign because my backstory feels deeply tied to the world, I have true agency in shaping the narrative, and the setting seems to come alive with rich history and meaningful connections.
How I approach a story first campaign.
Reach out and schedule a chat with me about AI and Story First campaigns.
How AI Enhances Story-First Campaigns
For this style, AI becomes a creative ally. It simplifies the groundwork for:
Creating immersive descriptions and encounters for the players.
Acting as a critic of your campaign, session or narrative.
Creating images that help to tell your story by bringing in emotion and impact to the narrative.
Generating detailed NPCs with motivations tied to the story.
Designing player-specific challenges and rewards.
Creating interesting dialog before and during the session.
Since the AI knows your story, it makes it easy to react to the players when things go sideways in the session.
Capturing important moments in time during the session and writing session recap notes.
Anticipating actions by preparing multiple outcomes for key encounters.
The best part? AI frees up time for the GM to focus on storytelling. Instead of getting bogged down in preparation, I can spend more time crafting moments that resonate with my players.
How I define different campaign elements.
Campaign Definition: The overarching story or narrative journey that unfolds over multiple sessions. A campaign serves as the "book" of your RPG experience, ranging from a short, self-contained story to an epic saga that spans months or years. It encapsulates the themes, conflicts, and goals of the story, providing a framework for the players’ adventures and character development. Every good module has a central theme to the story.
Example: Into the Abyss. The central theme of Into the Abyss is the descent into madness as players navigate a world destabilized by the chaotic influence of the Demon Lords, who have been unleashed into the Underdark. The module explores themes of survival, corruption, and the struggle to maintain hope and sanity in the face of overwhelming darkness.
Story Arc Definition: A major storyline within the campaign, often revolving around a central conflict, goal, or theme. Story arcs form the foundation of the campaign’s narrative, highlighting key turning points, challenges, and resolutions. They are the "acts" in the larger "book" of the campaign, guiding the progression of the story and the evolution of the characters.
Example: The story arc of Into the Abyss centers on the chaotic invasion of the Demon Lords into the Underdark and the players' efforts to uncover the cause, survive the madness, and ultimately banish these powerful entities. The arc progresses through key acts:
Descent into Chaos: The players begin with an escape from imprisonment, exposing them to the destabilizing influence of the Demon Lords and the horrors spreading across the Underdark. This phase introduces the central conflict and sets the stakes.
Investigating the Madness: As the players explore the Underdark, they gather clues about the presence of the Demon Lords, witness their destructive influence, and interact with factions trying to survive or exploit the chaos. This phase builds tension and deepens the mystery.
Confronting the Cause: The players discover the ritual or event that unleashed the Demon Lords and must gather the resources, allies, and knowledge needed to challenge their influence. This phase heightens the stakes and prepares the group for the final resolution.
The Final Stand: The players face the Demon Lords directly, either by thwarting their plans or banishing them back to the Abyss. This climactic act resolves the arc, allowing the players' choices and actions to determine the fate of the Underdark.
Act Definition: A distinct chapter or phase within the story arc. Acts divide the campaign into smaller, more manageable narrative beats, each with its own focus, stakes, and objectives. Acts help GMs structure gameplay, ensuring pacing and player engagement as the story unfolds.
Encounter Definition: A scenario or challenge presented to the players, requiring them to make decisions, take actions, and react to the world around them. Encounters are the building blocks of gameplay and can include combat, exploration, roleplay, puzzles, or social interactions. It is the actions of the players that write the story.
Key Encounter Types:
Combat Encounters: Battles with enemies or monsters.
Exploration Encounters: Discovering new locations or solving environmental challenges.
Roleplay Encounters: Interacting with NPCs to uncover information or build alliances.
Puzzle/Trap Encounters: Solving riddles or disarming traps to progress.
Dynamic Encounters: Scenarios that adapt based on player choices or actions.
Campaign Outline Definition: A high-level summary of the campaign, used to map out the narrative, key conflicts, and major characters. This outline serves as the blueprint for the GM and the AI to help assist in collaborative campaign development. Check out a campaign planning document.
Modified Story Spine Definition: A narrative framework adapted from Pixar’s Story Spine, guiding both AI and GMs on the overall story with flexible outcomes that are driven by the players actions. It helps ensure that the story remains cohesive while allowing flexibility for player-driven choices.
Blog: From Concept to Quest: 2 Steps in Adapting Pixar's Story Spine with ChatGPT to Level Up Your D&D Campaigns >>
Modified Pixar's Story Spine
Pixar's Modified Story Spine Framework goes like this:
Once upon a time – Establish the setting and characters. 1.
Every day – Show the status quo and introduce the problem. 2.
Until one day – Present the inciting incident that changes everything. 3.
Because of that (repeated) – Develop the plot through cascading events. 4.
Until finally – Reach the climax or major turning point. 5.
And ever since then – Conclude with the resolution. 6.
Three outcomes:
Success: Characters achieve their goal and resolve the conflict.
Failure: Characters are unable to succeed, and consequences unfold.
Status Quo: Characters achieve partial success, but issues remain.
Example: Pixar’s Story Spine for Into the Abyss
Once upon a time in the vast, dark expanse of the Underdark, a network of tunnels and caverns teeming with strange creatures, the balance of life was fragile but enduring. The subterranean factions—drow, duergar, and others—vied for power while coexistence hung by a thread. The adventurers were strangers, prisoners of the drow, fighting for survival in the oppressive depths.
Everyday Life in the Underdark continued its perilous cycle, with factions scheming and monsters prowling the endless shadows. The players, trapped in a drow prison, endured their grim captivity, unaware of a growing madness creeping through the caverns.
Until one day The Demon Lords were unleashed into the Underdark, shattering the fragile balance. Madness began spreading, twisting minds and warping the land itself. The adventurers, escaping their captors, stumbled upon the early signs of this chaos, realizing that something far more dangerous than their imprisonment threatened the world.
Because of that the adventurers embarked on a harrowing journey through the Underdark, uncovering clues about the ritual that brought the Demon Lords into this realm. They encountered allies and enemies, witnessing firsthand the devastation wrought by these chaotic entities. Madness tested their resolve, and factional tensions grew, forcing the players to navigate political intrigue and moral dilemmas.
Because of that the adventurers discovered the ritual's origin, learning of the fragile tether that bound the Demon Lords to the Underdark. They raced to gather the resources, knowledge, and allies needed to stop the chaos, all while fending off factional warfare, environmental corruption, and the direct influence of the Demon Lords themselves.
Until finally the party faced the Demon Lords in a climactic confrontation, using their knowledge and strength to challenge the chaos head-on. The outcome of this battle determined not only the fate of the Underdark but also whether the players could preserve their own sanity and unity.
And ever since then
Success: The adventurers banished the Demon Lords, restoring fragile peace to the Underdark, though scars from the madness and destruction remained.
Failure: The Demon Lords prevailed, plunging the Underdark—and possibly the surface world—into unending chaos and darkness.
Status Quo: Some Demon Lords were defeated, but others lingered, leaving the Underdark in a precarious state of partial recovery and looming danger.
Problems Definition: The challenges, obstacles, and conflicts the players must overcome during the campaign. These can be broken into:
Global Problem: The overarching issue that drives the campaign’s primary narrative, impacting the entire world or setting.
Local Problems: Smaller, more immediate challenges tied to specific characters, regions, or acts, often stemming from the global problem.
Backstory Definition: The personal history of a player character, providing depth and motivation. Backstories often tie into the story arc, creating a personal stake for the character and enhancing roleplay opportunities.
Archetype Definition: An archetype in Dungeons & Dragons is a recurring character concept or narrative role that reflects familiar traits, motivations, or goals. Archetypes serve as a framework for player characters (PCs) and non-player characters (NPCs), offering thematic foundations for their personalities, backstories, and behaviors. These roles help guide storytelling by connecting characters to timeless ideas that resonate with players and the world they inhabit.
Examples of Archetypes
The Reluctant Hero: A character drawn into adventure despite doubts or fears, embodying courage through adversity.
The Wandering Outcast: A loner or exile seeking belonging while navigating internal or external conflicts.
The Driven Avenger: Someone motivated by loss or injustice, often fueled by a personal vendetta.
The Knowledge Seeker: A curious mind in pursuit of truth, discovery, or forbidden secrets.
The Protector: A selfless figure devoted to safeguarding others, even at personal cost.
Resolutions Definition: The outcomes of the players’ actions and decisions, determined through gameplay and dice rolls. Resolutions close out story arcs, acts, and encounters, shaping the narrative and influencing the campaign’s trajectory.
Campaign Creation Process for RPG GMs
The Campaign Creation Process is designed to guide you through the process of creating a campaign, from initial concept to the first session and beyond. It incorporates campaign ideas, structure, organizations and tension. Then it talks about character integration, and structured storytelling to help you plan an engaging and dynamic campaign.
Why I Choose This Path
Story-first campaigns make the game feel alive. Every decision matters, every NPC has a purpose, and every moment feels connected to a bigger picture. With AI in the mix, it’s easier to bring these ideas to life, ensuring every session is memorable.
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