Dungeon Masters, are you planning a long running campaign and already find yourself day dreaming about the big climatic battle with the BBEG before your campaign has even started? It’s fairly common amongst DM’s to get caught in this trap, so be careful… Having your entire campaign outlined before it’s even started can very easily put you in a narrative corner. No matter how well you know your party, it’s impossible to know how they will evolve throughout the course of the story. They Might latch on to plot hooks, NPC’s or locations that you just didn’t expect.
This is why I recommend making the first arc of your campaign overall unrelated to the big picture of the narrative you have planned. Having the first arc be contained to one challenge, issue, or task allows you as the DM to adapt your subsequent plot hooks to your players developing actions and interests.
Now, this doesn’t mean you can’t have a tentative roadmap of the rest of your campaign and subtly foreshadow what’s to come. I’d actually recommend that! But, if they choose to go a different route than what you planned, it won’t be nearly as big of a deal and you can simply shift focus from one plot hook to another. Sometimes, it’s better to plan small before you plan big! Happy gaming!
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