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How Long Should An Adventure Be? (Extended) (Patreon)

Published:
2024-05-14 17:51:40
Imported:
2026-06
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Videos

Content

PDM reacts to Coleville and shares his own 6 encounter adventure.

Files

Previews only

How Long Should An Adventure Be

Comments

Bagel-Man

Excited to watch Professor! Keep up the great work

Thierry Lussagnet

Great advice. On the long run meta plot can be intertwine in each adventure by the DM but it should came from the player actions and leads. The idea is to put a few hook here and there and show which thread the players want to unfold to built from that. No need to have a whole campaign plot from the start, just an idea of what the world around the first session is. It spare the players some lore dump from the start and let them involve in the setting at their pace and it let you built just what it's needed for everyone to enjoy and brings you tons of ideas just by listening to what you're player are thinking in game. It's funny because it's something i did instinctively when i was a young DM at a time i could have do some massive prep and that i lost in my 20's & 30's when i tried to force long haul campaigns and their grand plots on my players.

Chris Baker

Heads up: a spelling error on "Mutual of Omaha" scroll at bottom

Ben McInnis

Geritol and Mutual of Omaha, I love it!

Steven Sweet

I'm glad you're taking care of your health. As cliche as it is to say, it's the most important thing.

GM James

Hey professor! Great video as always, fantastic advice for new GMs and veterans alike. Best wishes for a speedy recovery of health!

Declan Riordan

I hope you have a speedy recovery. If you are interested in a fitness program, I am available. For you: $0

Declan Riordan

I have been a personal trainer for 16 years. I work with doctors to develop wellness programs.

Justin Watson

Super cool video. Random question sparked from evil Wizard encounter—do you roll miscast chance for them as well?

Scott Spears

I lean towards more episodic campaigns. My mind can't hold months of info. Glad to hear you are prioritizing your health. Take it easy.

Scott

Thanks for another great video. Hope you get back on track with your health!

Graham Kane

Great video! I go episodic for the reasons you mention. It's far easier to pivot in the direction of your players' interest if you don't have some grand plot getting in the way! And all the best in your recovery!

MrGunn

Dear Professor: Thanks for sharing your situation with us, I hope your health improves. I very much enjoyed this video. Note, I think your editor may be taking liberties with cheap cracks about your age. Best, MrGunn PS DB, I don't think you are cut out for a career comedy, best stick with your day job, murder-hoboing and dark quips, your evening job should remain carousing, obviously.

Saltheart

God Bless! Prayers for a Fantastic Outcome to the Treatments... :-) And I Love the Episodic Approach... I imagine just Planning "The Next" Session and not mapping out the whole Campaign helps the DM not to (un)intentionally "Railroad" the Players in a specific direction --- so that when they surprise you with a decision during a play session, you can adapt more easily for next time! :-)

SJBehindtheScreen

The dreaded Mutal of Omaha! :) Do take care of yourself, PDM. Hoping your treatment is effective. After DMing many moons, I'm just realizing your wisdom of planning only the next session. I've noticed that long-planned (or bought) large campaigns have lots of "filler" adventures. Sessions that aren't that exciting in an attempt to stitch the fun parts together. Screw that, I've learned. Lead with the best you got, make the next session bonkers and then go from there!

Atlas

Praying for you PDM. Thank you for all the content and your dedication to the game and the Patrons.

samurguybri

I’m in education am only slightly younger than you and what you are going through resonates so strongly with me. My health is not great: weight up, excercise down, strength down, stress in schools is very high, COVID still ripples in the system. I’ve had COVID twice, even though I’m vaxxed and it kicked my butt. So many emergent health problems. I have to face the music and take care of myself. I’ve transferred to a lower stress and responsibility position , with the loss of tons of creative freedom and amazing coworkers. I need to have the space both to take care of myself, but also be better at taking care of my family and be more creative. Rambling, but I wish you well and hope your journey towards increased health is a good one.

Lee Dunning

It's so easy to drop the ball on staying fit. So often, it isn't until something makes a huge negative impact on your lives that we start to play catchup. I'm glad you're taking your health seriously, Professor, and I hope you can get the weight off and start feeling better. Thank you so much for sharing your ideas and philosophy on running games. I've been playing for years, and it's so easy to get caught up in the long-haul-adventure instead of simply enjoying the moment.

NØKKEN_WAITS

Best of luck with the recovery, discipline ain't easy, but thats why it takes discipline! A great frustrating irony. Awesome video as always. Thats the philosophy I carry with the game I run. I tend to run in arcs, adventures that last 3-8 sessions or so. Not bad when we play ALMOST weekly for 2-3 hours. Players come and go, and come back and go again. Theres a rotating crew of around 8, with about 5 in the chairs on average. Been going since 2019!

Atlee Hunt

Good luck on the health journey! Excellent video as always!

A Name Apart

Good luck on your health journey. Recently I have been trying to lose weight and have had luck by deliberately reducing the "hyperpalatability" of my food (I cannot just eat one) but if I just have a cup of plain oatmeal with two scoops of chocolate protein powder I do NOT want to have a second serving of that for at least 4 hours :)

Sid Stubbe

Another amazing video, Professor! I read 5 Room Dungeons by Johnn Four just a couple months ago, so these videos from different YouTubers discussing how large a dungeon should be are all very timely for me. This book freed me from my reliance on published modules, though I still use them for inspiration. I save a lot of prep time but the sessions that I run have been more satisfying because I can better tailor the storylines to the characters. Also, my wife's brother is a high school math teacher and the poor guy has two stents in his heart and cirrhosis of the liver, and he's definitely not a heavy drinker so it's not from alcohol abuse. So enjoy your sabbatical, get your steps in, cut back on carbs and sugar, and your doctor will be reducing your prescriptions in no time.

Rod Thomson

As a fellow teacher who started playing D&D when it first hit shelves, I appreciate everything you create and share with us. I hope your healing journey goes as smoothly as possible and ends with the best outcomes!

Jay

PDM, I really enjoyed the concepts you presented here and WILL without a doubt be using them at my table. I agree that adventures should be limited to the session and precisely for the reasons you mentioned. Moreover, as for your health, my sentiments would only echo the thoughtful and kind sentiments expressed in this thread by my fellow patrons. I believe they said it all and wish you well. For those who may be interested, Mantic games are having a sale on Terrain Crate miniatures, and some are as much as 50% off until May 20. Also, Infinite Black has restocked their 1UP Dice. They aren’t just regular dice and may be worth checking them out. NO, I don’t get anything for telling you all this. I just thought I would attempt to be helpful and mention for those in the market for some cool stuff. Mantic – Terrain Crate Sale Stuff - https://www.manticgames.com/terrain-crate/fantasy/ Infinite Black – 1UP Dice - https://www.infiniteblack.com/collections/1up-dice

Daniel Defazio
>>138031661

Teaching is a marathon. I tell young teachers to hit the gym, eat veggies, and hire a personal trainer. AND hoard money and sick days. The road is a long one.

A Name Apart
>>138074428

I used to eat Greek yogurt with granola but it TASTED TOO GOOD so I would want more and more :)

jnlsn family

Glad to hear you're finally going to the gym PDM, love ya buddy and hope everything turns out o.k.!

Christopher Gauci

Hey PDM. I know you keep certain details to yourself but I'm a physician and if there is anything you want to bounce my way for an opinion or just to chat feel free. gchrisg@gmail.com.

Christopher Gauci

As usual super videos. I really enjoy them bo matter the subject matter. Take care. Continue doing what you do when you feel like and thanks for everything.

Scott Mckay

Get well soon! Regarding weight loss, I understand how you feel. I also gained more weight than I wanted but managed to lose 4 stone. It's worth the effort—you'll be amazed at how much it helps. Exercise is important, but diet is key.

Cee-Jay

Best wishes on your health, PDM. BTW, you are the best thing on YouTube, as far as I'm concerned.

The Blind Bard

So sorry to hear. Prayers for a successful treatment and a speedy recovery! Jon and I love your show and look forward to your weekly uploads. Please know that if you do slow down and don’t post for a while, will be here waiting for you when you get back.

Megatron

Hey PDM please check you messages.