First Session Survival Guide

Before You Sit Down

• Read the adventure once all the way through. You don't need to memorize it — just know the shape of it, or clone a ready-to-run starter adventure from Campaign Templates such as War of Flowers & Smoke.
• Prep your opening scene. Know exactly how you're going to start. A strong first image ("You awaken in a dew-soaked gully outside Chrysanthemum Castle as wisps of dawn smoke curl around your boots...") sets the tone for everything.
• Have 3 NPC names ready. You will need more than you think. Keep a short list in your Session Planner or use the inline Roll / Auto-Fill button (@Name in any rich-text note) so you're never caught off guard.
• Know the 5 most common rules. Advantage/disadvantage, ability checks, saving throws, initiative, and the action economy. Everything else can be looked up mid-session using the Command Palette (Cmd/Ctrl+K) or the 5e Compendium.

At the Table

Starting Strong

• Open in media res — drop players into an active moment, not a history lecture.
• Give each player one small decision in the first 10 minutes. Engagement starts with agency.
• Paraphrase descriptions in your own words rather than reading boxed text robotically.

Keeping Momentum

• "Yes, and..." beats "no" almost every time. If a player tries something unexpected, find a way to make it interesting rather than shutting it down.
• Make a ruling and keep moving. If you don't know an edge-case rule, make a fair call at the table and check the Rules Reference after the session.
• Stuck on what happens next? Turn the question back to the table: "What does your character do while the others argue?" buys you 60 seconds of breathing room.

Managing the Table

• Quiet players: Check in directly — "Eryn, what is your character thinking right now?"
• Dominant players: Redirect with an NPC addressing another party member or split the spotlight across concurrent actions.
• Rules debates: "Good point — we'll rule it this way tonight and review it before next session."

Combat Basics

1. Roll Initiative: Everyone rolls 1d20 + DEX modifier and acts in order from highest to lowest in the Combat Tracker.
2. On Each Turn: One Action, one Bonus Action (if granted by a feature or spell), and Movement up to the creature's Speed.
3. Common Actions: Attack, Cast a Spell, Dash, Disengage, Dodge, Help, Hide, Ready, Search, Study, Influence, Utilize.
4. Keep It Visual: Describe the fiction, not just the numbers — "The orc staggers back against the gatepost, halberd sparking on the stone" beats "He takes 6 damage."

When Things Go Sideways

The Golden Rules

1. Your job is to make the players the heroes — not to "win" as the DM.
2. Imperfect and fun beats perfect and boring. Always.
3. Prep situations, not scripts. Players will never follow a rigid script.
4. The session ends when everyone had a good time — not only when every room is cleared.

After the Session

• Write 3 sentences in your campaign's Session Recap about what happened — this becomes your living campaign history.
• Note one thing the players loved and lean into it next session.
• Adjust just one thing you'd do differently next time rather than overhauling your entire style.
• Ask your players: "What was your favorite moment tonight?"

Quick DC & Roll Reference