Hey, so,

A LOT goes into running a D&D campaign, so I usually like doing a few prep sessions before we actually start playing. Mostly because:

• there’s genuinely a lot to prepare (story stuff, NPCs, music/sound effects, cool moments, your characters, etc.)
• I’d rather spread the prep out into smaller, easier sessions instead of doing everything in one massive info dump
• it helps everyone get comfortable with each other and the game before Session 1

What to expect before our first session aka the actual game:

• DM Library Session
  Basically this session. We’ll go through all the table stuff — house rules, scheduling, expectations, boundaries, tools we’ll be using, how I run games, and anything else that helps everyone stay on the same page.
  
  
• Campaign Ideas Session
  Can be online or offline. This is where we figure out what kind of campaign we actually want to play together — more serious or chaotic, horror or adventure, roleplay-heavy or combat-heavy, etc. We’ll also talk about early character ideas, party dynamics, and any cool concepts people want to explore.
  
  
• World & Lore Session
  Optional/as needed, especially for bigger campaigns. This is where I lore dump all the important world information your character would realistically know — major factions, locations, history, gods, politics, weird rumors, and general setting vibes. Think of it as your character’s “background knowledge.”
  
  
• Character Creation Session
  Optional/as needed, especially for newer players. We’ll build your character sheet together, help you understand your class/race/background, figure out your backstory, and tie your character into the world and the party naturally.
  
  
• Session 0
  The final prep session before the campaign properly begins. Usually includes a final lore recap, party introductions, roleplay, and sometimes even a short combat or story encounter (often canon). This is basically the “test drive” session where you get a feel for your character before the real adventure starts, and you can still make changes if something doesn’t click.
  
  
• Session 1
  The actual start of the campaign — where the story begins, bad decisions are made, emotional attachment forms immediately, and the dice start deciding everyone’s fate.

At the end of the day, all of this is just to make sure everyone’s comfortable, excited, and properly immersed before we jump in. D&D is at its best when everyone’s invested in the world, their characters, and each other — so the more groundwork we do now, the better the actual campaign will feel later.

Also, prep sessions are fun. We get to talk about cool ideas, dumb ideas, and occasionally accidentally create major plot points before the game even starts.

Anyway — welcome to the campaign.
Bring snacks, bring chaos, and try not to get emotionally attached to NPCs too quickly.

See you at the table.