DnD Campaign Plot Ideas -

What are good D&D campaign plot ideas? Where can dungeon masters find them? First, let’s address a major concern.

D&D campaign plot ideas and D&D campaign ideas are different things.

DMs should never really think about plot. Plot happens when the protagonists of a story act. Since DMs have no idea what the player characters (the protagonists) will do, thinking of plot is a trap.

Dungeon masters should think about campaign ideas in terms of situations and complications. Situations and complications for D&D can come from a variety of sources. Let’s take a look.

Inspiration for DnD Campaigns

Literature – Books, books, books. Dungeons master should read and mine the books for situations and complications that can be used in D&D campaigns. Obvious choices are The Lord of the Rings and other fantasy novels like A Song of Ice and Fire, Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, The Name of the Wind, and American Gods. However, science fiction, Westerns, and literary works like Moby Dick can provide inspiration for D&D campaigns.

History – Real history is a vast mine for D&D campaigns. Taking situations from history gives dungeon masters complex and realistic campaign ideas. I have interviewed writer and game designer Tristan Zimmerman on my podcast many times he lays out historical situations and we discuss how to use them in your campaigns. Check out the episodes below:

RPG Adventures (Modules) – Of course, there are many published adventures for D&D as well as ready-made campaigns. A perfectly fine option is to just run those as is. However, modules can be mined for ideas and mixed and matched into extremely creative campaigns. Here’s a sample list of adventures from the DMs Guild and DriveThruRPG:

Movies – Movies are an excellent source of Dungeons and Dragons campaigns. Now, this is not to say DMs should run the entire movie as is. Remember, we are not using the plot. DMs should look at the movie and pull out situations and complications. Kidnappings, traps, deals gone sour, theft of land, and defending the weak, are all situations commonly found in movies. All of these make great complications in campaigns.

TV Shows – Just like movies, TV shows provide amazing inspiration for campaigns. Again, use only the situations. Never run the TV show exactly so that players could recognize it. Always think about situations and complications.

Folklore – Folklore is a rich trove of campaign ideas. Many different traditions can be explored. In addition to European folklore or American folklore, African folklore and others can be used.

Campaign Ideas for D&D

D&D campaign ideas are all around us every day. Every book we read, every movie and TV show we watch can provide us with seeds of excellent campaigns. Never worried about plot. Always look for situations and complications to throw at your player characters and then react with how your players handle them.