How do I play the preset campaigns? Like, I understand the rules of the game, I've played for a number of years, but it's only ever been homebrew. How do the rules function? I assume there is a plot, and a suggested in game "time limit", dependent on the story. But then, what if your players decide to completely derail at a certain point, what do I do? Please help me to understand.
Depending on the adventure, there may be a plot hook to use at a couple of different locations to keep players doing something story related.
If they go off track, you can try to guide them back to the plot, or embrace the chaos and use the adventure book for ideas to base a side campaign off of.
It's the same as playing in a homebrew setting. At the end of the day, the DM is responsible for bringing the world to life. If the players do something you didn't expect, you improvise.
In my opinion, the key here is cooperation. If all players and the DM have agreed to play a pre-written adventure (either published or a homebrew in the same style) then all need to agree that there is a bit more railroading than might go on in a homebrew sandbox world. The party might find themselves bumping into those invisible walls that exist just to keep us all within the bounds of this game's defined world. A bit more deus ex interventions to keep the story moving along its path, though that story remains uniquely customise to the characters that are taking part in it.
Sometimes, if all else fails you need to just tell them that they need to go left instead of right so they don’t fall so far away from the plot and storyline. It’s not ideal but sometimes as a DM you run out of improvised options to guild them on track in the heat of the game. It’s not easy to run a campaign but like anything, the more you do it, the better you get.
In my opinion, the key here is cooperation. If all players and the DM have agreed to play a pre-written adventure (either published or a homebrew in the same style) then all need to agree that there is a bit more railroading than might go on in a homebrew sandbox world. The party might find themselves bumping into those invisible walls that exist just to keep us all within the bounds of this game's defined world. A bit more deus ex interventions to keep the story moving along its path, though that story remains uniquely customise to the characters that are taking part in it.
THIS
If your group is the kind where the characters have a penchant for chasing plot butterflies, the published adventures may not be the right choice. All of them contain a certain amount of railroading(some more than others, to be sure), since there's an actual storyline already established. Now, there are some side quests included with the published campaigns, so you don't have to beeline it to the Boss Battle. And your DM is free to include extra material if they want. But in the end, the point of those campaign books is to play through the stories they tell.
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How do I play the preset campaigns? Like, I understand the rules of the game, I've played for a number of years, but it's only ever been homebrew. How do the rules function? I assume there is a plot, and a suggested in game "time limit", dependent on the story. But then, what if your players decide to completely derail at a certain point, what do I do? Please help me to understand.
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D&D Beyond FoundersIt's up to you as the DM to use the adventure book as you want.
Personally I use them more as a reference, for the npcs and encounters, but let my players go where they want.
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If you need help with homebrew, please post on the homebrew forums, where multiple staff and moderators can read your post and help you!
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Depending on the adventure, there may be a plot hook to use at a couple of different locations to keep players doing something story related.
If they go off track, you can try to guide them back to the plot, or embrace the chaos and use the adventure book for ideas to base a side campaign off of.
It's the same as playing in a homebrew setting. At the end of the day, the DM is responsible for bringing the world to life. If the players do something you didn't expect, you improvise.
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In my opinion, the key here is cooperation. If all players and the DM have agreed to play a pre-written adventure (either published or a homebrew in the same style) then all need to agree that there is a bit more railroading than might go on in a homebrew sandbox world. The party might find themselves bumping into those invisible walls that exist just to keep us all within the bounds of this game's defined world. A bit more deus ex interventions to keep the story moving along its path, though that story remains uniquely customise to the characters that are taking part in it.
Sometimes, if all else fails you need to just tell them that they need to go left instead of right so they don’t fall so far away from the plot and storyline. It’s not ideal but sometimes as a DM you run out of improvised options to guild them on track in the heat of the game. It’s not easy to run a campaign but like anything, the more you do it, the better you get.
THIS
If your group is the kind where the characters have a penchant for chasing plot butterflies, the published adventures may not be the right choice. All of them contain a certain amount of railroading(some more than others, to be sure), since there's an actual storyline already established. Now, there are some side quests included with the published campaigns, so you don't have to beeline it to the Boss Battle. And your DM is free to include extra material if they want. But in the end, the point of those campaign books is to play through the stories they tell.