The struggle of finding a good time for everyone to start a new Dungeons & Dragons campaign is a real struggle. So many games end up just falling through because scheduling with one friend is already hard enough, but multiple?! Impossible…or so it seems. Current comic book writer Kieron Gillen has us all covered with a few golden rules to keep the game alive. Here’s how you can make sure your Dungeons & Dragons game schedule operates smoothly.
Gillen was in a pub with a friend who complained to them about yet another game of D&D falling through. I guess Gillen had enough because he wrote, “[imagine] all these decades of people wasting time, just waiting for that one player to be free on Friday.” Now be warned, Gillen’s rules for scheduling your Dungeons & Dragons games without fail are pretty strict but also happen to make for a good baseline if your party is having trouble sustaining a campaign.
Gillen’s core rules are as follows:
1. The Dungeon Master sets a regular time to play.
2. The game happens on that night, with whoever turns up.
3. The only time a date moves is if the DM can’t make that time or if literally no other player can make it.
To solve the Dungeons & Dragons schedule problem altogether, Gillen wrote the rules as a patch “fixing” the new 2024 edition of the D&D Player’s HandbookOpens in a new tab. It neatly fits in right after page eight. So your entire party can familiarize themselves with the new course of action for setting up games. The actual page goes much deeper, covering what to do when the dungeon master is missing and during your first session.
Writing about his rules for scheduling Dungeons & Dragons games, Gillen said, “This is probably overkill, but it breaks my heart, and made me laugh. You can’t resist yourself sometimes. It is actively strange that RPG folks write rules about everything, but have avoided giving actual advice on basic play culture ideas. Generations after generations of players, falling into this particular trap. No more, I say.”
You can view and download a PDF of Gillen’s “Scheduling Games” page for the Player’s Handbook on his website hereOpens in a new tab. And hey, if your Dungeons & Dragons game never falls through again and stays exactly on schedule, you know who to thank.