The DCC luminaries will tell you (and I agree) that the best DCC adventures come from when you craft custom quests that let the players follow their own stories.
However, I see questions on a regular basis from folks just starting out with DCC RPG that want advice on how to link the excellent published adventures together into a campaign. I’ve run several such campaigns, and I think there can be plenty of opportunity to craft custom quests within a pre-defined “Adventure Path”. I’ve put together this article to help folks who want ideas on how to plan out their own!
For each of the adventure paths I lay out below, I include places where you can hook into your PCs goals and personal quests.
In general, I try and specify way to get to at least 8th level; there are currently no published adventures higher than that.
If you are looking for another great take on the DCC Adventure Path, check out The Known Realms Hexcrawl Starter by Jason Abdin in the 2019 Gongfarmer’s Almanac.
Skip the tips, and go direct to the Paths⬇
Tips for Running DCC RPG Adventure Paths
This section has a list of tips that apply to all the Adventure Paths. These are tips I’ve gleaned from running a number of campaigns over the years.
Tip #1: Trust the Module
After running hundreds of carefully-constructed public RPG events in the last 30 years, I really struggled with the open-ended nature of many of the encounters presented in DCC RPG published modules.
I actually changed quite a few things the first time I ran DCC. I was trying to tighten things up, and take out things I thought the players would hate.
But after running a number of modules, I found that the more I leaned into them, the more creative my players became. I couldn’t believe what insane solutions they came up with to solve what appeared to be impossible scenarios. The best times at the table always came from not having a solution in mind, and trusting the players to come up with something cool. It requires a lot less “is this in the rules?” and a lot more of “why not?”.
Tip #2: Run A Level 0 Adventure
If you have players coming from other systems, they may balk at playing a Level 0 adventure. This is common. But it’s worth it, and a key feature of the game. It’s worth fighting for, even if you and your group are hesitant. Level 0 play really sets the tone for a campaign, and as you will see, even Level 0 characters can take on demigods and save the world in DCC RPG.
Like many things in DCC, I am always impressed with how quickly players get the idea once you hand them each 4 randomly-created Level 0 PCs. If they haven’t spent hours investing in creating each one, they feel a lot more OK with them perishing to the terrors of the funnel.
When they haven’t poured themselves into a concept, putting the hopes and dreams of the whole campaign into a single character, they can quickly adapt to losing characters, especially since losing a character doesn’t mean the player’s fun is over. This doesn’t mean they won’t become invested in their characters — quite the opposite. Players cling to their funnel survivors, and remember well the hard-won tale that formed the basis of the campaign.
I highly encourage heading over to Purple Sorcerer and generating a big stack of Level 0 characters, and letting players draw a sheet of 4 randomly. They will quickly choose a favorite, and that character is almost guaranteed to be the first one to perish. But their fun doesn’t end when a PC dies, and there are plenty of places in Sailors for them to find new characters — and maybe one they find will be their new favorite!
Here is a link to my preferred settings to generate random Level 0 characters. I print the sheets, and cut them apart into individual characters to make a big shuffled pile that they each draw from. When they find new characters, they can just draw a new one. You can also get the “Dead” stamp to memorialize characters as they perish, which makes an engaging moment as players record the cause of death and say a few words.
You will find that the PCs that survive the funnel will take on a new life of their own. Characters with terrible stats that no one would have picked become beloved. Rather than crafting a backstory for their character at home, they craft the story of their character at the table.
For players concerned with having characters with terrible stats, it helps to note that the modifier bands for stats in DCC RPG are much more broad than in other RPGs — so you can have fairly low or ‘medium’ stats, and not have truly terrible modifiers.
Tip #3: Run One Module Per Level
This is controversial; so controversial that I’ve included additional modules per level, especially at levels 2–4, where most people want to spend the more time. But hear me out.
If you are in a situation where you really meet every week, and can play for 4–6 hours every session, and have a group that sticks together for years, and your group is used to play where you spend lots of time at each level, then feel free to play as many modules per level as you want.
But DCC RPG published adventures are epic. And are a serious accomplishment once complete. I find there is a lot of fun to be had exploring the journey of a character as they journey through the levels, and then doing that all over again with another set of characters. The game does get more challenging to play and run at the highest levels, but the events also become more and more tremendous.
I’ve also run enough campaigns in our modern times to find that players crave character ability evolution; and many players find that more than 2–3 modules per level starts to become a bit tedious. You can rail against it all you want, and maybe your group is different. I encourage you to give it a try. I think you may find it more satisfying to explore all of the Adventure Paths presented here than grind through one.
To run run module per level, I simply have everyone level up their characters after each module.
Tip #4: Run a Module in 2–3 Sessions of 3–4 Hours Each
It depends on how the group plays — if they explore every nook and cranny of every place they visit, a published module could easily be 14–20 hours of play. I typically try and get through a module in 2 hours of 3–4 hours each, but some are definitely longer than others. Most modules have big bang endings, and so that may not let the players go back and search through every room.
Tip #5: Make Maps Ahead of Time
I use Gaming Paper and draw out the entire module’s maps before play; and cover the map with card stock sheets. I pull those off as the map gets explored.
Many times I have players comment about how excited they are every time they sit down to a new map. It saves a ton of time, makes the game run smoothly, and adds a real sense of exploration. It also helps engagement, since people always want to know what is around the corner.
For online play, I built the original version of the DCC RPG system for Foundry VTT. I love being able to explore maps, and see clearly where everyone is, as well as automating many rolls, and seeing the wonderfully responsive Dice So Nice almost hit the number you are hoping for and then roll off.
Tip #6: Use Luck Liberally
A wonderful feature of DCC RPG is the ability to spend Luck to influence the narrative. Encouraging this at every opportunity will make your games more fun. You need to give out a few Luck points at then end of every adventure to encourage this — otherwise it will become too precious and players won’t spend it.
I suggest a cap of 18 for Luck, or Thieves and Halflings can really accrue points.
But the more you make them spend, the more fun you will have. Rolls are very swingy in this game, and Luck is how players can choose when they really need things to succeed.
Controversially, I suggest that players can spend Luck to change the face of the die — for example to cause a roll to become a crit, or cause a Deed Die to hit a particular number. This is well supported by many DCC Judges, while others consider it anathema. But if you set high Deed Die numbers to let Warriors and Dwarves accomplish great things, they can spend Luck to actually make those things happen, much like Wizards and Spellburn. Trust me — it makes the game a lot more fun.
The Adventure Paths
Path 1: The OG — This path uses the oldest published modules, and gives the ‘classic DCC’ experience. Unless you are hungry for something different or specific, this is where I recommend you start. This one uses mostly modules from author Harley Stroh.
Path 2: The Dreamers — This path starts off with a specific Level 0 adventure that sets a “dreamy” tone for the campaign, and gives a more otherworldly, plane-hopping feel than the OG Adventure Path. Still a classic DCC RPG experience, and requires no additional setting supplements. This one uses mostly modules from author Michael Curtis.
Path 3: Lankhmar — this path requires the DCC RPG “Lankhmar” supplement, and is focused on a more gritty campaign with no clerics, and a lot more urban adventures.
Path 4: The Purple Planet — this path requires the DCC RPG “Purple Planet” supplement, and is a “John Carter”-style planet crawl that still feels more fantasy than sci-fi, but is a lot more sci-fi than the other Adventure Paths. (Coming Soon)
Path 5: The Shudder Mountains — this path requires the DCC RPG “Chained Coffin” supplement, and has a fantasy-Appalachia feel. This one was actually very popular among my players, since it had such incredible vibe.
Check out the follow-up to this article, with 3 more Adventure Paths!
