NEED IDEAS FOR MY FIRST SESSION! (Festival Game Mechanics)

Game Master Tips

Hey Everyone!

I need help creating festival game mechanics for my first session of a mini-campaign!

Here's the context:

- I am running an Indiana Jones, Goonies, National Treasure themed game.

- Character Prompt: My players are foster siblings returning home for the first time in years as lvl 2 characters because their foster father has passed away.

- Their home doesn't do funerals for adults. Instead, they have a "celebration of life" to celebrate the person who has passed with games and festivities that reflect the person who died.

- Their home is a small, humble tropical island town that was created from generations of abandoned children who created a community together for survival. These island communities between continents are known as "The Clatters," and the children abandoned here are known as "Clatter Kids."

- Their Fost Father, Thomas Spire, was a kind, quiet protector who raised them in preparation for them to leave home in search of their own adventure/purpose in life. He was a Brawler who had a life of treasure-hunting adventure, though he never spoke of it much. He would rather listen to other people's stories, and he would occasionally flex his abilities when a rowdy or mischievous group would happen to show up in town. He enjoyed a good drink at the tavern and was pleasant to be around, but unless you knew him well from his earlier days, you'd never guess he was once a renowned adventurer and treasure hunter due to his humble nature.

- IMPORTANT: Many of my players are new to DH, so I want to create a variety of activities/events that are thematic to the Celebration of Life that will also serve as an intro to the mechanics of the game to help them adjust to how DH works.

- Extra Info: Player Characters

- Ribbet/Faun Druid, Warden of Elements

- Goblin/Katari Roge, Syndicate

- Galapa/Firbolg Ranger, Wayfinder

- Gnome Warrior, Path of The Slayer

- Clank Wizard, School of Knowledge

I hope this isn't information overload, but I wanted to properly convey the "vibes" I was aiming for.

Let me know what you think and if you have any ideas for interesting activities that I can bake into the intro of the game to help immerse my players and teach them the basics of the game at the same time!

Thank you in advance! This is by far my favorite community on Reddit!

Posted Aug 4, 2025, 4:24 PM UTC

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