How do I create a Game Template?

Now that you have signed up as a Game Master on StartPlaying, you'll need to make some games! 

You first make a Game Template, then create an Adventure, then schedule a Session. Only then will your game appear in Games Search. 

Templates contain all of the information about your game except dates and times. Your Game Template will be like an outline for your Adventures. When we create an Adventure, it will pull all its information from the Game Template.

It usually takes about 48 hours for your templates to get approved.

Navigate to your Game Templates

1. Click on your Profile Picture at the top right corner
2. Click on "Game Templates"
3. Click "Create game template"

Upload your template image 

This will be like your Adventures profile picture or cover image. The most important thing to remember here is that you are not allowed to use any licensed art in your game listing, including cover art or any images from the modules you are running. Any art you use here must either be license-free, or you must have the right to use it. We have a whole Google Drive folder filled with art we have made available to you.

Name Your Game

If a new D&D adventure comes out, you will probably want to run it. So is everyone else. You can have a game in Eberron that isn't named "Eberron." Put a little creativity into the name, and it will help you stand out from the crowd of others submitting that same adventure.

Game Description

Descriptions are incredibly important because they are used to sell your game to players. When we look over games for approval, we want to see 3 - 5 paragraphs in the description of the game so that new players can learn about the game before applying to it. (There is a minimum character limit of 300.)

Game Platforms

This section is where you will list where the game is played, such as VTT or voice call platform. Do you use Zoom or Discord? Maybe you've used Roll20 for maps or like to do Theater of the Mind. List all of that here.

Session Cost

The session cost is the cost per player per session. Each player in your game will pay this for every game that they play. You can edit the prices in your templates at any time.

Session Duration

The duration you list here is the estimated time you will be playing. I always recommend that you keep this as close to the actual time you believe it will take instead of trying to keep a wide window.

Game Systems

Here you will list the game you are running. Is this Pathfinder? D&D? The Witcher RPG? List out the game system you are using. You only want to list the game system that is actually tied to this game, so don't list multiple unless you are using multiple for some reason. If the system you plan to run isn't listed here, reach out to support, and they will add it for you.

Game Themes

This is where you will tag the game with various things like High Fantasy, Gothic Horror, Wacky, or even Vikings! Make sure that you only list tags that accurately describe the game you will be running. Most of the D&D 5e adventure modules will pop up if you enter their name into this section. Our system ignores games with more than five tags, so make sure to keep it at five.

Player Age Range

What ages is this game intended for? "All Ages" is the wrong tag if it's a mature game. Likewise, if you plan on allowing children into the game, "18+" is misleading. Once you have selected the one you want to use, click on "Next."

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Gameplay Details and Safety Tools

Safety Tools are extremely important for ensuring that all players have a good time and feel safe doing so. You must select at least one safety tool from the checklist and use it in the games attached to this template. All of the safety tools in this section are explained in depth here, and each safety tool has a brief description if you hover over the blue icon next to the name on the checklist. 

These tools can also help prep your future sessions, so think of them more as player retention tools. Stars and Wishes is a favorite for this purpose.

Additional Details & Content Warnings

This box can be used to describe anything you want people to know about ahead of time that you think may be triggering for some players. This can also be where you cover your planned use of safety tools in greater detail or explain any house rules you intend to implement. All games listed on StartPlaying are required to have content warnings.

What Can Players Expect?

This section uses dropdowns to set the various levels of combat/tactics, roleplay, puzzles, and experience needed a player can expect in your game. This is very helpful for players when they are searching for games.

Once finished filling this section out click "Next".

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How Will Character Creation happen?

Do you have any special guidelines or restrictions for character creation? Do you prefer players to roll for stats or take standardized abilities? Do you have your players create their characters in DnDBeyond? Here is the place to make this information known. There is a minimum of 150 characters required in this section.

We recommend that you have pre-generated characters ready for your game, as many players book sessions on the same day as play.

How Should Your Players Prepare?

There are few things worse for players than showing up excited for their first session of a new campaign, only to learn that they don't actually get to play. Perhaps they didn't know they needed to have a character ready, so they spend the whole first session making one. This section prevents that from happening by telling players exactly what they need to bring to game night. This also applies to any tech they need to set up, such as chat service accounts or a working webcam. There is a minimum of 150 characters required in this section.

What Will You Bring?

If you have any fun extras that set your game apart, here's where you can list them. Think things like animated VTT maps, custom soundtracks, or original art. There is no character limit here so have

Once you have finished filling out all the information on the game template, click the red "Submit" button to send it for approval! You can expect your Template to be reviewed and approved in 1-2 days. Once your game has been approved, you can create an adventure from it and have it listed in Games Search!