Pre-Campaign Player Survey

I. Your Fun & Engagement

1. Think about your favorite D&D moment ever. What made it special?

2. Rate your preference (1-10) for these aspects:

Combat tactics and strategy

5

Character development and personal arcs

5

World exploration and discovery

5

Social interaction and roleplay

5

Puzzle-solving and mysteries

5

Collaborative storytelling

5

3. What makes a session "successful" for you personally? What makes it "bad"?

What needs to happen to leave satisfied vs. what ruins it?

4. What's more satisfying?

A risky plan paying off A smart plan paying off A dramatic sacrifice A clean victory

II. Social Dynamics & Spotlight

5. In group settings, do you tend to:

Lead and drive decisions Support and facilitate Observe and contribute when inspired Focus on your own approach

6. How much spotlight do you want on average?

Low (happy supporting) Medium High (like driving scenes)

7. When another player's character is in crisis, what's your instinct?

Jump in to help Provide emotional support in-character Let them have their moment Depends

8. What's one thing other players do that enhances your experience? What makes you disengage?

III. Decision-Making & Character Choices

9. Under pressure, you usually:

Act fast Gather info Freeze until prompted Look for consensus Crack a joke

10. When you make character decisions, what usually drives them?

Optimal mechanics Story drama What character would do Party benefit Rule of cool

11. Which feels more like "you" at the table?

Loyal Ambitious Curious Cautious Reckless Protective Mischievous Principled

12. What kind of moral choices are fun for you?

Clear good vs evil Gray choices "No good options" Avoid moral dilemmas

IV. Consequences & Character Investment

13. How do you typically handle failure or setbacks for your character?

Lean into it for story Get frustrated Look for solutions Depends

14. How comfortable are you with:

Permanent character changes (injury, curse, reputation):

Love it In moderation Only if I opt-in No thanks

DM-driven story elements affecting your character (secret reveals, consequences):

Love it In moderation Only if I opt-in No thanks

Your character dying in a dramatically appropriate moment:

Embrace it Devastated Depends on context Avoid

15. How do you build connection with your character?

Plan extensively beforehand Discover through play In between

16. What character arcs and themes appeal to you most?

Arcs (select all that apply):

Redemption Growth Corruption Mystery revelation Power progression Relationships

Themes (select all that apply):

Found family Revenge Discovery Power & corruption Romance Tragedy Comedy

V. Structure & Communication

17. What do you prefer?

Clear quests and direction Open sandbox A mix

18. How do you feel about ambiguity (unclear motives, uncertain outcomes)?

Love it Like some Prefer clarity

19. How do you prefer to receive information about the world?

Exploration and discovery Direct exposition Asking questions Visual/audio descriptions

20. If you're confused about something, do you:

Ask immediately Try to figure it out first Wait for a natural break Assume you'll understand

21. How comfortable are you with (1-10):

Improvising dialogue in character

5

Making tactical decisions under pressure

5

Describing actions cinematically

5

Playing out emotional character moments

5

22. How direct do you want feedback when something's not working?

Very direct Gentle Private only I'll bring it up if needed

VI. Format Preferences

23. Preferred table vibe:

Focused Relaxed Party energy Cinematic immersion

24. For in-person play: How important is atmosphere (lighting, music, props, terrain)?

Critical Helpful Nice to have Doesn't matter

Physical comfort needs (breaks, food allergies, etc.)?

25. For online play:

What platform setup do you have? (mic/cam/headphones, second monitor)

What tools help you stay engaged? (VTT maps, dynamic lighting, etc.)

Main challenges with virtual sessions?

VII. Your D&D Background

26. Years playing:

27. Approximate hours played:

In-person:

Online:

28. Online platforms used:

(Roll20, Foundry VTT, Fantasy Grounds, D&D Beyond, Discord, etc.)

29. WotC modules and settings you've played:

(List any completed or significantly played)

VIII. Scheduling & Availability

30. Sweet spot session length:

31. How many sessions can you commit to per month?

In-person:

0 1 2 3 4+ Flexible

Online:

0 1 2 3 4+ Flexible

Maximum total (combined):

32. Preferred days/times:

In-person:

Online:

33. Your realistic reliability level:

Very consistent Usually Sometimes Chaos schedule

34. If you miss a session, you prefer:

Character fades to background Someone pilots me Reschedule Write me out temporarily

IX. The Big Picture

35. What does D&D provide for you that other hobbies don't?

36. What's something you wish DMs knew about you as a player?

X. The Gold Questions

37. What is one thing you really want to experience in this campaign?

38. What's one thing you absolutely do not want?

39. If I could perfectly tailor the game to you, what would change?