Run a good first session

Use GM adventure as your adventure, not as a speech to read in full. Its suggested order is dock, bridge, chapel, then a short epilogue. Let the players' decisions change that order when it makes sense.

Begin with the player brief and one question for each character: Why are you willing to help Willowmere tonight? Teach one move and one roll, then read Nessa's opening request from the run sheet. You can describe her normally; a special voice is optional.

Follow a simple conversation loop: describe what the characters can perceive, ask what they want to do, clarify their approach, resolve any meaningful uncertainty, and describe what changes. Ask a quieter player what their character is doing before one person makes every decision.

At the bridge, give players visible options and welcome their own. At the chapel, explain Tamsin's dilemma promptly; discovering the next scene should not require guessing a password or succeeding on one die roll. Before asking for a risky roll, explain what a setback could mean.

This adventure can finish without combat. If your chosen game includes a fight, prepare that encounter using its rules and your actual party's abilities, and rehearse combat controls separately. The supplied adventure makes no claim of D&D combat balance and needs no enemy stat blocks to reach a satisfying ending.

Finish with the consequences of the party's plan. Give each player a closing moment, ask what they enjoyed or found confusing, and write down promises, changed relationships, and the next destination. Schedule the next session before everyone leaves.