Guide sections

Prep workflow

Move through the guided session prep flow, assign creations, handle carryovers, and prepare the next game.

The prep flow itself works on any subscription level. The engine story suggestions described near the end are an AI feature and need a subscription.

Starting the flow

Open a session and click Start Session Prep (it reads Continue Session Prep once you’ve begun). You can also do everything piecemeal on the session page - the flow just sequences it for you so nothing gets forgotten. For the underlying fields and lifecycle, see Session plans.

The steps

The prep page is an assignment board plus a readiness pass. You don’t have to fill in everything - attach what matters and skip what doesn’t.

The assignment board

The board has three columns for how you intend to use each creation you attach:

  • Planned - you expect it to come up this session.
  • Backup - ready in case the session goes that way.
  • Reference - background to look up if you need it.

Use Add Creation to attach NPCs, locations, encounters, items, and Campaign Markers to a column. For each one you can add prep notes and a planned role so you know at a glance what it’s there for.

Readiness and final review

A readiness checklist and a prep-notes area give you a final pass - confirm content is linked, objectives are captured, and you’re ready to run. Clearing it is your cue to move the session’s status from Planning to Ready (see Session plans for the full lifecycle).

Suggestions

Open the Suggestions drawer for AI-generated prep ideas tailored to where your campaign actually is. See Story Prep Suggestions below.

Story prep suggestions (“the muse”)

While you prep, Campaign Familiar can offer story ideas tailored to where your campaign actually is. Open the Suggestions drawer from the flow (a count badge tells you how many are waiting) to see a handful of AI-generated prep ideas - typically three to five per session.

Each suggestion is written for the table and comes with:

  • A prep-time estimate - so you can tell a quick five-minute add from something that needs a half-hour
  • Player hooks - how the idea connects to your party’s goals and the threads they care about

The Muse is aware of your campaign’s story arcs and active threads, so its ideas push the current narrative forward rather than offering generic prompts. Refresh to generate a fresh set, and dismiss the ones that don’t fit.

These story suggestions are different from the background suggestions that flag forgotten creations and stale threads - the Muse proposes what to do next, while background suggestions point out what you might have missed. Both are AI features and use your monthly allowance; your campaign data goes straight to the engine provider (Anthropic), with no Campaign Familiar server in between and no API key to manage.