The Lost Mine of Phandelver (Part 1 Cragmaw Hideout)

The Lost Mine of Phandelver is a classic, one of the very first mini-campaigns that new players run. Hell, it's part of the starter set, after all! The issue, though, as with many other modules, is that it doesn't describe the best way to transform the book's contents into an actual session. The Book to session conversion can be difficult between figuring out when things should happen, to understanding motivations, and even organizing encounters.

Well, fortunately for you, 99% of that work is done! Only a few things are really left:

• Read the module, I know surprising, but It can be extremely confusing when you don't know where everything leads to.

• Consider the needs of your group. As you've heard or are about to hear a million times, every table is different. If you plan on combining this with a campaign, you'll have to make tweaks here and there.

• These notes aren't meant to be the end-all-be-all. Tweak to your heart's content, and don't consider any of what's written to be set in stone. For me having notes like this helps give me the confidence to go off the rails and follow along with what my players want. It helps me understand where things were meant to go and why. Having that understanding allows me to guide the players and create other new and interesting stories. These are all things that will come with experience, though, so don't freak out and enjoy the journey!

Without further ado:

• Link to: The AAA Collection

• Link to: Intro + Cragmaw Hideout Playlist

• (Heroes + Legends) Link to: Parts 1-5 Compilation

Included in The AAA Collection are:

• Downloadable copy of DM Notes, including links to music tracks for ambiance and fights

• (New) DM Notes for the Visually Impaired

• Special PDFs for all the encounters. This includes all the enemies' stat blocks organized neatly, along with an initiative tracker and a spot to mark HP.

• An additional PDF with Sildars' stats should he join the party as an ally

• Custom maps of Cragmaw Hideout. I enlarged and printed this out for my players as a battle map! (Credits: Azalkor and Go_Ravens)

Index:

The Lost Mine of Phandelver:

• Part 1 - Intro and Cragmaw Hideout

• Part 2a - Phandalin

• Part 2b - Redbrand Hideout

• Part 3a - Reign of Iron

• Part 3b - Thundertree

• Part 3c - Cragmaw Castle

• Part 4 - Wave Echo Cave

• Part 5 - Side Quests

Over 6 dozen other Fully Prepped One-Shots, Adventures, and Campaigns: Click Here

If you see something you think I can improve, add, change, etc., please let me know. I want this to be an amazing resource for all DMs and plan to keep it constantly updated!

Cheers,
Advent

Credits:
Art & Campaign: Wizards of The Coast

*Revision 2 (1/8/25)