Writing, managing, and expanding campaigns.
15
votes
6answers
420 views
What would clever creatures do to protect their lair?
(This question is for fantasy worlds like in D&D and other such games.)
Usually, as the adventuring party goes up in ability, they end up facing stronger and more powerful characters. Let's say ...
17
votes
8answers
380 views
What's a good method for making cultures differ?
Just read through a great question (on getting players to play in line with their characters' cultures) and it got me thinking:
What do you do to make the cultures in your setting differ?
Let's say ...
12
votes
4answers
175 views
What are some tips for writing a novel from a campaign?
I am sure there are many GMs or player groups out there with this same idea of writing a novel out of their campaign, even if jokingly. I have been GMing a campaign for some years now and I am ...
33
votes
7answers
1k views
Pre-modern farming: What percent of the population is in agriculture?
I'm running a premodern setting where the characters will be involved in local administration. Assuming no magic, how many farmers does it take to support one non-farmer? Any statistics/estimates ...
19
votes
5answers
2k views
Tips for running a successful and engaging campaign WITHOUT combat?
I'm thinking of starting my own campaign with a few of my friends with me as DM, primarily because I wasn't extremely impressed with the campaign my friend was DMing. When I started thinking about the ...
6
votes
3answers
240 views
How to play a Templar Knight
I am looking to create a character that is a member of a monastic order of Templar Knights. The game setting is a historical one set around the 1200s. Thus, I am looking at source material for ...
9
votes
1answer
136 views
Playing a pregame, how to keep sense of continuity in campaign
My players and I are currently playing a "pre-game" for a whole campaign I have written. I want the players to be aware of the "how did it get to be this way", so I make them play two games 4000 and ...
5
votes
4answers
224 views
How to avoid the feeling of railroading in my campaign pregame?
This question is related to my other question. Please see that one for campaign background, rather than me repeating it all here.
I don't want the players to feel "trapped" and forced into a ...
7
votes
3answers
403 views
Adapting literary works into RPG adventures
Beowulf is a classic tale which has been translated many times and has had many film adaptations. Seamus Heaney's new translation and Frederick Rebsame's translation
are good starts if you have not ...
10
votes
4answers
212 views
Do I need to stat out & measure everything?
I am preparing a session that contains a fair amount of absurdity. Many of the creatures and situations that my players will encounter will probably not be encountered again.
On the one hand, I know ...
0
votes
0answers
92 views
Player-versus-player: going up against a pre-made team [closed]
Well, our enemy has like a perfect balance. The 'evil' side of the board has this crazy warrior with incredible attack speed, a tanky paladin who has almost unlimited healing power, a mage that ...
8
votes
3answers
371 views
How to write in-character introduction to new players for a new game background
So, I have this uber cool game world and I want to run a super cool game in it. It should not really matter what genre for this, but let us assume it is fantasy. Instead of either a long conversation ...
6
votes
6answers
195 views
Any good resources for would-be authors of a line of gaming products?
Were you to move into authoring RPG material, where would you go to for advice?
Edit for clarity: I am thinking of publishing a whole line of gaming products. However, I am not adverse to hearing ...
12
votes
6answers
265 views
Speed up campaign development
I'm making a campaign, and it's going fairly nicely. However, I found out that my group is able to meet this week, which I didn't expect. So instead of having 9 days to find time to prepare, I have 2 ...
9
votes
3answers
2k views
List of freely available D&D books and resources [closed]
I'm trying to amass a list of D&D books and or resources to use in my DM-ing, like D&D Maps, 83 free D&D adventures, etc. The books can be about a particular Realm or about generic ...
16
votes
3answers
277 views
What would the life of a child be like in a medieval setting?
The basis for an adventure I'm writing is a child. He is extremely intelligent and had a knack for magic at a very young age, but he has a mental disorder (something similar to Asperger's syndrome).
...
9
votes
1answer
2k views
What is the best first adventure to run in D&D 4e?
I am very new to Dungeons and Dragons 4e. I recently picked all the necessary books and surprisingly low priced pound of dice from eBay. I have also coaxed my friends into giving it a shot while I ...
22
votes
8answers
707 views
How do you discourage “player knowledge” as a GM?
As a trivial random encounter is winding down, a player thinks "That was too easy... The GM wouldn't give us an encounter that doesn't give XP," and starts searching for hidden bad guys or other ...
9
votes
3answers
2k views
Game of Thrones (D20/Tri-Stat) vs Song of Ice and Fire RPG: which has the most substantial setting information?
Of these two game lines for the Song of Ice and Fire series of novels, Game of Thrones by Guardians of Order, or Song of Ice and Fire RPG by Green Ronin, which contains the largest amount of ...
9
votes
2answers
397 views
Group-wise Combinable Magic Items (each member owns 1)
I realize this isn't the best reference, but there was a show in the 90's "Captain Planet" where there was 5 kids, and each had a ring of power, and it was when they would combine all of them the ...
34
votes
8answers
2k views
What ways are there to anger the PC's without angering the players?
Since I got so many good ideas on my last question, here's part 2:
What ways are there to really anger my PC's -- give them that sense of unbridled rage and fury -- without pissing the players off ...
17
votes
9answers
416 views
What ways are there to convey loneliness and betrayal in an encounter?
A little background: I am designing a campaign that largely takes place in the mind of a twisted wizard. The wizard was shunned and exiled from his home due to a physical disfigurement, and after a ...
8
votes
3answers
272 views
Any mechanics out there for developing and maintaining a spy/information network?
I have a player who would like his character to begin developing a network of people in the towns they visit. For lack of a better phrase, and because it seems that would be the most likely mechanic ...
7
votes
3answers
494 views
Are there any tools for creating a campaign from scratch?
I am toying with the idea of writing up a custom campaign from top to bottom. Are there any tools out there for this sort of thing?
I'm thinking of an editor that allows you to insert the stuff ...
11
votes
5answers
182 views
Overcoming realism and uniqueness block
Whenever I am developing a plot-line, location or an NPC, there are two primary factors I take into account:
Realism - Locations should be believable (no redundant corridors, random unfitting ...
13
votes
7answers
2k views
Starting the first game tips?
I was wondering if anyone had any tips on how to start our very first session. Everyone, counting the DM, has yet to play the game and we are not exactly sure were to start. Our PCs are:
Drow ...
27
votes
11answers
404 views
How to get better feedback from players?
OK, we started a new campaign yesterday and I really want to take quality feedback from my players. When I ask, "How was it? Do you like it?", I generally get some vague answers like "It was good, I ...
6
votes
3answers
274 views
What system or sourcebooks should I use to run a pre Roman, Celtic Britain campaign? [closed]
Someone I know, wants to run a campaign in Celtic Britain. He normally uses Pathfinder but is looking for something more appropriate to the background.
27
votes
12answers
523 views
How do I help my players not get caught up on smaller plot points?
I just finished having a conversation with one of my players, and was led to a question I'm not sure I know how to answer.
I'm running a sandbox campaign (D&D 4e, if it makes a difference) where ...
6
votes
2answers
763 views
What information is available for the town Fallcrest?
My next campaign will have some town adventures. I'm looking at the Fallcrest town detailed in the Dungeon Master's Guide.
Before I get too far into it, I'd like to know if the town has been ...
14
votes
10answers
320 views
How do you seamlessly blend inspiration into a campaign?
Often I have campaigns that are inspired by things that are outside of genre and easily recognizable.
Lets take Vikings in Space for example. I could have a race of blond haired people with helmets ...
11
votes
5answers
2k views
How to design a game for sociopathic characters?
A few years ago, I played a D&D 3.5 game in Forgotten Realms with an evil party. The characters (played by my brother and me) were sociopaths, bent on exploiting anyone and everyone. The game ...
11
votes
8answers
4k views
What could you call medical doctors in a medieval/fantasy setting?
This is a follow up to Medieval Medicine in a Fantasy Setting?.
What could you call a medical doctor in a medieval/fantasy setting? I'm thinking along the lines of how an "alchemist" is more ...
13
votes
4answers
441 views
How late in history can I set a campaign based in the US without cars and telephones being widespread?
I'm deciding on my next campaign offering, and I'm dealing with this dilemma: although I prefer, and am best at, running games set in the near-present, one of my players has a mild antipathy toward ...
10
votes
5answers
459 views
Advice on setting up a campaign for a new GM?
A month or two back, I bought the GURPS Basic Set with the hopes of GMing a campaign at my school. I'm fairly familiar with the rules and general concepts by now (GURPS is very well documented), but ...
9
votes
6answers
361 views
Any sites or periodicals dedicated to campaign ideas/concepts?
Like many GMs, I'm perfectly content to sit around and think up new ideas for campaigns or one-shots (with only about 10% of these ideas ever making it to the table). Also like most, I really enjoy ...
6
votes
3answers
1k views
Are there other cooperative world building games like Dawn of Worlds?
I found Dawn of Worlds on the web and got the PDF of it. My group tried and loved it. I was wondering has anyone else worked with this very novel system for cooperative world building?
6
votes
5answers
187 views
What should I read/watch for information about the 1930s United States?
I'm currently writing a Trail of Cthulhu campaign, in which Investigators travel across the United States in the 1930s. To get inspiration for the scenarios, I read books and watch movies about ...
8
votes
10answers
699 views
What RPG worlds/systems work best together in crossover combinations? [closed]
I'm curious: What RPG worlds have you combined most successfully in a crossover setting as a GM? (Or what was the best crossover that you played as a player?)
My best experiences almost always ...
17
votes
7answers
404 views
What makes a good pitch for a new game?
What should make up a pitch about a new game to a prospective group of players? What does a good RPG pitch entail? What should go into the case for why a game should be played (and why that GM is the ...
17
votes
6answers
474 views
Am I designing my campaign setting to be too specific?
I'm a first time DM (3.5e), and, being a passionate writer, I decided to create the entire campaign and campaign setting myself. It's been good fun, and I have about 12 pages of (elaborated upon) ...
20
votes
10answers
1k views
What alternative models exist for Vampire populations in WoD?
The official WoD sources say that a vampire requires between 50,000 and 100,000 people to support them, giving an upper limit of about 50,000 vampires in the entire world. I've always found this ...
11
votes
3answers
308 views
I'm building a science fantasy settlement in a harshly extreme environment; how do these guys survive without natural resources?
In this setting, people are living in isolation in what is effectively a dungeon. Dungeons are usually built with an ecology in mind. Standard answers to common questions such as "Where do clean air ...
6
votes
3answers
3k views
Custom Race Creation for D&D 4e
The Monster Manual and Dungeon Master's Guide provides a few examples of how to adapt monsters into full-fledged PC races, but they're limited to only a few options.
Are there any resources or other ...
12
votes
4answers
1k views
How can I convert D&D 3.5 to 2nd Edition or older AD&D?
I have accumulated a lot of D&D 3.5 modules and adventure settings, but I play older editions of the game. What is the best way to convert these to an older edition, say AD&D 2nd edition? Is ...
17
votes
3answers
551 views
Good resources for travel times?
What are some good resources, on or off-line, for determining clear travel times for:
different methods of travel (eg: foot, horse, vehicles by period and type, etc)
different terrain types ...
15
votes
12answers
294 views
To document house rules, or no?
Or, how much documentation should your "campaign world" provide?
This is a fairly generic (and subjective) question, but there is a genuine purpose behind it: I have a set of "house rules" for Tales ...
6
votes
2answers
489 views
Sword of Truth 4e Setting
Has anyone seen or heard of anyone working up a Sword of Truth series 4e setting?
6
votes
4answers
410 views
Does anyone have good examples of an Adventuring Guild charter?
I'm planning on using established guilds as npc rivals. The player characters start out as nobodies, in some cases as slaves, and will eventually have the opportunity of starting up their own ...
53
votes
18answers
3k views
I'm creating an original setting for D&D—where do I start?
Creating a new fantasy setting for D&D is daunting but I don't want to use one of the published settings. I have a blank piece of paper in front of me and a whole world to create. My friends want ...
