Questions tagged [campaign-development]
For questions about writing, managing, and expanding campaigns.
326
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Is there an effect on player's reaction to treasure when raising the value of gold relative to other coins?
In fantasy games related to D&D the currency usually follows the 10 cp = 1sp, 10sp = 1gp pattern. This is convenient and fairly logical, but in my play throughs gold just didn't have much weight ...
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12
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8
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486
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How can I revitalize an open sand box campaign?
Our group has an open sand box campaign going on for more than 2 or 3 years now, using MERP/Rolemaster. It's something we all love, have grown quite fond of and we all got attached to our characters.
...
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13
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3
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Can I hide easter eggs in my spells?
I've a plan for an adventure that I think would be interesting, but the idea depends on it being possible for certain spells to be learned and memorised without the mage in question gaining insight ...
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4
votes
2
answers
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Adding Magi-Tech to 5E
I am going to be running a 5th Edition campaign set in a future of a previous campaign. I want to add "magi-tech", but very sparingly.
My question is: Are there any official sources for this type of ...
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15
votes
2
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968
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What are the pitfalls of a world- and genre-hopping Savage Worlds campaign?
I’m a new GM and this will be the first campaign I’ve run. I’ve had a world in my mind for a while now and have spent the last year or so off-and-on fleshing it out. Long-story-short it is a ...
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1
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2k
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What are some 'Realistic' ideas for side-quests? [closed]
Okay, to start off by "Realistic", I don't mean stern, and lifeless. I mean within realms of reason, and not high-fantasy stuff.
So, our group is playing a campaign, and there's no over-arching ...
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8
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3
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478
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Limiting player freedom in introductory scenarios
As discussed in Would GURPS be a good choice for a non-magic, 19th century tech level, roleplay focused campaign?, I am planning to introduce a couple of friends to pen & paper tabletop RPGs. I am ...
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5
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Would GURPS be a good choice for a non-magic, 19th century tech level, roleplay focused campaign? [closed]
As the title says, would the GURPS system be a good choice for a non-magic campaign that has a tech level roughly equivalent to earth Europe's 19th century and a focus on roleplaying rather than ...
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10
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3
answers
2k
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How to manage play in a zombie RPG pre outbreak
I am planning on starting my newest campaign about the end of the world: a Zombie Apocalypse, with the game starting before the outbreak has occurred. Every zombie RPG I have encountered so far has ...
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16
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With the lifespan of elves, would you ever encounter a low-level elf?
Elves and other races have hundreds of years to get good at what they do — is the expectation that NPCs of these races would mostly be of high level?
How do I build a campaign setting that makes ...
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34
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2
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How can I manage my campaign digitally, without using a screen at the table?
For big campaigns I keep my campaign information — maps, keys, session notes, reference tables, etc. — in binders and duotangs which I can reference and annotate at the table. Their content only ...
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15
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6
answers
8k
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What other undead paths are there for immortality?
I am developing a campaign were the party is tracking down a group of ancient powerful mages. These mages would have undoubtedly sought undeath to extend their existence and I didn't just want them to ...
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53
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5
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How to build an evil campaign
I'm going to start DM'ing for the first time next week. When I got together with my group to figure out what type of game to play, when we got to alignment, I told them they either all needed to be ...
user18101
1
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0
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How can I set up a villain with a really, really, long scope to his plans? [closed]
In the near future I will be running a campaign where the plot, very roughly goes as follows:
It's the year X. The world has been destroyed in a process that has taken a long time. Most people alive ...
6
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2
answers
1k
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Good source material for building a Kobold empire? [closed]
The game I'm currently running is starting to go up in scope and one thing I'm really looking forward to doing is introducing an empire of Kobolds. Are there any good books on what these would look ...
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78
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11
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16k
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How to ease down the munchkin factor?
I've been playing RPGs since the early eighties and have come to terms with the fact that not everyone enjoys this hobby for the same reasons as myself. I'm into it for the sake of the adventure, the ...
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33
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7
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What to do when a great idea comes too soon?
As a GM, often a fantastic ending to a campaign comes to me before I start it. In the Star Wars universe, I picture the heroes stealing a Star Destroyer from the Empire or, in D&D, I picture the ...
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10
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4
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528
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How can I break world building down into something manageable? [closed]
I find building an "off the rails" world to be a daunting task. I'm trying to find a process to make it more manageable for my NWOD games, kind of like "Agile" process does for developing software. I ...
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1
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1
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How do I choose a Mood for my game? [closed]
The books make lots of suggestions for moods the game can be played in, as in its feel and atmosphere, and it seems to be a fundamental and important choice when starting a chronicle. But how do I ...
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12
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1
answer
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Has "write in to impact the metaplot" been tried since the 90s?
The Wikipedia article on Torg describes a way that players could attempt to influence the metaplot of the default setting:
At the time of its release Torg's 'Infiniverse' campaign was an ambitious ...
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3
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1
answer
199
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How can i change the outcome of history-charged events in ASoIaF RPG? [closed]
I'm new to this platform and I'm about to launch my first campaign in ASoIaF RPG.
My players asked me if we can set our campaign right at the start of the Greyjoy Rebellion back in 289 AC and since i ...
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11
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2
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533
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What kinds of considerations can be made in a base building campaign?
My Edge of the Empire game has shifted focus away from traveling around taking odd jobs as the group has joined the Rebellion formerly. They have asked that I slow the pace of the game down so they ...
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28
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8
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2k
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Overcoming setting complexity paralysis as a GM
The problem
What are the best practices to overcome that certain “complexity paralysis” that may strike a GM when trying to learn and immerse himself in a setting that has a lot of intricate ...
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6
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How do I create and use NPCs that actually matter?
My players love to interact with my NPCs in my Savage Worlds game, make friends, allies, enemies, make characters fall in love, etc. But I always end up with either bland NPCs that don't matter much ...
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20
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3
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3k
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How can I effectively run a sandbox campaign playing 2 hours every week?
Premise
I'm a relative new GM who only run a 2 years long heavily railroaded fantasy campaign that went south for various problems and that I decided to drop.
Now I started to run a sci-fi sandbox ...
- 1,469
3
votes
3
answers
2k
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Adventures or campaigns involving dragon antagonists [closed]
As I have a dragon PC in my player group with a very nice background story involving a dragon as an antagonist, I've been looking around to find adventures or campaigns featuring dragons as ...
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2
answers
347
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Starting kit in RoleMaster during an unusual start
In RM players tend to start out with gear that they choose (or can afford to buy based on their wealth roll) to a limited degree and get rolls on the Special Items tables and what have you.
I'm ...
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3
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2
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How can I prepare unique locations for my sandbox, when I don't know which unique locations my group will travel to? [duplicate]
I'm making a sandbox campaign using 5e to run a post apocalyptic fantasy Tokyo adventure, so each main location is known to the players and I can't just put in random encounters. Those locations need ...
- 7,615
5
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2
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Is there an undead-heavy adventure that takes PCs from level 1 to level 20? [closed]
Is there either a single adventure or a collection of linked adventures that meets the following criteria:
The primary foes are undead creatures.
The adventuring sites include maps.
The adventure ...
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3
answers
31k
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How to create and run a realistic cult?
I am starting a new campaign in D&D 3.5 using Forgotten Realms, and the main antagonist of the campaign will be the Cult of the Dragon. I have been reading the "Daily D&D" by Ed Greenwood ...
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6
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0
answers
307
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Are there any big, pre-made city campaign maps? [closed]
I'm currently looking to create my first pbp campaign, which will be steampunk horror-themed survival as they fight to escape a labyrinthine underground city, but I am stuck on a way to map the place ...
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9
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5
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3k
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How do you Create a Campaign? [closed]
I've used Savage Worlds Plot Point campaigns for successful campaigns (i.e., multiple connected sessions with some coherence to them, where something is accomplished), but don't have any idea how to ...
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2
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0
answers
570
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DND 3.5 Alternate Alignment System [closed]
I've been a DM in DND 3.5 for a while now, and have been sitting down working for this last week on potentially a new campaign setting which I'd like to have ready in a few months - there is no ...
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4
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How do I make a large organization of villains memorable or likeable?
I'm currently preparing a levels 1–30 D&D 4e campaign based on the .hack// games, where players become trapped inside an online game where a sentient program plans to become God.
My main ...
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4
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2k
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How can I plan a TPK finale that doesn't look planned?
A campaign I was GMing in the past abruptly stopped because of stuff IRL, with characters trapped in a tower in the center of a city that is being destroyed by a huge demon. When the group gets back ...
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19
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5
answers
5k
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How can I GM and play a PC without spoiling the fun?
We're returning to D&D 4E after a long absence from it, coming back from Savage Worlds since we've really missed HP-based battles and videogame-like logic.
However, as we talked about our new ...
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5
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3
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3k
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Do creatures from other planes typically travel into the material plane? [closed]
I'm using Pathfinder and I'm a fairly new GM and I'm running my first campaign in a world I hand crafted. It's a planet in the material plane and has the usual characteristics that a real planet ...
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21
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3
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8k
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How do I make a good narrative campaign in Dungeon World?
In my old group we played Pathfinder and I always created "hack 'n' slash" adventures: enter the dungeon, loot, kill, go home.
We loved that.
But with my new group we're gonna play Dungeon World and ...
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3
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1k
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How do I create a "mole"-ish campaign? [closed]
Mole: n. A spy who achieves over a long period an important position within the security defenses of a country. =Sabatour
One of my friend saw me playing solo D&D on school (on my computer :p) ...
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8
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2
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3k
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Size of a campaign world?
At this moment I am creating a world for my pathfinder game and I have no idea what the world's size should be.
I know it ultimately depends on each GM and their group, but some information on the ...
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11
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3
answers
774
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What should be in a players' campaign overview document?
I'm running my first campaign, which will take place in Eberron. I want to put together a campaign handout for the players, to be kind of like an intro to the world, a run down of what to expect in ...
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4
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0
answers
802
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Evil Friend Ruining Campaigns [duplicate]
In my campaign I'm running, all of my characters are good. But there's one character who's evil. And everything he does is making it harder for me, as a GM and for the players. He kills important ...
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8
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3
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2k
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Tips to run engaging exploration in 4e
Fighting is a fun thing in D&D 4e, and every session we enjoy battles. The next sessions I will no doubt have some. But at this point in the adventure I'm running for my PCs, I think it would be a ...
- 3,059
-1
votes
1
answer
138
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Recommendations for plots featuring div/daeva conspiracy to destroy civilization [closed]
I'm putting together a plot in a Pathfinder RPG campaign where divs (aka daevas) are orchestrating the downfall of civilization. I'm trying to set it up so that evil is working indirectly, by ...
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3
votes
0
answers
97
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How do I roleplay a journey? [duplicate]
I'm starting a new campaign and my players want to play a "journey". They want to explore a continent, walking to the objective, like a LOTR-styled thing. They literally want to walk through the ...
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7
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2
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1k
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How can I decide whether being the GM is right for me?
I haven't played a table top RPG before. I've played RPGs in video game form for my entire life, though. I also write a good deal, and I've won like... two contests for short stories. I assume that's ...
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5
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4k
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What are the best computer generators for historical timelines? [closed]
Every world or campaign setting has a timeline of historical events. Normally this has the format of a year number followed by a short description. For example:
−9800 DR: The Yuirwood was settled by ...
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votes
2
answers
1k
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Where can I observe a world's creation as it happens?
The Adventurer Conquerer King System has specific and detailed instructions on how to map and detail a setting for use in play, and I'm trying to get the hang of them. Unfortunately, not having a real ...
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17
votes
5
answers
10k
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How can I challenge my players with something other than combat?
So originally I was going to ask, How can I represent hardships for players in game?, however that seemed to broad. Even now, I'm not sure if my current question is too broad, if it is please let me ...
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13
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6
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3k
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Is the scope of my campaign too large?
I am in the process of preparing a D&D 4e campaign, which will be my first trip as a GM. It is not taking place in any pre-made D&D setting, but is heavily inspired from the background I read ...
- 3,059