Questions tagged [campaign-development]

For questions about writing, managing, and expanding campaigns.

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7 answers
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What should I read/watch for information about the 1930s United States? [closed]

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 ...
Graham's user avatar
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11 votes
3 answers
405 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 ...
user avatar
11 votes
2 answers
494 views

Is Erelhei-Cinlu in Faerûn?

I have a major campaign extension looking to take characters from 1st to 20th level, starting with linking Lost Mine of Phandelver to (via various add-ons to LMoP itself) adapted versions of D1, D2, ...
Christopher Allan Welsh's user avatar
11 votes
7 answers
3k views

Software for diagramming branching campaign plotlines [closed]

I'm looking for something that simply allows me to connect nodes for different progression paths throughout the campaign, and that will let me connect them in arbitrary ways so that I can connect two ...
Lucifer's user avatar
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11 votes
6 answers
3k 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 ...
11 votes
3 answers
774 views

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 ...
leigon's user avatar
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11 votes
1 answer
1k views

Mechanically, how do I prepare a village of not-quite-vampire-thrall monk NPCs?

What I need I need to build one or more NPC character sheets, or cards, for the monk/ninjas in a fortified mountain monastery whose order was (and still is) founded by an ancient vampire lord, who is ...
Nobbynob Littlun's user avatar
11 votes
2 answers
533 views

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 ...
Bigeshu's user avatar
  • 1,543
11 votes
4 answers
351 views

How far do you go with custom rules before you have a new game? [closed]

We are working on a setting with low magic for Pathfinder, and we initially started out on creating lots of custom rules to go with that. However we found that the more rules we created, the more we ...
Mike B's user avatar
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10 votes
11 answers
3k views

What are the risks of TPK-ing the party at the start of a campaign deliberately?

I've been planning out an idea for a campaign to run with a group that would consist of both veteran and new players, and I'm unsure if I should follow a particular plot point. I would start the party ...
voidUpdate's user avatar
10 votes
10 answers
2k 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 ...
OpaCitiZen's user avatar
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10 votes
6 answers
705 views

How can I avoid retreading the same genre themes every campaign?

I've run many post-apocalypse campaigns over the years, using games ranging from Aftermath! to Apocalypse World. Survival is the underpinning for most post-apocalypse settings, but survival alone isn'...
Erik Schmidt's user avatar
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10 votes
3 answers
1k views

As a new DM, should my focus when creating a campaign be on developing locations or NPCs?

A group of friends and I have decided to play D&D. Since I was the one gathering everyone and the one with the most previous knowledge, I became the DM for the group. I had never actually played ...
Thomas Reichmann's user avatar
10 votes
6 answers
3k views

How to subtly railroad players to go in a certain direction?

Now I know that railroading is one of the cardinal sins of DM-ing, along with hard rules changes to fit your needs, and sloppily homebrewing every other custom rule. However, right now I feel like my ...
Matt D's user avatar
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10 votes
4 answers
330 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 ...
user1637's user avatar
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10 votes
3 answers
1k views

How do I make a story based campaign revolve around a megadungeon?

I'd really like to make a more story-heavy setting in my next fantasy campaign, but I also love megadungeons. What is a good way to use a megadungeon to tell a story instead of as a place for Hack'n'...
Dakeyras's user avatar
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10 votes
4 answers
3k views

How do you create a good 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 guild (...
user avatar
10 votes
5 answers
7k views

Role playing/plot focused one shot sessions

I am faced with a challenge with creating a one shot session for a couple of friends. From experience I can see that it is difficult to indulge players into setting, plot, world, characters in a ...
Maurycy's user avatar
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10 votes
3 answers
6k views

Game of Thrones (D20/Tri-Stat) vs Song of Ice and Fire RPG: which has the most substantial setting information? [closed]

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 series-...
Runeslinger's user avatar
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10 votes
3 answers
687 views

Managing OOC player knowledge when using one-shot games as a prologue for a longer campaign

I have a situation where our group is a mix of people who are still at University and others have already graduated. Those of us who are finished all have jobs but live fairly close together and can ...
Folau's user avatar
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10 votes
4 answers
527 views

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 ...
xenoterracide's user avatar
10 votes
3 answers
4k views

Are there other cooperative world building games like Dawn of Worlds? [closed]

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?
Acedrummer_CLB's user avatar
10 votes
2 answers
906 views

Managing plots with multiple simultaneous GMs

I'm working with some fellow GMs to prepare a campaign in which we each host separate groups of players, but in the same shared world. This means that the actions of my players might actually ...
Machination's user avatar
10 votes
3 answers
4k 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 ...
Numenetics's user avatar
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10 votes
3 answers
2k views

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 ...
Seamus Harrison's user avatar
10 votes
4 answers
4k views

Writing a VtR Chronicle

I'm new to Vampire: the Requiem and I would like to write my own chronicle but I don't know where to start. Where can I get inspiration and how can I structure the campaign/chronicle so it's cohesive ...
Slytink's user avatar
  • 101
10 votes
1 answer
1k views

Where can I learn more about the World Tree?

I am going to be taking over the role of Dungeon Master soon, with a group of players that have leveled from 1 all the way up to epic tier. The characters will be level 21 at the start of my campaign. ...
dpatchery's user avatar
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9 votes
4 answers
2k views

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 ...
Archer Blue's user avatar
9 votes
5 answers
6k views

Starting a campaign at higher level

It's been difficult for me to start a game at higher level than level 1-4 in Pathfinder. At higher level, the scale of the game changes. In the beginning of level 1-4 you save a village or a clan ...
user avatar
9 votes
4 answers
887 views

How can I keep the Cthulhu mythos new and mysterious to experienced players?

I am currently preparing a Call of Cthulhu adventure, and I am hoping to be able to play the game on a regular basis in the future. But I am having concerns about keeping the mystery in the game from ...
derp's user avatar
  • 3,059
9 votes
2 answers
2k views

Can Blades in the Dark be played in a custom setting?

I'm looking at systems for my next campaign. Currently I really like the look of Blades in the Dark however I have one concern before I invest in buying the rulebook. Every review of the system I ...
linksassin's user avatar
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9 votes
5 answers
3k views

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 ...
GaryFurash's user avatar
9 votes
2 answers
1k views

How viable is a party of only arcane casters?

I had a campaign story idea where the PCs were students at a prestigious magic university undergoing training to become guild-registered adventurers, with the caveat then that players could only ...
Cobalt's user avatar
  • 6,961
9 votes
3 answers
2k views

Cthulhu Campaign - How to create a more satisfying climax?

I'm in the midst of creating a campaign for my CoC group. By now, most of the material we played basically came down to these endings: a) Run away and hope whatever it was doesn't follow you anywhere....
Scorpio's user avatar
  • 193
9 votes
2 answers
620 views

Should I include Fate Core in my Fate world book?

If writing my own game/setting/world (product, for brevity's sake), Should I include the whole Fate Core game in my product, as with Apotheosis Drive X, or should I detail only the modifications to ...
Arcandio's user avatar
  • 799
9 votes
3 answers
3k 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 ...
Sardathrion - against SE abuse's user avatar
9 votes
2 answers
2k views

Running a D&D game in the afterlife

No, I'm not referring to suggestions about playing D&D after I die. I'm referring to playing a D&D campaign with a plot centered on the afterlife. Particularly, the concept of a petitioner in ...
Tanthos's user avatar
  • 2,790
9 votes
6 answers
1k views

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 ...
Aldath Le'Carde's user avatar
9 votes
3 answers
4k views

Structure for a political sandbox game

I am looking for a fairly structured approach to creating, preparing for, and running a political game. To be more precise, I am looking for the following: A structured approach or even a game ...
Tommi's user avatar
  • 10.2k
9 votes
0 answers
471 views

What games other than Ars Magica encourage Troupe play? [closed]

Troupe play is a specific style where the group is encouraged to collaborate in creating and running the game. There's often more than one GM, players often run more than one character and, indeed, ...
Bob Tway's user avatar
  • 5,244
8 votes
9 answers
3k views

How can a GM continue to progress the campaign if the player characters cause a plot-critical item or NPC to be lost/killed? [duplicate]

I'm not familiar with role-playing games so apologies if this question is poorly worded. As an example of what I'm thinking of, suppose the player characters are on a ship, which capsizes. While ...
Allure's user avatar
  • 1,120
8 votes
4 answers
2k views

What should I do when every PC has really low charisma (and it bothers me)?

I am currently working on a PnP which is a mixture of Traveller, DnD and some of my own game mechanics. The attributes of PCs are pretty much the same as in DnD, and I also decided to have players ...
Gaston1337's user avatar
8 votes
5 answers
2k views

How do I create a sense of science about magic?

Based off of this question. Magic in many games is considered well-understood, but ill explained (hence 'magic'). Assuming that I control the environment and have a mild will to bend mechanics, how ...
tuskiomi's user avatar
  • 5,064
8 votes
2 answers
21k views

Campaigns are unsatisfying when made-up or slow when pre-written. How do we fix that? [closed]

We have tried to get started playing D&D three times and each have not worked out how we hoped. Our first DM made up his own story and we played about 5 sessions. It was very fun, but the rewards ...
Aaron Leatherbarrow's user avatar
8 votes
7 answers
320 views

What should go into a campaign synopsis (for kids)

My kids have complained that they want more back-story on my campaign world and they want handouts (must be genetic or something). So I'm writing a campaign synopsis. I'll be honest I'm very, very ...
user avatar
8 votes
2 answers
12k views

Race Creation/Modification in D&D 3.5

I'm trying to create a set of races, based largely on the classic fantasy races of Man, Elf, Dwarf (and Gnome, but I don't consider that to be a 'classic' fantasy race). I'm using 3.5 rules, and the ...
Alyksandrei's user avatar
8 votes
3 answers
5k views

What kind of people would I need to crew a trade caravan?

I need to know what kind of crew members I would need to crew a trade caravan. Like, how many gaurds would make sense, or would I need any important crew members? How many people do I need? I am a GM ...
Jonathan's user avatar
8 votes
3 answers
1k views

How to develop arcs for player characters

If you've got a vague idea for an overall plot arc, how do you go about developing individual plot arcs for player characters (if that's something you do)? I'm running two Savage Worlds campaigns, ...
GaryFurash's user avatar
8 votes
2 answers
527 views

When do you Move for Front Dangers and how do they take effect?

I'm prepping for the second session of my first Dungeon World campaign and so I'm studying the Fronts/Dangers system. The basic concept makes sense as a way to help organize a more over-arching ...
Dan Bryant's user avatar
  • 1,772
8 votes
3 answers
1k views

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 ...
derp's user avatar
  • 3,059

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