Questions tagged [campaign-development]
For questions about writing, managing, and expanding campaigns.
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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 clues....
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I'm creating an original setting for D&D—where do I start? [closed]
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 ...
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11
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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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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) ...
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2
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What are all the ways a player can get to the Astral Plane?
I am planning a campaign where the characters must travel to the astral plane several times, though each subsequent time they lose one of the means to do so (i.e., Astral Projection spell, through the ...
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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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55
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6
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Preventing saturation in a horror campaign
I am currently designing my first horror campaign and what I've come up with so far is pretty dark and gruesome. I worry that if it is gut wrenching the whole way through, eventually the players will ...
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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 ...
57
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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 ...
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9
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What are the essential features of a successful evil campaign?
Until this point, I have demanded that my players not build characters with evil alignments, as I am familiar with how to design campaigns and adventures around "good" or "redemption" themes. However,...
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Good resources for travel times? [closed]
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 (eg:...
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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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Are there any good websites which have story hooks and plots points for campaigns? [closed]
Are there any good websites which have story hooks and plots points for campaigns?
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9
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How do I run 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 ...
- 5,622
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11
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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 ...
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Overpowered PCs (Gabe's Dilemma) [closed]
Penny Arcade recently ran the following strip:
(Original strip here)
While the resolution of this thread hasn't yet been posted, I'm wondering what we think here. How do you game with PCs who are ...
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6
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How to make large number of NPCs manageable to the GM?
I'm planning a game where there is about a dozen important NPC actors, with some more less important ones. "Important" means that even if they are not directly involved in current events, they play a ...
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How do I create a sense of mystery about magic?
Magic in so many games is something mechanical and fully understood. Assuming I control the setting (and have a group of players willing to try new rules), how do I make magic something mysterious?
...
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20
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10
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How do I tie episodic sessions together to make larger campaign arcs?
My D&D group only plays perhaps once a month and occasionally one of them won't be able to make it. I (the DM) home-brewed our last campaign and, whilst fun, the big story arcs and multiple NPCs ...
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19
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3
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Any good premade campaigns for beginners? [closed]
Does anyone know of some good premade campaigns for a small (not more than 5) players, all of whom are new to D&D? I want to start them at low level since they haven't played before. I'm finding ...
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Are there any RPGs/settings where a character's class is not chosen but "earned" through their actions? [closed]
My experience RPGing has thusfar been limited to Dungeons and Dragons v3.5. As I've grown more experienced playing the game, I've toyed with creating my own campaign settings and am now playing with ...
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16
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8
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How do you keep PCs from killing each other when 1 or more is evil?
I'd like to run a more mature themed campaign, along the lines of game of thrones. In that story, several of the main characters have an evil alignment.
I'd like to do something similar to this ...
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15
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6
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Starting the first game tips? [closed]
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 Warlock ...
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14
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4
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How to go from a humorous campaign to a more serious one?
I am currently running a D&D 4E game. The game started off kind of goofy (we have a thrikreen rogue with glowing blonde hair, an ale-obsessed dwarf battlemind, a ditzy human wizard, and a dwarf ...
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13
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5
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A campaign based on a novel: Let the plot deviate or make the PCs' thread unrelated?
I want to start a Game of Thrones (d20) campaign. My idea is based on the first book of seven (which comprises the whole story).
I don't want to change the course of the novel, but if my PCs are ...
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12
votes
1
answer
483
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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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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 ...
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0
answers
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How can I make a Pathfinder campaign like the Monster Hunter video game series? [closed]
I was thinking about how one would go about making a Monster Hunter (the video game) style campaign for Pathfinder, but I have a small number of problems.
Figuring out CR for "Monsters" to fight (Yes ...
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10
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How can I use powerful NPCs without overshadowing the player characters?
I’ve been playing P&P for years and have taken my first tentative steps into DM’ing over the last year, mostly leading One-Shots. I am also a passionate world-builder and so I jumped at the chance ...
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53
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5
answers
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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
46
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15
answers
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Accidentally let party wander into a high level situation, how do I help them get out without cheesing?
TL;DR - due to poor planning on my part in my sandbox-esque game, a party of four Level 5s (fighter, warlock, non-healer bard, wizard) is about to wander into a high level situation and I'd like them ...
user61367
42
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What are some dangerous non-fantasy creatures?
We're running a fantasy game where the adventurers frequently travel through the wilderness. Too many of the threatening encounters they have are with fantasy creatures (like goblins, orcs, etc.). ...
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3
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Should I discuss the type of campaign with my players?
The campaign I’m preparing is designed to give the illusion of choice via side quests and an open world (not really open), but with a main story line that will be pushed into them sooner or later. The ...
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How can my villain intimidate my players' characters into submission?
I'm planning a new campaign where the villain will force the party to do his bidding, starting from level 3.
The opening will be an encounter with the villain, where he will "ask" them to do not-so-...
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Creating a campaign that ends with a TPK by design
I'm creating a campaign that takes players from level 3 to level 15+. The premise is that the party is granted a special role by the reigning good King to protect and serve (essentially they are ...
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6
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How can I have a mixed game of nWoD without having a thematic mess?
I'm planning on starting a full-on mixed nWoD game, but I don't know how to avoid having it feel like a fantasy kitchen sink, since that can easily destroy the feel of a game. What are scenarios or ...
user5834
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7
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How can I convey the nonsensicality of a dream world?
Soon I will be GMing a campaign that allows the players to move freely back and forth between the "real" world and the "dream" world. I do not want this to be a secret or try to confuse the players; ...
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How to make sure the players escape but feel like it was because of their wit?
Setting
I'm preparing for my first time as a DM in D&D 5e (as a player I have gotten to level 4 in 3 campaigns so I have a good grasp of the game, in my group everyone wants to have a go as DM and ...
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23
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4
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How do I construct an individual session as part of a larger campaign?
I've been GMing/DMing on and off for years. I prefer playing. Mainly because when I run a game, I'm more a fly by the seat of your pants kind of dm, and it works sort of..
My problem is that, while I ...
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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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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 ...
- 17.5k
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How can I deliver in-universe written lore to players without it being dry exposition?
I DM for a D&D (5e) group in a custom campaign setting which I worldbuild as we go. One of my players is very much interested in the history and lore of the world and often tries to find out bits ...
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Is it plausible to have a Player Character play as a villain against the rest of the party?
If anyone has experience running a game like this, what are some common errors to avoid and tips you would give to a GM embarking on such a campaign?
Specifically I intend to have a 3 PC party with 2 ...
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Rules system for playing out the details of founding and developing a city? [closed]
I want to run a campaign in which the players control individual but influential characters (maybe heads of families), with the main focus of play on the PCs building up a city over time, starting ...
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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 ...
anon186
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Middle age transportation by river questions [closed]
I am playing in a medieval fantasy type setting and am trying to determine travel speeds when people are traveling on rivers. This is similar to this previous question, but that question really only ...
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How can I have mystery in a Fate plot?
I am going to run a session for a plot. This is going to be an introduction to RPGs, and what I'm trying to do is to add an element of mystery to the plot to keep the players hooked.
The plot goes ...
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"Retiring" a maxed-out party
This question has a specific and a general sense.
Eventually, if your game runs long enough, a party will be pretty much maxed out - reaching level caps, wielding top-level powers and abilities, ...
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How can I satisfy two groups who want the same quest in a West Marches campaign?
I recently started a West Marches style game because of our group's increasingly deteriorating attendance. We still wanted to play when we get a chance to get together but not everyone will be able to ...
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19
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4
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How to succesfully make one quest naturally lead to the next?
My old GM used to make our quests highly modular and separated. While this had some advantages, it gave the feeling of running through a video game with discrete levels where we just popped from one ...
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