Questions about creating a campaign

[Kalegkos]

Hello fellow RPGers. I would like to ask for some help once more. I am really into making my own campaign. I am kinda new so the cities, the environment etc will be Faerun's. I just want to make my own storyline, going from 1st lvl to i don't know how high, but high enough. I am posting this so if you could share some hooks with me or give some ideas and even helping if you are in the mood. Thnx a lot :smallcool:

[Grod_The_Giant]

I like to start campaigns with something dramatic. A dragon attacks the city the players are starting in. their ship gets boarded by angry sea elves. They wake up as prisoners in an evil wizard's tower. Something to launch immediately into the action, without a lot of hem-ing and haw-ing of players trying to figure out why their characters would join forces and accept the plot hook. Once things get rolling, try introducing several different villains and plot threads and see what sticks. Build from there.

Personally, I don't plan out campaigns in detail, because players can and will do completely unexpected things. I have a general idea, usually, but villains and ideas that don't work out are quickly abandoned, while elements I tossed in on a whim take center stage.

[Egiam]

Well... that's kind of a vague question, and there is plenty of literature for you to read for general advice.

However, here are some tips:

-Be selective about who you invite. I have years of experience dealing with obnoxious players (which was a mistake).

-READ THE DUNGEON MASTER'S GUIDE. That is a fantastic source of tips for DMs which is often overlooked as "a bunch of fluff and random crap". I recommend reading it cover-to-cover.

-Give the players a consistent motivation. This gives a reason for the characters to stay in the story. Once you have a really experienced group of players and you yourself have become a stronger DM, you may be able to get around without these. Consider this- a lot of campaigns tend to start out with the group no knowing each other in a tavern, and a fight breaks out. Hopefully, the P.C.s will get together and go on an epic journey to resolve the plot. On the other hand, you could start off all the players as L.A.P.D. investigators, and they now have a reason to stick together.

-RPGs are not videogames, books, movies, etc. Be aware of the strengths and limitations of the medium. Too many games tend to play out like a Call of Duty single-player campaign, with set-piece encounters cut up by first-person cutscenes. This is immensely boring for P.C.s. Try simply setting up a situation and having it play out naturally.
BAD EX: The P.C.s have to infiltrate a palace and assassinate the baron. You set up a sequence of events that allows them to do it:
-Silently kill the guards
-Scale the walls
-Swing by grapling hook to the keep, where the baron is feasting.
-Drop from the ceiling, kill the baron.
-Fight your way out.

GOOD EX: The P.C.s have to assassinate the baron, by any means. You (the DM) make an elaborate floor plan of the castle, featuring realistic features such as latrines, bedrooms, cellars, guardhouses, and whatnot. You then form a sophisticated map of the town a quarter-mile down the hill. Set the P.C.s free. What they come up with may wind up being far beyond your expectations. What if they choose to stay in the town, and do some research asking the locals about the baron. When does he leave the castle? When are outsiders allowed in? How many guards are there? When do their shifts change?
This gives the players options, which, at some level, is what RPG gaming is all about. How about climbing up through the latrines? How about disguising as guards? How about getting hired as chefs, and poisoning his food? How about killing him at a public gathering?

YES, this style of DMing is much more work, but is also much more rewarding.

SO... don't think in terms of campaigns. Think in terms of people and places. Amazing things should happen.

[Kalegkos]

I agree about not having everything planed. I want to create my own story and NPCs, my players meet not vendors etc, so i think i have to think what's the big plan first, isn't it? Who's the big villain what is he trying to do etc etc etc. What do you think? Btw i like your classes :P

[Grod_The_Giant]

I agree about not having everything planed. I want to create my own story and NPCs, my players meet not vendors etc, so i think i have to think what's the big plan first, isn't it? Who's the big villain what is he trying to do etc etc etc. What do you think? Btw i like your classes :P

That's not a bad idea. The Giant has a really good article on how to create a good villain on this site somewhere; you might want to take a look at it.

Oh, and thanks :)

[Kalegkos]

Damn it with those quotes :P

I really love the way you think, honestly. I was kinda thinking of an alternative Faerun like "Silent Hill" if you have watched the movies or played the games. When in cities RPing everything will be normal, Faerun lvl-normal, and when in a dungeon or facing a big opponent or something like that there will be the alternative reality. I think this of a double-edged blade, i think it's nice because it's different and spooky-strange for the players, including with out of game atmosphere etc, and i think it's not that nice because first of all i don't know how to make that come to sense and 2nd that they will probably know when the danger is coming by when the reality is changing..

[Grod_The_Giant]

Do you have the book "Heroes of Horror?" It has some good tips for running a horror campaign. I would warn you that it's more difficult to run a good scary game than it is to run a 'conventional' campaign, due the increased need to maintain an atmosphere via only your words.

[Kalegkos]

Do you have the book "Heroes of Horror?" It has some good tips for running a horror campaign. I would warn you that it's more difficult to run a good scary game than it is to run a 'conventional' campaign, due the increased need to maintain an atmosphere via only your words.


That was just an idea i had, i am not sure yet about what am i going to do. I have the book, yes and i will check it. What would you like to see in a campaign?