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Campaign advice/information sharing thread.
I wasn't sure what to call this, but I just wanted to start a thread to see what people might want to mention about Campaigns.
For instance my best campaigns almost seem to build themselves. They just kind of snowball down hill(in a good way) from there. My current campaign 3.5 I started with a very basic that my current group has never had the opportunity to play anything "exotic" really. I mean there has been a few strange things that have happened and once I started as a Dhampir, but nothing really centered around playing Monsters, strange combinations, or anything like that. Once they said they were interested I started building it. Why monsters? How and why would they be the "heroes" of a campaign.
Another part of this that is really important for me creatively is the saying "A picture is worth a thousand words". For me that can often be quite literal. I have several side quests for the players that were either totally built or fleshed out simply by a single picture. A lone castle scene, strange character designs, monster pictures, etc. are really helpful. "Why is the castle there" or perhaps "Why is the castle in ruins and how did it get damaged in that way'? "Who is that character"? "Why are they wearing armor that looks like that?" "Why is she licking blood off her hand?" "Why is that dragon doing that?" "Is it being attacked for its hoard we can't see or is it attacking that person for some reason?" "What is that thing and why is it there?"
This current campaign is more full of those types of thing, more so than any before it. I have to admit I might have gotten out of hand, because I doubt we will get to everything that is there for the party to do. Still it has been fun and I might be able to use the idea again....Just had another idea I need to write down...Any way I've been really stuck on how to flesh out on of the side quests that could actually be really interesting. I had the monsters as I had gotten the idea when researching templates and level adjustments. My problem was how do I make meeting them interesting rather than just randomly throwing them at the party. I was really stumped. Then I saw a picture for a character design. The armor was really strange, but I thought the picture was cool. I have NPCs that are built for coming in and out of the story to help it along. It was perfect. It was like someone had read my mind before I even knew to think that thought. That was the NPC. I knew exactly how to create that situation which leads perfectly to how to introduce those monsters.
Sorry this has gotten a little long. The point of the thread is that I hope my way might help someone else who is stuck and hopefully someone will post something that will help me in the future as well. I mean, really mention anything. Is it simply an organizational idea(put all your NPCs in a binder), write random scenes on a piece of paper and pull them blindly from a hat, or always eat tacos before a session? What tidbit would you like to share?
"Return to the Time of Troubles":http://www.obsidianportal.com/campaigns/return-to-the-time-of-troubles
For instance my best campaigns almost seem to build themselves. They just kind of snowball down hill(in a good way) from there. My current campaign 3.5 I started with a very basic that my current group has never had the opportunity to play anything "exotic" really. I mean there has been a few strange things that have happened and once I started as a Dhampir, but nothing really centered around playing Monsters, strange combinations, or anything like that. Once they said they were interested I started building it. Why monsters? How and why would they be the "heroes" of a campaign.
Another part of this that is really important for me creatively is the saying "A picture is worth a thousand words". For me that can often be quite literal. I have several side quests for the players that were either totally built or fleshed out simply by a single picture. A lone castle scene, strange character designs, monster pictures, etc. are really helpful. "Why is the castle there" or perhaps "Why is the castle in ruins and how did it get damaged in that way'? "Who is that character"? "Why are they wearing armor that looks like that?" "Why is she licking blood off her hand?" "Why is that dragon doing that?" "Is it being attacked for its hoard we can't see or is it attacking that person for some reason?" "What is that thing and why is it there?"
This current campaign is more full of those types of thing, more so than any before it. I have to admit I might have gotten out of hand, because I doubt we will get to everything that is there for the party to do. Still it has been fun and I might be able to use the idea again....Just had another idea I need to write down...Any way I've been really stuck on how to flesh out on of the side quests that could actually be really interesting. I had the monsters as I had gotten the idea when researching templates and level adjustments. My problem was how do I make meeting them interesting rather than just randomly throwing them at the party. I was really stumped. Then I saw a picture for a character design. The armor was really strange, but I thought the picture was cool. I have NPCs that are built for coming in and out of the story to help it along. It was perfect. It was like someone had read my mind before I even knew to think that thought. That was the NPC. I knew exactly how to create that situation which leads perfectly to how to introduce those monsters.
Sorry this has gotten a little long. The point of the thread is that I hope my way might help someone else who is stuck and hopefully someone will post something that will help me in the future as well. I mean, really mention anything. Is it simply an organizational idea(put all your NPCs in a binder), write random scenes on a piece of paper and pull them blindly from a hat, or always eat tacos before a session? What tidbit would you like to share?
"Return to the Time of Troubles":http://www.obsidianportal.com/campaigns/return-to-the-time-of-troubles
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So yeah, I'm a big believer in taking stuff that's already there and twisting it to my own purposes.
I also try to write the narratives as though the adventure came from a magazine or store bought. That way, my descriptions are always consistent and more importantly, I don't forget to leave out any important details.
I do have a binder I keep all my important notes, character sheets, figure maps and adventures. All organized and separated.