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SkaldSyrcha
Scribe
3/27/2012 9:37:33 AM
PostID: 419924
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Looking for insights, how do you do it?
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OldMan
Mapkeeper
3/27/2012 11:12:48 PM
PostID: 419953
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Easy, don't get bogged down in details. Don't try to answer everything up front, or plan everything out. When someone asks you figure it out and add it. Never ever feel embarrassed by outright stealing of good ideas and story. Don't have a pantheon take one and so forth. Don't have a good adventure idea, take one and modify it. Work to your strengths, and fill in your weaknesses. Very few of us have all the talents to be a world class DMs, we might be better at dialog, or combat, or economics. If you are unsure stay with the RAW (rules as written), tend towards the more conservative, and give little. The best adventures and campaigns are those in which things are earned and not given easily. Let your players fill in the dialog, guide the story, and make the adventure. Push them when they don't move, but don't force them when they don't want to. Its their story as much as yours.
Since most low level characters know very little, start them in some small town or hamlet, no need to start in a huge city, make it easy on them and you. Let the world grow as they explore.
Those are my convoluted thoughts after innumerable years of DMing.
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Underworld
Stalwart Guardian
3/30/2012 6:46:18 PM
PostID: 420126
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Hi SS, The only thing I would add is not to make any of the PCs pivotal to the plot. I have seen many games suffer when the player of an important PC suddenly disappears. Then you have to find someone to take over the playerless PC and that rarely works. Any plots should be able to be completed by a party where PCs can enter or leave the party at any time. I know this kind of sucks but that's just the reality of PbP games. Best of luck with it if you decide to go ahead.
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Horseman
Philosopher
4/15/2012 2:17:16 AM
PostID: 420733
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I see this a little bit different than Old Man. While what follows looks like a lot of detail, what I'm saying is set up basic motivations of the main players to guide the players. You need sideboards to keep moving forward.
Set the Campaign up.
Duration: Long or Short
Expanse: Micro, centered around a village or county or Large: International
Size of Game: Number of players
Once that is done you can start to develop the general game.
What do you want the characters basic motivations for the adventure to be? Why would a person adventure.
Develop the setting for the campaign. Micro is easiest to start with, and you can get more detailed.
You're writing a good story with the help of the players, set up protaganists and villains, directly supporting characters for both and the basics for the rest of the populace.
Motivations: what are the motivations of the protagonists and the villains. What influences them? What resources do they have at their disposal.
All this should be written out so you can reference it. So you can feed little bits of information to the players when appropriate. When making your villains. Is the villain part of an organization, that if the player defeats the villain or just embarrasses him will others be after the protagonists.
Once the basic motivations and main players of the game world is established let the players go.
Definitely start on the small scale, your players will appreciate that the small plot to take out a minor King and replace him with a changeling turns out to be a tiny part of a huge plot to take over the world; and that the changelings were only pawns in the game just like the players. :)
....much more could be added
This post last edited on 4/15/2012 2:25:31 AM
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