The last post focused on the rules for designing a campaign world or setting. This post is going to look at designing a campaign itself. A roleplaying campaign can be a tricky this to build from scratch, but these rules can help you not be terrible. Will you still get stuck? Yes. Will you paint yourself into a corner? Probably. Will you get frustrated and kick the players out of your house? It happens. However, your campaign will suck slightly less if you follow the rules.
1. Know what you want.
Are you designing a single epic quest? A series of unrelated dungeons? A game of political intrigue? Whatever you are doing, be clear about it before you start. You want to make a campaign where the adventurers find and explore various lost temples just for the lulz? That's way different than planning out an evolving story line with a main villain to beat at the end or a Game of Thrones style political drama.
2. Talk to the players.
Better yet, listen to your players. If they are really itching for a certain kind of campaign, give it to them. Likewise, if you want to make a campaign centered on war, social interactions, or whatnot, let people know that before they make their characters. Orgo the half-orc barbarian with a Charisma of 6 is going to feel really stupid in a game of courtly drama. More importantly, Orgo's player is going to be bored stiff.
3. Never switch gears.
If you tell the players that they are in for a game of high seas adventure, they better not be stranded on that desert island for very long because all of their characters will be built for sailing and aquatic stuff. That's a dick move pure and simple.
4. You cannot see the future.
Don't script the whole campaign out like that fucking half-finished novel you keep trying to force your friends to read. Players do weird things to story lines. Frequently. On purpose. Just to fuck with you. Don't go too far ahead of the next game session. This can get really bad if you ignored #2 and Orgo decides to start smashing heads for shits and giggles.
4. Keep it simple, stupid.
The more complicated you make it, the more weird things players can do to your campaign plot. A campaign is kind of like a single game session, and it has the same basic components: who will the PCs fight and why? Remember that in order to stay focused.
5. A campaign is more than a series of adventures.
Even if you are aiming for a bunch of disconnected dungeon crawls and random wilderness encounters, you should be building toward something greater. Maybe some of the dungeons the adventurers explore allow them to find clues to the location of a lost kingdom across the sea. Maybe many civilizations have had scholars and would-be adventurers who dreamed of finding the ruins of this fallen nation and robbing them blind...I mean uncovering relics of historical value. At the climax of the campaign, the characters make the trip across the sea to uncover the greatest treasure in history. Something like that can take on a life of its own if you get player buy-in.
6. Look for opportunities to use what the players give you.
It's free shit. Everybody likes free shit. If your group likes to create elaborate back stories: free side quests and NPCs. If they reference pop culture: free source material. If they like to use weird classes and races: free world-building.
7. Bad guys don't get monolouges.
If you have learned nothing else (and you haven't), learn this: Bad guys shut the fuck up and fight. They don't get a moment in the spotlight. Nobody cares. Having traveled hundreds of miles, quested for the seven keys of Uptair, battled their way through the villain's bodyguards and slain his pet dragon, the PCs are going to attack the villain on sight. They came for a fight. There is nothing to talk about. That aren't coming over for coffee, they are murdering this sick fuck. They absolutely give no fucks what this evil bastard thinks about anything. What could he say? Brag about how he is invincible like a 60s super villian? Yawn. Roll initiative. Give a speech about how he's misunderstood and really he's the good guy? Oh, never mind then, we'll just leave. You make an excellent point sir.
Hey, why we're on it, why does the bad guy even want to talk to the heroes? Didn't they kill half his army and foil his plans for world domination? Isn't he pissed? Like completely out of his mind with rage like Donald Trump on a bad hair day? He should be ready for a fight as much as the PCs, not sitting calmly rehearsing his big oratory.
8. Villains do think they are right.
As far as villians and their motivations goes, it always helps to look at things through the eyes of a shit head. All bad guys think they are good. He doesn't get to give a speech about it, but yes, the idea that I am in the right should pervade the villain's actions. World conquering megalomaniac? He's just fulfilling his destiny, nailing his name into the histories through force of will like all great kings of the past. Psycho necromancer trying end all life? Life is pain, he is putting an end to this suffering. Marauding bandit? He's no different than any royal tax collector, he just doesn't have the fancy robes and such. Religious zealot? Obviously MY god is better than your god.
9. Structure a campaign in phases.
The organizational structure here is pretty simple. Start at the beginning and when you get to the end, stop. Beginning, middle, end. Is that so fucking hard? Okay, its a little more complicated than that, but not by much. Too much plot at once is a bad thing, let things proceed at a natural pace.
Let's use DnD for an example. Levels 1-3 are like a prolouge, just establishing the characters and their surroundings. 4-6 picks up the pace a little, the characters are really getting traction toward whatever their next goal is. Begining done. By the time 7-9 gets here, you may have run through a whole story arc or two. 10th level and above gets tricky because you have to start bringing out the big guns monster wise, indicating that some big change from the status quo is rumbling through the universe. Middle done. Shit gets wild in levels 13-15, this makes a good "darkest before the dawn" period. By the last few levels the PCs have gotten themselves together, taken the fight to the enemy, and made some big play that sets them up for final victory. End. Yay good guys. The same thinking works with a series of disconnected quests and villians. Level 1: prolouge. Level 2: Beginning. Level 3: Middle, crazy stuff is happening. Level 4: Good guys win. Wash, rinse, repeat.
1. Know what you want.
Are you designing a single epic quest? A series of unrelated dungeons? A game of political intrigue? Whatever you are doing, be clear about it before you start. You want to make a campaign where the adventurers find and explore various lost temples just for the lulz? That's way different than planning out an evolving story line with a main villain to beat at the end or a Game of Thrones style political drama.
2. Talk to the players.
Better yet, listen to your players. If they are really itching for a certain kind of campaign, give it to them. Likewise, if you want to make a campaign centered on war, social interactions, or whatnot, let people know that before they make their characters. Orgo the half-orc barbarian with a Charisma of 6 is going to feel really stupid in a game of courtly drama. More importantly, Orgo's player is going to be bored stiff.
3. Never switch gears.
If you tell the players that they are in for a game of high seas adventure, they better not be stranded on that desert island for very long because all of their characters will be built for sailing and aquatic stuff. That's a dick move pure and simple.
4. You cannot see the future.
Don't script the whole campaign out like that fucking half-finished novel you keep trying to force your friends to read. Players do weird things to story lines. Frequently. On purpose. Just to fuck with you. Don't go too far ahead of the next game session. This can get really bad if you ignored #2 and Orgo decides to start smashing heads for shits and giggles.
4. Keep it simple, stupid.
The more complicated you make it, the more weird things players can do to your campaign plot. A campaign is kind of like a single game session, and it has the same basic components: who will the PCs fight and why? Remember that in order to stay focused.
5. A campaign is more than a series of adventures.
Even if you are aiming for a bunch of disconnected dungeon crawls and random wilderness encounters, you should be building toward something greater. Maybe some of the dungeons the adventurers explore allow them to find clues to the location of a lost kingdom across the sea. Maybe many civilizations have had scholars and would-be adventurers who dreamed of finding the ruins of this fallen nation and robbing them blind...I mean uncovering relics of historical value. At the climax of the campaign, the characters make the trip across the sea to uncover the greatest treasure in history. Something like that can take on a life of its own if you get player buy-in.
6. Look for opportunities to use what the players give you.
It's free shit. Everybody likes free shit. If your group likes to create elaborate back stories: free side quests and NPCs. If they reference pop culture: free source material. If they like to use weird classes and races: free world-building.
7. Bad guys don't get monolouges.
If you have learned nothing else (and you haven't), learn this: Bad guys shut the fuck up and fight. They don't get a moment in the spotlight. Nobody cares. Having traveled hundreds of miles, quested for the seven keys of Uptair, battled their way through the villain's bodyguards and slain his pet dragon, the PCs are going to attack the villain on sight. They came for a fight. There is nothing to talk about. That aren't coming over for coffee, they are murdering this sick fuck. They absolutely give no fucks what this evil bastard thinks about anything. What could he say? Brag about how he is invincible like a 60s super villian? Yawn. Roll initiative. Give a speech about how he's misunderstood and really he's the good guy? Oh, never mind then, we'll just leave. You make an excellent point sir.
Hey, why we're on it, why does the bad guy even want to talk to the heroes? Didn't they kill half his army and foil his plans for world domination? Isn't he pissed? Like completely out of his mind with rage like Donald Trump on a bad hair day? He should be ready for a fight as much as the PCs, not sitting calmly rehearsing his big oratory.
8. Villains do think they are right.
As far as villians and their motivations goes, it always helps to look at things through the eyes of a shit head. All bad guys think they are good. He doesn't get to give a speech about it, but yes, the idea that I am in the right should pervade the villain's actions. World conquering megalomaniac? He's just fulfilling his destiny, nailing his name into the histories through force of will like all great kings of the past. Psycho necromancer trying end all life? Life is pain, he is putting an end to this suffering. Marauding bandit? He's no different than any royal tax collector, he just doesn't have the fancy robes and such. Religious zealot? Obviously MY god is better than your god.
9. Structure a campaign in phases.
The organizational structure here is pretty simple. Start at the beginning and when you get to the end, stop. Beginning, middle, end. Is that so fucking hard? Okay, its a little more complicated than that, but not by much. Too much plot at once is a bad thing, let things proceed at a natural pace.
Let's use DnD for an example. Levels 1-3 are like a prolouge, just establishing the characters and their surroundings. 4-6 picks up the pace a little, the characters are really getting traction toward whatever their next goal is. Begining done. By the time 7-9 gets here, you may have run through a whole story arc or two. 10th level and above gets tricky because you have to start bringing out the big guns monster wise, indicating that some big change from the status quo is rumbling through the universe. Middle done. Shit gets wild in levels 13-15, this makes a good "darkest before the dawn" period. By the last few levels the PCs have gotten themselves together, taken the fight to the enemy, and made some big play that sets them up for final victory. End. Yay good guys. The same thinking works with a series of disconnected quests and villians. Level 1: prolouge. Level 2: Beginning. Level 3: Middle, crazy stuff is happening. Level 4: Good guys win. Wash, rinse, repeat.
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