General RPG DiscussionDiscussion of all RPGs and non-system-specific topics. DM/GM/player issues, settings, etc. Rules discussion belongs in one the forums below.
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I like my campaigns to be about something. Well, perhaps more correctly, I like them to have shape. The campaigns I've enjoyed running the most have had strong villains, the PCs (mostly) aware of their place in the world, and one event following another to form a greater tapestry that, at the end of the campaign, is a great story.
I'd like to emphasize that I'm not talking about railroading. Many of the best events of these campaigns have been entirely player-driven. When a player mistakes a slaver for a slave and "rescues" her... only to be betrayed by her a year of real time later - you can't plan that. All you can do is take advantage of the opportunities your players give you.
The trouble starts - and is well underway in my current homebrew - when the opportunities aren't coming.
It's a combination of hopping plotlines (I'm confused as to which one we're on at the moment - oh wait, it's the African Tigers one) - some weak PC personalities, and general DM fatigue.
The annoying thing is that there are actually some really strong elements to the campaign. One of the PCs has a great history which ties back to earlier campaigns and provides a lot of good character-building roleplay. Another PC turned evil and is now an NPC that I'm using to drive a few story elements. A good nemesis is hard to come by, and Archibald is doing the job superbly.
So, I'm not quite ready to give up on the campaign yet, but I really need to sit down and look at where it's going.
Things like...
...what are the goals of the PCs?
...what are the goals of the villains?
...heck, who are the villains?
...and can we have some connected adventures rather than "adventure of the week"? (Hopefully, yes, if I can get a few hours to sit down and write them!)
Argh! The campaign began quite strongly, exploring Castle Zagyg. Then the rights to CZ went walkabout and I've been improvising a lot since then. Still, I've been running campaigns in this world for over a decade. I should be able to get some inspiration from past games!
I like my campaigns to be about something. Well, perhaps more correctly, I like them to have shape. The campaigns I've enjoyed running the most have had strong villains, the PCs (mostly) aware of their place in the world, and one event following another to form a greater tapestry that, at the end of the campaign, is a great story.
I'd like to emphasize that I'm not talking about railroading. Many of the best events of these campaigns have been entirely player-driven. When a player mistakes a slaver for a slave and "rescues" her... only to be betrayed by her a year of real time later - you can't plan that. All you can do is take advantage of the opportunities your players give you.
The trouble starts - and is well underway in my current homebrew - when the opportunities aren't coming.
It's a combination of hopping plotlines (I'm confused as to which one we're on at the moment - oh wait, it's the African Tigers one) - some weak PC personalities, and general DM fatigue.
The annoying thing is that there are actually some really strong elements to the campaign. One of the PCs has a great history which ties back to earlier campaigns and provides a lot of good character-building roleplay. Another PC turned evil and is now an NPC that I'm using to drive a few story elements. A good nemesis is hard to come by, and Archibald is doing the job superbly.
So, I'm not quite ready to give up on the campaign yet, but I really need to sit down and look at where it's going.
Things like...
...what are the goals of the PCs?
...what are the goals of the villains?
...heck, who are the villains?
...and can we have some connected adventures rather than "adventure of the week"? (Hopefully, yes, if I can get a few hours to sit down and write them!)
Argh! The campaign began quite strongly, exploring Castle Zagyg. Then the rights to CZ went walkabout and I've been improvising a lot since then. Still, I've been running campaigns in this world for over a decade. I should be able to get some inspiration from past games!
Cheers!
Well, you've identified some questions that I would think give your campaign shape if they are answered.
In my campaign, I kind of take your approach. I outline one major story arc with two side arcs. This gives me my villains, their goals, and the relevant goals of the PC's. I plot out each adventure, the level of the PC's, and make any special notes that the PC's will encounter such as "reveal hidden bad guy here", etc.
As for railroading, the main arc is a background in which the PC's can jump into or not, but it will eventually hit home from time to time and at higher levels will be the focus of the campaign. However, the PC's have the choice to either do nothing, do something, or it will come to them at a later point. There are two side arcs going on that has their attention for the moment.
I think what's stopping you is that you're looking for inspiration in the antecedent details of what's happening. Let's think about what causes those details and work down the chain.
Someone, whether Merric or someone else, give me three hooks: a thing, an emotion and a goal.
A sword, loyalty and protecting a legitimate heir.
Curse you, Mark! Generic becomes less easy. But no worries, let's find a premise and then turn it on its ear.
A ruler - not a very important ruler, honestly, a minor duke with some family estates and a lot of debts - finds out on his mother's deathbed that he was actually sired by the King's father, the late king, before the King himself was fathered. "Perfect!" thinks the Duke who's in debt. "Surely being a royal bastard is still enough to get some of my debts excused." He applies to the King's adviser, and the reverse happens: his debts are called in, he is forced to remit his estates to the crown, and he barely avoids being captured and jailed.
So what does he do next?
In one option, he becomes the bad guy. He finds people who will help him take revenge on the King and take his place. In effect, he starts a civil war that is backed by some extremely unsavory allies (cults? Fiends? A foreign power?) who have their own agenda. They need him to possess a particular sword in order to get him to replace the king (maybe it belongs to the king's bodyguard, or it can cut through the king's magical defenses, or the sword itself is the key to an ancient passage into the castle.) The PCs run into the Duke and his allies as an enemy, and the civil war becomes the backdrop for the campaign.
Or maybe the King's advisor and spymaster is the real villain. He dedicates himself to ruining the fairly innocent Duke, and after the PCs try to help he puts them on the "to be destroyed" list as well. The rightful king is ignorant of this treachery. A sword somehow holds the key to revealing the advisor's perfidy to the king's court, and it's a race to get it and reveal him before inappropriately sent royal assassins can get it first.
In either campaign, loyalty would be the theme: who do you choose to be loyal to, and what would make you break those vows?
MerricB - I *completely* understand what you're trying to go for, that's how i like my campaigns too. And sometimes I have the same delimma
But, yeah, the questions you listed are part of the key.
To start connecting some of your "plot of the week" stories, see if there has been some sort of theme (was it always a bad guy trying to get an item? was it always started in some religious order? etc). maybe there is someone that hired these guys in the first place do to that task. so what is that head honcho going to do since it has been failing at the hands of the pcs each time? maybe elsewhere in the world he has succeeded at similar tasks. but then what is he trying to get these items for, what is he trying to do? and so on...
anyway, i don't have anything specific to add since that would require knowing more about the setting and some of the recurring plot lines...
but just a little "I know what you mean" post from me
__________________ If you're bored and like to follow links provided by random strangers, check out my ENWorld Blog http://www.enworld.org/forum/blogs/fba827/
It will have campaign logs and random thoughts...
It started when the humans began raiding the great southern pearl beds of Nifar. The kuo-toa princeling Slirr'ak was selected to destroy the human pearl divers when next they returned. He did, and he (along with his honor guard of monitors and whips) slew the human adventurers who followed in their wake several days later.
These "adventurers" turned out to be wealthy beyond Slirr'ak's wildest dreams.
He took the magic items, the gold and the gems and parlayed them into even more power. This required a plan, because this sort of wealth could be used to tempt even more power from wondrous Blibdoolpoolp (May she forever burble in the salty darkness!) herself. Over several months Slirr'ak mapped out every settlement along the ocean's shallows. He then initiated his plan. In every medium to large city it is the same: use local fishermen to release a highly contagious disease that is carried by Blibdoolpoolp's heralds (crabs and lobsters) and which infects humans but not kuo-toa. Wait until people start to sicken, panic and die. Infiltrate the city using illusion magic to hide his kuo-toa strike force. Attack the sources of wealth in each city, including any adventurers, and then smuggle the goods back into the ocean. And in every case, as a tribute to Blibdoolpoolp, build an idol to the Goddess in the depths outside of each city's harbor.
Slirr'ak no longer goes on these raids himself, and he has dedicated himself to weaving a dark ritual that will somehow use those statues to cement Blibdoolpoolp's influence up and down the coast.
The PCs may enter into this plot at any point, but the most effective way is to have them start to be influenced by the political and social upheaval that these city plunderings are causing. Other adventurers are dying along the coast, either to disease or to violence, and multiple countries are ready to wage war in order to claim rich cities that their neighboring countries seem unable to defend.
-- o --
You're probably seeing the pattern: if you're stuck, break up the status quo. Throw the world into disarray, and build adventures from the scattered pieces. My corollary to this? If you really, really love part of your campaign world (or if part of your world is boring), destroy it and make the heroes deal with the event or the aftermath. You won't run out of plot hooks for years.
You're probably seeing the pattern: if you're stuck, break up the status quo. Throw the world into disarray, and build adventures from the scattered pieces. My corollary to this? If you really, really love part of your campaign world (or if part of your world is boring), destroy it and make the heroes deal with the event or the aftermath. You won't run out of plot hooks for years.
You never cease to amaze me, sir. You make plotting campaigns look easy! Can you articulate how you go from a thing, emotion, and goal at one end to "break up the status quo" at the other? Or does it just come to you, given those seeds? (In an effort to more precisely articulate my question: I see the three axioms you're given and the theorem you want to prove, but what are the rules of inference? Or is the process not one that can be expressed logically?)
The whole "thing, emotion and goal" is a little bit of a red herring. I design MUCH better when I have a basis to work off of. It means that I don't suffer from analysis paralysis, and can focus on twisting the plot elements into something fun. I picked "thing, emotion and goal" above because it's enough detail to plant some plot seeds without actually constraining you.
When you do this, especially to jump-start a campaign, think macro instead of micro; think big. Don't even consider the PCs at first. You want an event that is going to cause ripples, and then those ripples cause ripples, and that's what the PCs are going to deal with at first. In this case, it's the economic, political and military chaos caused by the string of plague-ridden cities up the coast. That would cause a ton of ripples and adventures which on the surface have nothing to do with the root cause of the problem.
Extrapolate. Ask yourself: if my bad guy does this, what is the natural result? Then plot out the result of the bad guy's actions, and let that be your hook. Ask yourself what the bad guy's rivals are doing about this as well. Do they want to stop him or help him, and will they intersect with the PCs? Using a temporarily allied bad guy as an adventure hook works really well.
When given a choice, select a plot that lets your PCs be famous and successful heroes who have made a real difference in their world. Then let people recognize this if they do a good job, or blame them if they don't. Let the heroes' anonymity be an enemy to be defeated.
When you're plotting think stylish and think cinematic - I love the idea of statues of Blibdoolpoolp linking together human harbors, or a squad of disguised kuo-toa slinking through plague-ridden streets. Think of a scene or an image that would make great cover art for your module, then work backwards when plotting to figure out how to get there. Use nifty old-school references that make you happy anywhere you have the opportunity. That's why I chose kuo-toa (and their lobster-headed goddess) instead of something dorky like the old 1e crabmen when I was given crustacean as a plot element.
That's actually a good example of the rule "never make your bad guys boring." The prime movers should have names, unique physical characteristics, and memorable personalities. For instance, don't have a goblin shaman if you can have an insane goblin shaman who argues with invisible ghosts.
And remember, not every one of these is going to be a gem; the sword/loyalty/heir piece up there certainly isn't. Don't be afraid to scrap your ideas and try from a different tack.
So, long story short:
1. Get a handful of plot elements. These are your puzzle pieces.
2. Shift them around to get the biggest, most audacious scheme you can think of for a bad guy.
3. Think about how this scheme affects the world around it.
4. Think about how which of those ripples will first impact the PCs.
5. Add cool, memorable NPCs as your prime movers.
6. Elaborate. Build off of what you have, adding complexity and twists.
Last edited by Piratecat; 8th July 2009 at 03:10 AM..
If you really, really love part of your campaign world (or if part of your world is boring), destroy it and make the heroes deal with the event or the aftermath. You won't run out of plot hooks for years.
Incidentally, this theory first came up in my last campaign when (a) my campaign map had a huge area of grassy horselands marked on it that was turning out to be really really boring, and (b) I had just read a book about Genghis Khan. Hmm, mongols like grassy plains, right? Enter the Mang, horse-riding orcish archers who invaded from off the known map in numbers coming close to 400,000; the PCs were amongst the first to discover their scouting parties. The heroes never learned why the Mang had left their homeland, but they could have dealt with it if they'd wanted to; instead, they got the heck outta Dodge before the main army arrived.
And when I got bored with having a big chunk of continent taken up by orcish archers, because the PCs had out-leveled the threat? An archmage engineered a magical plague that wiped out every single orc it got near. That way I had several hundred thousand rotting dead orcs and a huge power vacuum... which was quickly filled by necromancers who rushed in to animate the corpses, creating a new kingdom of undead.
One important rule in DM rat-bastardy is to make sure your players have a hand in world-shaking events, even peripherally. In this case, the PCs had previously saved the life of the mage who engineered the anti-orc disease. Every time they ran across those undead they got to think "Hey, we're indirectly responsible!" That was fun.
May you forever burble in the salty darkness, PC - nice job!
I like how the PCs can get involved at nearly any stage of the process - that means the villain can start to do their thing in the background, and the PCs have multiple points to naturally intersect with the villain.
Gears within wheels within spheres within...wossnames! You, Piratecat, are a complex, complicated man.
Merric, I feel your pain. I've been struggling with that same pain for quite some time in both my PbP games. Of course, meatspace time isn't quite as immediate in such a venue, but it's still an urgent issue. In my 3rd edition homebrew game, I'm about to whisk my PC's (and a couple NPC's) off to Golarion for a little Legacy of Fire love. Then they can find their way back, save the cheerleader, and live happily ever after. As even bigger fish.
My Eberron campaign has suffered major player attrition, to the point that my only participant is my wife. In which case, 'Whatever Lola Wants....'
But then, ignore the noob, I vote for working with Master Piratecat's suggestions.
You are not going to have an interesting story. Just a bunch of stuff that happens.
Once you know what the PCs want, you can make NPCs who oppose them (directly or indirectly). When the PCs meet these NPCs, conflict will arise, dice will be rolled, and when it's all done you'll have a story.
__________________ "If people bring so much courage to this world the world has to kill them to break them, so of course it kills them. The world breaks every one and afterward many are strong at the broken places. But those that will not break it kills. It kills the very good and the very gentle and the very brave impartially. If you are none of these you can be sure it will kill you too but there will be no special hurry."
-- Ernest Hemingway, "A Farewell to Arms" Burning Empires:Boldaq Keep on the Shadowfell
Well, since you've had a PC go Evil & become an NPC, one potential idea is to make things personal.
This villain could have some motivation to act directly against the PCs. Perhaps he (I'm guessing he, based on the name Archibald) blames the PCs for his fall; perhaps he thinks they lack the conviction to see things through; perhaps he sees them as a potential obstacle to proactively eliminate; perhaps he has to as part of the deal for achieving his goals/gaining power; etc.
The action could be direct or indirect: sending assassins to kill the PCs, tipping off other enemies to the PCs location/plan of action, defaming the PCs, going after allies/loved ones of the PCs, etc.
I think knowing who the PCs are will help define the villains (and their goals). Perhaps using a uniting theme (and maybe even having a BBEG responsible for that "theme") will help provide a sense of continuity between adventures.
For example (just throwing it out there, based on the Evil PC idea), how about having a theme of Corruption &/or Betrayal? Allies or generally benevolent NPCs are seduced to Evil for some reason (lure of power, necessity, a perceived "lack of choice," etc.). Perhaps an Archdevil or Evil deity is using agents to spread corruption. Perhaps exposure to an ancient (demonic) evil & its legacy is "infecting" certain people, causing their fall. Perhaps a Vampire Lord is creating new followers. Perhaps a servant (mortal or not) of an Evil being is converting people to his sinister faith. Perhaps a conqueror is preparing invasion, and is using espionage to undermine/weaken the nation severely before actively sending out armies to conquer his targets.
One potential effect is PC concern over corruption/betrayal. Characters may be concerned that another character in the group may fall to Evil. New allies could be viewed with suspicion; trust in old allies may be constantly reevaluated after certain events. Or, characters may take on a zealous attitude to routing out corruption, potentially alienating allies or inadvertently causing more harm than good. The fear & paranoia over such things could lead to the PCs destroying themselves, which could be one of the key obstacles that they need to overcome.
In fact, the "who are the villains?" question could remain (somewhat) unanswered, leaving PCs to guess who's a threat and who's a red herring.
Hope this helps.
__________________ Ageless, Faceless, Gender-Neutral, Culturally-Ambiguous Adventure Person
This trick works quite well under some circumstances, generally when you have a ton of random things going on in the campaign that you just threw in because it seemed like a good idea at the time.
Tell your players that there's been some kind of conspiracy going on in the background that has driven a lot of the game and ask them what they believe it is.
Whatever they say is true. Just act surprised at how clever they are for guessing exactly what's going on.
This little DM dodge has saved me more often than just about any other trick. In my opinion it's not a retcon if none of the players remember it.
Any of the characters wizards/priests? MIght to time to send them hunting for some items or follow some dreams.
Any of the characters fighters? In the bar, they hear tales of weaposn of legend that have been hidden from man for decades and wait a proper weaer.
If the characters are more prone to reaction, have they brought forth any magical items from any dungeons? NPC thieves want those to fullfill one of their own plans.
Any of the characters have a high charisma? Perhaps they become the object of some bored nobel and have to worry about the potential situations that causes.
Check out the GM stuff in the FFZ link in my sig. It's kind of built around the narrative process, so it has some pretty good advice.
I'll also be yanking some of PC's advice.
Things like...
The character wants something. Dangle it in front of them.
The character fears something. Make them run from it.
The character has a weakness. Exploit it.
The villain is built from the character's flaws and fears -- afraid of spiders? Your enemy is a giant intelligent evil spider.
The villain is never boring. It plays a key role in the campaign, and should receive maybe more attention than any other thing you as the DM design.
How to do wheels within wheels and plots within plots.
It sounds a bit like you're at the very beginning of a new story -- you've got characters. The easiest thing to do is to turn one of those monsters-of-the-week into a hint at something bigger going on, and maybe to provide a link tethering them together. Think: "Who benefits if all these things happen?" and you might be close to puzzling out a villain.
Just to throw in a few existing plot threads that I haven't developed properly yet...
The Minions of Iuz (and Archibald)
Iuz, evil demigod and ruler to the north-east, has sent a priest along with a few orcs to set up a base in the City of Greyhawk. The group first encountered them when the minions were setting up a smuggler's base in a cave by the river. It was at this point that Archibald (tiefling warlock) betrayed the party and joined with the minions.
The next encounter with the minions was in the city itself, when the party stopped Archibald and the orcs setting up a hidden base within the Old Quarter.
The latest encounter has been Archibald destroying a magic portal that had brought them to the demiplane of Farika (a jungle land where they intended to hunt beasts). At present, they're looking for a way back. Exactly why Archibald has trapped them there is not quite clear to me (it's a fun thing to do, that's one reason), but I expect that he (a) wants them out of the way and (b) the minions are doing something in the city presently.
This needs more development.
The Mask of Riflis
The PCs investigated an old cairn which contained the potent druidical artefact, the Mask of Riflis. They failed(!) to stop a priest of Nerull gaining the artefact. Obviously, this will have repercussions. As the party have been trapped in Farika for a month or more, I'm thinking that the City of Greyhawk should now be under siege by undead animals or something similar. It's protected by its mages, but they aren't free to stop the power of the mask (as all their power is used countering it). Or something like that.
So, another plot thread that I need to develop.
The See of Medegia
A spur-of-the-moment introduction into the game. The See of Medegia (a Lawful Evil/Hextorian realm) has sent agents to Greyhawk to conclude a purchase of demon-bane weapons from the Arch-clericy of Veluna (a Lawful Good/Raoan realm). The PCs spoke to the agents (who had imbibed too much wine and fell to the charm of the PCs) and learnt of the transaction. Why are the Hextorians wanting the weapons? I'm not quite sure - I think they want to deal with a demonic incursion in their land - but this may have additional ramifications that, yes, I need to develop further!
Teresa Corthan and her Grandfather
Teresa Corthan is a apprentice mage and friend of one of the PCs (William). They may be romantically involved. Her grandfather is a noble of Greyhawk with strong trading backgrounds. He has hired the group on a couple of occasions (one occasion saw them clearing out a troll nest that led to the Mask of Riflis incident).
Both of these characters can obviously affect existing adventures or spur new ones.
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