GlassJaw
Hero
When creating a new campaign, one of the first and most important things I focus on is immersion. From the first few lines of the intro flavor text, I want the players to understand where their characters are right away. The cliche of course if for them to "feel like they are there."
Specifically, I want the setting itself (the environment, landscape, climate, etc.) to be a character. I want the setting to influence the NPCs, the locations, and even the adventures themselves. When the setting is evocative and the players are immersed, it creates emotional attachment, which in turn makes their choices more meaningful.
I should note that I don't mean the campaign world - the history, political structures, factions, pantheons, etc. Those all can come later, and only as needed. They aren't nearly as important as what the characters see, hear, and feel immediately around them.
I love reading about climate types and how the flora and fauna vary. Visualizing the landscape is extremely important. Google image search is amazing for this. I also show images I've found to the players to supplement the campaign background/flavor text. This has actually become easier since my group now uses Slack.
Other things I think about during campaign brainstorming: How does the climate influences architecture? How do the people live? What do they eat? How do they get their food? How do they travel? How far are they able to travel?
I also get inspiration from books and TV. For example, I'm working on a coastal Saltmarsh campaign but I'm setting it in an area like the Florida Keys and the Carribean. I recently watched National Geographic documentaries on the sunken pirate city of Port Royal in Jamaica and the Bermuda Triangle. And while it was modern day, the Netflix show Outer Banks was excellent (filmed on the South Carolina coast). The setting had a HUGE influence on the storytelling and the cinematography was incredibly immersive.
With all this, I still feel like I could do more and do better. How do you define "immersion?" What techniques or resources do you use to create immersion at the start of a campaign? How do you know when you've succeeded?
Specifically, I want the setting itself (the environment, landscape, climate, etc.) to be a character. I want the setting to influence the NPCs, the locations, and even the adventures themselves. When the setting is evocative and the players are immersed, it creates emotional attachment, which in turn makes their choices more meaningful.
I should note that I don't mean the campaign world - the history, political structures, factions, pantheons, etc. Those all can come later, and only as needed. They aren't nearly as important as what the characters see, hear, and feel immediately around them.
I love reading about climate types and how the flora and fauna vary. Visualizing the landscape is extremely important. Google image search is amazing for this. I also show images I've found to the players to supplement the campaign background/flavor text. This has actually become easier since my group now uses Slack.
Other things I think about during campaign brainstorming: How does the climate influences architecture? How do the people live? What do they eat? How do they get their food? How do they travel? How far are they able to travel?
I also get inspiration from books and TV. For example, I'm working on a coastal Saltmarsh campaign but I'm setting it in an area like the Florida Keys and the Carribean. I recently watched National Geographic documentaries on the sunken pirate city of Port Royal in Jamaica and the Bermuda Triangle. And while it was modern day, the Netflix show Outer Banks was excellent (filmed on the South Carolina coast). The setting had a HUGE influence on the storytelling and the cinematography was incredibly immersive.
With all this, I still feel like I could do more and do better. How do you define "immersion?" What techniques or resources do you use to create immersion at the start of a campaign? How do you know when you've succeeded?
