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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Raven Crowking" data-source="post: 2582538" data-attributes="member: 18280">Let me be a bit more clear here.In order to run an interesting game, I feel that it is necessary to do some design work.  I want to know the place where the PCs are starting, who the gods are, what the major players want and why they want it.  I like a sense of history, and uncovering ancient secrets, so I design a cosmology and a rough outline of the world history.  Some idea of what sorts of peoples inhabited this area before the PCs.  I try to consider the sort of things that PCs are usually interested in, and create some ideas for mid-level adventures that they can aspire to.  I consider if any rules changes are needed to do this (for example, no automatic literacy).Next I make one or more files and make these files available to the players.  You can view some of this content at the begining of this thread (<a href="http://www.enworld.org/showthread.php?t=110029" target="_blank">http://www.enworld.org/showthread.php?t=110029</a>) for a specific example of what I mean.  I try to be fairly upfront about what I am offering.When copies of the PC character sheets begin to come in, I look at the various PC backgrounds and try to decide how they fit into the world.  In some few cases, there is overt need for modification, and I'll talk to the player.  In many cases, what the PC believes to be the truth overlays another, much larger, truth.  I also look for things that I can hook into the campaign world, to make the PCs part of the ongoing story.EXAMPLE:  Prior to begining my current campaign, I created the island of Tal Slathan, including the ruins of Oakhill (sacked by orcs).  One of the initial PCs was a half-orc.  I offered that he was a second-generation half-orc wherein the half-orcish blood ran true.  The PC accepted that idea.  I then determined (unknown to the PC) that his father was conceived in the sack of Oakhill, and seeded clues to this fact where I hoped the player would eventually find them.The initial adventure for any group is a sort of warm-up.  I try to make it reasonably risky and reasonably rewarding.  I try to seed it with hints of other plots, and hooks that lead into other adventures.  I try to give the PCs contacts as an asset and let them learn more about the campaign world through role-playing encounters and clues seeded into any place I can fit them -- treasures, NPCs, landforms, things they see.After the warm-up I let them go.  Every time they choose something to pursue, I try to include hooks into at least three more things that they could potentially pursue.  Large storylines continue whether they pursue them or not, but can be drastically altered by PC involvement.  PCs can even begin (or end) major world story arcs by their actions.Eventually, they realize that there is more to do than they could ever hope to do, and begin to think in terms of "What should we do next?" rather than "What does the DM want us to do next?"All within the context of a world that is as believable and internally consistant as I can make it.That's why I do so much work.That's why I enjoy the game.That's what makes me sit back and smile.RC</blockquote>

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