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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Oversquid" data-source="post: 5719042" data-attributes="member: 6684394">I'm currently trying to run a very long term adventure with multiple chapters. Some advice that I will give is more on the perspective of a writer:1. What is at stake? When I ask this question, I mean, what is going on in the world that the players must see to resolving.Once you know whats at stake, introduce whats at stake in the first adventure. I'm not saying reveal everyone's plans, I'm saying introduce the trouble, be it the villain, or perhaps something the villain did that was heinous, or even a factor of a larger picture. Just something to give to the players so they can look at it.For example, and I am taking this example from another: Suppose the players start out in a village, and a cow herder complains that his cows have been stolen. After some investigations, the players find that goblins stole the cows.Then when the players go into the goblin cave and find they cows, they also come across some documents at the chief's throne detailing the growth of a large army, and how the goblins are helping them grow.THEN when the players find the large army, they'll find that the large army is really being manipulated by an army of Drow who are looking at weaking the surface before they strike.All that buildup, because the cow herder's cows were stolen by goblins. The real trick, which I find to be the hardest part, is giving the players just enough that they'll want to keep going on, but not giving them so much that they'll know how it all ends.2. The Players are the main characters. This is something I'm sure you know already, but it always bears repeating. Even if the plot were to go on a grand scheme, it must abide by the directions the players go. Of course, this does not mean that when the players dodge the plot that you must follow along with them, as that's a whole other problem altogether. Instead, when the players interact with the plot, you must flex with their choices, as the players will go a direction you would never have expected them to go in a million years.I'm not a very good improviser all things considered, so what I do is I plan out a multitude of responses from any one given event. Then when I introduce important characters, I write a paragraph or two about their personalities to help me in playing as them, and in turn, being able to respond to them.3. Show, NOT Tell. This is another tricky concept, as despite the simplicity of words, its very counter-intuitive. To explain, when you talk to your friends about the day or something, you (At least I think I can say this about you) probably say to your friends something like, "So I went into Burgerland and ate a giant burger". What I said there was an example of telling, which although it does get the point across, its rather bland and boring when put into the context of a story.To give an example of showing, I'll use the context above, about eating a giant burger at Burgerland: "I pushed the door to Burgerland open, singing to me with the thick smells of frying oil and grease at the rhythm of my rumbling stomach. The more I heard the beautiful melodies of the kitchen, the more I noticed the large line in front of me. I was Odysseus, tied to the mast while the sirens sang. After the last person took their order, I was met by a lad who looked just as plump and greasy as the burger I was about to order. The boy said to me mechanically 'Hello, what would you like?' To which I said with a mouthful of drool, 'Get me The Big-Honkin'-Burger' I said squirting the kid with drool while I said, 'with Waffle Fries and a Coke'. The kid sheepishly wiped the drool off of his face with his arm and then said, 'Is that all sir?' 'Yes'...."I haven't even got to the point where he bit into the burger, and I'm sure this was not the best representation of showing, but I do think that was much more interesting than saying, "I got a burger at Burgerland". Of course, telling has its place in conversation, because really, who wants to hear what I just wrote above when I asked what they got at Burgerland?This is one of the hardest things in my opinion is the Show, NOT Tell rule.I hope I answered some questions, but these are some of the things I found to be useful when DMing a long term plot oriented campaign.</blockquote>

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