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Message: <blockquote data-quote="TerraDave" data-source="post: 6240129" data-attributes="member: 22260">I am going to partially contradict some of the previous advice. You can plan long term for a campaign. And it can work well. But the execution can be a challenge. Figure out your big end point and some ideas on how to get to it. Then decide on how to start, and have there be some links. Note that this does not have to be at level 1. In my current campaign, the theme really started to develop at level 7 and has carried through to about level 20. But I was able to do things to link back to earlier events.Now, how do you get from that start to that end?<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Be ready for a marathon. Even with weekly play, intense weekly play, this will be at least 18 months.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Take real world disruptions in stride. The players you have at the end may not all be the same as at the beginning.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Understand that you have to keep the ball rolling. This is not only about in campaign stuff, but is also getting people to show up and play and keep going.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">DM enthusiasm is key here. If the players are cool, thats a problem, if you the DM start to loose interest, the campaign is basically dead. </li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">But the players need to play along. Keep it interesting and try to accommodate what they want to do.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Specifically incorporate things for the players that keep them in your broad story.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Have "sub-plots" under the wider plot, including some that can be more player driven. Here are adventures and stories that are a component of the bigger whole, or can be tangential.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Hence, be ready for transitions. Hook your players to keep moving forward. </li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"> And be creative to get things back on track, not heavy handed. Remember, you control a lot of things. </li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Foreshadow as best you can, but be careful with TMI. Have enough backstory to keep things moving along, but know that players don't tend to remember tons of (relevant) details.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">To help players pick up thematic links they may have missed, have encounters with helpful NPCs where the PCs have to recount what is going on and the NPCs can also help point out story points. </li> </ul>The secret is that, with a determined DM, having a broad overarching plot helps keep the game going. The players realize they are part of something bigger, and even when they grumble in character, they keep coming back for more, in part because they want to see whats going to happen next. Most player "types" want to see their character have an impact, but they often play for other reasons: tactical and puzzle challenges, char-op, to hang out, exploration, developing a particular character concept. You can accommodate all these but still have a long term goal in mind.</blockquote>

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