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<blockquote data-quote="bento" data-source="post: 3412339" data-attributes="member: 36597">The first thing you can do is look at your player's character sheet.&nbsp; Where have they invested in skills or feats?&nbsp; That will outline the kinds of adventures they are looking for.Next ask your players to reflect on their characters and answer questions like:* What's your character's motto for life?* What does your character want to achieve?* Tell me about the most important person(s) in their life?* Tell me about the most important event in their life so far?* Why does your character become an adventurer?Esssentially your fishing for motivations and plot hooks.&nbsp; You then use those motivations and plot hooks to seed your adventures.&nbsp; Don't think about the big campaign except in regards to occasional big events, but focus at the weekly or daily events level where you can have the greatest impact.&nbsp; You'll get better buy-in from the players when they start seeing some of those opportunities come along and they should start driving the story more.Also use character actions and decisions to drive the future events.&nbsp; In another thread (why not more +13 level games I think) someone said that the game takes care of itself when the GM uses character decisions to drive the campaign.&nbsp; For instance (and I know I'm quoting someone else on this) - the party kills a bandit chief while trying to protect a caravan.&nbsp; In game results can come from this.&nbsp; Those that benefit from his death may reward me, and potentially need my help in the future.&nbsp; Those that suffer from his death will be mad and will some day come back to seek revenge.&nbsp; As a player, when my decisions come back to reward me or haunt me, I'm now more invested in the adventure. What you can do with campaign building is have player actions drive even bigger events.&nbsp; The players take a job where they release an evil wizard that then wreaks havok on the countryside.&nbsp; Or they make a very public refuse to join the barons army, which then loses an important battle, which then fails to stop the horde of goblins that sack their hometown.&nbsp; Ouch!&nbsp; For good decision making, you (GM) reward your players some of the things that their characters want to achieve.&nbsp;&nbsp; Henry's already cited what I consider a great source of GM Philosophy - Robin Laws work.&nbsp; Everytime I get stumped or want to raise my game to the next level I almost always go back to chapter 1 of the DMG2 and read what it says.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="bento, post: 3412339, member: 36597"] The first thing you can do is look at your player's character sheet. Where have they invested in skills or feats? That will outline the kinds of adventures they are looking for. Next ask your players to reflect on their characters and answer questions like: * What's your character's motto for life? * What does your character want to achieve? * Tell me about the most important person(s) in their life? * Tell me about the most important event in their life so far? * Why does your character become an adventurer? Esssentially your fishing for motivations and plot hooks. You then use those motivations and plot hooks to seed your adventures. Don't think about the big campaign except in regards to occasional big events, but focus at the weekly or daily events level where you can have the greatest impact. You'll get better buy-in from the players when they start seeing some of those opportunities come along and they should start driving the story more. Also use character actions and decisions to drive the future events. In another thread (why not more +13 level games I think) someone said that the game takes care of itself when the GM uses character decisions to drive the campaign. For instance (and I know I'm quoting someone else on this) - the party kills a bandit chief while trying to protect a caravan. In game results can come from this. Those that benefit from his death may reward me, and potentially need my help in the future. Those that suffer from his death will be mad and will some day come back to seek revenge. As a player, when my decisions come back to reward me or haunt me, I'm now more invested in the adventure. What you can do with campaign building is have player actions drive even bigger events. The players take a job where they release an evil wizard that then wreaks havok on the countryside. Or they make a very public refuse to join the barons army, which then loses an important battle, which then fails to stop the horde of goblins that sack their hometown. Ouch! For good decision making, you (GM) reward your players some of the things that their characters want to achieve. Henry's already cited what I consider a great source of GM Philosophy - Robin Laws work. Everytime I get stumped or want to raise my game to the next level I almost always go back to chapter 1 of the DMG2 and read what it says. [/QUOTE]

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