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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Afrodyte" data-source="post: 1152196" data-attributes="member: 8713">I hope this works.Anyway, I originally had a more thorough response to the initial question, but logging in presented a problem.  So, in a much more abbreviated form, I'll share my own process for creating campaigns.Before everything else, I make sure I am solid on three things: character, genre, theme, and mood.  Setting, plot, etc all flow from there.  The result is that I get a sense of structure and unity that makes things more satisfying.  If somebody actually asked me what my game was about, being very clear on these things allows me to do this in a concise yet meaningful way.Genre, theme, and mood essentially define the parameters of the game and reveal what sorts of characters would fit best.  If I'm running a gothic psychological thriller, the standard "adventurer" won't really cut it.  There is a certain amount of introspection that's required to get the most out of such a game, and players who make characters lacking in that aspect make it difficult to go in the direction I want to go in.  Likewise, if the main thrust of my game is a satirical look at how mortals interact with the supernatural, a touch of irony and sarcasm (in the players if not the characters) will go further than angsty brooding or toilet humor.As a DM, I require three things from a character: desire, motivation, and conflict.  Knowing what your character wants, why s/he wants it, and what internal or external cause prevents him/her from getting it gives me something to work with when designing the basic plot as well as NPCs.  If I were planning a "serious," long-term game, I'd also require tying the character to the major themes in some way.  This way, I can work with a much lighter touch and allow the characters to determine the course of the story.  I don't need to tell the players what they are going to do and why because they are providing the goals and motives themselves.  Only after I have these things do I consider a character complete, no matter how crisp the character sheet is.Only after I do that do I go into setting.  Usually, I only give a little bit of information beforehand to give the players and idea of what type of game I'm running.  In most cases, this is only if it deviates from standard D&D with regards to the time period emulated, the level and power of magic, races that exist, and important setting factors that can impact the character (like a female character in a Taliban-esque society, or a human in a demi-human game).  I also give some idea of plot (not much) in cases where I think it's needed to create a character.  Mostly, this has to deal with how much intrigue, combat, or heavy roleplaying I expect to happen.  In the case of combat, if I am going to be using a particular type of creature often, I'll let the players know.  More often than not, combat enemies are animals or humanoids.After that, it gets pretty easy as I design plot to fit around the characters, impacted by what paths the PCs take (or don't take).  In some cases, a refusal to look deeper into something can backfire.  Although the main crux of the plot still centers around the PCs in some way, the things they don't deal with can come back to haunt them.</blockquote>

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