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Message: <blockquote data-quote="EricNoah" data-source="post: 736843" data-attributes="member: 4">Here is a survey I created to use when starting a new campaign, particularly if introducing new players.------------------1.  Tell me about your experiences as a role-player.  When and how did you start playing?  Do you enjoy large or small groups? What do you like most about role-playing games?  What really annoys you as a player?  What do you like to see in a referee / Game Master / Dungeon Master?2.  Mark any and all of the following campaign settings you would like to explore:___  Forgotten Realms, Wide-Ranging:  This is your typical pseudo-medieval setting with lots of variation in terrain and inhabitants.  Pros:  It's a well-documented world, with lots of published materials and developed characters and locales.  Cons:  It may be too well-known for some players.___  Forgotten Realms, Limited Area:  We pick one area of the Realms and adventure just in those environs.  Options include Icewind Dales (sub-arctic tundra/mountains), Anauroch (Great Desert), Chult (Jungles), Moonshae Isles (remote island group), maybe even Undersea (PCs are of one of the many aquatic races).  Pros:  Unique flavor, PCs have a chance to be a part of (local) history.  Cons:  May not last more than a few sessions, limits in PC class and race selection.___  Underdark:  Explore the deep, dark tunnels and realms under the Forgotten Realms.  PCs play any of the standard races or infamous Underdark races.  Pros:  Unique flavor, chance to play the "bad guys."  Cons:  Very challenging, PCs may have high mortality rate.___  Dark Sun:  The world of Athas is a rugged desert where only the toughest survive.  Lots of new rules and PC options make this a unique experience.  Slavery is common, gladiators fight in the arena, most beings have psionic power, wizard magic is dangerous to all, and clerics worship the elements instead of gods.  Pros:  Published materials, unique flavor, potential for PCs to become very powerful.  Cons:  Very challenging for PCs (and players, with all of the new rules to master), not recommended for beginning players, I don't own many of the rules for it.___  Al-Qadim:  Zakhara, the Land of Fate, is home to daring corsairs, genie-controlling sha'irs, idol-worshipping kahins, mysterious wise women, turban-clad barbers, dark-robed holy slayers, and evil sorcerers.  This Arabian campaign is filled with wondrous and terrible sights.  Pros:  Lots of materials (I own a lot of stuff for this), very rich details, story-telling style of play.  Cons:  Some new rules to master, setting isn't exactly brimming with built-in conflict.___  Planescape:  Ever wonder what lies beyond our own dimension, beyond life itself?  Travel to the outer reaches of the known planes of existence:  the hellish Baator, the divine Mount Celestia, the clockwork Mechanus, the wild Beastlands, and Sigil, the City of Doors -- where everyone from everywhere meets to scheme for control.  Pros:  Lots of neat places to explore, thinking and fighting are equally important, alignment becomes secondary to other issues.  Cons:  Almost too much to ever cover completely.___  Others:  I do own some materials for Dragonlance and Ravenloft, though I'm not real familiar with either of them.3.  Mark any or all of the following playing options that appeal to you.___      Long-Campaigns:  These carry over from session to session, stringing together lots and lots of adventures with the same characters.  This is the typical playing situation.___      One-Shot Adventures:  These are individual stories with PCs that are played only once.  These might include adventures in strange terrain, or in different time-periods, where a long campaign could not be sustained.___      Single Class or Single Race Campaigns:  All PCs are of the same class or race (but may vary within these restrictions).  These don't typically last long, but they can be a challenging change of pace.4.  Which of the following styles of gaming appeal to you?___      Story-telling:  PCs and DM work together to craft a well-told tale.  Success and failure cease to be the issues, and the tone and theme of adventures takes priority.___      Power-gaming:  PCs strive to gain the most magic and money, for the more you have, the more you can go on defeating the biggest, toughest opponents around.___      War-gaming:  PCs want power to affect the outcome of events in the campaign world through might of arms.  You want to be king or nothing at all.___      Role-playing:  The personalities of characters and how they get along is most important. You'd rather meet a famous wizard and talk to him than kill him and take his money.  You're also very interested in developing your own PC's personality and background.___      Puzzle-solving:  The best story is a good mystery, the best treasure is a half-completed map or cryptic prophecy.  You want to know what makes the world tick.5.  Which of the following styles of role-playing appeal to you?___      Straight me:  PC reacts just as you would react in the same situation.  You role-play to vicariously experience what your PC experiences.___      Me as I want to be:  PC has most of your virtues and few of your faults.  You role-play to explore your own personality.___      Someone Different Every Time:  You like to try on lots of different hats.  Each PC is a chance to be someone new.___      The Sincerest Form of Flattery:  You imitate a favorite personality from a movie or a book.  The challenge is picking the right character for your PC.6.  Please indicate good times and bad times for gaming sessions.7.  If you have any other concerns or ideas, let me know.  Thanks for taking the time to help me out!</blockquote>

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