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Does the world exist for the PCs?
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<blockquote data-quote="Lanefan" data-source="post: 7613525" data-attributes="member: 29398"><p>Which all sounds good but it very quickly runs hard aground on the failure of one critical underlying assumption: that the characters that start the campaign (and thus for whom the world/setting/story is built) will be around long enough for it to matter.</p><p></p><p>Characters die, particularly at low level, and are replaced by different characters. Later, characters retire or are cycled out for whatever reason (player turnover; or an in-game reason e.g. a PC is given a quest and can't talk the party into going along; or one or more players just want to play a different character than what they have) and are replaced by different characters.</p><p></p><p>Tailoring even a single adventure around a particular PC is risky - ironclad guarantee that'll be the PC that drops dead at the first opportunity. Tailoring an entire setting or campaign around a few particular PCs is an open invitation to disaster unless those PCs are bubble-wrapped in plot protection, which is just as bad.</p><p></p><p>The setting is what it is, and remember you-as-DM also have the right to pick and choose what races and-or classes will fit in this setting (this alone should prevent some weirdness like the example given). Then, the players through their PCs can then do what they like to said setting; ideally it's robust enough to withstand their best efforts. <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" /></p><p></p><p>I'll tell them what the general starting area is like, a bit of basic history, show them a map, and tell them what races*/classes are allowed, but I won't say anything about any plot ideas even though I always have some; I'd prefer to give those a chance to grow organically out of play whether they're what I had in mind or not, and let them be discovered as things go along. <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" /></p><p></p><p>* - for my current campaign, as it was starting in the middle of a Human land I forced everyone's first PC to be Human; with other races allowed in later as the party's horizons expanded.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Lanefan, post: 7613525, member: 29398"] Which all sounds good but it very quickly runs hard aground on the failure of one critical underlying assumption: that the characters that start the campaign (and thus for whom the world/setting/story is built) will be around long enough for it to matter. Characters die, particularly at low level, and are replaced by different characters. Later, characters retire or are cycled out for whatever reason (player turnover; or an in-game reason e.g. a PC is given a quest and can't talk the party into going along; or one or more players just want to play a different character than what they have) and are replaced by different characters. Tailoring even a single adventure around a particular PC is risky - ironclad guarantee that'll be the PC that drops dead at the first opportunity. Tailoring an entire setting or campaign around a few particular PCs is an open invitation to disaster unless those PCs are bubble-wrapped in plot protection, which is just as bad. The setting is what it is, and remember you-as-DM also have the right to pick and choose what races and-or classes will fit in this setting (this alone should prevent some weirdness like the example given). Then, the players through their PCs can then do what they like to said setting; ideally it's robust enough to withstand their best efforts. :) I'll tell them what the general starting area is like, a bit of basic history, show them a map, and tell them what races*/classes are allowed, but I won't say anything about any plot ideas even though I always have some; I'd prefer to give those a chance to grow organically out of play whether they're what I had in mind or not, and let them be discovered as things go along. :) * - for my current campaign, as it was starting in the middle of a Human land I forced everyone's first PC to be Human; with other races allowed in later as the party's horizons expanded. [/QUOTE]
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