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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Rune" data-source="post: 6123805" data-attributes="member: 67">Lesson 23: Campaigns mean Change.From the very beginning, I've written these lessons with the assumption that the goal is a long-running campaign.  Why?  One-shot games are plenty of fun, but they're more work in the long-run.  Really.  See, you have to recreate the context every-time you start up a new story and if you switch systems, your entire group will have to relearn or refresh your memories on a new set of rules.  Every time.On the other hand, a long-running game will keep the same rules throughout (usually!) and, just as importantly, provides its own context.So, that means your goal is not to change things up, right?No!Running a campaign means growing characters, the adventuring party, the campaign setting, even the very gaming-group over an extended period of time.  Where one-shots are isolated depictions of a game at specific points in time, a campaign provides the entire experience of growth from one point to another, and all of the points in between!  A campaign isn't so much about being heroes, but, rather, becoming heroes.But how do you apply this concept to running a game without prep?Remember, you might provide the hooks, but the players provide the plot.  This means that your players should be driving the narrative and that you will be playing a reactionary role.  This, in turn, means lots of improvising on your part.The following framework will help:  Every scene that the PCs put themselves into, from the first introduction to the final denouement—like the overall story, itself—has a beginning, an end, and a period of transition in the middle.You just need to figure out what they are, and, more importantly, how they flow from and lead to other such scenes.Ask yourself, "What does this scenario begin in the context of the game?"Is it the start of an adventure?  The beginning of a rivalry?  A friendship?  A war?  Whatever it is, if you've just created a hook, <a href="http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?316091-Full-time-DM-Part-time-Prep&p=5768802&viewfull=1#post5768802" target="_blank">remember to write it down and save it for later!</a>Ask yourself, "How does this scenario change things?"Does it throw a complication in the PCs' plans?  Is it downtime used for training?  Have past mistakes finally caught up with the PCs?  Again, write any hooks down and file them away.Finally, ask yourself, "What does this scenario end?"Is it simply the end of the PCs' non-adventuring careers?  The end of a dynasty?  The end of the universe?Asking what begins or what changes in scenario has obvious implications for the development of the game.  In contrast, asking what has come to an end may seem a little irrelevant, but it's actually very important.  It provides you an opportunity to examine how different elements of the game are being resolved—and answering this question can help you provide a sense of accomplishment and evolution for the players, all with minimal effort on your part.Keep those questions in mind and much of your improvisational work will already be done for you.</blockquote>

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