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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Lanefan" data-source="post: 5035585" data-attributes="member: 29398">First thing I'll say is slow down the level advancement!  If you don't, unless your intent is for the PCs to overthrow a pantheon you'll run out of playable levels long before you run out of story.What I've done for my current campaign is storyboarded out what adventures and-or story arcs I think I can use, along with a few thoughts as to how they might fit together. (having a functional history etc. for my world helps greatly too)  Then, I throw random little things in to earlier adventures to lay groundwork for later ones, in full knowledge that said later ones may or may not ever happen.  If the game goes a different direction, for example, such that a given adventure or story won't work, then out it goes.An example: already in my current campaign one party has met some particular people at a particular place about 5 adventures ago.  This should have raised some eyebrows at the time, but didn't; and if things work out right it'll become very important later as it will - or should - trigger a 5-adventure story arc.Chuck 'em all in, along with some red herrings, but don't make them obvious.  Eventually, they'll either piece it together or they won't...Depends.  If it's a story arc you've had in mind since the campaign started, start plugging hints in right away - it doesn't matter if they end up as meaningless later.  If it's something you've thought of on the fly, you won't have time for any buildup, so just dive right in.For example: in my Riveria campaign, I started the game with a plot that in theory would eventually lead to the overthrow of the current king...or the party preventing such.  4 adventures in, the PCs turned their back on that arc and went off elsewhere; coming back to it unintentionally about 10 adventures later.  Meanwhile, I'd been now and then mentioning an ongoing war between some nearby Dwarves and some Giants as a toss-off; little did I know that some years later I'd end up fleshing it out and that war would become the main story focus.  In hindsight, reading the log, it looks like lots and lots of planning went into that Giant arc right from the start; but nothing could be farther from the truth - much of the backstory was invented even while the adventures were being played!Having multiple parties helps - one party can be discovering something they think is irrelevant, yet it is vital to another - provided they ever meet and exchange information...Always a problem.  I go in to a campaign expecting it to be open-ended, and it never hurts to have an eye open for replacement players should someone have to drop out...Lanefan</blockquote>

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