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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Furn_Darkside" data-source="post: 262367" data-attributes="member: 210">Err, You are correct. I will just shut my mouth. I apologize to others for being a hijacker.I find I run two different types of campeigns-1) I have a story to tell with the players.2) I have a world with which I want to explore with the players.When it is #1- I have used a lot of "save the world as you know it" scenarios as one of the final climaxes of the campeign. The campeign starts local - centering on the characters, their families, dreams, etc. But, as the characters rise in level, then their importance in the world rises with them. They will find threats (or the threats will find them) and while there will still be a lot of local elements to the adventures- the consequences often will go beyond the characters. This is to represent the growth of their importance to the world.At the highest levels, the characters are now central players in world. There will be few powerful forces that don't know of the characters- and most of them will consider them in their grand schemes. Since few people gain power for the sake of having power, the schemes of these powerful forces are going to be more likely to be "global" in consequences.Which makes sense, of course, are high-level groups going to be regularly dealing with goblins infesting yet another wizard tower? No- they have the power, and the threat needs to be appropriate.When it comes to the climax, I find it is best to have two- one that is global (save the world as you know it) and one that is local (a final duel with your nemesis, for example)- usually I do a local one for each player that is really into their character. I don't force it on those who just want to hack/slash/explore/whatever.When it comes to #2- I write out a world and place some minor/major threats. I figure out what they intend to do and how soon they intend to do it.  There rarely is a set conclusion to the campeign outside of what feels appropriate (or a tpk, but I can't always be that lucky.. heh).I put together an introduction adventure to get the players together- and let them go. They are told from the beginning they have total control over their character's lives and where they want to go. All I ask is warning so I have time to prepare wherever they want to go.As the campeign goes on and the players explore one part of the world, the threats (known and unknown) are not inactive in the other parts of the world.Ok, to a degree I hold off major events to make sure the characters are involved in some manner, but I want the world to appear it will go on without them. Including other heroes taking care of threats.Are some of the threats going to need a "save the world" scenario to defeat? Sure. But in our real world there are bad people who want to do large-scale harm or at least a large scale change to their tastes. In a fantasy world which you have dragons, demons, and wizards.. well... I suspect such bad people are not only more "common", but have easier access to resources.*Is the "save the world" scenario cliche? That is always in the eye of the beholder.*Do the characters have motivation? This is a team effort. The dm can not force motivation into a character, the player needs to work with the dm by making a character with clear goals and ambitions.I have found the best thing to do is just make sure your group is happy with what you are doing. I regularly poll my group on what they have liked so far in a campeign, what they have not liked, and comprehension of events. Having typed all of this out (I must enjoy hearing myself talk), I think I am going to poll them after a campeign as well. To see how it met their expectations and if there were things they did not like. FD</blockquote>

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