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<blockquote data-quote="raindog308" data-source="post: 5333032" data-attributes="member: 95407">One way is to have various plot threads going at once.&nbsp; Usually they revolve around different factions competing with each other.&nbsp; Those factions might be NPCs, organizations, races, cities, kingdoms, whatever.It's helpful to think of the major NPC/orgs/kingdoms in your world and how they compete.&nbsp; Some are allies, some are enemies.&nbsp; Map that out and look for relationships, they ask yourself how things might play out over the next year or two.&nbsp; Give the players leads and introductions to the factions.Again, I say &quot;faction&quot; but it could be all intrigue within the Mage's Circle, or kingdoms circling for war, or the Secret Order of X vs. the Noble Order of Y, or perhaps thieves, guilds, and the royal family inside a city.&nbsp; When I was younger, my adventure planning was mostly a series of plot points and if the players deviated too much, I got lost.&nbsp; After playing Vampire: the Masquerade for a while, I realized the value of using coterie charts...and even though I've gone back to my fantasy roots, I still plan out stories that way, because once you understand the major players, their relationship with each other, and how events are likely to unfold over the near/mid-term, you can go as freeform as you like.BTW, the best campaigns are one in which the players materially alter how things unfold ;-)</blockquote>

[QUOTE="raindog308, post: 5333032, member: 95407"] One way is to have various plot threads going at once. Usually they revolve around different factions competing with each other. Those factions might be NPCs, organizations, races, cities, kingdoms, whatever. It's helpful to think of the major NPC/orgs/kingdoms in your world and how they compete. Some are allies, some are enemies. Map that out and look for relationships, they ask yourself how things might play out over the next year or two. Give the players leads and introductions to the factions. Again, I say "faction" but it could be all intrigue within the Mage's Circle, or kingdoms circling for war, or the Secret Order of X vs. the Noble Order of Y, or perhaps thieves, guilds, and the royal family inside a city. When I was younger, my adventure planning was mostly a series of plot points and if the players deviated too much, I got lost. After playing Vampire: the Masquerade for a while, I realized the value of using coterie charts...and even though I've gone back to my fantasy roots, I still plan out stories that way, because once you understand the major players, their relationship with each other, and how events are likely to unfold over the near/mid-term, you can go as freeform as you like. BTW, the best campaigns are one in which the players materially alter how things unfold ;-) [/QUOTE]

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