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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Barastrondo" data-source="post: 5683320" data-attributes="member: 3820">Oh, I agree.I agree here as well -- because that's what I do, for a certain definition of "theme." Last 4 D&D campaign-style games I ran were: - a Nordic-flavored adventure in the frozen north- a Italian-tinged swashbuckler, highly inspired by Assassin's Creed and Brust's Phoenix Guards- a weird fusion inspired by Gormenghast, clockpunk and Miyazaki's Laputa- a Ravenloft/Castlevania-style game in a Gothic Horror-themed land, albeit with some very competent monster-slayer heroesNow, you might argue that these are really subgenres rather than themes, but themes did arise from them. No one true theme in each game, but you could argue that they emphasized:- the value of glory; the nature of blood debts;the strength of kinship- Panache; the demands of family ties; deciding one's fate- isolation; reclaiming of a civilization that has forgotten what it once was; eccentricity and quirkiness- Light versus darkness; supernatural intriguesIn each case the themes were typically suggested by the setting, but also many arose organically from play. Absolutely true. To go back to my above examples, if you'll indulge me:In the swashbuckler, panache was mandated as a theme. But the demands of family ties wound up being a theme for every character, as the players began to think about what mattered to them, and why they were adventurers. Right now it's so important to each character you'd almost think I planned it that way. But I didn't. I just provided them with a setting, and some cool Great Houses that they could be tied to if they wanted.Structure gives players a foundation to build on, as long as it's something they find inspirational. Yes, absolutely. This is why I let my players vote on campaigns. I present a list of games I would be excited to run, and let them tick off the ones that sound interesting to them as individuals. I can usually build a "top five" out of this, and then I flesh out each proposal and ask them to pick their favorites. (Specifically, rank them in order: every "first pick" counts as five votes, every "second pick" counts as four, etc. The one with the most points wins.)It's honestly how I plan to do things from now on. Each time it's delivered me a campaign setting that all the players are excited to participate in, and that I knew I wanted to run when I suggested it in the first place. I don't really cede open control to the players, but they get so much say in the campaign that everyone's invested in the most apparent themes from the moment of character creation. The ones that arise organically later on -- well, they get pretty invested in those, too.</blockquote>

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