What are the top five essential ingredients that make up a good campaign?
- Thread starter Enceladus
- Start date
el-remmen
Moderator Emeritus
5 reasons
In no particular order
- A believable beginning to the campaign and reasons for party to join together. (I usually use a "gimmick" - giving all the players a requirement for their character backgrounds, for example - all the PCs in my current game had to start with a reason for wanting to avoid conscription).
- An ultimate campaign goal. Even if it is not aparent to the PCs (or even the DM) at the very beginning -the campaign should have some direction and the fulfillment of an eventual long-term goal or task can be used to give the game closure. Yes, closure is important.
- Shorter plot-arcs to punctuate the over-arching plot. Not everything has to be directly (or even indirectly) related to the main plot. Use smaller storylines or quests to give the players a chance to feel like they are accomplishing something and making progress.
- In a more meta way of looking at it, similar expectations from the game itself is important to having a good campaign. If you are planning on running a gritty, low-power, in-over-your-head kind of campaign, and your players are looking forward to some high power almost superhero-y type stuff - someone is going to be dissappointed. The players and the DM should understand what the game and the setting flavor and house-rules are like.
- Good players. The players help to create the campaign, they are not passive observers reacting to what the DM puts in front of them - or at least they shouldn't be. Good players help to add to the setting and to the events of campaign. They have detailed backgrounds that the DM can mine for ideas to better involve the character in question to what is going on, and they pay attention to the details and the work the DM puts into the game to better benefit from that attention to detail.
I could go on and on. . . but that will do for now.
In no particular order
- A believable beginning to the campaign and reasons for party to join together. (I usually use a "gimmick" - giving all the players a requirement for their character backgrounds, for example - all the PCs in my current game had to start with a reason for wanting to avoid conscription).
- An ultimate campaign goal. Even if it is not aparent to the PCs (or even the DM) at the very beginning -the campaign should have some direction and the fulfillment of an eventual long-term goal or task can be used to give the game closure. Yes, closure is important.
- Shorter plot-arcs to punctuate the over-arching plot. Not everything has to be directly (or even indirectly) related to the main plot. Use smaller storylines or quests to give the players a chance to feel like they are accomplishing something and making progress.
- In a more meta way of looking at it, similar expectations from the game itself is important to having a good campaign. If you are planning on running a gritty, low-power, in-over-your-head kind of campaign, and your players are looking forward to some high power almost superhero-y type stuff - someone is going to be dissappointed. The players and the DM should understand what the game and the setting flavor and house-rules are like.
- Good players. The players help to create the campaign, they are not passive observers reacting to what the DM puts in front of them - or at least they shouldn't be. Good players help to add to the setting and to the events of campaign. They have detailed backgrounds that the DM can mine for ideas to better involve the character in question to what is going on, and they pay attention to the details and the work the DM puts into the game to better benefit from that attention to detail.
I could go on and on. . . but that will do for now.
Eternalknight
First Post
Story, imagination, communication, participation and fun.
MarauderX
Explorer
1. Communication by all (includes listening)
2. Good preparation of material, from game world to plot lines to character development.
3. Knowing when there is (and is not) good balance throughout the campaign.
4. Freedom to allow PCs to do whatever they want in a campaign, and freedom for players to ask the DM questions about, well, anything in the campaign world.
5. Knowing the game well enough not to slow things down
2. Good preparation of material, from game world to plot lines to character development.
3. Knowing when there is (and is not) good balance throughout the campaign.
4. Freedom to allow PCs to do whatever they want in a campaign, and freedom for players to ask the DM questions about, well, anything in the campaign world.
5. Knowing the game well enough not to slow things down
BiggusGeekus@Work
Community Supporter
I'm pretty much with MarauderX.
1) Communication - the players need to know how you feel about alignment, paladins, house rules, etc. You need to know how they feel about the same thing. Maybe they all really like playing good-aligned drow. Who knows?
2) Prep work - essential. Everyone has good ideas. But games are never as good when the DM doesn't prepare.
3) Story - a good story trumps everything. Mordor has a SQUARE mountian range. You don't see anyone complaining.
4) Acceptance - it's not only your game, it's the player's game too. It is axiomatic that the players won't get as much out of your world as you do. They'll constanty forget important plot points and the like. So create for the joy of creation and remember to have fun with it. Otherwise you'll just end up cranky.
5) Remember who the Heros are - if you design your world around a few key NPCs, that effectively puts the players in the back seat.
Just my two cents.
1) Communication - the players need to know how you feel about alignment, paladins, house rules, etc. You need to know how they feel about the same thing. Maybe they all really like playing good-aligned drow. Who knows?
2) Prep work - essential. Everyone has good ideas. But games are never as good when the DM doesn't prepare.
3) Story - a good story trumps everything. Mordor has a SQUARE mountian range. You don't see anyone complaining.
4) Acceptance - it's not only your game, it's the player's game too. It is axiomatic that the players won't get as much out of your world as you do. They'll constanty forget important plot points and the like. So create for the joy of creation and remember to have fun with it. Otherwise you'll just end up cranky.
5) Remember who the Heros are - if you design your world around a few key NPCs, that effectively puts the players in the back seat.
Just my two cents.
Viking Bastard
Adventurer
Ah, the five Fs.
1. Friends.
2. Fun.
3. Fairness.
4. Fantasy.
5. Food.
1. Friends.
2. Fun.
3. Fairness.
4. Fantasy.
5. Food.
jgbrowning
Hero
alsih2o said:1. a good d.m.
2. willing players, who get along
3. whatever
4. whatever
5. whatever
and i am quite serious.
ditto. and i'm also quite serious.
joe b.
Psion
Adventurer
I'll rule "a good DM out" as it is a trivial and non-informational answer.
1) Good players. The players need to be involved in the campaign and have a good sense for the GM and the campaign's style.
2) Motivation. The players/PCs have to have a good reason to be involved or it is simply not beleivable. Further, the game needs to involve the players in an emotionally intense manner.
3) Flexibility. Players can and will do anything. You make one path to the goal, then your campaign is no better than a novel (and as most DMs are not novelists, likely far worse.) Design your campaign so there are multiple paths to the ending, different possible outcomes, and so forth.
4) Variety. Role playing campaign frequently rehash well tried formulas. Though there is good reason for this, players become jaded by the same forumula. See where you can go off the beaten path and be different from the last game.
5) Flavor/Depth. Make the illusion that the campaign is real. Events should have logical consequences, and NPCs should have logical motivations. And like the real world, there is a menagarie of connection that don't appear to the naked eye. Make sure these details are interesting and beleivable.
I desperately want to stuff "mystery" in here, but it sort of falls under "depth" and "motivation." Tantalize the players. Let them uncover things, leave nagging questions in their minds.
1) Good players. The players need to be involved in the campaign and have a good sense for the GM and the campaign's style.
2) Motivation. The players/PCs have to have a good reason to be involved or it is simply not beleivable. Further, the game needs to involve the players in an emotionally intense manner.
3) Flexibility. Players can and will do anything. You make one path to the goal, then your campaign is no better than a novel (and as most DMs are not novelists, likely far worse.) Design your campaign so there are multiple paths to the ending, different possible outcomes, and so forth.
4) Variety. Role playing campaign frequently rehash well tried formulas. Though there is good reason for this, players become jaded by the same forumula. See where you can go off the beaten path and be different from the last game.
5) Flavor/Depth. Make the illusion that the campaign is real. Events should have logical consequences, and NPCs should have logical motivations. And like the real world, there is a menagarie of connection that don't appear to the naked eye. Make sure these details are interesting and beleivable.
I desperately want to stuff "mystery" in here, but it sort of falls under "depth" and "motivation." Tantalize the players. Let them uncover things, leave nagging questions in their minds.
