Starting a campaign with no campaign world? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Starting a campaign with no campaign world? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Throdin
11-15-07, 01:05 AM Okay would like to start a campaign but I was wondering if it would be possible to satrt the campaign with no world drawn. I would just start out in a small town and expand the area as the campaign proggresses. If i were to use this idea would i need gods and anyother things created before the campaign starts?
psylo
11-15-07, 08:58 AM I actually started this way with a campaign and here are some tips that I learned from it.

Do not build to fast it will hurt you.
Do not stay focussed on the small picture.
Do not forget about the rest of world. This is an easy one to do.
Let the players know that there is more out there.
Try and keep the players growing at the pace that you want them to once they start advancing in level they will try to run away

Here is a tip that I took from Heros_Backpack and something that is working out really well. That would ask your players what they want to do if they want to use a whip to trip people make something in there to help them use it. If they want to investigate something make sure you know what they are going to investigate. The greatest resource a DM is going to be able to use is not a book it is actually the players. After all without them all the work you put in doesn't mean a whole lot.
Apupunchau
11-15-07, 04:42 PM There was a good article in one of the Dragon Magazines (I'll check when I get home which) about building your world with your players. Generally this starts by letting the players make their characters together if you end up with all human you know it's going to be predominantly or even fully human town. if you end up with other races then you can move on to why. End up with a druid and a ranger but no clerics or paladins then you have a rustic town where people stick to the "old ways". In this way you can build the beginning of your world with the characters and have a place to jump off from there.
CombatMedic
11-16-07, 12:49 AM I'd suggest having the PCs be the natives of an island or a mountain valley. Make it an isolated region. You can get a lot out of a small area, and not have to worry as much about what the rest of the world looks like until the party leaves the ''starting region''. Look at Thunder Rift as an example:

http://www.pandius.com/thndrift.html

I'd also suggest a lot of dungeons. That should provide plenty of adventures and exploration without leaving the valley/island for some time.
Astron the Wizard
11-19-07, 06:27 PM I always thought that was the best way to do a campaign. Don't worry about gods unless you have a cleric that really needs to know. And even then, not necessarily. You could say "You are tapped into some sort of Divine Source, but so far it hasn't contacted you, so how should you know?"
Illithid00
11-20-07, 01:58 PM This is pretty much the easiest way to build a world that I've used. You have to be sure you have really good notes though as you play. If you start to foreshadow something, or mention something in a far-away land, make sure to include that when you eventually develop that land.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Throdin 11-15-07, 01:05 AM	Okay would like to start a campaign but I was wondering if it would be possible to satrt the campaign with no world drawn. I would just start out in a small town and expand the area as the campaign proggresses. If i were to use this idea would i need gods and anyother things created before the campaign starts?
psylo 11-15-07, 08:58 AM	I actually started this way with a campaign and here are some tips that I learned from it. Do not build to fast it will hurt you. Do not stay focussed on the small picture. Do not forget about the rest of world. This is an easy one to do. Let the players know that there is more out there. Try and keep the players growing at the pace that you want them to once they start advancing in level they will try to run away Here is a tip that I took from Heros_Backpack and something that is working out really well. That would ask your players what they want to do if they want to use a whip to trip people make something in there to help them use it. If they want to investigate something make sure you know what they are going to investigate. The greatest resource a DM is going to be able to use is not a book it is actually the players. After all without them all the work you put in doesn't mean a whole lot.
Apupunchau 11-15-07, 04:42 PM	There was a good article in one of the Dragon Magazines (I'll check when I get home which) about building your world with your players. Generally this starts by letting the players make their characters together if you end up with all human you know it's going to be predominantly or even fully human town. if you end up with other races then you can move on to why. End up with a druid and a ranger but no clerics or paladins then you have a rustic town where people stick to the "old ways". In this way you can build the beginning of your world with the characters and have a place to jump off from there.
CombatMedic 11-16-07, 12:49 AM	I'd suggest having the PCs be the natives of an island or a mountain valley. Make it an isolated region. You can get a lot out of a small area, and not have to worry as much about what the rest of the world looks like until the party leaves the ''starting region''. Look at Thunder Rift as an example: http://www.pandius.com/thndrift.html I'd also suggest a lot of dungeons. That should provide plenty of adventures and exploration without leaving the valley/island for some time.
Astron the Wizard 11-19-07, 06:27 PM	I always thought that was the best way to do a campaign. Don't worry about gods unless you have a cleric that really needs to know. And even then, not necessarily. You could say "You are tapped into some sort of Divine Source, but so far it hasn't contacted you, so how should you know?"
Illithid00 11-20-07, 01:58 PM	This is pretty much the easiest way to build a world that I've used. You have to be sure you have really good notes though as you play. If you start to foreshadow something, or mention something in a far-away land, make sure to include that when you eventually develop that land.