Campaign writer's block... [Archive] - Wizards Community

Campaign writer's block... [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Taeldrin Laesrash
08-05-06, 10:07 AM Since our group's playing has slowed to a crawl these last few months, I've decided to try DMing and run a campaign. Problem is, I'm stuck. It's not that I don't have an idea, it's that I've got too many. I've considered running a horror game, a swashbuckling-type campaign, an RP-heavy high-intrigue campaign, or something with a heavy dungeon-delving element. I've tried developing a campaign world, but I always tend to overdevelop the thing, and never end up satisfied with my work (Also, I consider how annoying it would be to teach the potential players about the setting). The other option is to set it in a published setting, but I don't own any of the books. Has anyone gone through the kind of situation I have, and how did you deal with it?
Archmage Atrus
08-05-06, 10:20 AM Give your players the choice as to which game type they want to participate in. Once they narrow it down, you can focus your attnetion on what they want. Published campaign settings: Ravenloft is primo choice for horror, Eberron can handle the rest (although, really, any setting can handle the rest.)

Homebrews are decent, though I suggest you start small. Explain the world in vague terms to the PCs, and then only design small, pertinent portions of the game; say the village where the PCs will start and the surrounding areas/first adventure. Then work your way out as the PCs move along the world.

Or just start writing up your own campaign setting, incorporating everything you want into it, even if you never get to use it. I have no idea how much free time you have :).
Frugal
08-05-06, 10:52 AM I'll second the suggestion to get some player input, why waste your time developing an RP-heavy intrigue campaign if the players want to do a swashbuckling one?

The other thing you can do is look for common ground, horror and intrigue can work well together if done right. Certainly an RP-heavy horror campaign can work well. Try to get a handle on what core concepts are interesting you for each of the campaign ideas you have and try to figure out if there are some things in common.

For setting, I'd say do what feels right. If you know of a setting that will work well with your ideas, go with it. For me, I started designing my upcoming campaign with the mindset that I'd use a pre-made setting. As I started refining my ideas I found that I couldn't find any one setting that fit well with what I wanted and I decided to brew my own rather than do a lot of extensive modifying. Your mileage may vary.

The other thing to remember is that those other ideas don't need to be thrown out. File them away and maybe come back to them at times. Maybe when you finish this campaign you'll pull one of them out. Or maybe you'll pull one of them out for an adventure in your current campaign that gives the players a break from the typical mood.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Taeldrin Laesrash 08-05-06, 10:07 AM	Since our group's playing has slowed to a crawl these last few months, I've decided to try DMing and run a campaign. Problem is, I'm stuck. It's not that I don't have an idea, it's that I've got too many. I've considered running a horror game, a swashbuckling-type campaign, an RP-heavy high-intrigue campaign, or something with a heavy dungeon-delving element. I've tried developing a campaign world, but I always tend to overdevelop the thing, and never end up satisfied with my work (Also, I consider how annoying it would be to teach the potential players about the setting). The other option is to set it in a published setting, but I don't own any of the books. Has anyone gone through the kind of situation I have, and how did you deal with it?
Archmage Atrus 08-05-06, 10:20 AM	Give your players the choice as to which game type they want to participate in. Once they narrow it down, you can focus your attnetion on what they want. Published campaign settings: Ravenloft is primo choice for horror, Eberron can handle the rest (although, really, any setting can handle the rest.) Homebrews are decent, though I suggest you start small. Explain the world in vague terms to the PCs, and then only design small, pertinent portions of the game; say the village where the PCs will start and the surrounding areas/first adventure. Then work your way out as the PCs move along the world. Or just start writing up your own campaign setting, incorporating everything you want into it, even if you never get to use it. I have no idea how much free time you have :).
Frugal 08-05-06, 10:52 AM	I'll second the suggestion to get some player input, why waste your time developing an RP-heavy intrigue campaign if the players want to do a swashbuckling one? The other thing you can do is look for common ground, horror and intrigue can work well together if done right. Certainly an RP-heavy horror campaign can work well. Try to get a handle on what core concepts are interesting you for each of the campaign ideas you have and try to figure out if there are some things in common. For setting, I'd say do what feels right. If you know of a setting that will work well with your ideas, go with it. For me, I started designing my upcoming campaign with the mindset that I'd use a pre-made setting. As I started refining my ideas I found that I couldn't find any one setting that fit well with what I wanted and I decided to brew my own rather than do a lot of extensive modifying. Your mileage may vary. The other thing to remember is that those other ideas don't need to be thrown out. File them away and maybe come back to them at times. Maybe when you finish this campaign you'll pull one of them out. Or maybe you'll pull one of them out for an adventure in your current campaign that gives the players a break from the typical mood.