Post/Author/DateTime	Post
theprince 06-19-04, 05:14 PM	I was wondering how other dm's run long term campaigns. I always run short term adventures but can't seem to keep the players focused on a goal. The way I do it, I write up several planned encounters and npc's they'll meet. The npc's serve the purpose of guiding the players to where the adventure is. After my players complete a goal, the move onto something completely different. Sometimes the leave the city where everything was taking place altogether. So my question is. How do you guys maintain and make the campaigns you run.
Xante Flatnose 06-19-04, 05:26 PM	Not that difficult, Just prepare lots of encounters and the plotline.If they do not want to do what you prepared be ready and use those encounters.Just let them make whatever they want.Use a lot of Roleplaying to maximize the game time and fun.Learn their goals in the game.Prepare adventures for them to reach thier goals.And always feel and be confident.....
trapspringer 06-19-04, 06:41 PM	Role play kills time fast. Really, really fast. Also, the more flexible your plot is the easier it is to maintain. You should have at least 3 ways to get players where you want them.
Rasmus 06-19-04, 06:47 PM	I think it takes many things, but here is a couple of pointers: 1) An effort by the DM to create a coherent believeable world. A way to achieve this is to make a campaign statement from the beginning. In this 'workpaper' you outline the overall theme and mood of the campaign. Fx. You might want to make a campaign with the themes 'undead' and 'betrayal'. And a mood which is 'dark and scary' and where the feeling of loss and betrayal are in the foreground. After doing that you can try to make most of the adventures fit into this 'frame', but not necessarily overtly, also as part of the background, fx. having an NPC who is a vampire hunter because his family was eaten by one etc. Then make a few overarching storylines which takes place in your campaign world. Fx. a feud between powerful wizards which is so fierce that it influences the world due to their many contacts, and a war brewing between two neighboring nations. 2) Players who create good backgrounds for their characters. Backgrounds which include various motivations for their characters. If the characters have detailed backgrounds with personal motivations it is easy to creat adventures where they can pursue their goals. Don't hand out everything at once, but deal out a few 'breadcrumbs' once in a while. This will have your players comming back for more. That's my 20 cent. Happy gaming :)
Undercover 06-20-04, 09:50 AM	I'm gonna start a campaign today in a few hours, here's what I did. First, I'm asking the players to build a group, not just PCs, so we have more cohesion and common background. I've thought of starting the campaign in three different ways: a) tavern clichê where someone approaches them with a proposition (discarded); b) they spot a noble on the countryside fighting goblins and orcs, and it starts from there; c) they are in a village, resting between travels, when it gets attacked (gonna use this one). It's my first time in the world of Greyhawk, let's see how it goes.
Azzadar 06-20-04, 07:24 PM	What works best for me is to give the characters a common long term goal. Here are some other campaigns I've either played in or ran. -All the characters work for a nation, collecting powerful artifacts for safe keeping. -The characters are in a monster hunter guild. -The characters are caravan guards. -The characters go to the same adventurer's school. Later, they became teachers. -The characters are scouts for the rebels fighting against an empire.