Roleplaying Tips Weekly E-Zine Issue #97

6 Tips For Starting & Planning A Campaign

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SENT BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY With Compliments

From: Johnn Four, http://www.roleplayingtips.com
mailto:[email protected]

CONTENTS:
--> A Brief Word From Johnn

--> This Week's Tips Summarized:

1. Decide That This Will Be Your Best Campaign Ever
2. What Does "Campaign" Mean To You?
3. When Do You Usually Face "The Wall"?
4. Avoid The Same Old Things
5. Start With The End In Mind
6. Build Up Your Plans In Stages

--> Readers' Tips Of The Week:

1. Battlemat Dry Erase Marker Solution Found!
2. World Geography Tips
3. Battlemap Tip

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A BRIEF WORD FROM JOHNN

Green Dragon Blood Bath Feedback

--------------------------------
Thanks to everyone who responded to the Green Dragon issue
(#95). It was certainly a love-it or hate-it issue, judging
from the responses. :) A fellow Tips reader has graciously
volunteered to put all the responses into a coherent
Supplemental Issue, and I'll make a brief announcement here
when it's ready.

Any Programmers Out There?

--------------------------
Jim B. has finished the articles HTML template, and I hope
to get to my backlog of submitted articles for posting on
the web site soon. I'll also make an announcement here when
the new articles appear. (Hang on Jeff, Delphine, Mick,
Julia, and Amanda--I'm almost done! :)

Now, I have a couple of other help requests:

Archive Navigation Link PERL Script

-----------------------------------
I received a great suggestion to link all the archived
issues together for faster navigation on the web site (i.e.
Previous and Next issue links).
Is there a PERL/CGI programmer out there with a couple of
hours this week who could whip up a quick script that I
could paste into the bottom of each issue to dynamically
build Previous and Next links? Each issue has a standard
naming format "issuexx.html" so I'm thinking a small script
could solve my problem.

Newsletter HTML Formatter: PERL or PHP

--------------------------------------
This one's a bit trickier, but could potentially save me a
lot of time each week (so I can get those articles formatted
;). Using CGI or PHP, do you think it's possible to build a
tool to convert each week's plain text issue into an HTML
formatted issue for the web site?

I think it would be tough to do, especially with the way I

format the HTML with tables of contents and internal links,
but if you'd like a crack at it I'd sure appreciate it.

Ok, enough pan-handling for help. On with this week's issue!

Even though the title mentions that the tips are for
starting a new campaign, I feel GMs with existing campaigns
can put them to good use as well. It never hurts to do a
mid-campaign gut-check. I hope the tips are of value to you
and your group.

Cheers,

Johnn Four
[email protected]

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6 TIPS FOR STARTING & PLANNING A CAMPAIGN

1. Decide That This Will Be Your Best Campaign Ever

===================================================
Make a decision, quietly to yourself, that this will be the
best campaign you've ever game mastered. Though this might
seem like a lofty goal, it will help keep you focused on
what's most important when plot threads, NPCs, PCs, and all
sorts of other things start running amok on you.

"The best campaign ever" almost always boils down to your

players. If they think it's awesome, then it probably is for
you too. Therefore, make all decisions with your players
topmost in your mind:

* What will give my players the most enjoyment? Here are

some potential factors:
- Rules, game system choice
- Genre
- Game world (many, many factors there)
- Choice of PCs
- Choice of stories and adventures
 - Types and mix of encounters

* What is best for my players?

- Game frequency (once a month, every month, without fail is
better than trying to go weekly with frequently cancelled
sessions)

- Mood (i.e. maybe your players have stressful jobs and need
a good tension reliever campaign, or perhaps they want a
serious, realistic game where they can feel like masters of
their own fates...)

- Is what your players ask for different than what they

want? (i.e. do they ask for the "same old" campaign just to
make things easy on you, when they really want something new
and exciting?)

Another trap to avoid is to get so excited with your own

ideas and plans that you forget to consider how your players
and their PCs will fit in.

For example, at the very beginning of my last D&D campaign I

had planned for the major villain to be Orcus, lord of the
undead. However, after getting well into the first session I
realized that the characters had little in the way of anti-
undead capabilities, and that future PC progression as
undead-hunters looked bleak. Though I was quite excited
about my campaign plans, I changed them after the first
story to better suit the characters. In fact, if I had been
thinking earlier, I could have avoided the whole undead
thread all together and created something better attuned to
the PCs.

Also, by deciding that your campaign will be the #1 of all

time in your group's opinion, you will find yourself
naturally looking at the big picture between sessions,
rather than focusing too much on the micro details. You will
be less likely to fall into the trap of "not seeing the
forest through the trees", and be more conscientious of
making continuous mid-course corrections on a campaign
level.

2. What Does "Campaign" Mean To You?

====================================
Be clear to yourself on what you mean by the word
"campaign", and how that impacts your planning and game
play.

Here's my definition: a series of interactive stories where

the sum of the players' experience and enjoyment is greater
than the sum of the individual stories' parts.

Huh?

I borrowed this definition years ago from the word

"gestalt": a structure or pattern so integrated as to
constitute a functional unit with properties not derivable
by summation of its parts.
Basically, all it means is that the overall experience and
fun of a campaign should be greater than if I had simply
GM'd a bunch of stories. Five stories in a campaign should
create something more special than telling five random
stories using the same characters.

How does this wacky definition affect my planning? Well, in

my humble opinion, a campaign should take long-term
advantage of these types of things:

* Recurring NPCs

* Several minor villains and a master villain who is

involved in most of the individual stories

* Foreshadowing and symbolism

* Character change, development, growth in terms of

abilities, relationships, personalities and possibly even
beliefs

* Game world change and development

* An overall campaign goal that the PCs develop and nurture

Anyway, these are parts of my personal definition of what a

campaign is. There are other definitions out there, probably
better ones in fact, but because I'm clear on *a*
definition, I can plan faster and more efficiently using my
mental checklist of what should and should not be part of a
campaign.

So, be clear on your own definition of what a campaign is,

and be sure you don't miss any parts or aspects of it during
planning and play.

3. When Do You Usually Face "The Wall"?

=======================================
Drawing from my personal experience, I find that most of my
campaigns start off quite well, falter during the mid-
portion, and almost never reach a (satisfying) conclusion.
Therefore, just like athletes who compare their current
physical and mental limits to a wall that must be broken
through, I'd say my wall appears at about a year -- real
time -- into a campaign, when the PCs reach about mid-level.

Just discovering this is an important campaign planning

step. So, figure out what your wall is, then plan on how you
will break-through it this time around.

Example walls:
* Campaign stages
- Campaign beginnings (bad starts can disrupt entire
campaigns)
- Middle
- End
* PC stages
- New, weak, only simple challenges required
- Experienced
- Powerful

* Story stages
- Beginnings and endings
- Making transitions between stories

* Game world stages

- The world before the PCs' meddling
- The world during the PCs' meddling

* Real life
- Players move or change
- The GM moves or changes
- Campaign frequency diminishes

* Interest
- GM loses interest or always wants to start something new
- Players lose interest or always want to start
something new
- Loss of interest in the characters
- Loss of interest in the stories
- Loss of interest in the game world
- Loss of interest in the game system

Do any of these walls appear in your campaigns? If so, the

question then becomes, what will you do differently this
time around to break through? Perhaps it's simply a matter
of perseverance. Or maybe more drastic changes are in order.
Either way, consider all of this before you start your
campaign.

4. Avoid The Same Old Things

============================
Gaming groups can definitely get into gaming ruts: the
players make the same types of PCs, no matter the game
system or setting; the GM comes up with the same villains,
stories or challenges again and again; the same
conversations, situations, and results repeat themselves
over and over.

The bad news is that there's really no story out there that
you have not already told or watched or read. There's a
finite number of themes and plots, and you've experienced
them all. :(

The good news is that the remedy of fixing a rut is simple.

The obvious tip is to try something new. But, I'd like to
add another part to that tip: try something that's just 20%
new.

Assuming you don't decide to go headlong into a whole new

gaming system or genre (which would definitely help fix a
rut), but want to continue with the same players using your
favourite game system and/or setting that you've invested so
much time learning and playing in, you only need to change
20% of the same-old-stuff in order to make things different
and exciting again.

20% is not a lot, but that's why it's so effective. The new
stuff will stand out clearly from the rest, and everyone
will focus on that and enjoy the new experiences. They can
comfortably rely on the good old 80% that's still familiar,
and have a blast with the new differences.

Also, 20% is a manageable change. You get to keep 80% of

your old knowledge and experience while planning, and can
focus on making the new stuff sizzle.

20% is the same as saying 2 out of 10. So, consider changing

2 out of the 10 sample roleplaying elements:

* PC skills
* PC classes
* Type, goals and plans of villain or enemy
* Campaign setting terrain
* The victims, employer, or story catalyst
* PC equipment
* Rewards, treasure, magic items
* NPCs, relationships
* Nature of missions, jobs, quests, or adventures
* Technology

For example, you've just planned out your favourite kind of

campaign: a medieval fantasy setting. The players have made
a wizard, warrior, priest, and rogue; an evil necromancer is
raising an undead army and has kidnapped the princess to be
his bride; and the king's agents are combing inns and
taverns throughout the realm looking for heroes brave (or
stupid) enough to rescue his daughter.

You suddenly realize though, that this is pretty much the

same as your previous four campaigns. So, you decide to make
a couple of changes:

* The evil necromancer and king have a powerful enemy in

common who has just cast a curse upon the land so that all
worked metal turns to rust.

* You give all the PCs, as a bonus that you work into their
backgrounds with their approval, an extremely high skill
level in riding/trick riding on unusual mounts: giant cats.

Things are a bit different now, even though you've only

changed a couple of things from the list above. With no
metal, life has transformed dramatically for the realm's
inhabitants--good and evil, PC and NPC. And with giant
cats and a bunch of fancy riding tricks, the PCs are sure
to behave differently and choose new approaches to
challenges during play.

5. Start With The End In Mind

=============================
This is an old tip from the archives, but worth repeating
here. Great campaigns have memorable and exciting endings.
Before you start playing, try to imagine the perfect ending
for your campaign, even though that might be months or years
down the road. What combination of events, situations, and
circumstances would you like to see come together for a
legendary finale?

Though you can't script such an ending because your players

will do many unexpected things during the course of play,
just by having an ideal ending in mind you'll be better able
to gently guide things to an optimum conclusion. That alone
is worth spending a few minutes before the beginning of a
campaign dreaming up the ultimate ending. And be sure to
update your vision every few sessions, taking into account
recent actions and events.

6. Build Up Your Plans In Stages

================================
If you do all of your campaign planning in one shot, you
might be taking a big gamble with your time because you have
not taken the time to do some reconnaissance. If you lay
everything out and just show up to the session, then player
choices and actions, or the reality of the situation, could
render many of your plans useless and therefore become a
costly use of your limited time.

You are better off building your plans over time, in stages.

Here's a couple of examples:

* You think, make some notes, and chat with your players.
Then you think some more, add to your notes, get the PCs
made and in your hands. Then you study the PCs, think more,
and make more notes. Finally, you create and run a short
adventure, and then assess game play before fully fleshing
out your plans.

* You outline or read-up on the game world, perhaps starting

with a map. You zoom in on the local starting campaign area,
and figure out many details. You give a brief introduction
to your players, perhaps by phone or email, and get their
thoughts. Then you fully flesh out the campaign area, and
add extra, long-term details to the setting's more distant
areas (and possibly future campaign locales). Finally, with
the game world -- and campaign area specifically -- all
fleshed out, you can make decisions about the campaign's
conflicts, how the PCs fit in, and what your first story
will be.

No matter what your plans are at the beginning, you'll have

to change or update them as the campaign proceeds. However,
by taking a little extra time at the beginning to plan in
stages instead of all at once, you will get a better long-
term picture and can plan more accurately for the future.
This means less initial planning goes to waste, and a more
enjoyable campaign overall.
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READERS' TIPS OF THE WEEK

1. Battlemat Dry Erase Marker Solution Found!

From: Ted O.
=============================================
A while back I e-mailed Johnn that I'd ruined both sides of
my Battlemat with dry erase markers and now those marked
aren't allowed in the same room as the mat. I still like dry
erase for other things, but it's just not allowed in the D&D
room. I also asked if anyone knew a way to get dry erase off
of the mat, as everything I tried either didn't work or it
also erased the lines on the mat. Johnn posted my query in
an RPT issue, and here are some of the responses.

They fall into two groups:

1) Suggestions to do something else, that don't fix my

ruined mat:

* Jessica W. suggests washable Crayola markers. I actually

had those in the very beginning, but prefer the wet-erase
"overhead" markers such as the Vis-a-Vis pens by Sanford. I
found that the washable children's markers had too much
water in them, and the ink tended to bead-up and never
"settle" into the mat, so it was always smearing if someone
touched it. The wet-erase dry onto the mat, so you can move
around it, then erase with a wet rag or paper-towel.

* David M. suggests "painting" (i.e., with permanent

markers) my hexes (or squares) onto a dry-erase board, then
sticking with dry erase markers. Not quite as portable as a
Battlemat, but still a good idea. BTW, shower stall board
is available in most hardware stores, works well as dry
erase board, and is very cheap (i.e., $8US for a 4x8'
sheet).

* Scott A. uses a piece of glass with gridded poster-board

attached to the back. Nearly anything can be cleaned off of
glass, and it can be had cheaply from a variety of places.
Again, not terribly portable, but a fair idea.

2) Suggestions intended to help get the dry erase marker off

my mat:

Many of these suggestions are from friends and other DMs on

my e-mail list. I tried each idea, and here is my report:

* Water & lots of elbow grease: eventually I was able to

scrub the mat until it fatigued, but the dry erase never
came off. Mat-destructive.

* Isopropyl alcohol: no effect.

* Windex/ammonia: slight effect, but also dissolves the

lines on the mat itself, so you have to redraw them. A
minor pain for squares, a major one for hexes.

* Shampoo/aftershave/dog-food/laundry soap: No go. You guys

are weird!

* Aqua Velva (clarification on "after shave"): Doesn't clean

mat, but now it smells pretty.

* Seabreeze(tm) (further clarification/correction): that's

alcohol with perfumes, I tried that already.

* David M. suggests "Goof-off." I'm unable to find this

product to try it. I think I remember seeing it in an
automotive store. Maybe.

And The Winner Is:

* Several suggested using dry-erase markers. That is, you
draw over the "bad" lines with new marker, and erase while
the new ink is still "wet". Skeptical, I tried this.
Amazingly, it works! Thank you, thank you, thank you! Nat
said it best with "Get yourself a white-board marker and
draw over the marks you made with the dry-erase markers on
the battlemat. Then rub them out with a dry cloth, and they
should come off."

With Special Mention To Alex:

* My favourite suggestion was from Alex, it began: "Step 1:
Get a solution that dissolves dry-erase markers..." Not to
pick on Alex or anything, but it made me laugh. It's ok, he
was really trying to describe how to not ruin the remaining
lines on my mat, and had good ideas.

Thanks!

2. World Geography Tips

From: Andy Gryc
http://gryc.ws/autorealm.htm
=====================================
[Andy posted these geography tips on another list, and I got
his permission to re-post them here as I thought you might
find them useful.]

1) Mountains almost always remove moisture from the wind.

This causes a "rain shadow" effect, where the side of the
mountains on the trailing edge of the wind is dry, and the
leading edge is moist. The wet side will have a lot of
mountain rivers that transport the sponged out moisture. The
dry side will also have a number of rivers that carry away
moisture, but the rivers will tend to be smaller, since some
of the smaller creeks and tributaries will be evaporated
and/or absorbed by plants en-route.

2) Mountain ranges are created either by vulcanism or plate

tectonics (or both). Sometimes a plate will subduct
underneath another one causing a "crumple zone" of smaller
mountains along the edge of the top plate, and about 100
miles inland a parallel chain of volcanos (extinct or not)
where the descending plate's edge is melting and providing a
lava source for the inner range (ala Oregon's and
California's coast). Other times two plates will collide
and both will crunch up (ala Tibet and the Himalayas). So
I'll map out the general plates and their direction so I can
see where they may be colliding or separating, and add
mountain ranges as appropriate.

3) Wind can either deposit or remove moisture. It will also

deposit or remove land, but this effect isn't as dramatic
for determining whether or not the underlying land will
become a desert or a jungle. Try to map the prevailing
winds direction, their strength, and their humidity. If the
winds are dry, they'll end up parching the underlying
terrain. If they're wet, they'll create clouds and deposit
some of that moisture, creating a temperate zone or perhaps
even a jungle.

For the most part, winds will be the same direction in a

hemisphere, but prevailing wind patterns can be altered by
the terrain's color (whether it reflects or absorbs
sunlight), height (mountains or not), and large lakes (gives
a large smooth surface for the wind, and a source for
moisture). Some areas will have a strong prevailing wind
that doesn't fit the profile. So, this is one area where
I'm a little more fast and loose. Draw in your winds, and
follow the moisture wherever it goes, altering the terrain
underneath as appropriate.

4) Surface features like isolated volcanoes and swamps can

be caused by single source lava vents or water springs, so
don't feel that you can't just plunk them about anywhere and
still have a mostly reasonable world. If you have a volcano
vent in the ocean, that can result in a chain of islands
(Hawaii), as the plate gradually moves over the hot spot.

5) Caves are usually from limestone erosion. Areas that

have a lot of limestone in the earth will tend to have
large, well formed cave systems. Another source of caves is
from lava tubes, but those caves tend to be rather
uninteresting in gaming terms, since they're a single tube
cave, rather than a system (although the tubes can be pretty
long). I don't go to the trouble of mapping out the stone
types in every area, but knowing that caves tend to be
placed in the same region is helpful.

[Johnn: be sure to check out Andy's Autorealm free mapping

software. It's amazing! http://www.gryc.ws/autorealm.htm ]

3. Battlemap Tip
From: Ryan W.
================
Hello, Johnn:

I've read several tips here as well as on the web about how
to best represent combat with battle maps and whatnot. My
group has used a particular system for years that works
great.

Go to an office supply store and get a big easel pad of

graph paper with 1" squares, approximately 24" x 36" ($8-
$10), and a plastic, no-frills poster frame of the same size
($12 tops). Put a sheet of the graph paper in the frame and
voila...instant battle map. You can write all over it with
dry erase markers. You can even make two or three so that
one is the "general map." The DM can use the other two for
pre-drawing major planned encounter areas or you can stack
them for a multi-level effect (for multi-story structures or
3d combat).

And how about all those left-over sheets of big graph paper
from the easel pad? Well, as the DM, I use them to pre-draw
rooms in dungeons and the like where combat is likely to
occur. I then cut them out and throw them in a file folder.
When combat does occur, I throw the map on the table and
it's on!

This also works great with fold-out maps that are often
provided with published campaign worlds. We play Planescape
and I've mounted a map of Sigil and a map of the Outlands
that we can draw all over with impunity!

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That's it for this week's issue.

Have more fun at every game!

Johnn Four
mailto:[email protected]

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