From the article archive
Strengthening the Herd 1.0: Starting Your Campaign
"Starting Your Campaign"
Howdy.
Welcome to my first installment of Strengthening the Herd, a column dedicated to the social side of gaming. In this column, I plan to offer tips that may be neglected elsewhere -- as mundane as snack ideas or as in depth as starting your own convention. Strengthening the Herd was born over at Mystic Ages Online, but I bring it to the fine readers of Gaming Outpost to enjoy and prosper with.
Today, I want to cover the start of your campaign, a task that is a bit harder than first may appear. If you want to start a new campaign but must first find new players, check out an earlier article I put together with that goal in mind. If you do have a group assembled and are eager to put together something a bit more long term, I hope this article will give you some tips and ideas for accomplishing your dreams.
The Key Is Communication
You have a killer idea. You have a perfect game. You have the regular meeting time and a nice comfortable location. You even have the extra cash for pizza. The sun is shining. A fresh campaign seems ripe for existence.
What do you do next? Easy -- communicate. Your first step is to simply sit down with every player you want in the campaign and tell them about it. Don't go into stupid details, and please don't bore them. Instead, just focus on telling them the gist of the campaign you have in mind -- give them enough information and an idea of the tone of the campaign so they can decide whether or not they are interested. Give them a mental picture of the fun you are hoping the group will have with your kicking idea.
Many aspiring GMs simply fail to communicate with their players. Think about the stuff that can go bad. A player might not be contacted, and instead of showing up with a serious, campaign-ready character, he or she shows up with a "meant to die" PC with ridiculous traits and personality. Even worse, the player might show up with no character at all. Another player may show up only to discover the campaign revolves around subject matter which he doesn't agree with. Yet another player might discover that the style of the game is not going to match his character at all.
Do yourself a favor and remove any roadblocks before they stop you from gaming. There is nothing less exciting than watching another player build a character while the remaining crew picks their nose and looks at the time. Also, if your game is an action-packed thrill ride, nothing will bring it to a grinding halt more than a player whose character is known for huge speeches in the midst of battle.
The only effective way to solve this is through communication, but luckily, you do have tools at your disposal to assist you in this task. Try writing up a two-three page summary of what you want on your computer. Give it to your players. Start emailing your players with information; give them tips and guidelines for building their characters. Build a list of movies that your campaign promises to be similar in tone or style. If all else fails, schedule time with each player to be there as they build their character.
In the end, your crew of players will show up ready to go, with characters they enjoy and an idea of what is to come next.
Note: This step may not happen as quickly as you would like. I've been in campaigns were character creation happens for about 3 weeks before the first game. In the end, that extra time can really help. Trust me.
Control
Early on, your decision on the sort of control you will have as a GM is an important one. Consider control as sort of the number of strings you hold in your hand at the beginning of the campaign. Depending on the style of the game, you may give half of the strings (aka control) to your players. You may pass them out slowly over time. You even may hand near complete control at the outset.
I'll get to why I think control is a social issue in a gaming group in just a minute. For now, let's break this down into three types of control for a bit more depth.
Full Control
One of the favorite sorts of campaigns I like to run is what I call "hazy" characters. I have my players build starting characters, then I tell them the characters can't remember who they are, where they are from, or why they are here. Instead, they only know what they can do. I might drop in a few blurry memories or a keyword or two that connect with events later in the campaign. As the campaign progresses, the characters slowly begin to figure out who they are and what they are doing.
My example is a good illustration of full control of a campaign. Strong elements of full control include building characters for the players, siphoning vital information to the players over time, determining character background, and so on. Basically, if you take power initially away from the players, you are taking (or are close to) full control.
There are benefits to this style. This is a great way to run a game with new players - they are relieved of struggling through character creation and can focus on learning the game as they go. The downside is that experienced players may end up somewhat upset that they did not get to player their own character -- rather, they are playing initially one of the GM's characters. Over time, the character will probably grow with the player, but at the beginning, many players can feel railroaded and cheated. Proceed with caution.
There are other sources and areas of inspiration for this sort of game. The old TSR book, Curse of the Azure Bonds, follows this idea to the "t". The main character wakes up with hazy memories and not quite sure who she is and what she is supposed to be doing. As the book progresses (into a trilogy I might add), she learns the truth about her origins and uncovers the vile plot at work. It's a really fun way to run a campaign if you are so inclined.
Player Control
One of the most exciting ways to build a campaign is to reverse the roles. Let the players build characters, figure out a history, determine a list of acquaintances, and decide what their characters are doing. The GM can take that and run with it, building relationship maps that cross between NPCs and the player characters. Soon, the characters will find themselves in an adventure where their characters are connected and matter to others. Events in the game won't constantly happen to third parties; the characters will find their families and friends involved and entangled by the plots of the day. While this method ends up resembling a soap opera in some ways, it is deeply engaging.
A great technique for this style of play is allowing player's ideas to really matter and take hold of the world. In a Dragonball Z game I was playing in, the GM setup the story and the opening scene, as we all battled for victory in a martial arts competition. Suddenly, a bomb exploded nearby, and chaos ensued. In the following drama, the young princess bolted to escape while a green-skinned villain floated from above. One of my fellow players took over, describing how his attractive character rushed through the smoke to find himself eye to eye with the villain, only to discover that it was his evil twin brother. The GM responded poorly, simply shaking his head and explaining it differently. The story, which had been average thus far, was suddenly made interesting with my fellow player's addition but then dropped to average again as the GM rejected it. As you can see, allowing players to influence a game and produce ideas that you actually use give the game much more of a personal feel to it. Players can attach to it and care about it.
Be warned! Giving player's a large amount of control can backlash. It might be wise to setup some guidelines. You never know when a player might decide to drop in the reference that his father happens to be the king or his mother passed on several powerful innate abilities to him upon birth. As a GM, make sure you do some prep work by examining the PCs and modifying the characters if they pose troubles. Of course, in a game like this, it is just as easy for you as the GM to counter naughty players with plot twists that effectively remove the benefits from play. (I would respond to the "my dad is the King" bit by introducing a sudden twist of fate which reveals the fact that the character's dad was a fake. Suddenly, it isn't a benefit.)
Balanced Control
Most games try to balance control between GMs and players. This can be the best way to handle a campaign in many instances. Find the mix that is right for your gaming group. Campaigns that revolve in published worlds (such as Forgotten Realms) might need to rely on that balance. Players may know information that the GM is unaware of, and thereby can use that to their advantage during the game. The GM may also choose to let the characters be built immediately as important individuals in the game world, with power, contacts, and information. Players can build their characters without much GM help, but their character's final approval will probably rest on his or her approval.
Most published roleplaying games out there take the stance of balanced control, since it is the most often used.
Why Worry About Control?
You may be wondering why control has anything to do with the social side of gaming. Certainly, it helps to communicate what sort of style of game you are running with your group. In addition, knowing your amount of control is helpful to the way the campaign operates over the long term. Knowing how much you control can help you determine how much you need to prepare and what to expect from the players.
One of the most tenuous portions of a campaign is keeping everyone happy. In some games, there are issues like who gets the most experience points, who gets the magical items, who is the leader, who decides what happens next, and all other sorts of red tape that groups have to work out. Some of it is purely silly, while other decisions are pretty important. Control weighs in on all of this. How is your gaming group going to handle situations better? Will they respond better with near complete control? Will they respond better if you scrape bits and pieces to them? Or does the truth lie somewhere in between?
With that said, do not believe that you will keep everyone happy. Game sessions are like roller coaster rides -- one person may be up while another may be down. Knowing and understanding how your group is going to communicate and work together will help you determine what works best. Therefore, pick the best sort of control that they will respond to without immense amounts of grumbling and rumbling.
I've given three examples below of control and how a GM can respond to them based on the control he and the players have decided upon. The example is base and dumb, but it gives you a springboard to think about your group with. In some instances, the results will still be the same.
"The PCs have finished defeating a vile vampire lord in the neighboring province of Galdeer. Within his tomb, they find a chest, magically locked and trapped. After a few minutes of work, they disarm it and open it, revealing..."
Full Control
The GM has already determined what is in the chest. While he has dropped in a few common things (a couple of healing potions and over 1,000 gold), he has also included two magical scrolls, a dusty old tome of ancient knowledge, a set of dwarven boots, and a rusty longsword. The longsword he has put together for the warrior in the group, which will setup another thread in the future. The dwarf, he has decided, should get the boots, because they will resurface an old memory of his homeland once he dons them. Finally, the wizard gets the scrolls and tome, containing information which he hopes the wizard will clamber toward insanity with after using them.
Player Control
The GM has only determined that within the chest is some gems and gold, as well as a broken sword. The rest, he figures, the players will chime in with.
Player: "Hah, I know what lies within. Surely, all vampire lords keep trophies of their victims."
GM (smirking): "Indeed, the hideous sight that greets you is one of dried hands and ears laid atop the rest of the booty."
2nd Player: "I move those aside to search for any potions. My alchemist is sickened by the sight, but his lust for power overwhelms him for the moment."
GM: "Yes, the chest reveals a half empty potion, some dark thick substance which sticks to the glass."
2nd Player: "I knew it! It is Ulac Root, one of the most vile poisons known to man. I must study it."
GM (just smiles and thinks cool): "Good. The rest of the chest seems to contain gems, gold coins, and an old broken sword."
3rd Player: "That can't be it. These vampire lords are far more powerful than this. There must be a false bottom in the chest. I run my hands over it quickly."
GM (still smiling): "Great idea. Your hand indeed catches something, and the chest reveals a false bottom. Ornately drawn on the bottom of the chest is some sort of collection of runes."
2nd Player: "Oh bloody no! We've done it now. That's a warding spell -- Boys, I don't think we're going to make it out of here without another fight...."
Balanced Control
The GM has a list of items prepared, but as the adventure progresses, he marks off a few, substitutes some to fit what the party needs, and responds to the twists they add in the adventure. Sometimes, the list may remain the same. Other times, the GM might throw it out completely.
Think About the Environment
Finally, spend sometime going over where the campaign is. Be sensitive to the fact that some players may be driving a nice distance to get to your house (or wherever the game is). Save money and time for them. Poll your players about their favorite snacks and/or food. Find out if your players have allergies to cats, dogs, plants, or anything. Put whatever it is that causes the issue in a closet or outside. Have a clean, comfy spot to play ready to go. Give your players the best seats in the house. Serve drinks, and put on some music.
And please, show your players where the bathroom is.
In Closing
I hope you look forward to these winded articles of mine. I would appreciate you commenting on things that I've missed or illustrating how little I know of gaming in the forums here on Gaming Outpost. My articles can hardly be called complete, but if I give you some tips and ideas to make your group better and better, then I want to know.
Next week (I pray), I shall cover a special little gaming pledge I call, the 52 Gamer Pledge (duh), and you may be surprised to find out what it's about.
Howdy.
Welcome to my first installment of Strengthening the Herd, a column dedicated to the social side of gaming. In this column, I plan to offer tips that may be neglected elsewhere -- as mundane as snack ideas or as in depth as starting your own convention. Strengthening the Herd was born over at Mystic Ages Online, but I bring it to the fine readers of Gaming Outpost to enjoy and prosper with.
Today, I want to cover the start of your campaign, a task that is a bit harder than first may appear. If you want to start a new campaign but must first find new players, check out an earlier article I put together with that goal in mind. If you do have a group assembled and are eager to put together something a bit more long term, I hope this article will give you some tips and ideas for accomplishing your dreams.
The Key Is Communication
You have a killer idea. You have a perfect game. You have the regular meeting time and a nice comfortable location. You even have the extra cash for pizza. The sun is shining. A fresh campaign seems ripe for existence.
What do you do next? Easy -- communicate. Your first step is to simply sit down with every player you want in the campaign and tell them about it. Don't go into stupid details, and please don't bore them. Instead, just focus on telling them the gist of the campaign you have in mind -- give them enough information and an idea of the tone of the campaign so they can decide whether or not they are interested. Give them a mental picture of the fun you are hoping the group will have with your kicking idea.
Many aspiring GMs simply fail to communicate with their players. Think about the stuff that can go bad. A player might not be contacted, and instead of showing up with a serious, campaign-ready character, he or she shows up with a "meant to die" PC with ridiculous traits and personality. Even worse, the player might show up with no character at all. Another player may show up only to discover the campaign revolves around subject matter which he doesn't agree with. Yet another player might discover that the style of the game is not going to match his character at all.
Do yourself a favor and remove any roadblocks before they stop you from gaming. There is nothing less exciting than watching another player build a character while the remaining crew picks their nose and looks at the time. Also, if your game is an action-packed thrill ride, nothing will bring it to a grinding halt more than a player whose character is known for huge speeches in the midst of battle.
The only effective way to solve this is through communication, but luckily, you do have tools at your disposal to assist you in this task. Try writing up a two-three page summary of what you want on your computer. Give it to your players. Start emailing your players with information; give them tips and guidelines for building their characters. Build a list of movies that your campaign promises to be similar in tone or style. If all else fails, schedule time with each player to be there as they build their character.
In the end, your crew of players will show up ready to go, with characters they enjoy and an idea of what is to come next.
Note: This step may not happen as quickly as you would like. I've been in campaigns were character creation happens for about 3 weeks before the first game. In the end, that extra time can really help. Trust me.
Control
Early on, your decision on the sort of control you will have as a GM is an important one. Consider control as sort of the number of strings you hold in your hand at the beginning of the campaign. Depending on the style of the game, you may give half of the strings (aka control) to your players. You may pass them out slowly over time. You even may hand near complete control at the outset.
I'll get to why I think control is a social issue in a gaming group in just a minute. For now, let's break this down into three types of control for a bit more depth.
Full Control
One of the favorite sorts of campaigns I like to run is what I call "hazy" characters. I have my players build starting characters, then I tell them the characters can't remember who they are, where they are from, or why they are here. Instead, they only know what they can do. I might drop in a few blurry memories or a keyword or two that connect with events later in the campaign. As the campaign progresses, the characters slowly begin to figure out who they are and what they are doing.
My example is a good illustration of full control of a campaign. Strong elements of full control include building characters for the players, siphoning vital information to the players over time, determining character background, and so on. Basically, if you take power initially away from the players, you are taking (or are close to) full control.
There are benefits to this style. This is a great way to run a game with new players - they are relieved of struggling through character creation and can focus on learning the game as they go. The downside is that experienced players may end up somewhat upset that they did not get to player their own character -- rather, they are playing initially one of the GM's characters. Over time, the character will probably grow with the player, but at the beginning, many players can feel railroaded and cheated. Proceed with caution.
There are other sources and areas of inspiration for this sort of game. The old TSR book, Curse of the Azure Bonds, follows this idea to the "t". The main character wakes up with hazy memories and not quite sure who she is and what she is supposed to be doing. As the book progresses (into a trilogy I might add), she learns the truth about her origins and uncovers the vile plot at work. It's a really fun way to run a campaign if you are so inclined.
Player Control
One of the most exciting ways to build a campaign is to reverse the roles. Let the players build characters, figure out a history, determine a list of acquaintances, and decide what their characters are doing. The GM can take that and run with it, building relationship maps that cross between NPCs and the player characters. Soon, the characters will find themselves in an adventure where their characters are connected and matter to others. Events in the game won't constantly happen to third parties; the characters will find their families and friends involved and entangled by the plots of the day. While this method ends up resembling a soap opera in some ways, it is deeply engaging.
A great technique for this style of play is allowing player's ideas to really matter and take hold of the world. In a Dragonball Z game I was playing in, the GM setup the story and the opening scene, as we all battled for victory in a martial arts competition. Suddenly, a bomb exploded nearby, and chaos ensued. In the following drama, the young princess bolted to escape while a green-skinned villain floated from above. One of my fellow players took over, describing how his attractive character rushed through the smoke to find himself eye to eye with the villain, only to discover that it was his evil twin brother. The GM responded poorly, simply shaking his head and explaining it differently. The story, which had been average thus far, was suddenly made interesting with my fellow player's addition but then dropped to average again as the GM rejected it. As you can see, allowing players to influence a game and produce ideas that you actually use give the game much more of a personal feel to it. Players can attach to it and care about it.
Be warned! Giving player's a large amount of control can backlash. It might be wise to setup some guidelines. You never know when a player might decide to drop in the reference that his father happens to be the king or his mother passed on several powerful innate abilities to him upon birth. As a GM, make sure you do some prep work by examining the PCs and modifying the characters if they pose troubles. Of course, in a game like this, it is just as easy for you as the GM to counter naughty players with plot twists that effectively remove the benefits from play. (I would respond to the "my dad is the King" bit by introducing a sudden twist of fate which reveals the fact that the character's dad was a fake. Suddenly, it isn't a benefit.)
Balanced Control
Most games try to balance control between GMs and players. This can be the best way to handle a campaign in many instances. Find the mix that is right for your gaming group. Campaigns that revolve in published worlds (such as Forgotten Realms) might need to rely on that balance. Players may know information that the GM is unaware of, and thereby can use that to their advantage during the game. The GM may also choose to let the characters be built immediately as important individuals in the game world, with power, contacts, and information. Players can build their characters without much GM help, but their character's final approval will probably rest on his or her approval.
Most published roleplaying games out there take the stance of balanced control, since it is the most often used.
Why Worry About Control?
You may be wondering why control has anything to do with the social side of gaming. Certainly, it helps to communicate what sort of style of game you are running with your group. In addition, knowing your amount of control is helpful to the way the campaign operates over the long term. Knowing how much you control can help you determine how much you need to prepare and what to expect from the players.
One of the most tenuous portions of a campaign is keeping everyone happy. In some games, there are issues like who gets the most experience points, who gets the magical items, who is the leader, who decides what happens next, and all other sorts of red tape that groups have to work out. Some of it is purely silly, while other decisions are pretty important. Control weighs in on all of this. How is your gaming group going to handle situations better? Will they respond better with near complete control? Will they respond better if you scrape bits and pieces to them? Or does the truth lie somewhere in between?
With that said, do not believe that you will keep everyone happy. Game sessions are like roller coaster rides -- one person may be up while another may be down. Knowing and understanding how your group is going to communicate and work together will help you determine what works best. Therefore, pick the best sort of control that they will respond to without immense amounts of grumbling and rumbling.
I've given three examples below of control and how a GM can respond to them based on the control he and the players have decided upon. The example is base and dumb, but it gives you a springboard to think about your group with. In some instances, the results will still be the same.
"The PCs have finished defeating a vile vampire lord in the neighboring province of Galdeer. Within his tomb, they find a chest, magically locked and trapped. After a few minutes of work, they disarm it and open it, revealing..."
Full Control
The GM has already determined what is in the chest. While he has dropped in a few common things (a couple of healing potions and over 1,000 gold), he has also included two magical scrolls, a dusty old tome of ancient knowledge, a set of dwarven boots, and a rusty longsword. The longsword he has put together for the warrior in the group, which will setup another thread in the future. The dwarf, he has decided, should get the boots, because they will resurface an old memory of his homeland once he dons them. Finally, the wizard gets the scrolls and tome, containing information which he hopes the wizard will clamber toward insanity with after using them.
Player Control
The GM has only determined that within the chest is some gems and gold, as well as a broken sword. The rest, he figures, the players will chime in with.
Player: "Hah, I know what lies within. Surely, all vampire lords keep trophies of their victims."
GM (smirking): "Indeed, the hideous sight that greets you is one of dried hands and ears laid atop the rest of the booty."
2nd Player: "I move those aside to search for any potions. My alchemist is sickened by the sight, but his lust for power overwhelms him for the moment."
GM: "Yes, the chest reveals a half empty potion, some dark thick substance which sticks to the glass."
2nd Player: "I knew it! It is Ulac Root, one of the most vile poisons known to man. I must study it."
GM (just smiles and thinks cool): "Good. The rest of the chest seems to contain gems, gold coins, and an old broken sword."
3rd Player: "That can't be it. These vampire lords are far more powerful than this. There must be a false bottom in the chest. I run my hands over it quickly."
GM (still smiling): "Great idea. Your hand indeed catches something, and the chest reveals a false bottom. Ornately drawn on the bottom of the chest is some sort of collection of runes."
2nd Player: "Oh bloody no! We've done it now. That's a warding spell -- Boys, I don't think we're going to make it out of here without another fight...."
Balanced Control
The GM has a list of items prepared, but as the adventure progresses, he marks off a few, substitutes some to fit what the party needs, and responds to the twists they add in the adventure. Sometimes, the list may remain the same. Other times, the GM might throw it out completely.
Think About the Environment
Finally, spend sometime going over where the campaign is. Be sensitive to the fact that some players may be driving a nice distance to get to your house (or wherever the game is). Save money and time for them. Poll your players about their favorite snacks and/or food. Find out if your players have allergies to cats, dogs, plants, or anything. Put whatever it is that causes the issue in a closet or outside. Have a clean, comfy spot to play ready to go. Give your players the best seats in the house. Serve drinks, and put on some music.
And please, show your players where the bathroom is.
In Closing
I hope you look forward to these winded articles of mine. I would appreciate you commenting on things that I've missed or illustrating how little I know of gaming in the forums here on Gaming Outpost. My articles can hardly be called complete, but if I give you some tips and ideas to make your group better and better, then I want to know.
Next week (I pray), I shall cover a special little gaming pledge I call, the 52 Gamer Pledge (duh), and you may be surprised to find out what it's about.
Recovered from the Gaming Outpost database backup. Original wording is preserved; damaged punctuation and presentation markup have been repaired. Historical links without a local match point to the Internet Archive.