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I could really use any good tips for making each session my players and I have be fun, relatively open ended, but not too open ended that side quests prevent the story from moving forward.
I've never been very good at making my campaign worlds feel alive. So how do you set up each scenario for your homebrew campaigns?
Do you have an overall vision for your campaign? Most GM's can make the mistake of planning things too rigidly (railroading) or planning things too loosely (aimless sandbox). You should have a vision that works in broad strokes that gives plenty of wiggle room, not only for players to approach the narrative in a variety of ways (or not approach it at all), but also for you to improvise if your players do something unexpected.
As for individual scenarios, it depends on where you are in the campaign and how familiar the players are with the world/characters/etc.
If you're just starting out, I recommend a session or two of fun low-stakes adventuring and roleplaying in order for players to get comfortable with roleplaying their characters and for you to do some worldbuilding through various details that the PCs encounter.
Whatever you do, don't give them unsolicited "infodump". Many GM's start their homebrew adventure with a long tirade about their world's history. Don't do that. Let the players learn about your world in "pieces" obtained via observation or Knowledge skill checks.
Other than that, what your players will consider "fun" depends on their play style. What do you know of them so far?
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Do you have an overall vision for your campaign? Most GM's can make the mistake of planning things too rigidly (railroading) or planning things too loosely (aimless sandbox). You should have a vision that works in broad strokes that gives plenty of wiggle room, not only for players to approach the narrative in a variety of ways (or not approach it at all), but also for you to improvise if your players do something unexpected.
As for individual scenarios, it depends on where you are in the campaign and how familiar the players are with the world/characters/etc.
If you're just starting out, I recommend a session or two of fun low-stakes adventuring and roleplaying in order for players to get comfortable with roleplaying their characters and for you to do some worldbuilding through various details that the PCs encounter.
Whatever you do, don't give them unsolicited "infodump". Many GM's start their homebrew adventure with a long tirade about their world's history. Don't do that. Let the players learn about your world in "pieces" obtained via observation or Knowledge skill checks.
Other than that, what your players will consider "fun" depends on their play style. What do you know of them so far?
Two of them have been a part of my gaming group for about 7 years and the other is new to me but has played with the other two and one of them is my fiance who has never played table top before so this will be new for her. The two veterans are both wild cards though one of them leans towards melee inclined characters and the other usual is a healer or stealth based. The new veteran (paradoxically speaking) almost religiously plays arcane characters, specifically sorcerers. My fiance will be a very wild card.
Number one thing I ever learned as a DM was not to make the campaign FOR my players, but rather WITH them. Talk it out. Figure out what kinds of things you and you players both wanna see in the game. Let them contribute to the setting. You'd be surprised how much longer you can stretch player interest when your players are helping world build.
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I have been using the same home brew world long enough that it can legally buy alcohol. What I do every time I start a new campaign is poll the players for interest in three or for broad concepts or regions, like maritime or desert, social intrigue or ancient ruin mystery, etc... And then pick out a starting region and time that I want to use with those qualifiers.
Give the campaign a little bit of personality by explaining a local cultural tradition. Maybe every time you enter another's home you need to break bread with them to establish that you mean them no harm. Or some other quirky tradition. It's little things that bring life to a world.
I could really use any good tips for making each session my players and I have be fun, relatively open ended, but not too open ended that side quests prevent the story from moving forward.
I've never been very good at making my campaign worlds feel alive. So how do you set up each scenario for your homebrew campaigns?
On my first campaign, I just kinda winged it. I'd discuss the campaign out of game with my friends to find out what they liked and work to incorporate more of it. This time, I'm still doing that, but I'm trying to follow the advice from Brewer's guides in order to shore up weaknesses I noted in my first campaign.
So far, I like where it's going, though I still have some issues with my implementation of the ideas, but that'll work out better as I get more practice. They might be worth a read for you.
I could really use any good tips for making each session my players and I have be fun, relatively open ended, but not too open ended that side quests prevent the story from moving forward.
I've never been very good at making my campaign worlds feel alive. So how do you set up each scenario for your homebrew campaigns?
On my first campaign, I just kinda winged it. I'd discuss the campaign out of game with my friends to find out what they liked and work to incorporate more of it. This time, I'm still doing that, but I'm trying to follow the advice from Brewer's guides in order to shore up weaknesses I noted in my first campaign.
So far, I like where it's going, though I still have some issues with my implementation of the ideas, but that'll work out better as I get more practice. They might be worth a read for you.
The Brewer's Guides were great reading. I'd recommend it. In that spirit, one thing I've done in the past is outline large-scale events and NPC motivations ahead of time, create a few random NPC's that I can plug in when PC's talk to someone unexpectedly, and focus on your bbeg's plans and how player actions affect them.
Start small and develop as the players expand their horizons. Don't start with making the world. Start with making a small town and the wilderness around them.
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Alright this is helping a lot. I really appreciate all the help I've been given.
One last question: at what point do you wrap up a campaign? I don't plan on this campaign lasting for years (but I wouldn't mind it if it does). But if it needs to be drawn to an end, what should I look for to know when I need to wrap it up?
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for me this is where your 'board strokes' campaign outline comes into play. once the PCs achieve their main goal or motivation, (or even a more minor one) you can stop and discuss what everyone wants to do. got some more loose ends to tie up? (that pesky NPC that they never quite managed to kill could turn into a whole new plot line) then keep playing.
otherwise, you can start fresh, have someone else GM, whatever.
i've been playing with the same group for years now in the same campaign world (our own version of forgotten realms) and old high level PCs sometimes have cameo appearances, quite a neat way to link things together and help the players feel more a part of the world - and proud of their previous achievements. we even had one story arc where our original group, who were created and retired under the 2nd edition rules, were bought out of retirement by a new party who had reached a similar level to fight off an epic threat. was great fun rebuilding our characters under 3.5 rules and playing two high level PCs each. we mixed the parties up and set them off to achieve different goals... anyway, i have gotten way off topic.
not every campaign needs to go to 20th level, if you get to 10th and have beaten back the orcs, reclaimed your ancestral castle or whatever you can stop, or if everyone is still having fun you can keep going. talk to your players about it :)
I'm worried that if I leave it too open ended that it'll feel like every session is an episode of Adventure Time written by Penny Arcade (which would actually be kinda fun to watch). Our past campaigns have always had a "campaign end quest" that the characters traveled across the land, trying to prevent the doom days events from even happening, yet the BBEG always manages to win until the very end where the characters ultimately vanquish the BBEG and save the world.
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in the campaign im currently running for example, the PCs are tryng to find an artifact they hope they will be able to use to end the threat of demon invasion once and for all.
my intention is for the campaign to end once they have found the artifact, but if they want to we could keep going and have them venture off into the lower planes to take the fight to the shadowy demon prince who is orchestrating the invasion of their homes.
after reading this I actually see how this might work, but could you clarify a bit?
There's nothing wrong with ending a campaign when you feel the story is through. It's better to end on a high and satisfied note than to drag on endlessly. There's nothing to be gained by becoming The Simpsons of tabletop campaigns.
We had one session after that: an epilogue taking place 10 years later with every party member leveled up to 20. They came together to attend the funeral of the Main Benefactor NPC who had tragically died of a heart attack mid-coitus. It was a great chance to meet up with all the old NPCs and for the PCs to talk about how badass they were. A chance to prove their badassery presented itself when all of the various antagonists from various unresolved subplots suddenly attacked the city from a vast flying citadel. The remainder of the session consisted of the party's "one last hurrah" in taking out all of these familiar baddies.
If you feel like the main story is "done", then ending the campaign and doing something different with your playgroup is just fine. The campaign I ran went on for a little over a year, and we completed the main campaign arc with plenty of extras. The players had a great experience, and I told the story I wanted. There was no reason for us to go any longer.
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There's nothing wrong with ending a campaign when you feel the story is through. It's better to end on a high and satisfied note than to drag on endlessly. There's nothing to be gained by becoming The Simpsons of tabletop campaigns.
** spoiler omitted **
If you feel like the main story is "done", then ending the campaign and doing something different with your playgroup is just fine. The campaign I ran went on for a little over a year, and we completed the main campaign arc with plenty of extras. The players had a great experience, and I told the story I wanted. There was no reason for us to go any longer.
Alright, I think I have a solid idea now. Thank you all for the words of wisdom! May your dice ever roll in your favor(s)
I feel most 'campaigns' are too linear. Players and GM just reading the same story together, instead of writing it.
The best games I've played, the GM created the world, not the story. The story is created nearly on the fly. Its important for the GM to have anticipated some actions, visiting this place, talking to this person, etc - but these interactions do not have to all tie directly into some higher story arc to be compelling.
If the need to create content on-the-fly is a little too daunting, start off with a much smaller world to limit the initial options - that way you can have a lot of stuff pregenerated - just don't be upset if only 10% of what you create ends up being used.
Try a small island with a single village. Limits scope of world from the start, with believable expansion at a later time (whey they buy/charter a ship). Allows believable new introduction of content as ships come and go from port.
The biggest issue with a freeform world is character generation. If you're going to have 3-5 characters doing everything together of there own volition, there has to be some reason for them to be so close. Family, friends, coworkers - something external that gives them similar motivations.