So i'm creating the next campaign for my friends and I need some help,So i'm wandering if anybody has any tips I can use.
What kind of campaign are you wanting to make? What are the classes of the characters involved? How long are you looking to play with these specific characters? And are you more interested in story or monsters or puzzles or what?
Hi,
If you're using the Golarion world, then I would read up on the area that the campaign will be taking place in. If it's a homebrew, I would just spend some time daydreaming about what it's like. gl!
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Make sure there are points where every skill, or every class/ kind of character is useful. I think the piazo campaigns do a really good job of this, and it's something I really like.
Random thoughts:
Never force yourself to create more than you must.
Whenever you create something, add in a secret.
If you put in a puzzle, make sure you have at least three ways for the PCs to find it out.
Set up lists of NPC names for unplanned NPCs, and cross them off as you go.
Give each NPC a signature trait, like "scratches himself", "talks slowly", "hits on every vaguely handsome male".
There are MANY more of these, but this is off the top of my head.
Have a goal. It doesn't have to be elaborate like some ancient prophecy or the politics of immortals. Something as simple as "a red dragon attacks a town and demands tribute while it's kobold and monster minions vex the land; the PCs will rise up and smite him" is fine if the players are on board.
Design to your players' strengths, not their characters' weaknesses. If you've got a group that loves the Tomb Raider games, Indiana Jones and other stuff in that genre throw in plenty of puzzles and twists.
Variety is the spice of life. If the adventures that make up the campaign focus on the same monsters, the same locales and the same formula for success chances are your players will get bored. Of course if your group likes this style of play, ignore this point altogether.
Be inclusive. As others have mentioned above involve all of your players. Its fine to highlight one at a time but try to engage as many of your players as you can in the action.
Be a set designer, not a storyteller. If you're narrating it may get boring for your players. Similarly if it's your story and not everyone's you may get possessive of it and lash out at your players when they try to deviate from your campaign. If you instead content yourself to just creating "sets" that your players can interact with then everyone takes ownership of the game.
Expect that your players will get bored. There's no shame in it. Human beings are prone to it and sometimes even our best tricks fail to engage our players. If this happens just roll with it and throw a curve like an unexpected encounter or something. One GM I had as a kid noticed we were all bored and made a roll behind his screen as we were opening a chest. "Out jumps... a full-grown Bengal tiger." he stated blankly. We all just stared... "what?" I asked. Suddenly we were in initiatives and I still remember it 25 years later.
Your players will hijack your game sometimes; let them. If your players have an idea who the villain is, where the McGuffin is located or just simply want to look at that stream you mentioned off-hand as they were getting to the cave-dungeon, roll with it the best you can. You don't have to be a master of ad-libbing, just grab your Bestiary and make a roll. Since it's partly their game too its nice when they make assumptions that turn out to be right.
All that being said, what kind of campaign are you looking for?
Dot.
