I think it would be wise to start at the very beginning, a subject often overlooked. You have to decide what kind of game you are going to play. I thinkwe can distinguish a number of main types of game:

1. One-Off
This is a game that is only played for a single session. One-Offs can easily grow out into adventures, mini-series or campaigns. A one off allows players to play very extreme characters as it is not important whether the character survives the session. These games can be fun, and parties can be made very specialised to deal with very specific adventures, scenario's or experiments. Characters can be purpose-built for the session and the craziest things can happen. The risk of a game like this is that it degenerates into a free for all without any semblance of much of anything. They often do not make sense in a larger context and the characters do act as if there were no tomorrow (which there isn't obviously).

2. Adventure
This is one step up from the One-Off. It can often last two or more sessions and the core of this style of game is more what the characters are going to do rather than who the characters are. Sometimes if you have a cool adventure it can be nice to have a purpose-built group go through it, and it allows some very specific new things to be tried. Ofcourse, characters in an adventure can be used in a mini-series or a campaign but there are a few possible problems. The risk of this is that you wind up with a party who are strangers in their world. They are focused on the adventure and nothing else, which does not add very well to the atmosphere. There is the danger that the backdrop dissapears and that the whole exists in a vacuum. If the adventure is to become a mini-series this is a problem.

3. Mini-Series
This is where a group of characters play a number of adventures, and this can take a great number of sessions. Often the characters are created above 1st level as the actual adventure is still an enormously important driving force behind the game. Mini-series leave the freedom for large gaps inbetween the adventures, where you simply level up the characters for the next adventure. It can be a very pleasant type of game if you only play on a very irregular basis, which implies alot of time for preperation. The danger that resides in this type of thing is closely linked to the adventure- there can be a lack of background. Unless your players are very dilligent in filling in the downtime between adventures (and players seldom are), then you end up with an empty shell of a world.

4. Campaign
This can be called the "biggest" form of roleplaying game. In my definition, a game qualifies as a campaign if the characters start at (very) low level and play up slowly to a very high level, over a long period of game time. In this time, the characters develop and become important personalities in their world. This game is about the characters and their development over time and events. In reality this is the most roleplaying oriented game. Combat is less important, and the character's place in the world all the more. Characters have their own agendas and this is often a tall order for players. This kind of game can only maintain integrity if the players work as hard on them as the DM does. They have to want to know about their character's worlds, and spend some time inbetween sessions administrating and generally helping the DM form the world the characters live in. Obviously, this is a very difficult thing to do, for both the players and the DM, as everyone has to dilligently do their bit to create and run the communal world.

The Test
Each stage described above is also really a test. Things often happen like this: A game starts as a one off, everyone enjoys themselves and it becomes and adventure, the adventure ends, and already it's less fun seeing as alot of people have not even thought about a last name for their character let alone where the hell they came from. You play on and it becomes a mini-series. Many games peter out here and the reason is a lack of backdrop. This is where you're planning as a DM comes in. Try to communicate and plan for the type of game you want to play. You will need to make some decisions in order to do this. They may change later on, but knowing the what you have in mind is more than half the battle. Here are some things to keep in mind, mostly applicable to a mini-series or campaign type game:

I. Timeframe (Out of Game)
How much time do you have to put into this as a DM? If you run one session a week, with an advancement rate of 1 level per 2 sessions (which is pretty fast) count on being busy for at least a year, every week to run a campaign, and then you've sort of rushed through it. So, if you want to run a quality campaign, be prepared to give up at least 6 hours a week on the game session for say 75 weeks to run a campaign upto 20th level. That's without preparation ofcourse, which you can if you're lucky do in another 4 hours or so a week. Sometimes you can wing it but don't do it too many sessions in a row because it will begin to tell. So, know what you're getting into when you start. Plan for it, and keep it going. You're the DM, there's no game without you.

II. Timeframe (In Game)
For in game time, keep in mind that it's hardly credible ifthe characters advance 5 levels in 2 weeks for the campaign. Do not be afraid to impose long downtimes on your players. Especially during early levels winters are excellent reasons for characters to spend long months in cities. They may have a small adventure going on, but nothing too big. Remember that spellcasters are always short of both cash and time to copy and ot research spells. Allow your characters fixed facilities early on in the game, give them a reason to downtime. Give them enough cash at the end of an adventure to commission things that they want. As they go up in level, make the downtimes longer. Give them what they need to have something to do in the downtime. For a decent campaign up to 20th level.... try to fit in at least 15 years of gametime, preferably even longer. Don't be afraid to but 5 years of downtime in at 15th level... make sure they're building a castle or whatever at the same time and they are doing something. Communicate with your players about anything special they want to do in those downtimes. Stretching things out is important to maintain credibility and it has another powerful effect. Moving out of the listed timeline in the Forgotten Realms, allows you to have a much greater freedom to throw things around and you're going to need it.

III. Physical Distances
Decide how far you want the characters to range. Is the central theme of the game a trip to the oriental east? Or is it based around a single city. Keep distances in mind and decide beforehand how far you want the characters to stray. They will be building up reputations in this area. Send them to nearby cities but travelling around the world takes time alot of time. It may appear that this is a good way to slow things down but there is a catch. If you do not spend time emphasizing the dangers of travelling (monsters, bandits, cliffs, pirates, weather, thieves and so on), it really detracts from the game. Travelling is a big thing in a fantasy setting, as only high level wizards (9th up) can do so quickly. There may be magic portals that are often used, but they are also known by others. Every long trip should be an undertaking not to be thought of lightly. Once your characters have the magical support to zip around by teleportation, remember that the spell has a severe weight limit and the wizard can only cast it so many times per day. Throw is some trolls, teleportation mishap rolls and even that is not something PC's will always to lightly. Be fairly strict on knowing where they're going, and keep long distances an important obstacle, because it strengthens the credibility of the setting. Teleportation is a useful tool, but feel free to find ways to make it unreliable on unknown routes. Decide how far you want the PC's ranging as it is also of influence on how much you need to know about the setting. Give the PC's interesting things to do in that region and if they suddenly go somewhere where they are completely unknown, well, go hard on them, make them want to get back to their "turf".

IV. Social Distance
Do you want a PC who is a king of a nation walking around in your campaign? Do you want the powerful NPC's to be figures of awe or do you want the PC's going to Elminster's friday afternoon tea party every week? Decide where the PC's are in the order, how people react to them and who will condescend to talk to them. How important are they likely to get? Make plans for a beginning and an end. Are they invited to noble parties or will only traders talk to them? Are they considered misfits or vagabonds? It pays to have consistent reactions from NPC's to them, and also to allow them to slowly meet and gain the ear of more important people. Don't have Khelben Blackstaff hand them their first mission. The man has better things to do. Decide position and how it progresses as their fame grows.

V. Economic Distance
The DMG gives starting funds for upto 20th level characters. Decide whether this is in the range you want for your campaign. Do you want your PC's spending their lives scrounging for cash, or do you want them to be living in abundant southern palaces at 10th level? Decide where they're going and where they're coming from. This doesn't need to be specific, but have a general idea of wealth and how you want their financial and magic item situation to develop. It's generally not worth keeping track of GP values and so on, but, if you're handing out Holy Avengers at 1st level, well, it's probably going to be hard to please them at 10th level.

Rounding Off
Once you've gotten a bit of an idea of the general parameters you want your game to operate in you add your campaign concept. It's very, very hard to have a single concept which will last you all the way through to the end of your campaign, so dream up a number of themes that will keep your players busy. Within the demarcation that you have set, decide who their major allies and opponents will be and create a community around the PC's. Who is for them and who is against them, which antagonistic organisations do you have in store for them. Who are these guys, and what are their aspirations? How are they going about realising them? Where could their activities cross with the PC's lives? Have a decent rack of ammo ready at all times to fire at the PC's and don't be afraid to annoy them.
If you've got your idea and parameters set, then let the players know they can make their characters.

Last Update Wednesday, December 18, 2002