My group recently decided that we’ve had enough of Pathfinder for a while, and we’ve chosen to start a new campaign for SLA Industries (I’ve reviewed this game before, here), so I figured this would be a good time to talk about the steps I take when I start a new campaign.
Goal: The first thing that I always try to determine is the goal. By that I mean “What story do I want to tell?” and how long I expect to tell that story for. Importantly, this is not set in stone, but just a general idea of where I want to take it, (especially since I’m an Improvisation GM (something I’ve covered here) and how long it should take.
Themes: The name for this is possibly misleading, but it’s more about what emotions you, as the GM, want to play with in your campaign. This is fairly setting specific, it’s a matter of what themes should be applied to your campaign. Some campaigns might center around a feeling of hope while fighting the good cause, while others might be something like the fallibility of mankind. That is not to say that these “themes” cannot be applied to a campaign setting where they go against the traditional grain of the campaign. A good example of hope and a lost cause, while in a dystopian setting, would be the Terminator Franchise. Humanity in the future is definitely fighting in a more-or-less lost cause, and it’s definitely a dystopian setting, but it’s still a matter of hope, and triumph in the face of adversity.
Some settings do not do well with a mixing of themes; it’s hard to do a love story within the Ravenloft campaign setting for example unless it’s one of lost or forbidden love (but not impossible).
The Cast: These are the participants in the campaign, most notably, of course, the PCs. But for the GM it’s more a matter of the NPCs, especially the villain(s). Who are they, how many are there, and what are their motivations and goals? These should all be at least roughly in place, before you start your campaign, and could well influence the length of the campaign itself.
The Intro: HOW do you want the game to start? It’s a good idea to give a lot of thought to this one, as it’ll set the tone for your games to come. A good introduction and opening scene are crucial to starting a campaign off on the right foot. It might even be a good idea to provide the intro ahead of time in some cases. It should also address the crucial question: Do the PCs know each other ahead of time?
The Journey: Have you got any special ideas for what you want the PCs to do while in this campaign? Special encounters you want to set up, NPCs for them to meet, special foes to vanquish and so on. In essence, you should have an idea of the MEAT (sorry Order 66 Podcast, but I have to steal your term 😛 ) of your campaign. These could be your plans for several adventures, or it could be as simple as “I want the PCs to see these two places in the next session”.
The Ending or the Climax: What ending are you foreseeing? How do you expect the final showdown to go down? Again, not an exact science, but it’s a good thing to have in mind when you’re putting in your ideas for a campaign. Just be prepared for the ultimate Truth: Your plans won’t survive encountering the PCs, but it’s a good place to start.
Kim Frandsen
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