How do You, Yes You, Start a New Campaign

[rust]

Our first step is to discuss the kind of setting we intend to play: Genre, back-
ground universe, technology level, character types and their options, and so
on. Once this is determined, someone - usually me - gets the task to design
this setting. The one I am currently working on is a human colony on a remote
frontier water world of a Terran Federation.

When the setting is completed, we discuss what kind of group of characters
could fit well into this setting, In the case of the colony this could be the va-
rious members of the advance team that explores the planet and prepares for
the arrival of the main group of colonists.

Then the players decide who will play which character of the group, for ex-
ample the scoutship's pilot, the engineer, the oceanographer, and so on, and
which of the "slots" will be filled by non-player characters, and then the play-
ers create their characters and I create the necessary non-player characters.

I usually prepare a short introductory adventure with the setting. It is used to
bring the characters together and to introduce them to the setting. Once this
has been played, the setting is continued as a "sandbox", with the players de-
ciding what their characters will do next. In the example above, they could
decide to stay on the planet and serve as the colony's "troubleshooters".

[whswhs]

Originally Posted by rust

Our first step is to discuss the kind of setting we intend to play: Genre, back-
ground universe, technology level, character types and their options, and so
on. Once this is determined, someone - usually me - gets the task to design
this setting.

Do I have it right that this approach assumes an established group of players, with new players being brought in only with the consent of the established players? And that any campaign that is run has to be acceptable to the entire group?

I've always followed a different approach. I suppose you might say it's individualist rather than collectivist: that is, it treats the campaign as my private property rather than the property of the group. At least, in principle, though my practice converges more with yours.

What I do is propose campaigns to people who may be interested—mostly people who've played with me before, but I always seem to add a new person or two each time I start up new campaigns. I put together new players groups each time, from people who are interested in various ideas. I've developed the basic idea before I present it, so I'm never left trying to come up with a theme, setting, and premise that will please an already established group.

Now, once I've recruited the group, I expect the next steps look a lot more like what you do. I discuss the campaign concept with the players, getting their input on specific aspects of it, answering their questions about how things work, and eventually working with them to come up with a group of characters. Then I pick a theme that fits those particular PCs. Sometimes I may entrust the players with creating a substantial part of the world, which I then weave together into a coherent whole. But the group is a newly constituted one, and the new set of relationships among the players change the creative flow. For me, at least, that's one of the pleasures of GMing.

Bill Stoddard

[rust]

Originally Posted by whswhs

Do I have it right that this approach assumes an established group of players, with new players being brought in only with the consent of the established players? And that any campaign that is run has to be acceptable to the entire group?

Yes, indeed, although I would see this more as tendencies, not as hard and
fast rules. But if one of the established players would "veto" a certain new
player or a certain setting or campaign, we would probably see this "veto" as
decisive - it just never happened until now.

However, new players are quite rare. Our roleplaying style is very simulatio-
nist, with a strong emphasis on the science in science fiction, and with few
action and combat scenes - far more McGyver than Star Wars. Since this is
far from the roleplaying mainstream in our region, we do not often see new
players willing to give it a try.

Player input is also most welcome and is rewarded in the game. For example,
the biologist character who "discovers" a new creature designed by the play-
er or the engineer character who "invents" a new vehicle designed by the
player get experience points and status for these contributions to the set-
ting.