Campaign Building?

Raekai · 06-11-2012, 01:16 PM

My good friend and I are building a campaign (or two, actually) from the ground up and I was wondering if there were any tips involving this. I know there is the basic Planning Form, but is there anything beyond that? It seems very limited and a bit cluttered. Any personal sheets that people use to plan out their campaigns? It's just easier for me to have my metaphorical trunk before I can metaphorically grow and metaphorically branch out. Haha. Any help is welcome.

Thanks.

Mark Skarr · 06-11-2012, 01:34 PM

I use Microsoft OneNote: Teen Supers -- IST

It lets me type out ideas and move the pages around very easily. You can, also, "print" directly to OneNote, which is how I get the character sheets in there. I can make share the notebook to my skydrive account (like I did above), then access it from any of my computers as well as handing out links to my players so they can review things that I put in the notebook.

For me, that has made my life drastically easier. Now, if the Skydrive app for Android would work on my Kindle Fire I'd be golden (it launches, tries to open a folder then halts, so, not so useful).

I don't actually use any campaign planning forms, I just start working. OneNote lets me make individual pages or sections for ideas and I can just pile information in there, to be sorted later.

Refplace · 06-11-2012, 02:15 PM

For book keeping I used to just build a campaign website. Even if it was only local it organized my folders and documents nicely.
Now I just build a campaign database. That isnt as bad as it sounds either since I can reuse most of the code from one campaign to another.

For setting info itself?
I start with the genre and some basic assumptions, work on the broad picture stuff like tech, religion, organizations.
Figure out any items I really want in or out of the campaign.
Then build on that. I tend to build in broad strokes and let the details flesh themselves out over time. Details in game appear as I think of them, the PCs make things happen or I just get inspired.

gruundehn · 06-11-2012, 02:52 PM

I would always start with the maps. Starting with the maps gives you a better feel for the history and reasons for things happening. With the maps at hand you can detect trade routes and so forth if that is of importance; you can get a feel for where resources are; you have a place for the different cultures and an explanation of why they act the way they do and why they tend to use certain equipment and have certain technologies; and even why international relations are the way they are.
By starting with the maps you can also have some place where new cultures can be placed if a player wants something you hadn't thought of. You can add detail as you wish as the campaign goes along because, for example, you already know where the Abbelar River comes from and where it goes to. With the basic map in place already you have less of a chance to mess the campaign up when added detail.

~~Figleaf23~~ · 06-11-2012, 03:07 PM

Make three columns.

In the middle column, list everything you have already thought of having in your setting/campaign.

In the left column write corresponding reasons/causes.

In the right column write corresponding effects/outcomes.

Raekai · 06-11-2012, 05:11 PM

The ideas coming in are great so far and I'll be sure to implement all of them. Actually, I'm doing so right now.

What's left is what I'm looking for... More like a checklist... Something that would list cities, monetary value for stuff, TL, religion, important figures, etc. It would be like the Planning Form but much more extensive. Does anyone know of something like that? I mean, the Planning Form does it really well, but I was hoping for something more detailed. I'm a writer, so I don't fall short there, but organization and forgetting to add things in kills me.

Refplace · 06-11-2012, 06:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Raekai

The ideas coming in are great so far and I'll be sure to implement all of them. Actually, I'm doing so right now.

What's left is what I'm looking for... More like a checklist... Something that would list cities, monetary value for stuff, TL, religion, important figures, etc. It would be like the Planning Form but much more extensive. Does anyone know of something like that? I mean, the Planning Form does it really well, but I was hoping for something more detailed. I'm a writer, so I don't fall short there, but organization and forgetting to add things in kills me.

Well City Stats is good for cities and could be converted to Countries.
The outline in Fantasy and Space are also good as springboards.

mehrkat · 06-12-2012, 10:39 AM

I know its a little odd as a tool but I really liked this program.

Its called FreeMind and is a mind mapping program and I use the connections as notes.

Its a free add on for open office (which is also free)

http://freemind.sourceforge.net/wiki....php/Main_Page

I missed the post right before but maybe
Lisa Steele's works
Fief http://www222.pair.com/sjohn/fief.htm
and Town (that I've never read town but its on my wish list)
Grain to Gold (would be helpful to create a medieval economy) http://e23.sjgames.com/item.html?id=BEN3610

06-11-2012, 01:16 PM	#1
Raekai World's Worst Detective Join Date: May 2011 Location: Columbus, Ohio	Campaign Building? My good friend and I are building a campaign (or two, actually) from the ground up and I was wondering if there were any tips involving this. I know there is the basic Planning Form, but is there anything beyond that? It seems very limited and a bit cluttered. Any personal sheets that people use to plan out their campaigns? It's just easier for me to have my metaphorical trunk before I can metaphorically grow and metaphorically branch out. Haha. Any help is welcome. Thanks.

06-11-2012, 01:34 PM	#2
Mark Skarr Forum Pervert (If you have to ask . . .) Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Somewhere high up.	Re: Campaign Building? I use Microsoft OneNote: Teen Supers -- IST It lets me type out ideas and move the pages around very easily. You can, also, "print" directly to OneNote, which is how I get the character sheets in there. I can make share the notebook to my skydrive account (like I did above), then access it from any of my computers as well as handing out links to my players so they can review things that I put in the notebook. For me, that has made my life drastically easier. Now, if the Skydrive app for Android would work on my Kindle Fire I'd be golden (it launches, tries to open a folder then halts, so, not so useful). I don't actually use any campaign planning forms, I just start working. OneNote lets me make individual pages or sections for ideas and I can just pile information in there, to be sorted later.

06-11-2012, 02:15 PM	#3
Refplace Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Yukon, OK	Re: Campaign Building? For book keeping I used to just build a campaign website. Even if it was only local it organized my folders and documents nicely. Now I just build a campaign database. That isnt as bad as it sounds either since I can reuse most of the code from one campaign to another. For setting info itself? I start with the genre and some basic assumptions, work on the broad picture stuff like tech, religion, organizations. Figure out any items I really want in or out of the campaign. Then build on that. I tend to build in broad strokes and let the details flesh themselves out over time. Details in game appear as I think of them, the PCs make things happen or I just get inspired.

06-11-2012, 02:52 PM	#4
gruundehn Join Date: Oct 2005	Re: Campaign Building? I would always start with the maps. Starting with the maps gives you a better feel for the history and reasons for things happening. With the maps at hand you can detect trade routes and so forth if that is of importance; you can get a feel for where resources are; you have a place for the different cultures and an explanation of why they act the way they do and why they tend to use certain equipment and have certain technologies; and even why international relations are the way they are. By starting with the maps you can also have some place where new cultures can be placed if a player wants something you hadn't thought of. You can add detail as you wish as the campaign goes along because, for example, you already know where the Abbelar River comes from and where it goes to. With the basic map in place already you have less of a chance to mess the campaign up when added detail. __________________ The World's Tallest Dwarf

06-11-2012, 03:07 PM	#5
~~Figleaf23~~ Banned Join Date: Apr 2008	Re: Campaign Building? Make three columns. In the middle column, list everything you have already thought of having in your setting/campaign. In the left column write corresponding reasons/causes. In the right column write corresponding effects/outcomes.

06-11-2012, 05:11 PM	#6
Raekai World's Worst Detective Join Date: May 2011 Location: Columbus, Ohio	Re: Campaign Building? The ideas coming in are great so far and I'll be sure to implement all of them. Actually, I'm doing so right now. What's left is what I'm looking for... More like a checklist... Something that would list cities, monetary value for stuff, TL, religion, important figures, etc. It would be like the Planning Form but much more extensive. Does anyone know of something like that? I mean, the Planning Form does it really well, but I was hoping for something more detailed. I'm a writer, so I don't fall short there, but organization and forgetting to add things in kills me.

06-12-2012, 10:39 AM	#8
mehrkat Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Austin Texas	Re: Campaign Building? I know its a little odd as a tool but I really liked this program. Its called FreeMind and is a mind mapping program and I use the connections as notes. Its a free add on for open office (which is also free) http://freemind.sourceforge.net/wiki....php/Main_Page I missed the post right before but maybe Lisa Steele's works Fief http://www222.pair.com/sjohn/fief.htm and Town (that I've never read town but its on my wish list) Grain to Gold (would be helpful to create a medieval economy) http://e23.sjgames.com/item.html?id=BEN3610 __________________ He stared out in the distance to see the awesome might of the Meerkat war party. Last edited by mehrkat; 06-12-2012 at 10:45 AM. Reason: tried to answer the question a little better