The notion is simple: let it all revolve around the players. But you don’t have to be anything of the sort to weave that level of story. I’m a writer give me something I can work with, and I’ll find the hook. All of it can be crafted into player enticement, even personality.Īre they a runaway from a prestigious family? How can you loop that into the campaign? Can you come up with NPCs that your player knew, loathed, or loved? Is the place they grew up now a dungeon to explore? The thing is there is no wrong background. Most of the time it’s a city, a dream, or a tale of revenge. That said, intricate details that players provide are gems. I once received several pages of an origin story, and the concepts I was able to pull from that still supplement our adventures. The more information the player can provide the better. Let’s take a step back and review simple ways to get started. Believe it or not, your players will do most of the work for you. I want to dispel the concept that homebrew is hard, or too much work. It’s about the story-their story-and they’ll pursue it. Building investment is one of the strongest things you can accomplish as a Dungeon Master, creating a world by the player, for the player. Everything is an untold tale waiting to be lived. When the game involves pulling heartstrings, the world becomes a place they relate to. Right then, romancing a random NPC can wait. It becomes an emotional investment, something your player confessed, a background ploy to be played at any moment. What happens when that NPC in need is a player’s long lost child? Suddenly that quest is the first thing on their mind, and they’ll sway an entire party to follow that thread. They realize they need to save the NPC to get the reward, and bullying villagers gets boring at some point. Most, and I use this word liberally, players will follow the plotline set before them, eventually or immediately. As I’ve stated, that’s where modules vary. When you play D&D, you do so in character, based on a background that has shaped you. To me, characters are the central point a campaign should revolve around. Still, when it comes to the long haul campaign, I crack my knuckles and let the creative juices flow: I want a setting entirely my own. Having run Adventurer’s League, there’s an ease to a pre-made adventure, especially when you don’t have the time to create something. While the experience feels unique in game, everyone is still playing the same level. That’s because player characters add variance. Similarities are shared, but not necessarily outcomes. How did you get through that dungeon? Did you spare the NPC? We never did find the magic weapon. With a module, different circles of players can compare their stories. Even with a popular module, they don’t always end the same way, it depends on the players. There are plenty of modules and campaign settings that create a world and adventures characters can partake in. No matter how you look at it, D&D essentially shapes a tale of some sort. Learn how to craft worlds that your Dungeons & Dragons players will never forget.
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