Railroading is where the players have no choice, but simply a limited choice can be enough to have a focused/planned adventure while still giving some options to pick from. It doesn't have to be open world vs railroad, there are degrees between the two extremes. For example you setup plot hooks for two ruins, a couple of dungeons and a rescue at an enemy camp. All have valid objectives that need to be achieved, but the order that they are done is up to the party. By the time they have gone through a couple of areas the ones they haven't yet picked have grown in power equal to their own, and other events may occur from those things not being taken care of (enemy attack, captives taken, item moved to new location etc). As long as the party can have the "what do we do next?" discussion then you have given enough choices to make them consider their options.
One thing I like to think about when writing story hooks is the classic trolley problem. In case you don't know, this is a moral question for which there is no absolute right and wrong. The basic question is "There is a runaway train heading towards 5 workers. If you pull the lever it will devert the train to the other rail where there is only 1 worker. Do you pull the lever?" Most people will say yes, less loss of life is better. The follow on question is then "What if that one person is your mother/brother/wife or child, do you still pull the lever?" Now it is the value of life vs many unknown lives. A third variation is "You are on an overhead bridge watching the train race towards the 5 workers, beside you is another worker, and you realise that pushing him off the bridge in front of the train will slow it down enough so the 5 workers will escape. Do you throw him to his death?" Now the calculation is the same but rather than an impersonal lever, it is actively killing someone but with the best of intents to save many more lives. It is great if you can work such grey areas into the players choices, where the right thing is not obvious and either choice they pick results in someone being harmed or killed.
The only story you should write is what has come before - what led to the current state of the world; the history of characters and towns, the reason the BBEG is Evil.
Then you need to make the plan for the BBEG - what they want to do, and would probably succeed at were it not for those meddling adventurers. What do they need in order to achieve their goals? Is it unique, or is it something which can be found in several places.
Make milestones for the BBEG, indicating the progress of their plot - EG, they need one of the 5 "Things of Power", which are scattered about the land. Then they need a Whatnot, which only a certain wizard has, and then they need to find a cave which only someone with a Thing of Power can find, and then take the Dooda from that cave to a population center (the more people the better) to sacrifice them and summon GribbleGrabble the Devourer.
The BBEG will follow their goals - if the party keeps them from getting the first Thing of Power, they will seek out the second, then the third, until they succeed. Then they will find the wizard with the Whatnot, and so on. The adventurers can affect the success of the BBEG's attempts, but cannot change their overall plan - only how they attempt to complete it. If the adventurers get all 5 Things of Power and destroy them, the BBEG will have to make a new plan for their evil goals - so if this is a possibility, then you will have to give them 2 or more methods by which to achieve their ends (see pirates of the Caribbean - Jack wants immortality, goes for isla de muerta, and that plan is set back again and again until the isla de muerta is claimed by the sea, wherein he starts looking for the fountain of youth instead - same goal, different plan).
This way the campaign will grow around the players naturally, instead of them feeling like no matter what they did, the same thing would have happened (an example being when the BBEG needs a single artefact, and after a massive fight, they escape with it anyway - the players know that was necessary to advance the plot, and so they know that it was going to happen whatever they did - thereby feeling that they didn't write the story, they just acted it).
So I can just have the goal for both the BBEG and the adventures and make some maps and encounters for battles and then throw in those encounters when i need to
Railroading is where the players have no choice, but simply a limited choice can be enough to have a focused/planned adventure while still giving some options to pick from. It doesn't have to be open world vs railroad, there are degrees between the two extremes. For example you setup plot hooks for two ruins, a couple of dungeons and a rescue at an enemy camp. All have valid objectives that need to be achieved, but the order that they are done is up to the party. By the time they have gone through a couple of areas the ones they haven't yet picked have grown in power equal to their own, and other events may occur from those things not being taken care of (enemy attack, captives taken, item moved to new location etc). As long as the party can have the "what do we do next?" discussion then you have given enough choices to make them consider their options.
I've heard this middle ground called "Branching" and it's pretty much what I do. My latest campaign started with three different places they could go, and as they did one branch stuff would happen in the others. The branches have their own story but also pieces of the main storyline. My players are completionists and generally don't actively try to derail the campaign, so they will happily do all three initial branches before moving on to new areas that have opened up. However, I do also sometimes have "ultimatums" where once they choose one branch, the other way closes for good. It encourages a lot of thoughtful choices and I think the players feel like they have control of the story despite me still being able to steer the narrative a bit.
I don't think it's the best way because I don't think there is a best way. But it's the best way for me.
So I can just have the goal for both the BBEG and the adventures and make some maps and encounters for battles and then throw in those encounters when i need to
An important thing to remember when you're designing your own campaign, rather than something for publication, is that you only need enough prepared to avoid spending too much time during the session figuring out what happens. If there's a dungeon the PCs might run into a dozen sessions from now, it's plenty to note that it exists and what associated rumors it has.
To be fair, rails or no rails, it really all depends on the group and the DM. I can’t do a campaign on rails. For one thing I get a little board, and for another thing, the players always end up doing the darndest things. They will inevitably think of something I never would have that might feasibly overcome whatever challenge in a completely different way. And they buck horribly at anything the feel is too... pushy. But they also hate too vague too so.... 🤷♂️ So I gave up and let them run hog wild because there are more of them and collectively they will always think of things I never would have. And I have played in games both with and without rails and didn’t mind either when done well. Neither is objectively “better,” some people just prefer one or the other. (And most folk probably like a bit of both.)
So basically if the party goes of track the NPC's guide them back on?
Like I said before, if you write an interactive campaign instead of a story then there are no tracks. And to an extent that’s true, but there is always what I call “the road to adventure.” That goes wherever the the players want it to go, the ride paves itself before their feet as they tread along it’s surface. (Actually that’s us as DMs doing that for them.) Every once in a while the road gets bogged down with mud and the party gets stuck and don’t know which way to go. So on those occasions you give them a nudge somewhere, anywhere, it doesn’t matter where. Once they get moving again the road will start paving itself for them again.
Like, you know in the stories when the heroes get stuck, and then an envelope gets slipped under the door, or they get that mysterious phone call? Have one or two of those types of things in your back pocket. So it’s not so much when the party goes “off track,” but instead more whenever they get stuck and don’t know what to do.
So I can just have the goal for both the BBEG and the adventures and make some maps and encounters for battles and then throw in those encounters when i need to
An important thing to remember when you're designing your own campaign, rather than something for publication, is that you only need enough prepared to avoid spending too much time during the session figuring out what happens. If there's a dungeon the PCs might run into a dozen sessions from now, it's plenty to note that it exists and what associated rumors it has.
Yeah I’ll just get the dungeons and maps set up and the main storyline.
Don't think of it as creating a story. Creating the story is really the players' job. You give them opportunities (referred to as plot hooks) on which to build their story. You'll learn as a DM that you will spend a lot of time preparing for things that just never happen or the players don't pursue. I'm not a critical role fan, but this makes me laugh cause of how familiar it is (NSFW language):
So I can just have the goal for both the BBEG and the adventures and make some maps and encounters for battles and then throw in those encounters when i need to
An important thing to remember when you're designing your own campaign, rather than something for publication, is that you only need enough prepared to avoid spending too much time during the session figuring out what happens. If there's a dungeon the PCs might run into a dozen sessions from now, it's plenty to note that it exists and what associated rumors it has.
Yes to this!
This is the main reason, strength and fun of creating your own campaign. You DON’T have to create everything in advance, so you can REALLY adjust to what the players actually do. You don’t «write» a campaign (imo), you create an issue, presents it to the players, and cherish them on solving it. After you have presented the problem, your role is to act as «the world» and cheer on your players. Be generous on the «Yes, you can try that!»
Basically, I don’t see it as my job as a game master to find or prepare the solutions. I create the problems, it is the players «job» to inventvcreative and fun solutions to those problems.
how far ahead do you usually set up the BBEG? in my campaign its going to be a prince who killed his dad so he would be king, but rn its not really relevant to the group of level 1 players
Could be first session (or even before that)...
I mean, if your idea for the campaign is that BBEG is a dude in the east who really wants to retrieve his golden McGuffin so he can use that to enslave the entire world, why wait a long time to say that? You can give the golden McGuffin to the players as well as that information, and ask: "What do you do?" That's how I usually "plan" both campaigns and sessions. I create a problem I think is interesting, and I invite the players to find a solution. I try to plan ahead for their most obvious choices, but nothing beyond that. Do on my campaign, Frodo could certainly gave decided to travel west to take a shop from the Grey Havens to Gondor of that was what the players decided. Therefore I would not spend time planning Rivendell or Moria before I started the campaign. They only needs to be names/opportunities, and only needs to be fleshed out when the players decides to go there.
I made up the text box that describes the BBEG very early on.
I did not stat him out until much later. Even right now his stat block is a "rough draft." I am still polishing it, as I get more experience with higher level (above 5) monsters and more practice with legendary actions and lair actions.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
WOTC lies. We know that WOTC lies. WOTC knows that we know that WOTC lies. We know that WOTC knows that we know that WOTC lies. And still they lie.
Because of the above (a paraphrase from Orwell) I no longer post to the forums -- PM me if you need help or anything.
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Railroading is where the players have no choice, but simply a limited choice can be enough to have a focused/planned adventure while still giving some options to pick from. It doesn't have to be open world vs railroad, there are degrees between the two extremes. For example you setup plot hooks for two ruins, a couple of dungeons and a rescue at an enemy camp. All have valid objectives that need to be achieved, but the order that they are done is up to the party. By the time they have gone through a couple of areas the ones they haven't yet picked have grown in power equal to their own, and other events may occur from those things not being taken care of (enemy attack, captives taken, item moved to new location etc). As long as the party can have the "what do we do next?" discussion then you have given enough choices to make them consider their options.
One thing I like to think about when writing story hooks is the classic trolley problem. In case you don't know, this is a moral question for which there is no absolute right and wrong. The basic question is "There is a runaway train heading towards 5 workers. If you pull the lever it will devert the train to the other rail where there is only 1 worker. Do you pull the lever?" Most people will say yes, less loss of life is better. The follow on question is then "What if that one person is your mother/brother/wife or child, do you still pull the lever?" Now it is the value of life vs many unknown lives. A third variation is "You are on an overhead bridge watching the train race towards the 5 workers, beside you is another worker, and you realise that pushing him off the bridge in front of the train will slow it down enough so the 5 workers will escape. Do you throw him to his death?" Now the calculation is the same but rather than an impersonal lever, it is actively killing someone but with the best of intents to save many more lives. It is great if you can work such grey areas into the players choices, where the right thing is not obvious and either choice they pick results in someone being harmed or killed.
So I can just have the goal for both the BBEG and the adventures and make some maps and encounters for battles and then throw in those encounters when i need to
I've heard this middle ground called "Branching" and it's pretty much what I do. My latest campaign started with three different places they could go, and as they did one branch stuff would happen in the others. The branches have their own story but also pieces of the main storyline. My players are completionists and generally don't actively try to derail the campaign, so they will happily do all three initial branches before moving on to new areas that have opened up. However, I do also sometimes have "ultimatums" where once they choose one branch, the other way closes for good. It encourages a lot of thoughtful choices and I think the players feel like they have control of the story despite me still being able to steer the narrative a bit.
I don't think it's the best way because I don't think there is a best way. But it's the best way for me.
My homebrew subclasses (full list here)
(Artificer) Swordmage | Glasswright | (Barbarian) Path of the Savage Embrace
(Bard) College of Dance | (Fighter) Warlord | Cannoneer
(Monk) Way of the Elements | (Ranger) Blade Dancer
(Rogue) DaggerMaster | Inquisitor | (Sorcerer) Riftwalker | Spellfist
(Warlock) The Swarm
An important thing to remember when you're designing your own campaign, rather than something for publication, is that you only need enough prepared to avoid spending too much time during the session figuring out what happens. If there's a dungeon the PCs might run into a dozen sessions from now, it's plenty to note that it exists and what associated rumors it has.
To be fair, rails or no rails, it really all depends on the group and the DM. I can’t do a campaign on rails. For one thing I get a little board, and for another thing, the players always end up doing the darndest things. They will inevitably think of something I never would have that might feasibly overcome whatever challenge in a completely different way. And they buck horribly at anything the feel is too... pushy. But they also hate too vague too so.... 🤷♂️ So I gave up and let them run hog wild because there are more of them and collectively they will always think of things I never would have. And I have played in games both with and without rails and didn’t mind either when done well. Neither is objectively “better,” some people just prefer one or the other. (And most folk probably like a bit of both.)
Creating Epic Boons on DDB
DDB Buyers' Guide
Hardcovers, DDB & You
Content Troubleshooting
Like I said before, if you write an interactive campaign instead of a story then there are no tracks. And to an extent that’s true, but there is always what I call “the road to adventure.” That goes wherever the the players want it to go, the ride paves itself before their feet as they tread along it’s surface. (Actually that’s us as DMs doing that for them.) Every once in a while the road gets bogged down with mud and the party gets stuck and don’t know which way to go. So on those occasions you give them a nudge somewhere, anywhere, it doesn’t matter where. Once they get moving again the road will start paving itself for them again.
Like, you know in the stories when the heroes get stuck, and then an envelope gets slipped under the door, or they get that mysterious phone call? Have one or two of those types of things in your back pocket. So it’s not so much when the party goes “off track,” but instead more whenever they get stuck and don’t know what to do.
Creating Epic Boons on DDB
DDB Buyers' Guide
Hardcovers, DDB & You
Content Troubleshooting
Yeah I’ll just get the dungeons and maps set up and the main storyline.
Don't think of it as creating a story. Creating the story is really the players' job. You give them opportunities (referred to as plot hooks) on which to build their story. You'll learn as a DM that you will spend a lot of time preparing for things that just never happen or the players don't pursue. I'm not a critical role fan, but this makes me laugh cause of how familiar it is (NSFW language):
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=2bfdFLxwsGo
"The story" is what you tell after the adventure is over. It shouldn't be what the DM works out before anyone has rolled any dice.
WOTC lies. We know that WOTC lies. WOTC knows that we know that WOTC lies. We know that WOTC knows that we know that WOTC lies. And still they lie.
Because of the above (a paraphrase from Orwell) I no longer post to the forums -- PM me if you need help or anything.
Yes to this!
This is the main reason, strength and fun of creating your own campaign. You DON’T have to create everything in advance, so you can REALLY adjust to what the players actually do. You don’t «write» a campaign (imo), you create an issue, presents it to the players, and cherish them on solving it. After you have presented the problem, your role is to act as «the world» and cheer on your players. Be generous on the «Yes, you can try that!»
Basically, I don’t see it as my job as a game master to find or prepare the solutions. I create the problems, it is the players «job» to inventvcreative and fun solutions to those problems.
Ludo ergo sum!
Could be first session (or even before that)...
I mean, if your idea for the campaign is that BBEG is a dude in the east who really wants to retrieve his golden McGuffin so he can use that to enslave the entire world, why wait a long time to say that? You can give the golden McGuffin to the players as well as that information, and ask: "What do you do?" That's how I usually "plan" both campaigns and sessions. I create a problem I think is interesting, and I invite the players to find a solution. I try to plan ahead for their most obvious choices, but nothing beyond that. Do on my campaign, Frodo could certainly gave decided to travel west to take a shop from the Grey Havens to Gondor of that was what the players decided. Therefore I would not spend time planning Rivendell or Moria before I started the campaign. They only needs to be names/opportunities, and only needs to be fleshed out when the players decides to go there.
Ludo ergo sum!
I made up the text box that describes the BBEG very early on.
I did not stat him out until much later. Even right now his stat block is a "rough draft." I am still polishing it, as I get more experience with higher level (above 5) monsters and more practice with legendary actions and lair actions.
WOTC lies. We know that WOTC lies. WOTC knows that we know that WOTC lies. We know that WOTC knows that we know that WOTC lies. And still they lie.
Because of the above (a paraphrase from Orwell) I no longer post to the forums -- PM me if you need help or anything.