I am about to start running my first 1- 20 home brew campaign, and I was curious if you guys had any advice about creating long term over arching plots? I have a lot of ideas which I am happy to share. But I’m a little shaky on how to organize how the players will interact with those plot Lines?
My players are great (All are veteran role players) and their backstories tend to have natural enemies, mysteries, and allies etc. So I’ve tied their backstories into the overall Plot threads of the world. But I’m not quite sure how to plot it out.
Should I basically plot out the villains timeline if they have no resistance, and then act like that plan happens until the player land at that plot point?
I've been running my current campaign for nearly 2yrs and my players are lvl 8. So you're talking about a loooong time. The only way I can imagine doing it is by having the plot central to my players story arcs. When we started, I got all my players to write a backstory. Then I developed very loose plots designed to resolve their particular quandary. I check in with my players every now and then to discuss their character, their backstory, and any evolutions they may want to make. As a player resolves their backstory (being individual, it's not all going to happen at once) I have a chat with them about how that would change their character, and what their new purpose would be.
I think if I had started and said in my mind "I want them to go kill Asmodeus" it wouldn't have worked, because they wouldn't have been personally invested in it, and their interest would have flagged over a long period of time.
My Adventures of Loromir campaign has been going for 3 years, my players are just now hitting level 10. "So you're talking about a loooong time." - MajorPuddles
I started the game with two major plots that had the ability to interact with each other, sort of a cause and effect that could overlap. I made a minor arc, though it was a reaching arc that had the ability to handle the first tier (levels 1-5) of game play. Then I took each of my players and started to make character arcs, I asked each player what their character's long term/end game goal was.
From there, when the game started, I ran a little bit of a railroad for them. The first few levels were scripted quests, the players would go talk to someone, they'd get put on a quest, and there was little wiggle room. The intent here was to get them used to me as a DM, get used to their characters, and to get a feel for the player styles. Once they hit level 3, which happens fairly quick even in a long games like this, I gave them the first hint at something larger. This was their introduction to the minor arc, and by this time they've also been given more control over what to do and where to go. The trick however, is that they've spent the first 3 levels "stuck" in town, so this new plot hook, which lets them leave town, is gobbled up so easily.
Now they're out in the real world, and you're going to give them almost complete control over where to go and what to do. The major plots will move with/without their interaction, they are going to happen independent of the players' choices. The character arcs will happen as the players explore them, and with a few prompts from you when necessary. Finally, try to tie each of those arcs, minor, character, and major, together in different ways. You can have a cursory overlap where an NPC happens to have information about the Fighter's character arc and it ties into a location where the BBEG's minions happen to be. Then there's the major overlap where the BBEG's plans interfere with a "side quest" that the players are on, forcing them to deal with that major plot head on for a time.
The last piece is to listen to the players, it is vitally important to a successful long term campaign. The plans and ideas that you have will end up being vastly different as time goes on, the key is to keep the ultimate goal the same and adapt to the players' choices. If the BBEG needs 3 artifacts to succeed and the party manages to get one first, then you adjust the BBEG's plans. If the party decides to befriend and assist one of the BBEG's cells of minions, you'll have to adjust things to fit. The long term goals that some of my players have had are now very different from when they were level 1. Your players' ideas will get them more invested, give you much more to work with, and help make the world feel more alive.
Hey everyone,
I am about to start running my first 1- 20 home brew campaign, and I was curious if you guys had any advice about creating long term over arching plots? I have a lot of ideas which I am happy to share. But I’m a little shaky on how to organize how the players will interact with those plot Lines?
My players are great (All are veteran role players) and their backstories tend to have natural enemies, mysteries, and allies etc. So I’ve tied their backstories into the overall Plot threads of the world. But I’m not quite sure how to plot it out.
Should I basically plot out the villains timeline if they have no resistance, and then act like that plan happens until the player land at that plot point?
Any advice is greatly appreciated.
I've been running my current campaign for nearly 2yrs and my players are lvl 8. So you're talking about a loooong time. The only way I can imagine doing it is by having the plot central to my players story arcs. When we started, I got all my players to write a backstory. Then I developed very loose plots designed to resolve their particular quandary. I check in with my players every now and then to discuss their character, their backstory, and any evolutions they may want to make. As a player resolves their backstory (being individual, it's not all going to happen at once) I have a chat with them about how that would change their character, and what their new purpose would be.
I think if I had started and said in my mind "I want them to go kill Asmodeus" it wouldn't have worked, because they wouldn't have been personally invested in it, and their interest would have flagged over a long period of time.
My Adventures of Loromir campaign has been going for 3 years, my players are just now hitting level 10. "So you're talking about a loooong time." - MajorPuddles
I started the game with two major plots that had the ability to interact with each other, sort of a cause and effect that could overlap. I made a minor arc, though it was a reaching arc that had the ability to handle the first tier (levels 1-5) of game play. Then I took each of my players and started to make character arcs, I asked each player what their character's long term/end game goal was.
From there, when the game started, I ran a little bit of a railroad for them. The first few levels were scripted quests, the players would go talk to someone, they'd get put on a quest, and there was little wiggle room. The intent here was to get them used to me as a DM, get used to their characters, and to get a feel for the player styles. Once they hit level 3, which happens fairly quick even in a long games like this, I gave them the first hint at something larger. This was their introduction to the minor arc, and by this time they've also been given more control over what to do and where to go. The trick however, is that they've spent the first 3 levels "stuck" in town, so this new plot hook, which lets them leave town, is gobbled up so easily.
Now they're out in the real world, and you're going to give them almost complete control over where to go and what to do. The major plots will move with/without their interaction, they are going to happen independent of the players' choices. The character arcs will happen as the players explore them, and with a few prompts from you when necessary. Finally, try to tie each of those arcs, minor, character, and major, together in different ways. You can have a cursory overlap where an NPC happens to have information about the Fighter's character arc and it ties into a location where the BBEG's minions happen to be. Then there's the major overlap where the BBEG's plans interfere with a "side quest" that the players are on, forcing them to deal with that major plot head on for a time.
The last piece is to listen to the players, it is vitally important to a successful long term campaign. The plans and ideas that you have will end up being vastly different as time goes on, the key is to keep the ultimate goal the same and adapt to the players' choices. If the BBEG needs 3 artifacts to succeed and the party manages to get one first, then you adjust the BBEG's plans. If the party decides to befriend and assist one of the BBEG's cells of minions, you'll have to adjust things to fit. The long term goals that some of my players have had are now very different from when they were level 1. Your players' ideas will get them more invested, give you much more to work with, and help make the world feel more alive.