DQ GM Notes
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I've been trying a number of different strategies for keeping this campaign going. The idea for it was actually born around '93 or so. The "campaigns" (used very loosely) had tended to be just a series of adventures with the only connection between them being the same characters (aside from the occasionaly replacement for a fatality). My goal was to have the adventures actually be connected together, one leading to another. If done well, subsequent events should follow directly from the current actions and decisions of the party.
The World: I wanted many of the things in the world to bear a resemblance to our own history, so the players would have some sense of familiarity. This really adds depth to the world - it's not just descriptions on paper, but you can visualize things much better. This is especially good if you build up a strong cultural flavor in particular regions, cultures the players can relate to.
NPCs & Local Color: NPCs aren't just cardboard cut-outs. Well, some aren't. There are two kinds of NPCs: Deep ones, and red-shirts (aka throwaways). Some of the best NPCs so far (in fact, the main villain *grin*) started out as throwaways. The other NPCs, though, are the ones the GM needs to become emotionally involved in. Put yourself in their shoes, see the world through their eyes, and figure out how they're going to react to the adventurers. Rarely will they give up information freely - in fact, villagers or city folk alike will tend to show some distrust of strangers.
Background events: Provide the players of rumors and hints at events going on elsewhere in the world. These itsy-bitsy details are what really flesh out the world. You'd be amazed at how much it helps just knowing there's a war brewing to the south, bandits are on the loose to the north, some emperor was assassinated, and the Jones' (third hut to the left) lost their dog the other day.
The Newsletter: For each adventure session, I put together a "Newsletter", which includes a brief summary of what happened previously; some quick little events & details needing to be taken care of before the adventure (or details that would cause too slow of a start to actually play out); a list of rumors the party members would have heard; Adventurer's Guild postings (job offerings, bounties); a second which provides tidbits about the world and its history (often involving things local to the party's current whereabouts); and a discussion of rule tweakings and clarifications (typically in regard to issues that came up at the previous session).
Calender & Experience Logs: I've got a local calender printed up on which I track events, and the players have charts for tracking training and experience expenditure.
Combat Log: I've found it helpful to track NPCs in battles with a standard form - just to mark who's stunned that turn, how much damage they took, did they drop weapons, etc. Of course, the success of this is directly dependent on...
Being Prepared: OK, I've got to admit, this is my weak spot. I'm usually not as well prepared as I should be. But with ongoing story arcs, you've usually at least got a framework for the adventures. But I don't care if you spend a year working on an adventure - No adventure will go exactly as you planned it. I actually enjoy it more when they don't. But at the very least, have the NPCs worked up. If needed, you can adjust things when they come into play. (I always feel like that's cheating, but it's not like the Players get to see what they have and can do! Consider it last minute tweaking.) And it helps to have contingencies built in - like making a note that a couple warriors will ride by and join in the fight on the side of the players. Saved a disaster once (and I had it written down to prove it was planned all along! Whew!)
No Quotas!: I don't plan on killing a character off every adventure, or 1 per three adventures. "Quotas!? <hack> <spit!> We don't need no stinkin' Quotas!" OK, I admit, I'm emotionally scarred from the "Death Test" days of our group, when the burnt-out GM would just start rolling random encounters for lack of anything better to do. Yes, those Glorious Days, where as soon as the """"adventure"""" began, we'd all start working up new characters - and we'd go through 3 or 4 a night! Yes, I'm a little soft on the characters, and occasionally I'll use the GM's Shield to fudge a roll (I like rolling at random times, too.. sometimes with reason, sometimes without..). But then, if they get themselves in a predicament, sometimes they just gotta die. (That always reminds me of a story by David Drake, where all the henchmen only talk about glorious ways to die, because they know they're cannonfodder! And as each one gets squashed, dismembered, impaled, or trampled, the remainder will gather around the camp fire that night and rate their companion's demise).
Player Feedback: Hey, here's an idea! E-MAIL! We've actually set up a small listserver for our group, so between sessions (because we're all "grown up" now and have such busy lives, we only manage to get together about every 2-3 weeks), we've started taking care of various details through e-mail. Which happens to be a great media for putting up polls occasionally and getting player feedback: What have you enjoyed the most so far? What would you like to see more of? Less of? What was your favorite adventure so far? What did you think of this last adventure? So what do you think is going on in the story arc?
Story Arc? Yes, Story Arc. These are heroes. Reading about random adventures is boring - it's much more interesting when there are actual goals to be striven for. Ones that take more than one adventure to accomplish! If you haven't a clue of what I speak, WATCH "BABYLON 5"!! J. Michael Straczynski (JMS) is a master of the Ongoing Story Plot. Sure, lots of things go on in the mean time, but in the background there's this whole world taking life. Events unfold, tension builds.. great stuff. Another secret - don't have just one story arc. (Woops.. maybe I shouldn't've posted that one, in case my players are reading this. *wink*).
Traps and Things That Go Boom: I don't believe in "instant death" traps. First of all, DQ characters don't become omnipotent, and will never be capable of taking on hundreds, or even dozens, of goblins at once (rarely more than a handful, actually). Second, if you do have to resort to such traps to guarantee a kill, something's wrong. Third, traps are much more fun if the characters linger a bit..
Finally, I strongly, strongly, STRONGLY suggest that, if you're interested in running a good campaign, invest in the Chivalry & Sorcery Game Masters Guide. I used to have a copy of the 1st Edition C&S rules, and I've still got a copy of the GMs book (don't recall what it's called right off hand). Excellent source material. The 3rd edition just came out recently, and I don't care if you never play the game, the rule book and GMs guide are well worth the price for the resources they provide.