Planning Your D&D Campaign

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[@Calebgoblin]

I have the organizational skills of a chipmunk! Thanks so much for covering this topic!

[@BanditsKeep]

Thanks for watching!

[@jayteepodcast]

This is why backup characters are important. You shouldn't have to die to play them. The mindset of some players are that the world is only about them

[@BanditsKeep]

Are you suggesting a player have multiple characters they can switch to between adventures? Or running multiple at once. - I like to think most people feel “their world” revolves around them - or at the very least their actions 😊

[@MrRourk]

20 yrs later the descendants of the original party have come for revenge

[@BanditsKeep]

Yes!

[@chrisragner3882]

Addendum: I run my world in a way that the characters have a menagerie of choices. Even if I create a storyline that the party deviates away from, I always leave it open because it has relevance to NPCs. I keep lots of notes. I also allow my ideas to change significantly. Fortunately this works with regulating the length of sessions and time between sessions. I also build on character backgrounds with the players. No matter how scant or robust the player provides for me, I wish to give them a sense of their character has relevance to their world.

[@BanditsKeep]

Nice

[@chrisragner3882]

Concept of a campaign as an idea and campaigns evolve I totally agree with that. If a player has introduced a new character because of the loss of another, then that could lead into a new campaign if that character has a separate motivation?! If one defines a campaign as always evolving. This is where I have always struggled with a short term campaign that has a beginning and an end. We fall in love with characters and seeing an end to playing them saddens me. But if my players want to explore something else, I can understand. But I never close the door to former characters forever.

[@BanditsKeep]

We’ve often said we would bring back characters, but rarely do. Have you had much of this happen?

[@chrisragner3882]

My core players have been with since the 1980’s. So we have had a portfolio of characters that we have often returned to from time to time, so yes. We have also brought characters begun in someone else’s world as a crossover. We have provided plausible explanations like magical items or portals. So I guess we enjoy playing the characters more than the scenarios.

[@BanditsKeep]

@@chrisragner3882 that’s awesome.

[@williamobraidislee3433]

This is great as always, but I'm holding fast to my request that the Oracle of Wisdom that is Daniel please do a video on how a DM should determine whether or not a player character has broken alignment restrictions for classes like cleric, paladin, etc. It's been very tricky for me.

[@BanditsKeep]

Hmm that is an interesting one - I feel like it’s so “case by case” it would be tricky, but let me see what I can come up with - I’ve had this happen only a couple of times.

[@kontrarien5721]

I am a mere thought daemon and no great Oracle. That said, I would recommend setting up tenets for any given faith or practice rather than relying on a general "be good". That way you have a specific list of do's and don'ts and don't have to weigh every choice and action or worse get into moral wrangling with the players every time. Especially, the rules will be laid out and you as the DM won't be to blame for the consequences. Make it fun by having the player work with you to establish tenets instead of just slapping them down from on high.

[@williamobraidislee3433]

@@BanditsKeep ❤️❤️❤️

[@Scutifer_Mike]

I like keeping the campaign world going and rolling up new characters. Since we play an open world game, this works best for our table

[@BanditsKeep]

Cool

[@justinblocker730]

Got mechanics for "heroic sacrifice", where 1 character can hold off the enemy for the others to escape. Instead of a sandbox, or railroad, have one character give you a detailed background, and make them the "main character".

[@BanditsKeep]

In my game you can for sure defend a door etc and allow others to escape - in my Hyperborea campaign. One player stopped in the field - the party was being chased - and held off the enemy with his bow. Though they eventually got to him and killed the PC - the rest escaped.

[@trarthanrunaway]

@@BanditsKeep I was working on these yesterday! I call them Interventions in my Death section, but specifically they're for "Kill Conditions" which are situations where escape isn't within the players' means. I give a few examples, like a sinking ship would be a Kill Condition if the party has no teleport/water breathing or walking/flying capabilities, unless an Intervention happens. One might be a pirate ship "saves" the party at the cost of servitude, or another might be the party washing ashore on an abandoned island minus most of their gear. There are of course player Interventions which should take precedent, like the heroic sacrifice or MacGyvering something unexpected together.

[@dantherpghero2885]

I Love ALL Bandit's Keep videos! Especially when he talks RPG philosophy.

[@BanditsKeep]

Thank You!

[@underfire987]

Man your on fire this week!, This is a really good subject, I think a good way to encourage or have an agreed upon goal proceed well in a campaign is have it as the reward system where characters can advance / gain Exp for their classes. I do also agree the best campaigns i have had are naturally growing from characters decisions and actions.

[@BanditsKeep]

Makes sense

[@Andre99328]

Much of it sounds very familiar and I use is the same way or similar; comming from BECMI myself. 😊 The campaign I currently play, I see it as epic campaign with one epic enemy, in my case Dagon, pulling the strings in the background. I have divided my epic campaign in several campaigns, which have also a major advesary and play in a specific region with a story overarching several adventures; and finally there is the adventure with a straight forward story which we play in one two six sessions. It is the first time I tried it and it works for my players and me.

[@Marcus-ki1en]

Nothing wrong with stacked campaigns - although I would not stack more than three at one time. You also have side quests, and unplanned encounters/adventures. This all assumes you are running a free range sand box. The campaigns may have timers or triggers that have consequences for not completing them in a set time or sequence. This is the closest to a linear path and still remain the sand box.

[@BanditsKeep]

Indeed

[@freddykingofturtles]

Remember that you don't need to know anything, you only need to know how to find out. I've also been doing prep as play like @Runehammer mentioned once, and at this point it feels like my campaigns plan themselves, I just make cool stuff while I run the game. And my players have fewer complaints than ever, so I'm probably doing something better too even if I have no idea what that is! :D

[@bobhastings6464]

Very interesting topic Daniel. I played in your game at Clericon last year and look forward to playing this year. ( I was the sacrificial Dwarf btw! lol). Anyway keep up the interesting videos and see you in the fall Cheers Bob

[@BanditsKeep]

Thanks! See you at Clericon!!

[@bomberooski]

What an absolute treat of a video! Thank you!!

[@BanditsKeep]

Thank You!

[@freddaniel5099]

One of your best topics. There is a lot to ponder concerning this one two-syllable word. Campaign!

[@BanditsKeep]

Thank You!

[@JohnStrain-eu6eu]

The very first task of any RPG characters, survival in a hostile world/universe. Backstories (birth to andventuring time) can play into the game (or not), but when Fate calls, to live, characters step up to the game.

[@BanditsKeep]

For sure

[@kyleward3914]

My last campaign, I planned some major plot points that would happen at certain points but mostly gave my players free reign.

[@BanditsKeep]

Cool

[@amyeasler2086]

I see the puppet as your page icon, have you used it in a video? Would love to see him take a crack at your job a a child of the 80s puppets hold a special place in my heart

[@BanditsKeep]

Not here, but on my photo channel he has made an appearance or two

[@johnmagowan6393]

A campaign is like pornography, I know it when I see it! I've never quantified it but I think it's like novels and stories. I'd say all the Elric stories and books would qualify as a campaign, but I wouldn't consider all the Eternal Champion works as one. Michael Moorcock might see it differently.

[@BanditsKeep]

Good point

[@JohnStrain-eu6eu]

Low levels, starting out, nothing cares about the playing group. Nobody is upset if they live, or not. Later adventures maybe affecting the wilder world around them, one can change important things (stop wars, start wars etc), the have more effect upon the background world that they live in. I as Traveller Refeer, see this much faster than normal. My groups change things all of the time as they move from place to place. True role playing.

[@BanditsKeep]

Cool - I’m very curious about traveller - been looking at the classic books

[@JohnStrain-eu6eu]

@@BanditsKeep can answer some questions re Traveller, i read orginal LBB when they came out, had copies for 15 years. Mega when it came out. TCS, Mercenaries, Scouts. Striker, those are problay best known of all products released to date.

[@johnhansen4794]

The DM runs the world while the players play out the story of their character's lives. If they don't foil the bbeg the world will reflect that. A good DM won't be disappointed if the players have fun, regardless of how "f'd up" their world gets.

[@BanditsKeep]

For sure

[@oj3730]

I wanted to ask about your last video that showed up in my feed literally once. Was it put out of ytb? I went mad because I couldn't find it to watch later! I could swear it was there! Something about kind of adventures you like the most or smt

[@BanditsKeep]

Hmm - could it be this one? My Kind of D&D Campaign kzbin.info/www/bejne/l5e2cmptmMShkKM

[@oj3730]

@@BanditsKeep Maybe it is, sounds like it at least. Thanks!

[@solomani5959]

I think you did it in your last video, be good to read out your section breaks as I (and assume others?) listen but don’t watch 😅

[@BanditsKeep]

I’m trying to- based on a previous comment, that requested it 😊

[@emdotambient]

Every campaign I run is organized a little differently, in that I may or may not have larger conflicts predetermined. But generally, I start with designing the geographic, political, theological, and cultural landscape enough to determine the existent power structures, deities, races in the local area, magic level, and likely conflicts. I almost always start the PCs at 1st level, so I come up with some more or less mundane tasks to accomplish and have a few longer-term complications for them to encounter. Developing the general world concept usually sparks ideas for late-game secrets, plots, and BBEG machinations. But I don't really dwell on documenting or detailing those because as play actually begins, things change, don't they? I love riffing off comments players make in-game. Or suddenly pulling a surprise out of my hat, something spur of the moment that I never planned. All this can take things off on tangents that I improvise tying them into bigger stories for later in the campaign. So start small and local and then broaden the scope as the players level. Or, start low-fantasy and work your way up to high-fantasy.

[@xavierp7658]

Daniel will you be at GenCon this year?

[@BanditsKeep]

Not this year, sadly

[@xavierp7658]

@@BanditsKeepthat’s too bad. My first year going and I had hoped I’d run into you

[@Tom_Het]

How do you handle XP when they start getting involved in the surface world? Assuming you do gold for xp

[@BanditsKeep]

Currently I am using gold and combat as per AD&D so they either get treasure on the surface or delve to get it. They often use the treasure to pursue the politics of the world but I don’t have an XP system for that (yet)

[@israelmorales4249]

how do i plan a campaing?....well, jaja just kidding gret vidieo, thx!

[@BanditsKeep]

Thanks!

[@artistpoet5253]

Yeah. I never really considered any collection of games as part of a greater whole. Most times they're stand alone adventures typically resolved in about five hours spread over two or three sessions. I'd say the campaign is more like an anthology series. My group just hasn't been interested in leveling up let alone becoming 'heroes of the realm'.

[@BanditsKeep]

Cool, that can be super fun - do people play the same characters in multiple adventures?

[@artistpoet5253]

@@BanditsKeep pretty much. There have been some tweaks through the editions and whenever a 3rd party subclass pops up. The personas have stayed the same, though.

[@heroeshomebrew]

A plan for your campaign is great...until you get players involved.

[@BanditsKeep]

Indeed!