Planning Your RPG Campaign - 3 Ways to Start

[@HowtobeaGreatGM]

*Thanks for watching!* Let us know in the comments below where you start when you plan a new game or begin to design a new campaign? Check out Dungeon Fog and their awesome public library of maps over here: dgnfogaffiliateprogramme.sjv.io/jdQeZ Take a look at the pre-order shop for The Practical Guide to Becoming a Great GM, where all of these concepts and so much more are contained! Find it here: bit.ly/3EDNbmK Find each chapter of the video easily by clicking on the timestamps in the description.

[@perrywmoore9346]

I homebrew my own worlds. My entire drive to DM is from coming up with new worlds that are different than other worlds, and creating society around it. You video on Tone was eye opening for me. I never thought about that as more than just my world my style of DMing. Thank you, this is beneficial.

[@peakcitydronietravel]

I like to first ask my players well in advance what type of game they would like to play. Once that's established, I create much more confidently knowing they'll be into whatever I come up with

[@passdoutcouchpotatos]

If you do it online like I do, you dont need to even ask, everyone's usually interested

[@ronaldfragoso9828]

First: one-shot pre-made adventure, on a world/system that the group came to agree; Second: another one-shot pre-made adventure, linking with the first one, BUT in the next week - 2 weeks max; Third: if the players came to the sequel second session, and showed commitment and interest, THEN, and only then, I start planning a campaign. Otherwise, it's a waste of time, effort and energy, in my experience, of course. Love your work, Guy, for many years now! Keep up!

[@korneliatokaruk2738]

This is my first time as a GM decided to make 2 homebrews 💪🙈 One shorter campaign that focuses more on teaching the mechanics and getting the team dynamic going and one hopefully long-term campaign that takes place in a world completely different from the standard DnD world. It's certainly a challenge I must say but I'm enjoying the learning process a lot! ❤

[@jewabeus]

I have just found you today. I've only played rpg video games. I've never played any type of D&D game like you're talking about before. My bro-in-law & family have asked me to DM a game for them when school get's out for the summer in a few weeks. None of us have ever played. You have been a HUGE help for me & this is only the 2nd video of yours I've watched. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

[@ShiftySetax]

Well, two years later, how'd it go?

[@jewabeus]

@@ShiftySetax We're on campaign 3 now. 😄

[@ShiftySetax]

@@jewabeus LET'S GO BOI!!!

[@emhooaryou698]

I keep forgetting to leave comments (my bad), but I am 100% getting benefit from this! I still need to apply some of it practically to be sure, but I definitely feel more confident in what being a GM actually entails; how to have fun with it, and how to make it work for me by considering my role, expectations, constraints, tone, etc. I'm taking notes in a journal! I feel like I'm taking a genuine class. Guy is an excellent teacher.

[@jonathanowen9917]

I really like this video series and hope it continues. I ask my players what type of game they want to play and then homebrew a world and campaign that matches. I find that you have to ask the players a lot of questions up front to get a sense of what they want to play, and I tend to gather the players together for this so it becomes a group discussion rather than a series of one-on-ones.

[@DMTalesTTRPG]

First, I LOVE THIS SERIES. Second, I’ve started in different ways. My 5e campaign is set in a world which I was planning on running one type of campaign in (kind of a journey of ethics as they escorted a warlock who was working on getting freed from their pact), but then ended up setting a Hallmark-themed one shot in the world and one of the groups that played it just kept going (we’re about 14 months in at this point). That world had a TON of lore before we started and we’ve built it up. My Basic Fantasy RPG campaign started with a single crawl, because I wanted to see if I liked running the system. I made a basic world maps,but really didn’t have any lore. That’s changed as the characters played, and the world has filled out (we’re 10 months in, I guess I like the system). BUT, I just ran a mini-campaign using this system set in the same world and built off the lore that the ongoing campaign has established, filled in some backstory, and fleshed out prat of a previously blank continent. So that was fun. So, I guess my answer is, “I start games however it suits me at the time.”

[@Vinemaple]

I believe this is the first video where the perfectly-waxed handlebar mustache appears... It looks great, Guy! Even with the vest, it doesn't seem affected at all, and that's damn impressive for a handlebar mustache on someone who was born after 1955. It looks like it *belongs.* This series is indeed beneficial, I'll get far more out of the book than a series of talking head videos, but even so it's given me a lot of confidence when Guy covers something I've worked out on my own, and inspired me when he brings up something I never thought of or had no idea about. Finally, 4:51... God bless Guy for not editing himself.

[@thomasschultz9721]

your line of thinking feels right for me. You seem like a person that has studied a lot. this has a really cool and deep DND flavor

[@Jaguarhable]

I always start with drawing the map, I became super fascinated with fantasy map drawing 10 years ago and dabbled with it here and there. It wasn't till 3 years ago that I thought about making a map to worldbuild in. Recently I started thinking of a campaign for in that world I created.

[@giudalberto]

I love creating a world, so I start from that generally, even before finding my players, I usually have some base ideas from the world, the type of conflict there, etc... then I pitch the setting that I've homebrewed to my players (generally I start with the world map), give them a general direction in which this world would "facilitate" their adventuring path, but that's up to them to decide. I start with my pc INTO a quest, that they are solving. Once that is finished, I tend to have several hooks ready and let them decide what to do...

[@CmderSwords]

Please continue making these videos they are helping me a lot. I am planning my 1st campaign and these videos and your book are really helping me to get my mind in order to make a good campaign.

[@Hypername3000]

My first game, which I've runned last year started within in the Ghost of Saltmarsh-Setting. We started with "Sinister Secret" as a One-Shot as an introduction to a new player. Since he really liked to keep playing afterwards I started to put together a Campaign in that setting. My second and current game is a full homebrew. I created a northern/subarctic region of a world, since this was what my players where asking for as a contrast to the very watery/swampy setting of our Saltmarsh-game. Since I want to keep homebrewing after this game I only made it the most northern region and not a full-scale world, so that I'm able to explore the rest of this world in future games.

[@AndyReichert0]

i have been hesitantly considering whether i want to dm, and your channel has been instrumental in helping me make an informed decision on that. many voices emphasize either the drudgery or the whimsy of being a dm, but it seems much more realistic to acknowledge and even embrace both, or don't bother dming, and i'm on a journey of discovering whether that is right for me.

[@ChioniLoux]

Hi! New-ish DM here, and I have to say, with the levelheadedness you’re viewing this decision with, I’m confident you’ll make the choice that is right for you. Also, beware of falling into the mind trap of believing that you’ll be a forever DM. If you love it, you’ll want to keep doing it. If not, your friends, the players, should understand and support your decision. Good luck and roll for initiative!

[@axelz4316]

Just out of curiosity, what’s your hesitation with becoming a DM?

[@siobahnviner-sedgwick4271]

I started with an idea for a villain: What if Shere Khan was a rakshasa? Which led me to start making adventure plots around other Disney movies! I ended up homebrewing a low magic world, then created my map, pantheon, and the worked with my players on a session zero to discuss backstories and such! Now we’ve been playing for over a year, and I’m taking them from level one to 20!

[@Ellebeeby]

That’s a great approach! One question: you’ve said you’re playing in a low magic world. I assume you’re playing 5E (or perhaps pathfinder) from the 1-20 comment. How do you square this with the incredible availability of magic in the playable classes/subclasses?

[@kodidavis2819]

I homebrew a world or pull from one of my previous homebrewed world (I do world building in my spare time because I find it relaxing)

[@VestigialLung]

I rarely use standardish prebuilt fantasy worlds. Sure Faerun is a richly developed world with thousands of years of history and numerous major figures that I can pull into my game, but that’s (as you referenced) a lot of work to parse through for relatively little benefit to me, as I grew up on a steady diet of “standard” fantasy and can rattle off fantasy tropes without any real thought required on my part, and FR is insufficiently far removed from fantasy tropes to be worth the effort (for me). If I’m running “standard” high fantasy, I tend to just homebrew. What I have pulled established campaign settings for are things like Ravenloft, Planescape, or The Iron Kingdoms: settings that deviate significantly from the default settings of D&D.

[@LandonTheDM]

These videos are wonderful! I have fallen off with them because of life/work/stress stuff but getting back to them is such a treat

[@daenemarker9027]

I go against the grain of the comments here and admit that my main game is an adventure path for Pathfinder, therefore I use a pre-made world. I just love the setting and it's great that I can use lore from Pathfinder 1E and 2E. I do change some stuff though, mostly because my players are asking me and I'm happy to oblige, the world is still ours to tinker and have fun with. I listen closely to my players though to just add homebrew stuff in it, eg. create new cities with their own ways of life (that sometimes go into the absurd without knowing the background to it) so I can run kinda crazy one-shot adventures for my players cause they want to. Thanks again for that video, there is so much value and I benefit so much from watching them!

[@CRandyGamble]

I used to always use a pre-made world: Marvel, Greyhawk, Forgotten Realms, etc. I am now running one campaign and it is in a setting that I worked on for years and continue to expand. I really made it for my bestie so she could play in it, and she also helped create it (and still helps). I recommend starting out pre-gen but then diving in to a new world when you can. It's so freeing.

[@Worth_Noodles]

I have been struggling to get started making a short campaign and this was so helpful!! Thank you!!

[@fruiffi]

As a new DM, I'm really enjoying this series!

[@nateabels5151]

Well I started world building in my idle time, then found some friends that were willing to put up with some disjointed ideas, then stole modular adventures from other games and tweaked them to sync up with my would ideas. So far it works. Not always smoothly, but well enough that we are having a good time.

[@TheKKiriNN]

Thank you so much for your content! Because of your videos I was able to massively improve (I think) over the past year and a half while DMing my homebrew campaign.

[@snappa_tv]

I’m a brand new GM and I decided to create my own world. I’m having an absolute blast creating and writing everything for my players and worldbuilding with them. We’re about 15 sessions in now and I’ve absolutely loved it.

[@jdennhardt8595]

So far I have been working in pre-gen worlds but mostly with a home brew campaign or adventure. I have run a pre-gen module or adventure to try a setting and can like that, but I don’t like being just constrained by someone else’s plans. That said I like using pre-gen worlds since I haven’t done tons of game mastering and don’t feel extremely confident in building a world. Pre-gen settings give me potential NPCs, locations and lore. I thus like the 5e settings created without definitive answers like Fateforge or Vodari where there is no wrong answer. As I grow more confident I intend to combine the parts that please me and my group to make my own setting - as a result I try to hold back on purchasing new setting material! I’m good for some time now! That said I love this series and look forward to your new book as a toolkit to get me more confident to take that path! Thank you!

[@southron_d1349]

I wanted several things for a campaign which started late last year. I wanted Cosmic Horror, Dungeons, a Half-Elf crime boss, and somewhere there's a Dragon. Since Midgard is in my collection, I decided it was time to use it. I chose the Wasted West because it has elements needed already built in. With one small exception, everything has been homebrewed - the town, NPCs, the dungeons, etc. A published setting doesn't preclude homebrew. Despite some wonkiness with scheduling, the campaign is going well.

[@thehermitthetower1126]

I typically dont use a whole lore as is, but i do like to make mash-up campaigns. Street-level superheroes are confined to manhattan and as they catch villains doing stuff they start to learn about the T-virus just before and as the initial outbreak begins. Terminator v alien v predator, the players are rebels from the future, and its a recursive time travel campaign that eventually gets to complicated to run. But it was fun for a while. These were may favs

[@moukidelmar]

How do I come up with a campaign idea? I start by finding a real world historical event or mythology and use that to determine the time period, technology level, general location and so on. During session 0, I work with the players to develop NPCs, and ways that their characters fit into the world. I very much prefer to have the character backstories in the story setting. If you are a cleric or a paladin, you can bet you WILL spend time with your diety, if you're a Barbarian, you WILL spend time interacting with your tribe and so on. Once I have all the PC backstories figured out, and how they tie together, we get going. As the campaign progresses, I use the PCs actions and decisions to shape where the campaign goes, and I explain that if the players want to leave and do something else beyond the main plot, that's fine but wheels in motion do not stop just because you leave, and it will continue unabated in the background.

[@bloementuintje9356]

I normally, see a module, or adventure then i get excited, by some quarks or uniek things in these books, After this the world will build around this, an awesome campaign filled with idea's to work out when needed. these ideas from everywhere and will make a whole campaign world to play in!

[@vickieseward4707]

Your videos are helping me get started on my first GM experience. I’ve chosen to start with a module in the Pathfinder world of Golarion.

[@DungeonsAndDrams]

I absolutely love this series. I look forward to it every week and it convinced me to back your kickstarter.

[@ryanphillips5393]

Oh I'm loving these! Starting a scifi setting in a few weeks and this is perfect

[@johnathanrhoades7751]

Wonderful! I have run pregen (modified) and mostly homebrewed setting based on a couple of pregens. Looking forward to running more homebrew soon hopefully!!

[@garrenlasairghorm910]

Please continue this series. I have found them highly valuable. I had been out of rpgs for many years. I got back into d&d because of the pandemic. I am looking to run my first campaign in over a decade next year. I have already ordered your new book and will use that, along with these videos, to create it. Thank you so much.

[@matthewmcdaniel6094]

I am currently in the process of creating a D&D campaign. I have a bunch of old Dungeon magazines with adventures i have wanted to run but not had the opportunity to. The main adventure I wanted to run starts with a fire that devastates a small city and involves the pc's helping the community recover in the aftermath. I have also wanted to use a Rakshasa as a master villain. This has evolved into a larger campaign idea of political intrigue and the threat of war.

[@lasselaukkanen3574]

Thank you very much for your videos. They have been very inspiring for me, who is planning to start a (better than before) gamemastering!

[@droogamcwizardly2031]

I start by getting to know what my player's characters are going to be, and creating a BBEG to get an idea of how I need to shape the would to fit the story.

[@brettonalwood4173]

When I design a new campaign I tend to approach it like how i pick out movies. Start a small list of themes that I want to explore. Then I create a small paragraph hook for the campaign. So for my current campaign, I wanted to explore an apocalyptic scenario but with celestial forces being the cause instead of zombies or demons. I also wanted to explore the concepts of fate/destiny vs choice. The players would travel to various realms and broker alliances to aid them. So my main themes are apocalypse, fate, choice, travel, sacrifice, and greed.

[@ChioniLoux]

I am currently running two campaigns in my own homebrew world. I’ve ran the Stranger Things “module” before, and I’ve also taken a few one-shot adventures from WotC and placed them in my campaign world, making lots of modifications to names, lore, artwork, and even monsters. But I prefer operating in my homebrew world because my friends get to discover it with me (literally, 90% of the world has not been played in yet lol).

[@sherylcascadden4988]

When I started playing, it was with the Basic D&D box set, so just one "module" and no world maps. I thought it would be fun to create my own world, and I have expanded on it several times. I wasn't aware of the campaign or story arc concepts, so I designed a series of one shots, and would be a fill in DM when our regulars were too busy.

[@garethmason7920]

I got my current campaign idea from marvel and skyrim. Esstenially dragons have returned in numbers to Faerun and its your quest to find out why. A long the way to Phandalin (using starter set) the players are hired by an Elf Wizard who wants you to hunt down the black spider. The players at this point do various quests and find out the black spider is working for an entity known as Abbadon. When you return this information back to the female elf wizard, she tells the tale of Abbadon, the destroyer, who is a black dragon and who wanted all races to worhship the dragons as gods. The other dragons rebelled against him and sealed him away. Eventually Abbadon makes his presence known to the players with a warning and revels that the wizard is in fact also a dragon, one of his sisters that sealed him away. Eventually the players find the black spider and he destroys a gem that shatters reality, opening up the portal plane where abaddon was imprisoned for 1000 of years but not only this, creates the multiverse. Ebberon is also now connected to faerun, combining both fan favourite locations together. With abaddon full plan in process its the player job stop him but not alone. The Lights hope initiative is made and heros all over faerun answer the call. The players are now teamed with character such as Drizzt etc. So far im 3 months into the adventure and the players are really enjoying it

[@oliveroffer3699]

I love the content. I find that I ‘bank’ episodes for a time I can properly pay attention though.

[@labattman]

I started a group at 3rd level in a homebrew city. I love Guy Ritchie movies so I designed a story around that style.A four person group who come across this city. They get hired by a mob boss who wants them to track down a coin that was stolen from his son's dead body. Without the coin his son can't pay the boat man and cross over to the underworld. A demon who is in servitude to the mob boss wants them to get it for him so he can black mail his way to freedom. Half orc henchmen, goblin thugs etc.etc. I loved writing this.

[@Sanderford]

Mine began with a way of answering how the party all know each other, and then came the name of the village and a reason why the party would be in said village. It's working, slowly.

[@zueglitz]

Great series! Excellent work. I’m Signjng up for dungeon fog TODAY

[@Aaron-pe2gl]

I am enjoying the videos. The way you explain concepts is unique and is a great fit for my learning style. Keep up the great work.

[@falonsherrard6004]

I decide how much work I want to do. Homebrew obviously requires the most work, those little adventure modules the least, and then book settings (Eberon, Theros etc) fall somewhere in between, depending on what direction I go. We just finished up my third homebrew campaign and one of my players is going to run a module (he's a first time DM I'm so excited for him, and also getting a break), so I decided to take it a little easier and do an adventure out of a campaign setting.

[@soulcleave2386]

i start out with an interresting villain for the first adventure, then work backwards, who are its minions, what is its goal, then i tie the first villain into the the real bbeg at the end, and youll find that everything in the middle will start falling into place

[@zakarhyn]

I usally Make a homebrew world. But I also like taking things (Like Vecna) and molding them more into the world I have made . I enjoy leading my players that know setting lore with nuggets and then subverting there expectations by how they have been chainged in the world I have made.

[@2Cubic]

For me, I start with making major NPC's. Determine what they are and who they are, then figure out how they got that way, build the area around them. Then sprinkle a couple extra problems around that they aren't involved with, make the people who are. Building the world around it's people brings me natural conclusions of what the world is like to make them that way. Makes the world feel more real if it's people react to it properly, so I make the world feed into those predetermined reactions, making it feel more real retroactively.

[@ScurvyBird]

Haven’t watched a video in a while, been too busy to play lately. I have to say you’re lookin great! Like the new stache!

[@Jeffcostarica]

Got an One Shot idea: Mercenary company (the party) hired by a noble to find a family treasure hidden on an island. The party enconters pirates who overheared the conversation during the trip. Arriving the island, the party choose which way: cave, coast, or river. Each has its own enconters. Finally, pre boss fight against the pirates, and boss fight a dragon (DM adjusts depending in party level). The one who hired the party looks identical to the dragon (in human form). Party engage them and both twins fleet when there is enough damage. The dragon twins hire adventurers to their territory to toy with them, then eat them as entertainment. But now there are no pirates and dragons, party can decide what to do with the island and the pirate ship. Does it sound ok?

[@bsparky01]

I started my players on Lost Mines of Phandelver which is in the Forgotten Realms. I have a little knowledge of the worldsoace, but just use the lore when it feels right. Even if my players were extremely familiar with the lore, this is my version of FR. I do the same thing with the monsters, the stat blocks are just suggestions and can reskin/retool anything for what's needed in the moment.

[@carnaedy]

I basically do the Session 0 as described in FATE Core, even if the system we are using ends up not being FATE-adjacent. I find that it engages the players from the get-go and they become immediately invested in the story.

[@chrishead8743]

Great GM tips, and great personal style tips. You look great

[@Arc115YT]

My games tend to be very sandbox-y. Still, I do need to decide where my players actually begin. My groups and I have built this world up over 10 years, so that is usually an easy thing. I have a bunch of documentation on a bunch of different locales, but I usually select a small to medium sized village. After that, I just decide what's going on in and around the starting point and NPC's to disseminate that information to a place where the players can learn about it. After that, I'm basically ready for session 1. I'll make changes or add plots based on the backstories my players give me during session 0. If I have time, I may also write something about big events happening elsewhere that the party may run into or be affected by. Usually though, that is stuff I do after session 1 or 2.

[@mclang5932]

I enjoy these videos very much thank you. Too bad my gaming group is all around the place and we all are busy, so I haven't managed to play anything but Hero Quest lately :/ But fortunately TT RPG:in is a hobby that you can do just by searching new stuff and thinking about all the ideas they give.

[@PowDJoke]

Haven't started my first campaign yet but I chose to homebrew my own world, not totally though, I kept what I liked about Exandrian cosmology as an example. It's partially inspired by Exandria's spirit but it shares no continent, country or history with it, just the flavor. It demands such massive work though ! It's amazing and dizzying at the same time. Edit : I started with a blurry campagn idea !

[@Marcus-ki1en]

When I was part of a gaming club, we all used a common world (out of the box). Now I am solo, I use my own created one.

[@Netjerenbau3000]

I had narrowed myself down to Corsairs of Cthulhu (Cthulhu pirates) or Alien. I eventually realized that with both having semi-independent colonies & long travel times there wasn't really much difference & went with Alien as it has more leeway in what happens when.

[@kimburdangerdeese7921]

I like the videos before even watching them bc I know they're all fire

[@cups7987]

Really dig your series of videos Guy. Thanks.

[@alancollins8294]

Always appreciate your stuff!

[@DBArtsCreators]

These have been enjoyable videos with plenty to consider, that's for sure.

[@whitebarnowl]

I start with a "what if x happened to a TTRPG party?" and I start building on that basic idea. Example what if the party was sent to x world? or what if they party encountered a x creature? combining all the compatible ideas into "world concepts" which evolve as I think/ write about them for my self .... this writing is what I use as a base for the player's world, which is the "sequel" to my "head cannon" writing

[@cj2nerdy]

I would love to see you guys do a series in video game format. I've been following your advice for years now and i wonder if you might give it a try?

[@suulix4065]

I appreciate everything you and your goblin team does! Thank you so much!!

[@jeffreybomba]

The GM/player contract should help define the world you play on regardless of which one of the three you spoke of. If pre-gen, you have to figure out how much of the existing lore you will incorporate. DnD FR has so many generations of lore that keeps changing the pantheon and everything else, that you have to place boarders for anyone with exposure to the endless lore. DnD FR once started out very much the same as you suggested a home brew world should. The original source book provided a handful of factions, each with major NPCs that provided plot hooks for player to choose from. At that point there was still a lot of world for a DM to define. After dozens of source books and novels using FR is potentially a whole different ball game. Home brew world? You said previously, either the DM has an idea and must find players to fit, the DM figures out what the players are looking and creates a world to fir, or somewhere in between.

[@notthetrueNic]

I've never ran a campaign before, and I'm still planning things. I wanted to run it in the Lord of the Rings setting because it's the fictional world where I've probably spent the most time, so I'm very familiar with the lore. (My elvish is extremely rusty, though.) There's the situation that I can't really surprise the players with who the main villains are (the red eye of Mordor and the white hand of Isengard are pretty obvious to any player who has consumed any media regarding Middle-earth) but nothing stops me from creating smaller scope villains to move the story ahead :)

[@donovanmcdonald167]

I start by finding out what the players want then turn that on the head and give them something they didn't even know they needed ;) Players > Setting > Planning > Wing It from there...

[@merevel436]

Personally, all my setting are homebrew because I never used premade games. That being said, I am without even a third player right now so... >.< Your videos have given me a lot to think about, and eased my nerves on some things. So yes, it is a good series.

[@jizburg]

Your videos are informative and i am getting inspired to make my own game.

[@AmusementOverlord]

I homebrewed my world, then work on a campaign that fits the themes

[@thebakerofbananabread3237]

I enjoyed the video, but I couldn't help feeling a little lost when it came to receiving the actual advice. Please, though, continue to make more

[@TheVRSofa]

Chapter 7....Where to Start. I do believe its generally chapter 1? XD for some reason this really tickled me and my mate haha

[@Ishoam]

I am deriving benefit from this series.

[@Stephen-Fox]

This series is definitely useful.

[@jackielinde7568]

I'm a Masochist. I start by homebrewing how my world was created and move on from there.

[@AvenueStudios]

Haha I am drawn to starting here as well😅 -Dan

[@hoverFrog]

Start with the player character concepts. Does one player want a ratfolk scavenger living in a ruined city? Does another want to play a noble paladin avenging his slaughtered city? A druid who lives in a cave and avoids the locals and a diviner wizard who saw a vision of the apocalypse but everything they do to change it makes it worse. Then I build a location where they can all fit together and place that in my world.

[@joshbecka6110]

I am deriving benefit from these videos.

[@Red-jb2zj]

I try and find a McGuffin that has at least 2 different methods of attracting a players attention then building off that. My current campaign/world idea is based around the study of and finding out who is distributing a magical currency.

[@groovinhooves]

If you'd asked me forty (plus) years ago, "where to start?" I'd have answered, "roll up some characters." Over the intervening decades, the answer(s) have become more considered, nuanced. What -are- we starting, exactly? Is always one of my counter-questions to players. Because it is convenient to me, let us suppose the starting point to be everyone wants to do 'fantasy'. In that case, I've got a world here which already has some quite well fleshed out, populated, TESTED, people to do and things to see, then there's all the regions still marked "Terra Incognita" and/or corners of better defined areas where no one (not even my cheeky imagination) has before looked. I did not get to this point overnight or in a week of sleepless days and nights, nor alone. It all started with one river, the keep of a local baron (later king, later yet dead deposed king), the town (nascent city, now a ruin) located at the confluence of aforementioned river's two main tributaries. Scattered around this vale, a smattering (in the early running, a veritable kitchen-sink deluge) of potential fortune seeking (or losing)/reputation building (or destroying) venues and encounters, the ubiquitous orcs' den/sylvan forest (the hosts of which were equally likely to welcome as to kill and eat guests for dinner - one banality I did dispense with quite early were such notions like: elves always good, orcs always bad, except for the orc bands who held the mountain passes out of the valley impassable because I really didn't want my players expanding the confines of the sandbox faster than I wanted to deal with what's beyond the mountains [or the 100% guaranteed PC-eating marshes, downriver]). Where to start? By making a start, any start, just start already, damme you, sirrah! It's never going to be 'perfect' in terms of obviating any need for a retcon here or there later on, if what you are intending is to construct (eventually) a coherent world of adventure and intrigue. Forests are fun, mysterious, draw one in; trees get in the way enough as it is without stopping by each one to determine its species and growth history - just do your business and move on, don't forget to tie up your codpiece, this is a family session...). Remember, too, to always exploit - er - use - er - cooperate with and rely upon your players' imaginations as much (more!) than your own to flesh things as you go, so long as it all makes some kind of sense, generally, sorta-kinda fits in with the vision you won't really have full and complete yet anyway.

[@groovinhooves]

Pro tip: cannibalistic halflings are fun! Maybe try starting with that?

[@primeemperor9196]

My first campaign started with me making my pantheon. My second has started with me making my villain.

[@sageflower555]

I have found I am a better editor than writer. That's why I love campaign settings cause I can change and adapt a concept rather than create one from nothing.

[@theprofessor6582]

I use a world generator first to get a foundation then tweak and homebrew from there.

[@zakarhyn]

These videos are great but I miss the vids about the different ways to use differing settings or feels

[@fredhuot9279]

I choose the Tone and concept of the setting. Then I choose the system. Then I create the basic of the setting. Players make their characters. Then I create the rest of the setting and incorporating their background into my game. Then I make the first adventure.

[@capeswordsletsplays8528]

I tend to run pregenerated worlds. I've had trouble in the past with creating worlds from scratch.

[@foxross]

I start with the game system then the setting then the story (usually).

[@ChadJonesAYelpInTheDark]

Start with genre, what type of campaign (what are the heroes going to do?), list elements of the world they are likely to interact with and design them (always add Wow! Factor). Don’t design things they aren’t going to interact with.

[@kimburdangerdeese7921]

Homebrew every game

[@vodostar9134]

I start by designing a world... and usually don't go beyond that lol. I have so many worlds lying around.

[@capesword111]

I usually begin with a premade world and personalize it.

[@danakospanova52]

1) get inspiration from media (for 1-2 aspects or mysteries 2) find an existing adventure or setting to fit your inspiration in 3) study the setting 4) make it your own! (P.S. take caution, not tested, I am the process right now😂)

[@danakospanova52]

Not ready to fly solo just yet😅

[@Xakryn]

I have a campaign setting that's pretty fleshed out on its own, but I have no idea where to start when writing a campaign plan. Lol

[@shbsuri]

I think for a campaign it would start with the setting, cities, forests, swamps, kings, peasants, and then drop the PCs into it and see where they want to go.

[@agilemonk6305]

Guy. Where do you get all of your cool clothes? Always so stylish and in the moment.

[@jeffreybomba]

Guy, the material has been helpful, but if you want to get it across effectively you need to take more time to connect your previous foundation into the next step. According to what you have laid down already, this step should be CONSTRAINED by all of the input plates and DM have put on the table to define what everyone is willing/wanting to do. That contract is an obvious constraint for the choice presented here.