Im currently having an @$$ load of trouble writing adventures for this new campaign...which i am also writing...
The last (albeit first) campaign I did, 99% of the time I bullshieted the whole thing. Until the ending stuff then I had to think/write. But it was still shoddily done, and in the whole pretty crappy in my opinion.
My question is TEACH ME HOW TO WRITE ADVENTURES/WRITE UP TOWNS/WORLD INFO!! (man I really must be good at BSing my PC's if I dont know all that...)
Please please please respond. I've written up an adventure (in my opinion half @$$idly) but if you'd like to see it i could email it to you.
sounds to me like youre on the right track.......
only here we call it "improvising", not "BSing".
I've only written out maybe a handful of adventures(as in, less than 4). Ever. And I've been playing for 16 years now as a DM . . . I generally don't even keep notes beyond a map with a key, and maybe write up a few stats. If you really need adventure ideas, read the backgrounds that your players wrote for their characters, they are often chock full of adventure ideas. as for world info and the like, well, that stuff just comes and goes. I keep about a half dozen notebooks with just random thoughts and essays on any subject that just wanders into my head. My computer has tons of files of half thought out ideas that all go together in the world I'm working on. Worldbuilding is a messy, disorganized process that comes in waves. One day you might want to write about the Temples of the Lizardfolk, the next you might want to write about the Gem of the mole people, and the day after you may want to drop it altogether and watch a movie instead.
There's nothing wrong with improv gaming if it's what you do better. Don't try to force yourself to write out detailed encounters, adventures, and stories if you don't necessarily have to :)
Quote from: MezerousThere's nothing wrong with improv gaming if it's what you do better. Don't try to force yourself to write out detailed encounters, adventures, and stories if you don't necessarily have to :)
in fact, id advise against this unless absolutely neccessary. in my experience, the only way to keep players from destroying adventures written like this is to railroad them along the adventure.
Hmm. A case of poor players, perhaps? It's always worked better for me when I did more improv than planning. I set down some basics for the setting, then the players do what they want and it'll sooner or later set them on a path.
Everybody has different styles.
A buddy of mine and I have taken turns DMing for each other and the local group, when we're all in town for summer. He improvises almost completely. I like to plan things out ahead of time extensively. Both ways seem to work equally well, and I suggest experimenting with your degree of planning vs. spontaneity to see what works best for you.
Quote from: sdragon1984, newly found godQuote from: MezerousThere's nothing wrong with improv gaming if it's what you do better. Don't try to force yourself to write out detailed encounters, adventures, and stories if you don't necessarily have to :)
in fact, id advise against this unless absolutely neccessary. in my experience, the only way to keep players from destroying adventures written like this is to railroad them along the adventure.
Not really, but you have to get used to writing things in unusual, more flexible ways. Gaming isn't a novel; you can't write it like one. My notes look more like elaborate flowcharts than anything else.
The only things you should need to plan are the layouts of dungeons and fortresses, and how the denizens react to the PCs showing up.
[ic=Example]If they hear fighting, the orcs in the bell tower will ring the bell four times, and then join the fray. It will take them four rounds to reach the main gate or the rear gate, eight to reach the far eastern gate, and one to jump down to the western gate.[/ic]
The dude who writes Order of the Stick has some tips for detailing places and BBEGs.
Quote from: http://www.giantitp.com/frm0005.htmlLinky![/url]
First of all I'd ask you a few questions.
1. What kind of campaign are you generally thinking of running?
2. What kind of fantasy/sci fi/whatever do you enjoy? Name some authors/movies/books/comics/whatever.
3. What makes you so interested in running a game?
1. Im thinking about running more Political campaigns, and event based adventures. Though I also want to improve my way to hook my PC's. I also want to improve my dungeon writing abilities...
2. I enjoy Tolkein, Terry Goodking, the dude who wrote conan (cant remember name), Order of the stick(have to say it), R.A. Salvatore, Harry Potter, Micheal Chriton (sp?), Jules Verne, and thats all I can really think up at the moment...
3. I just like to bring out my creative side and write something that my players will enjoy. I also have fun running the games.
On a side note, three of my PC's at the moment all they like is combat and a couple cant rp worth anything any tips on helping them rp? I had a bad session yesterday and now i need to learn how to teach my pc's how to rp, subtley so they dont REALLY know im helping them.
Sorry if that doesnt make sense...
Also my PC's have a REALLY bad time making up backgrounds for their charicters. Im talking about that it took my friend like 4 hours to write one up. Any advice on helping him their?
Quote from: BenicusAlso my PC's have a REALLY bad time making up backgrounds for their charicters. Im talking about that it took my friend like 4 hours to write one up. Any advice on helping him their?
Don't sweat it. If a player is having trouble with a background, then let them be the mysterious orphan and let them get on with playing the game.
Quote from: CYMRO presents the Cabbage CavalcadeQuote from: BenicusAlso my PC's have a REALLY bad time making up backgrounds for their charicters. Im talking about that it took my friend like 4 hours to write one up. Any advice on helping him their?
Don't sweat it. If a player is having trouble with a background, then let them be the mysterious orphan and let them get on with playing the game.
Give him some gothic poetry or something and tell him to speak in "mysterious ways".
[ic=For the purpose of RPing:]None will be concerned about his orrigins as his character bears the foreboding sense of misery and lonelyness. It'd be best to help him forget about the past and show him the light at the end of the tunnel that is his dank and moldy life.[/ic]
A shift in lingo can drasticaly affect the way a character is portrayed. Eef he talks like 'em heell-beelleez them pardners are gonna smack their knee-ya caps. While in contrass, an extensive and sophisticated vocabulary can convey the notions of both a prestigeous and educated upbringing.