this post was submitted on 14 Jul 2023
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Ask Game Masters

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A place where Game Masters, Dungeon Masters, Storytellers, Narrators, Referees (and etc) can gather and ask questions. Uncertain of where to take the story? Want to spice up your big baddie? Encounters? That player? Ask away!

And if you have questions about becoming a Game Master you are most welcome with those as well!

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Hey guys! I'm a newer dm (not a new player, been playing for a few years) and I just want to ask what a dm should consider when it comes to planning and worldbuilding. I would also like to ask if you have any tips for when a player goes wildly off course in a direction you have zero ideas for. You guys got tips?

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[โ€“] Zagaroth@ttrpg.network 3 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (2 children)

I can tell you something that is working remarkably well for me, and entirely by accident: I had a sketch of a campaign world I wanted to build, but only 1 small area that was solid. It languished for a couple of years.

Then I got introduced to a website where people publish serial novels (Royal Road).

A few months later I had a bunch of story ideas bouncing around in my head, and a particular combination was demanding most of my attention, so I started writing it. I'm a bit of a 'panster', so I just started with my opening scenario and wrote.

But I found myself needing information for the world around them really fast, and then realized I had a solution: It fit perfectly in the campaign world I had started. This means that to keep writing the story, I had to keep filling out details that could be added to my campaign website. I also have two other story ideas I have started to sketch out that help fill details on other continents.

In short: If you can write a story in your campaign world, then answering questions around that story will give you campaign details.

Important note: The story you write IS NOT and WILL NOT be the adventure your players go through. Ditch that idea immediately. The story is its own thing.