Does Your Campaign Require a Whole New World?

I've been a gamer since I was about 19-20 years old, which at time of writing is more than a decade and a half ago. I've played a pretty wide variety of games since then; some were good, and some were bad. In all the time I've been gaming, though, I've never once decided to run a campaign in a homebrew world of my own design. And I can safely say, having been designing Sundara: Dawn of a New Age for months now, I would never even consider doing all this work if there wasn't a check attached to those efforts.

Speaking of, the floating city of Archbliss just released!

However, since it seems like a good 40-50 percent of people I talk to (and who leave combative remarks on my content) run games solely in worlds of their own design, there is a simple question I'd like us to think about today. Especially the game masters out there who are newer to the hobby, and who think this is some kind of rite of passage, or the "proper" way to run a game.

In case you didn't read the title, the question is to ask whether the campaign you're running really requires a whole new setting in order to make it work?

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The Ups and Downs of a Whole New World

Academically, I understand the appeal of making your own campaign setting for a game. It's world building in a literal sense as you rearrange everything to your liking. From altering the appearance of tieflings, to changing the assumed history of orcs, to drawing your own maps and forging your own timeline, there is something freeing about making your own setting from the ground up.

However, with that said, I feel there are a lot of stumbling blocks in this approach that we don't often think about. Because, as I so often say in comments sections, the ability to build a good world and the ability to run a good campaign are two completely different things.

Worlds are complex things.

First, let's talk about the upsides.

Making your own world can be creatively fulfilling. It can be fun to play around with the primordial goop of a setting, molding it and making something fun and unique. It can get you more attached to it, and if you play your cards right you can even get your players in on the action. Letting them contribute can give them that feeling of attachment that this is truly a shared game that you're all playing.

It can also let you erase aspects you don't like, don't want, or would rather not deal with that would have changed the core setting of the game too much to just make something a house rule.

For every up, though, there is a down.

There are downsides to homebrewing your own setting as well, though.

Perhaps the biggest issue I've come across in terms of homebrewed worlds is that a lot of GMs end up missing the forest for the trees. They focus on the handful of things that they were most interested in, or which they wanted to dedicate the majority of their time and effort to, but they end up forgetting they need to fill out the rest of the world, too.

Some examples of this from my own experience include:

- Completely forgetting to create a pantheon of gods in games with divine casters

- Having 2-3 major cities on a continent, but no other settlements

- Lacking the names and histories of ruling bodies and influential families in the capital city where the campaign was taking place

- Only fleshing out a few species in the whole world, leaving the others vague and unfinished

Even if you make an entire setting with no gaps or missing parts, though, there's often a disconnect between your setting and your players. Because if they can't actually read about things and look stuff up on their own, the world can seem ephemeral. If you are the sole lens that the players can learn information through, it can be frustrating for both of you... especially if you misremember something you told them, or there's a disagreement over an important aspect of the world, and it only exists in your head rather than on a wiki somewhere.

And if coming up with all of this stuff is hard work, then writing it all down and organizing it in anything resembling and engaging fashion is downright exhausting!

Do You Need To Do All This Work?

I'm not trying to discourage anyone from making their own settings to play in. If it's something you want to do, you should do it. However, it is important to take a moment to ask yourself if the story you're trying to tell actually requires that amount of work being done behind the scenes in order for your players to get the proper experience, or if you can just use an existing setting with a few additions in the blank spots on the map to get your game going.

Because if your campaign doesn't require a new setting all its own in order to function, then making one from scratch might be akin to one of those scenarios where a master chef tries to recreate the Big Mac. Even if you provide full flavor, great taste, and masterful presentation, it still took you hours of effort and a lot more work in terms of ingredients, sweat, and resources when just spending $5 at McDonald's would have yielded the exact same results with a lot less energy expended. Energy that you could instead focus on actually running the campaign.

Work smarter, not harder.

Making a whole setting isn't easy. It can take years of work if you're going it solo, and even a team of creators will take months to get all the details straightened out. Everything from the history of the world, to the rise and fall of empires, to the names and lineage of the Elf Kings, to the political relationships between the dwarven holds, to the names, faiths, and philosophies of all the disparate gods, that's all on you to figure out.

So take a moment and ask if you really need to do all of that work yourself, or if store bought is fine.

Because as a game master, and now as someone who's building a setting from the ground up, I can tell you that the reason Sundara exists is that it is the place for all those players and GMs who want a Pathfinder or 5E game where there's no alignment. Who want a game that's about striding forward into progress, rather than constantly referencing some lost, golden age. It's a world filled with bright, unique, and bizarre species options, strange gods, and extremely unusual places to explore.

But if a game didn't require all of that work? And if it wasn't my job to find a niche to fill for other game masters out there who might be struggling? Well, there's very little chance I'd have put this much time, energy, and effort into making Sundara a reality.

Sundara So Far

Speaking of my setting, the first 5 of the Cities of Sundara series have dropped. I'm switching gears after this to Gods of Sundara next month, and then after that delving into the species of the world and what makes them unusual and unique. If you're looking for a setting that's about progress, fresh solutions, and where the old conceits of alignment are thrown right out the window, then Sundara might be for you.

Also, you can slot these locations into existing settings to use on their own, if you're just looking for something to plug into an empty spot on your campaign map!

- Ironfire: The City of Steel (Pathfinder and 5E): Built around the Dragon Forge, Ironfire is where the secret to dragon steel was first cracked. The center of the mercenary trade in the region, as well as boasting some of the finest schools for teaching practical sciences, Ironfire is a place where discovery and danger walk hand in hand!

- Moüd: The City of Bones (Pathfinder and 5E): An ancient center of trade and magic, Moüd was lost to a cataclysm, and then buried in myth. Reclaimed by the necromantic arts of the Silver Wraiths guild, this city has once again become a place teeming with life. Despite the burgeoning population, though, it is the continued presence of the undead that helps keep the city running, ensuring that Moüd is not swallowed up once more.

- Silkgift: The City of Sails (Pathfinder and 5E): Built on the cottage industry of Archer cloth (an extremely durable material used for sails, windmills, etc.), Silkgift is a place that prizes invention and discovery. From gravity batteries that store the potential of the wind, to unique irrigation systems, to aether weapons, the city positively churns out discoveries... and then there's the canal they cut through the mountains that makes them a major center of trade across the region.

- Hoardreach: The City of Wyrms (Pathfinder and 5E): A center of power across an entire region, Hoardreach is ruled over by a Cooperation of five different dragons. A place for refugees and outcasts of all sorts, Hoardreach boasts some of the most unusual citizens and creations from across Sundara. Infamous for their sky ships, which require the cast-off scales and unique arcane sciences of the Dragon Works to take to the air, one never knows just what they'll find in this city built atop a mountain.

- Archbliss: The City of The Sorcerers (Pathfinder and 5E): A city in the sky, Archbliss was legendary among those on the ground. The home of great sorcerers, it took being born with power to ascend to that place. The flying city has stopped its wandering, and opened its gates a crack to those from the world below. Darkness lurks behind the glamour and wonder of the City of The Sorcerers, though... and once someone falls through the cracks, there's no coming out again.

Like, Follow, and Stay in Touch!

That's all for this week's Moon Pope Monday. To stay on top of all my content and releases, make sure you subscribe to my newsletter at the bottom of the page!

Again, for more of my work, check out my Vocal archive, and stop by the YouTube channel Dungeon Keeper Radio. Or if you'd prefer to read some of my books, like my cat noir thriller Marked Territory, its sequel Painted Cats, my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife or my latest short story collection The Rejects, then head over to My Amazon Author Page!

To stay on top of all my latest releases, follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, and now Pinterest as well! To support my work, consider Buying Me a Ko-Fi, or heading to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page to become a regular, monthly patron. That one helps ensure you get more Improved Initiative, and it means you'll get my regular, monthly giveaways as a bonus!

Mythic Table Returns, Better Than Ever Before!

Regular readers might remember last November when I put up Looking For a New Virtual Table For Your Campaign? Check Out Mythic Table! In case that one slipped by (and you don't have a second to go back and catch up), Mythic Table is a virtual RPG destination that allows us to run sleek, intuitive game nights even when we all can't be around a table together.

Or, for those of us who have embraced high tech gaming, when you prefer a virtual map and display rather than doing things the old-fashioned way.

Many of us have grown used to these strange ways, though.

Mythic Table is open source, it's got some experienced professionals on the design team, and it's been growing behind the scenes. If you haven't checked it out yet, you definitely should... especially now, since they're going to start blowing up in the very near future!

Let's Kick This Party Off!

So, if Mythic Table is already out there, and already free to use, what do you get from the Mythic Table Kickstarter? Isn't this kind of campaign usually something companies do to build up finances in order to make a product in the first place?

Well, yes. But in this case we've all had a taste of what Mythic Table is capable of... now the question is what would it be capable of if we really put some gas in the tank?

Fill 'er up!

First and foremost, the Kickstarter will help Mythic Table expand the assets it already boasts, giving players and GMs alike all kinds of shiny new toys to play with! Improvements on lighting options and dice styles, doors and windows, map creation, GM control... if you can think of it, chances are the designers want to rev it up. And that is, at least in part, where support is going.

It's far from the only thing the Kickstarter will be backing, though.

In addition to tweaking all the toys, there's also plans to work on content integration (specifically with World Anvil to start, though I doubt that's where things will end), allowing GMs to import maps and campaigns, as well as binding accounts. There's even talk about creating a digital marketplace where maps for Mythic Table can be bought and sold, giving players and GMs alike access to unique items that are designed to run smoothly on this platform.

That's a lot... but if action economy has taught us anything it's that when you have enough people all working together, it's amazing the things you can accomplish!

Speaking of New Releases...

While we're on the subject of fun new things you should keep an eye on, the second supplement for my own fantasy RPG setting just dropped a little bit ago! Moüd: The City of Bones is available for both Pathfinder Classic as well as Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition, and you can either fold it into your existing RPG setting, or use it as part of the ever-growing amount of stuff available for Sundara: Dawn of a New Age.

I'll go more in-depth on what makes this new location special and unique later, just wanted to take a second to mention it!

Like, Follow, and Stay in Touch!

That's all for this week's Moon Pope Monday. To stay on top of all my content and releases, make sure you subscribe to my newsletter at the bottom of the page!

Again, for more of my work, check out my Vocal archive, and stop by the YouTube channel Dungeon Keeper Radio. Or if you'd prefer to read some of my books, like my cat noir thriller Marked Territory, my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife or my latest short story collection The Rejects, then head over to My Amazon Author Page!

To stay on top of all my latest releases, follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, and now Pinterest as well! To support my work, consider Buying Me a Ko-Fi, or heading to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page to become a regular, monthly patron. That one helps ensure you get more Improved Initiative, and it means you'll get my regular, monthly giveaways as a bonus!

DMs, Don't Give Your Players a Handout When They Can Talk To An NPC Instead

As a game designer and a dungeon master, I'm well aware of how seductive the siren's song of table handouts can be. They're simple, they're easy on you, they require minimal heavy lifting, and if you print them out in advance they give your players something they can interact with and pass around. And if you really want to put in some pre-game effort, you can make badass handouts that look cool, and which will help add some oomph to the world and setting.

Acclaimed Heroes, you are cordially invited to... ah, another invitation...

However, handouts, letters, journal entries, NPC diaries... they should be used as a spice. If you make them the major way that all plot points get introduced to your players, then pretty soon it's going to start having a negative impact on your game.

The Risks of Overusing These Tools

Like I said above, I've used my share of letters in the games I've run in the past. And I've even used them in a few modules I've written (the secret journal in my one-shot False Valor is a perfect example). However, there are good reasons not to grow reliant on them.

And what, pray tell, are those?

The first reason to not rely on these kinds of handouts is because they'll quickly start to feel a lot less special. Even if you put in the time to make a full parchment paper letter complete with burn holes and blood stains (brief how-to on rigging that up in How To Make Parchment Paper Using Tea for those who are interested), if you're doing it once per chapter in your game, pretty soon your players are just going to view it as old hat. What was once unique and special has now become routine.

The second reason is that when you overuse handouts and letters you end up minimizing the party's interactions with NPCs; it's just them and a piece of paper, not them interacting with the world you've made. In some extreme cases this can actually lead to players assuming that NPCs are just there for background decoration, actively ignoring them in favor of tracking down the next handout.

Use An NPC Whenever You Possibly Can

In contrast to handouts, notes, and letters, your NPCs are an active, breathing part of the game world; they're in the present tense. They are, ideally, characters you want the party to develop relationships with, even if those relationships are small. And when you give your party information via an NPC, it has a completely different flavor to it than if you just handed them a letter and waited patiently while they read it.

All right... I'll tell you about the duke. But you didn't hear this from me, understand?

First of all, most NPCs will act as some kind of challenge to get information out of. The fighter has to take the gate guard out for drinks, and make small talk before he drunkenly talks about the woman in black who comes in and out of the grounds on the new moon. The local head of a syndicate has to be persuaded that giving out the details on a rival outfit is really going to be in her best interests. Or the party needs to ask around before they find just the right snoop who will part with the information they need, for a handful of gold.

This has two effects. First, it makes your players feel like they have to work for their plot information, which makes getting it all the more rewarding. Secondly, it creates relationships you can build on for future plots. If the PCs stab the mob boss in the back, then she might side with their enemies in the next arc. Alternatively, if they play straight with her, she might be an ally they can count on when assassins are coming after them and they need a safe house. You can't get this same arc out of just handing the party a scrap of paper.

A lot of DMs find this approach significantly more labor intensive, but you can save yourself a lot of time and effort by keeping supplements like these on-hand:

- 100 NPCs You Might Meet At The Tavern

- 100 Random Bandits to Encounter

- 100 Nobles to Encounter

- 100 Merchants to Encounter

These supplements are filled with flavorful NPCs you can cherry pick, and put to the side before your session starts. This ensures you have characters ready to show up, you're not scrambling to find a name and description, and characters who end up becoming party favorites can be expanded on as the game continues.

Don't Stop Using Handouts (Just Pair Them With Characters)

I want to be clear, here, that you shouldn't do away with letters, invitations, maps, journal entries, etc. in your campaign. However, you shouldn't use them as a crutch to info dump on your players, because it can take them out of the game, and reinforce that the people around the table are the only ones who really matter.

So even if you feel that a particular note is a valuable addition to a game, ask how you can pair it with an NPC and a scene to drive home the importance.

Yes, there is a message... here, write this down...

For example, say you were running a murder investigation arc, and a key piece of evidence is the love letters one of the victims kept hidden behind a base board in her room. Sure, the party can just shake down the room and find them, but ask what other characters know about that spot. The victim's mother? A friend? A former tenet who told her about the hidden space? By making another character part of the scene, it's now become an actual part of play, rather than just a reading session round the table. And if the PCs then ask that character about the contents of the letter, now it becomes a conversation they're having with someone, rather than just trying to figure out the implications themselves.

Even if it's just something simple, like the party receiving an invitation to the duke's salon that evening, don't just have the note randomly appear in their hands. Have a messenger in livery come, and address the party by name. Ask if they would like to send a reply, and make this herald a unique character. Is it a humanoid, or something odder? A celestial, intelligent creature? A playful pseudodragon? An intelligent raven? Or are the notes delivered by an undead servant who can't speak, but who gives the party a clear idea of what sort of man they're dealing with, and how dangerous it could be to refuse his invitation?

You don't need to get rid of useful handouts... just make sure they're one aspect of the scene; that zing of mustard on the dog, or the hot sauce in the taco. Don't think that just because you pour the condiment on that you can ignore the other elements, and still maintain a tasty game.

Like, Follow, and Stay in Touch!

That's all for this week's Moon Pope Monday. Hopefully you enjoyed, and if you've used run these kinds of games before, leave us a comment to let us know what worked for you!

For more of my work, check out my Vocal archive, and stop by the YouTube channel Dungeon Keeper Radio. Or if you'd prefer to read some of my books, like my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife, then head over to My Amazon Author Page!

To stay on top of all my latest releases, follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, and now Pinterest as well! To support my work, consider Buying Me a Ko-Fi, or heading to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page to become a regular, monthly patron. That one helps ensure you get more Improved Initiative, and it means you'll get my regular, monthly giveaways as a bonus!

Don't Want To Make Your Own Maps? Try Axebane's Maps On For Size!

Being a DM is a lot of work, and 90% of that work is just prepping the game. You need to have all your minis in place, you need the story arc drawn out, all the NPCs in the given area, a complete list of monster stats, and you have to remember what loot your party is going to find when they get through the challenge you've set before them.

There's one other thing you have to prep, though. Your maps.

And you're in... a room... somewhere...

Given how persnickety games like DND and Pathfinder can be about sight lines, distances between targets, and whether or not someone left a threatened square, running a game without a map can be a nightmare. And that's before Geoff's evoker starts tossing around area of effect spells. However, it takes a special kind of person to really get into making maps... which is why if you're not that kind of DM, head over to Axebane's Maps to save yourself a lot of time and headaches.

All The Dungeons You Could Ever Delve

The individual behind Axebane's Maps is a talented artist named Daniel Walthall, who is a lover of tabletop games. So, rather than keep that talent under a rock, he put all the maps up for fellow DMs to make use of. Just head over to the Tumblr page, and take a gander at all the resources on display. You need a rotting crypt? No problem. A multi-level megadungeon? Got you covered. What about village? No problem, Axebane has that too.

Seriously, these worksheets save you SO much time!

Not only do these pre-made maps take a lot of the strain off of your back, but they also allow you to draw up places you could pull out when players take unexpected turns. Did they seek an inn instead of going to the ogre cave? Well, you've got one. Did they decide to beard the dragon in its den rather than laying a trap for it? You're prepared for that, too. And even if you don't have something pre-made, all it takes is a few minutes with a pen to fill out a new sheet, and you're ready to go!

These maps are, of course, not for re-sale. However, they are free to anyone who wants to use them in their games. And, if you do want to help the artist keep making great content for fellow DMs, go to Daniel Walthall's Patreon page to become a patron. After all, every little bit helps!

And, if you're looking for other great (and free) resources to make your life behind the screen easier, you might want to check out Tabletop Audio Gives DMs Free, Hand-Crafted Soundtracks For Their Games and Want Some Cool Props At Your Table? Check Out Paper Forge!

That's all for this week's Moon Pope Monday post. If you know of any other cool, free resources that help DMs out there, feel free to leave them in the comments below. If you'd like more content from yours truly, check out my Vocal archive, or head over to the YouTube channel Dungeon Keeper Radio where I and other gamers get together to offer tips, tricks, and advice for having a better game. If you want to stay on top of all my releases, then follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, and Twitter. If you want to help support Improved Initiative so I can keep making content for all you fine readers out there, then go to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page, or click here to Buy Me A Coffee! Either way, my eternal gratitude will be yours, along with some sweet gaming swag.