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!
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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.
@Zagaroth@ttrpg.network Expanding on my earlier reply - my situation has a lot of parallels with yours, including eyeing Royal Road as a possible place to publish the serial.
I started up a prose fantasy-adventure serial as a medium to build a setting that's not encumbered by other people's Intellectual Precious, and try out some DMing ideas and scenario concepts in a controlled environment. Started with an ensemble of three "competent misfit" characters in (as is tradition) a small-town tavern and gave them a lead on potentially recruiting a fourth member to round out their group, and a selection of requests for help to start their "adventuring" career on. Now I've got several villages, a collection of Non-Protagonist-Characters, various businesses, and about three "big" sources of potential antagonism so far. Had an idea for a whole campaign idea (from another Fediverse conversation elsewhere) that I may test out in this medium, too, which should be fun.
How are you liking Royal Road as a hosting/publishing platform so far?