by Rich Bowman
Art by Keith Johnson
You've conquered kingdoms in Yrth, stalked the night in Vampire, destroyed the Wyrm in Werewolf, surfed the Cybernetica and sailed the stars in Traveller. What haven't you done?
You haven't run your own campaign.
You've seen the maps your GM has drawn, read his histories and rampaged in his imagination. You've killed every monster and villain he's thrown at you, and even a couple times achieved godhood. Don't you think it's your turn to torment the players and wreak havoc in your favorite campaign world? Of course it is. Now how do you do it?
It's not so hard, actually. It just takes some time and perseverance, and though it may seem daunting at times, you'll find that it usually turns into a labor of love. To help you get started, I am providing a few pointers.
Organize Your Campaign
Be early to each of your games. This allows you to prepare the game site and get your notes and playing aids prepared.
Start the game on time. Even if some of your players are late, you need to set the example. If the players know that you will wait for them before starting, they will be more willing to be late; before you know it, your eight o'clock game is starting at ten.
Make a "mini-worldbook" outlining the political and social situations in your campaign, along with what brought it to this point and which tensions are getting ready to come to a head. Along with this, give a brief verbal history to refresh some points and lay plot lines . . .
This article originally appeared in the second volume of Pyramid. See the current Pyramid website for more information.
Article publication date: May 12, 2000
Copyright © 2000 by Steve Jackson Games. All rights reserved. Pyramid subscribers are permitted to read this article online, or download it and print out a single hardcopy for personal use. Copying this text to any other online system or BBS, or making more than one hardcopy, is strictly prohibited. So please don't. And if you encounter copies of this article elsewhere on the web, please report it to webmaster@sjgames.com.
