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Players only have their own character to worry about, and while a backstory may need to be crafted and a wardrobe dreamed up, the inventive work is quickly done. For the Dungeon Master, however, there’s an entire world to worry about, and maybe more than one. Writing stories can feel impossible when the possibilities are endless, but most successful campaign writing hinges on a few simple points.

10 Choose A Style

The varied fantasy worlds of Dungeons and Dragons support many playstyles, and choosing a playstyle before the game even begins makes the writing process immeasurably easier for the DM. Will the game be one of swashbuckling action on the high seas? What about a kick-in-the-door dungeon crawler for screaming, duel-wielding barbarians? Or maybe intrigue in the royal court is more of the party’s cup of tea?

If the DM discusses playstyles with their players and chooses one well in advance, the writing process will flow more easily, as the DM will not only know the overall tone to shoot for but will also be able to turn to classic examples of the genre for inspiration.

9 Decide What’s Different

The Dungeons and Dragons ruleset supports numerous kinds of worlds: Tolkienesque fantasy kingdoms plagued by invading orcs, steampunk cities where androids march the streets, and even cyberpunk cities where neon-drenched skyscrapers disappear in choking smog.

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Whatever the world looks like, it’s almost always distinct from the real world in which we live. Electrified monsters might dwell in the sewers. Ships might be fueled by dragon’s tears instead of coal. Starting with the real world or a classic fantasy world as a reference point, even just a handful of changes can be enough to define a game world and set the stage for an epic campaign to come. Transform the familiar, and everything is new.

8 Decide What’s The Same

As important as it is to recognize what separates the campaign world from the real one, it can be just as important to recognize what both worlds share. Making a fantasy world similar to the real one might seem like boring or lazy design, but incorporating ordinary facts or technologies into an extraordinary setting can make for fascinating campaigns.

How would the campaign be different if the high elves possessed black powder? What if the gnomes had perfected submarine technology centuries ago? What if the continents were exactly the same as those of earth, but with national borders redrawn by warring trolls, dwarves, and ents?

7 Consider Magic

Often the most significant factor differentiating one fantasy world from another is magic. Magic in high fantasy campaigns might be able to flood a kingdom with a word, whereas in low fantasy campaigns lighting a single candle with a spell might be an awe-inspiring feat.

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Magic might originate from the gods, the land, the universe, morality, or characters’ own blood. It might affect only the dead or only those who have bled in the caster’s presence. The rules of magic can be anything, but once set, those rules should not be broken without good cause, as doing so weakens the fiction. Because the workings of magic tend to influence everything else in the world, magic should be one of the Dungeon Master’s first considerations.

6 Conflict And Stakes

Campaigns must have a point, whether it’s saving the prince, destroying the God of Plump Leeches, or exposing a beloved landlord for the evil cultist he is. The characters must have an objective as well as a compelling reason to complete that objective.

The DM should consider what the primary goal of the campaign will be, what obstacles stand in the way, and why the characters care enough to bother getting over those obstacles. The conflict and stakes are influenced by the campaign’s style, but even within a given style, there’s plenty of room for innovation and creativity.

5 Here There Be Dragons

It’s not always dragons in the bowels of dungeons, dreaming fitfully atop their mounds of jewels and gold. Many a creature can plague adventurers. Some campaigns have a monster-of-the-week flavor, with every session bringing some new antagonists.

Others have a single foe, such as a pack of rogue werewolves or an army of demons. Most fall somewhere in between, but there’s no right answer. Adding more monster variety keeps players on their toes but doesn’t let them develop much of a connection to any. Limiting monster variety means players will know their enemy, but the depth of that knowledge might be poisonous indeed.

4 Consider Power Dynamics

The players’ characters might be howling barbarians and flame-slinging sorcerers, always trotting off on one adventure or another, returning home with sacks of platinum and artifacts. That doesn’t mean they’re the only interesting or powerful characters in the world.

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Royalty, the heads of major guilds and corporations, leading religious figures, explorers, famed warriors and inventors, and other major NPCs give the world color and depth and also act as catalysts for new adventures. It’s probably a waste of time to detail the names, lineages, and favorite custards of every single NPC in advance, but it’s to the DM’s advantage to at least identify a few of the major players in the world. Knowing their identities also tells the DM whether they’re likely to appear as friends or foes.

3 Top-Down And Bottom-Up Storytelling

Campaigns, like worlds, can be built from the top-down or bottom-up. Top-down building starts with the largest story beats: the most important NPCs, locations, items, and enemies in the story, slowly only digging into more detail as necessary.

Bottom-up building starts with the smallest story beats: a single conversation, the passage of a stranger on the road, or a dry well in a dusty town. Whether the DM builds their story top-down, bottom-up, or something in between is purely a matter of preference. What matters is that the story gains depth, but not so much that players drown in details.

2 Leave Room For Player Contributions

The DM is the game’s director, and with that much creative power in one person’s hands, it’s all too easy to forget the contributions of the actors. Gathering player input early on is crucial for the success of a campaign.

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The more the DM knows about what kind of characters the players will be using, their backstories, and what kind of adventures they want to be involved in, the easier it will be for the DM to write. In fact, the best parties do much of the DM’s work for them by bringing plot hooks and NPC suggestions to the table instead of forcing the DM to do all the work of inventing them. Listening to the party benefits everyone.

1 Don’t Overprepare

Perhaps the largest mistake a DM can make is over-preparation: arranging every last NPC, enemy, item, location, and plot beat far in advance, like a chess master trying to see 20 moves ahead. The problem is the DM is not the only person moving pieces, and players can and will destroy the best-laid plans.

Players can’t be forced to comply with the DM’s schemes without railroading them and taking away the fun and freedom of roleplaying, so it’s best to paint in broad strokes and let the players fill in the rest. Doing so demands some ability to improvise, and though that can be scary, the rewards make it well worth it.

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