Beginning the Story
Before you start deciding on core aspects of the story, you need to think about some broad, general ideas first.
Themes: The type of game
While everyone doesn’t pick out a specific idea or message they want to convey in their story, it is certainly helpful to consider what you want the players to feel while playing, as this will impact the type of game it is. Some ideas follow:
Theme Examples
- Swashbuckling Action-Packed Adventure, where the heroes of the story quickly swing from one point to the next, hailed as heroes, saving people from calamity.
- An Intriguing and Dramatic Political Mystery, where the characters don’t know who to call their ally, and who their enemy.
- A Methodical, Slow Story, asking the players a core question: “What does it mean to be human?”
Consider what type of game you would enjoy designing, possibly putting and interesting twist on it.
Differences with TRPG Stories
Tabletop RPGs offer a unique experience, particularly due to the stories that it can tell. The characters can be uniquely human and dynamic, limited only by the human imagination. The outcome of the story can be uncertain, with its conclusion up to the players. This aspect of player interaction is a key element to consider when creating the Story of a campaign. How much control will the player’s have over the story? Can they make every decision, or only a few? Answering this will require you to decide where your campaign lies on the spectrum of Open vs. Linear.