The long haul

The first time I was asked to GM, we were using Pathfinder. A family member picked up a pre-written campaign that I looked over and I was immediately overwhelmed. I hesitated enough that they came back and said, “It’s just an idea, do whatever you want.” Well, I took that to heart. I decided to let the players build crazy characters, giving them free reign to do whatever they wanted. My only rule was that if I questioned something, they had to prove where the rule came from and be able to show me so that I could read it. It made for some epic adventures and battles (none of us forget defeating a dragon with a frying pan)!

This made me question the prewritten campaigns. I have tried to run that same one again, and after reading through a couple chapters I see potential, however, it still feels overwhelming to me. I have watched many videos and read articles about new GMs. Most suggest starting with a pre-written campaign (or whatever adventure may come in a starter pack). I guess this would be excellent advice for the novice player turned GM, or one that starts as a GM and was never a player. I think if one has played a system long enough, they will begin to create their own ideas. “I would have done…” or “It would have been cool if…” These ideas are the beginning to a homebrew adventure.

Where I struggle in homebrewing an adventure is the setting. I don’t draw world maps, create exciting histories, or even layout cities well. I find campaign settings and other resources that will work for my story idea and incorporate them within the game. Some setting books include mini adventures, or quirks about certain cities that peak my interest, and may find themselves within the game. The fun thing is that they don’t have to! It’s my story!

Okay, reality check: it’s not MY story, it’s OUR story. I lay out the world before my players, set up a few hooks and things to peak their interest, then let them explore. I do not always have an end to the story in mind when we start, I let that develop more organically. Remember, I like the long haul! My campaigns have run, on average, 20 months (80 sessions). Of course I need to make sure my players are moving forward, so I do have bad guys making things happen in the world, but it is up to them to engage...and they will (after all, they signed up for an adventure, not the simple life). How they engage though is completely up to them, I adjust accordingly.

And that is why I homebrew. A prewritten campaign is more linear. Many try to offer alternative routes to get from point A to point B, but ultimately, they must reach point B. Some players are good sports and will follow the path laid before them, while others will scream about railroading. Every player is different, and comes to the table for different reasons. I, myself, prefer the social interactions where I can build my character’s personality and develop their goals. I don’t mind battle, but that is simply a means to achieve a goal. Other players thrive for battle, to take down an enemy through martial prowess and conquer the field IS their goal. These two players approach a prewritten campaign differently.

That’s where I jump off. Prewritten campaigns are not bad, most of the time they have really cool ideas and content (that I take inspiration from often). I just struggle to actually run one. I feel railroaded as a GM when I’m going through a book that tells me when, where, what, why, and how. Adding my own creativity into a story already laid out for me is rough, I can’t do it and keep to the story. Besides, it’s not just about my players having fun, I want to have fun too!