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GameMastery Guide / Getting Started / Creating a Campaign Guide

Setting and Scope

Source GameMastery Guide pg. 20
The meat of a campaign guide is the description of the setting: where and when the campaign takes place, and in particular, the “base state” or status quo with which the characters should be familiar. Doing this effectively can be more difficult than it sounds, so follow these guidelines to keep this interesting and on point.

Broad Strokes: You don’t need to hand your players a 200-page document detailing every corner of the campaign world and every major event in its history. Even if you do have such a document, it’s probably best to hit new players with just the highlights. Focus on where the campaign starts and, if you describe other parts of the world at all, do so in generalities. You can always fill in more information as the campaign progresses.

Focus on the Present: Historical context is good, particularly historical events that have an impact on the present day, but focus on giving the players the status quo as it will be when the game starts. Don’t focus too much on irrelevant historical detail; if an account of a particular battle hundreds of years ago doesn’t impact the present day, summarize or cut it altogether.

Enliven with Detail: Try to give the players some essential details about daily life in the setting. What do people eat? What kind of clothes do they wear? What do they do for fun? What is a typical day, week, or year like? What are some expressions people use? These details form valuable hooks players can use to get into character during the game.

Archives of Nethys

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Setting and Scope