Campign Modules and Backround Data for PCs

I am getting together ideas and workign toward creating my first homebrew campaign. I read the pdfs provided by FG and Xorne, watched a few videos, and have been doing some research, but i still have a few questions:

-When creating a module, how do I set up giving the PCs adventure backround information? It might not be as simple as sharing a single sheet, I want them to be able to reference and drill down into Locations, Races, Trade agreements, ETC. Is this done thorugh a separate module created that I then "share" with the players?

-If I get everything set up and I have enough to get started, can i update the module with more Quests, Encounters, Story later? The pdf states you do this through the dev module, but I want to make sure i understand and it wont effect my live campaign negetively. I also assume my campaign will be molded and shaped as we go vs me having everything completed in the story before we begin.

Using 5E ruleset

Thanks for your help,
Macabreus

When creating a module for use in a campaign that you want to add stuff too then, yes, create a campaign just for creation purposes. Export to a module from that campaign for use in the adventure. You can then go back to that creation campaign, edit or add new material and re-export to the same module which can be loaded back into your adventure campaign. Nothing you do in such an exported module directly impacts on anything in the adventure campaign. In fact it is the other way around. If you edit something in the exported module in the adventure then that will overwrite the actual module. This is because campaign specific information is stored in the campaign itself. It won''t change the actual module but the campaign version is preferred to the module version.

You can create backgrounds for your characters from within FG (you don't mention a ruleset so I can't point you to any particular resources for this). In that background you can link anything else that you want such as story entries, tables etc and as long as the module containing that information is shared with the players they'll be able to view it.

Understood. That makes sense as far as module creation goes. As far as the backround question, I meant this as far as overall story backround, rather than for individual PCs, sorry for the confusion. Just something they can go back and refernece while playing so they know the history of the world and lands, etc.

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Originally Posted by Macabreus

Understood. That makes sense as far as module creation goes. As far as the backround question, I meant this as far as overall story backround, rather than for individual PCs, sorry for the confusion. Just something they can go back and refernece while playing so they know the history of the world and lands, etc.

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Then just create it as a player module :)

Ok, so I should just create that as a separate module from the campaign devolepment module, correct?

You don't necessarily need to since you can be quite granular in what you can export. But it would make sense to keep each separate to avoid confusion.

If this is a living campaign and you are going to add to it regularly you might find it easier to do it in your live game and if you want to keep it when you are done delete the garbage at the end.
If you are nice and organised then you can keep doig it in your prep campaign and keep exporting and resharing each time.

I would do it as a separate player module, so that it can be updated as needed without you needing to do anything beyond the first sharing.

That is how I do things in my own campaigns, and it is also how SmiteWorks does it for the official WotC products (provide a GM and Players version for the non-adventure sourcebooks).