How do I plan a campaign that has no players?

[LadiSilverfox]

I am a beginner GM I've only run a few games and only a couple sessions each game. I have been trying to write a "New to Changeling" campaign for a while now but I keep hitting the same stumbling block. There are a couple parts where the characters will be temporarily or want to be split up for a while, such as checking on their old lives, which is highly personalized. So what is the best way to continue to write this so that I can use it with future groups?

[ddavison]

LadiSilverFox, you can do this within FG okay by having multiple maps up at once and the characters place their tokens on the map that they are currently in. You could even go so far as to create a generic image with pictures and labels of some of the most common places and have them put their tokens there as well. The simplest approach is to roleplay directly inside the chat window for your split party and then just remind your players that they are unaware of what is occurring out of their sight and earshot; however, you could use the whisper feature to speak with players separately as well. If they are really split and will be for prolonged periods, I'd recommend scheduling the players to come in at separate times entirely. All groups of players can log on at their scheduled time and update things and interact inside the campaign without all being online at the same time.

In general, I always try to find ways to keep the players all engaged at once and this normally means discouraging too much one one one time or split party time. I never like to have one or more players sitting out and watching others play. I think that is a good way to lose players for a long term campaign in most cases. It can be done, but for a new GM I would recommend against it.

[LadiSilverfox]

The map trick is good to know, but I am thinking more from a RP stand point.

In the first session I want to have a NPC split the party up and they have to fight to rejoin, kind of a we are better off together as we are stronger thing for their characters to learn right out of the gates. I figured if I planned it out, I could get an idea of timing between players so no one is sitting wondering when it is there turn and help it move more fluidly. It's getting the even generic personal effects down to plan for that has me in a bind.

[damned]

using voice?
use the teamspeak server and create a sub-channel and request only the appropriate player(s) join the channel when you need to do something with a split party.
let the others know how long you will be "gone" for - they can use the time for a coffee break etc - or switch back and forth between the two groups every coupel of minutes keeping them engaged - especially if you can leave them with something they have to agree (disagree) on amongst themselves...

[Mgrancey]

with Changeling, I am guessing that you are using cWoD Changeling. I am familiar with much of cWoD but never played changeling, I would suggest that if you are going doing something like that it would be handled during downtime, not just away from playing sessions but also when a decent period of time is going to go by without any group relevant roleplaying.

As far as actual planning goes there are numerous ways to go about it. I would suggest as a general method:

1. layout a section of story:


what is end result (change in story, revealation, etc) your first would be formation and bonding of party.
determine who are the important players and their motivations for what they are doing, this is important for when you will have to improvise (are they looking for allies, patsies;
Where are the major events going to take place
How do you want the party involved and/or effected


2. Determine what the players could/would do to screw it up

What questions could the ask that you aren't ready for
Where could they want to go that you aren't ready for
What actions could they take that would break up your plots
What misunderstanding could they make



3. Make adjustments for section 2

I would also suggest discussing with each player what they want for themselves and their characters, ahead of time so you can plan for that.

[Trenloe]

I figured if I planned it out, I could get an idea of timing between players so no one is sitting wondering when it is there turn and help it move more fluidly. It's getting the even generic personal effects down to plan for that has me in a bind.
I'd be very careful with how you do this. I would see a lot of waiting around for the players when it isn't their turn. Players will get bored/frustrated, wander off (so they're not ready for their turn)

How many players were you thinking of having? How long were you planning on having them split up?

If the split is for more than 1-2 hours absolute maximum then I would recommend handling the split as completely separate 1-on-1 gaming sessions. As Doug has mentioned, for a new GM I wouldn't recommend trying to do this within sessions with all of the players - it is a quick way for players to get bored/frustrated which could have a major impact on the story you are trying to weave or players will just leave.

It's a great idea, but I'd recommend handling the split in 1-on-1 sessions, not when everyone is in the same session. This is where Fantasy Grounds will be great for you as you can schedule the relevant sessions without having to worry about getting everyone together for a prolonged session - you could do short 1-2 hour sessions with each player until the party begins to get back together.

[Weltengeist]

I completely agree with Trenloe: if you absolutely have to do this, I recommend explaining the situation to everyone and inviting only those players that are currently active. If playing over VoIP (like Skype or Teamspeak), this should not be a problem.

Otherwise you will simply bore the players that are not active (unless you have that rare breed of players that loves to just listen to others playing). Remember that your goal as GM is not to write stories that are very realistic or that would be cool in a novel. Your goal is to provide an RP adventure that is fun for every participant to be in. That's an important difference that is often overlooked. So you may want to reconsider the whole idea of a prolonged party-split in the beginning, especially since this is a big mouthful for a beginner GM.

[LadiSilverfox]

How many players were you thinking of having? How long were you planning on having them split up?

No more than 4 players, the split would be 30 minutes to an hour and a half of game play as they would be finding themselves randomly crossing each others paths thus causing events that would make them want to stay together. It depends on how quick the group is on the uptake, and the longer things seem to drag the more obvious I will make the effects until it is pretty much hitting them in the face.

[LadiSilverfox]

However this thread seems to have left the realm of the point I was asking about. It wasn't so much about if I should or shouldn't do a split but how to best handle planning the potentially personalized moments for a campaign that has no players yet. Such as in Changeling the Lost before the character was a Changeling they lead another life, at some point most players are going to want to know what happened after they weren't taken to Arcadia. Some will have been replaced by fetches, some won't have been, some will find out that their family thinks they are dead or missing, just as a few examples.

[Weltengeist]

However this thread seems to have left the realm of the point I was asking about.

Er, okay. This is probably because I simply didn't understand what you were asking about. I'm not even sure that I do get it now. But IF I do get it, then my answer is: If you want personalised experiences for the player characters, you will have to step out of the "commercial adventure" type of preparation that you get taught by most commercial RPGs. If you are prepared to do so, I highly recommend Brian Jamison's "Gamemastering", which is even downloadable for free (www.gamemastering.info/media/171/download/Gamemastering.pdf‎). It advocates a very different style of game preparation that is very suitable for campaigns that are centered around the individual PCs and their actions instead of the standard approach of the GM preparing a story and leading the PCs on a leash through it.

[Trenloe]

However this thread seems to have left the realm of the point I was asking about. It wasn't so much about if I should or shouldn't do a split but how to best handle planning the potentially personalized moments for a campaign that has no players yet. Such as in Changeling the Lost before the character was a Changeling they lead another life, at some point most players are going to want to know what happened after they weren't taken to Arcadia. Some will have been replaced by fetches, some won't have been, some will find out that their family thinks they are dead or missing, just as a few examples.
I'm not sure how many people who frequent this Fantasy Grounds forum play/GM Changeling, so for things more specific to Changeling the Lost you may want to check out forums specific to that game, for example: https://forum.rpg.net/tags.php?tag=changeling%3A+the+lost

However, the question you pose is pretty much a generic question that most GMs/Players will go through when they start out a new campaign, no matter what the RPG system being used. Work offline with your players individually before you start the first gaming session to flesh out their background - let the player drive this as they will want to have a PC that they feel comfortable with and want to play. However, you will want to guide the player in the development of their PCs background, motivations, goals, etc. so that the PC they create is a good match for your campaign (and the other PCs). As a GM you should embrace your players wanting to add to your campaign world (different players will do this to a greater or lesser extent), so try to go with some of their ideas - but stop them if they are going off track. Learn to not say "No!", instead say "Yes, but...". :)