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View Full Version : What's The Difference Between A 'Campaign' And A 'Module'?



Elric
December 14th, 2004, 01:01
The Demo Campaign looks like a Module to me - but I notice that there's a modules folder under FG.

I also see there's a button on the Desktop that says 'Module Activation'.

Can someone please explain what all this means? :D

I'd like to learn the product by creating an adventure (Module) but don't want to have to do it twice. :D

Goblin-King
December 14th, 2004, 09:17
Here are the terms we've been using related to this:

Session - A single sitting of gaming. If you play on Tuesday, and then again on Friday, they're different sessions.

Campaign - A continuous stream of events in-game happening between sessions. For this reason, character data and all updates to Gamemaster entries are stored in the campaign across sessions. This implies a story but doesn't necessarily have one, by definition.

Campaign setting - Some framework in which the campaign takes place, like a world detailed for the purpose of playing. This isn't a technical term in FG.

Module - A separate publication containing some set of Gamemaster resources (story, NPCs...) that you can easily import into several campaigns. This could be a set of 100 cool magic items, a campaign setting, an adventure or just battle maps.


The Demo Campaign looks like a Module to me

Yes, you are correct that the best way to deliver adventures is as a module. However, any new user of the software would have a tough time finding the initial example set by creating a campaign first and then finding the module to load in there. Also, you can't modify modules on the fly and we wanted to provide a starting place where you could start modifying the campaign to get a feel of the content creation tools available.

I'm going to be posting some instructions on creating modules in the Workshop, but in the mean time, it's worth noting that the best way to create a module is to start from a campaign with all the information you want to transfer to the module in it.

Elric
December 14th, 2004, 16:56
OK - so let me see if I have this straight... :D

Let's say that I want to take the Classic AD&D Module S1: The Tomb of Horrors and 'translate' it into something that I can use with FG. What you're saying is that it's better to go ahead and create it as a 'Campaign' and not a 'Module' because I can always 'convert' it to a Module later?

Goblin-King
December 14th, 2004, 22:11
Yep :)

Lizard Lips
January 1st, 2005, 16:32
Hi, just reading over this thread and I wanted to make sure I understood the difference.

In FG, a module contains all of the rules, monsters, maps, etc. that could be used to run several campaigns, right?

So I could create a Forgotten Realms FG Module, and then develop one or more campaigns using that Realms module.

Goblin-King
January 2nd, 2005, 19:53
In FG, a module contains all of the rules, monsters, maps, etc. that could be used to run several campaigns, right?

A module can best be considered an importable subset of campaign data usable with several independent campaigns. Importable, because you can turn it on and off from the module list; Subset, because it usually includes only a part of all the data needed to run a session; Campaign data, because modules are limited to the same type of data items (no new sheet types for example).


So I could create a Forgotten Realms FG Module, and then develop one or more campaigns using that Realms module.

You can go about this in two ways, or a combination of them:

First, you could make a module, with all the data restricted to campaign style data (maps, descriptions of locations etc.) and then import this to whatever campaign you are running.

Second, you can create a ruleset based on the default d20 ruleset, and include any new monsters, feats and such you would like to add to e.g. the rulebook available to players.