How do I plan a campaign that has no players?

[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 Some will have been replaced by fetches, some won't have been, some will find out that their family thinks they are dead or missing, just as a few examples.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=c...ng%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...".