The Homework Never Ends Even if tomorrow turns pale, I shall get it and show you

How to Start an RPG Campaign Step 1 – Want It

I haven't run an RPG or played a game of GURPS since I was thirteen, when my brother and I sat down with my brand-new third-edition Basic Set (back when it was one book instead of two!) and played a game version of my Alezath story (which will never resurface into the light of a kind and loving God. Ever.). Since then, I've played in one or two D&D (3rd and 4th ed.) and Warhammer 40k games run by friends, but under the surface I've longed to actually run a campaign.

I'll spend this series working through the obstacles that have been holding me back; by the end, I hope to have actually arranged and started a campaign with my friends, as I've long promised them.

To start off with, let's define 'campaign': A series of (usually weekly) gaming sessions that are somewhat episodic, both fulfilling by themselves and contributing to a larger plot. Already, you can get an idea of the scope of preparation necessary to keep such a venture straight.

Luckily, I want it. I've been dreaming about it for years. I've bought the GURPS 4th ed. Basic Set and fallen in love with the system all over again. I've come up with quite a few ideas for storylines. I've promised my friends again and again that I'm going to start up a game. I have the drive.

If you get stuck, delayed, or feel blocked at any point in this series, return to this step, because it is the most important.

Right now, if you're reading this series for the first time, you probably long to start a campaign but are worried or confused. Take a deep breath and tell yourself, "This time, I'm making it happen."

Here are some of the reasons you might be daunted or delayed in starting a campaign:

• You don't know where to begin. You've come to the right place!
• You don't know what tools and resources you'll need and how to get them. There's a chapter on this.
• You don't know what genre or system to play with. There's a chapter on this.
• Even if you know the genre, you don't have a clear story idea. There's a chapter on this.
• You don't have a world in which to play the game. There's a chapter for this.
• You don't know whether to use prefab characters (or how to make them) or let your players make their own. There's a chapter for this.
• You don't know how to write and play NPCs. There's a chapter for this.
• You don't know what should actually happen in each session. There's a chapter for this.
• You don't know how to arrange your first session. There's a chapter for this.

I'm pretty excited about this series, and hope you'll follow along as I examine each of these steps carefully. In the meantime, do some googling of your own and read over the material available. To help out, I'll list some handy resources at the bottom of each installment.

Resources

The Harrow's How to Start a Campaign: Pre-Campaign Planning

Gnome Stew's 17 Steps to GMing A New RPG for the First Time