BW PDF - Midnight Campaign

THREE PRIMARY SETTINGSA role-playing game can function very differently basedon the specific environment in which it is built. The toolsand challenges that are involved will shift based on whatresources are available within the environment. If a gameis focused on one of these three locations for too long,it can get stale, so finding ways to switch between themperiodically can keep a game fresh. These three settingsare not necessarily all-inclusive, but they do representsome of the unique challenges and opportunities that astoryteller can find as they build their game.of plot development. Make sure that there are featuresand events in the wilderness travel that catch theplayer’s attention and encourage them to keep exploring.Out of place land-marks, the glitter and promise oftreasure or danger, the remains of failed travelers,or the lurking presence of dangerous and hiddenmonsters can all be ways to keep a wilderness gamefresh and interesting, without losing the pacing of a story.While it can be tempting just to skip straight to thenext city or arrive neatly at a destination, providing aseries of encounters in a wilderness or travel settingcan add interest, meaning, and depth to the player’sjourney, rather than seemingly teleporting from pointA to point B.DUNGEON CRAWLINGCrawling through caves or the foul reaches of dungeonsis probably the most direct and simple environmentsto run. As a fairly linear experience, characters progressthrough rooms and floors of a dungeon, encounteringtraps, monsters, pitfalls, dead-ends and locked doors,one by one. The dungeon crawl is in some ways thedistillation of the role-playing game experience, a stringof challenges on the way to a final end-goal. It fits inat any stage of the plot process, or can be an entirecampaign, in and of itself.WILDERNESS AND TRAVELThe dungeon crawl is not the only venue for arole-playing game, however, and often people haveto leave home in order to get where they want to be.A wilderness game presents a much different setof challenges than a dungeon crawl, among whichare getting lost, dealing with bandits and otherwandering groups, and the occasional monster.Even basic survival, finding food and water, can bea challenge in this environment.Wilderness games can be more challenging to run wellthan other games. Filling the vast spaces with enoughcontent to be interesting can be hard, and pacing in suchan open environment is also very difficult. In order toprevent this kind of a game from becoming tedious, it isimportant to remember the hook and exploration stagesURBAN ADVENTURESomewhere between the linearity of the dungeon andthe wide-open options of the wilderness game, a citypresents a wide range of options and encounters for aparty, but within a relatively limited context. The citygame is perfect for the exploration of hidden plots,building contacts and gathering information.When done well, the urban adventure gives theplayers full reign to explore their environment andgives great depth to the game world.It is hard to over-prepare a city environment. At leasta dozen characters, locations, and minor encountersshould be available just in case the players try to explorethat area of the city or need a contact with some specificexpertise. Guards, rogues, merchants, aristocracy andruling bodies can all be important icons for a citycampaign, in addition to many other characters that cangive the city more depth. A storyteller who is preparedwith a wide variety of information will find that theirplayers are better able to engage in the environmentand make the most of what is available.City and building maps can be very useful, both inproviding reference points for the players, and to trackinformation for the storyteller as well.As a final note for urban adventures, it is also importantthat each city or town be at least somewhat unique.No two cities develop in exactly the same way, and eachcity should have its own style in terms of landmarks,culture, and economics, and each city or town experienceshould be a little different than the last.188