Campaign Briefs and Campaign Bibles

[joshuagoliath]

This is a tip MOSTLY aimed at beginner GMs, but, it has use for all of us. I've known some experienced GMs that got great use out of this tool once it was given to them (as it was given to me). This post will introduce the concept, then I'll continue it with the brief, and then the bible.

Somewhere in the grand scheme of things, a lot of us have campaign bibles and campaign briefs, but they are often a bit more disjointed and scattered. In fact, it would probably more accurate to say we have the CONTENTS, just not organized this way. I know that's how I was- then I was given this tool, and life became much better (at least at the gaming side).

It's important that the Bible and the Brief are two separate things, but they are linked, and go hand in hand. There are TONS of ways to format both of them, but, I'm going to use the way that's most effective for ME. YMMV, but, rarely does anyone need more than a small tweak to make it work well for them.

[joshuagoliath]

The Campaign Brief:

This is the key information a player should know when they create their character, and when they sit down for the first session. After all, "in game" their character doesn't just suddenly come into existence at that moment.

"What level are we starting at?" "What races are allowed?" "What Classes are off limits?" "Which books can we use to make our characters?" "What kind of equipment are we allowed to buy?"

Those are all questions the players ask when getting ready to start a campaign. It's great if everyone is gathered to create their characters, but otherwise, the GM can end up answering these questions over and over again. Enter the Campaign Brief.

I've attached a campaign brief I wrote up as an example to look at.

There are a few basic guidelines.
1) Short is good. 5 pages is the absolute max you want to go. If you go beyond that, eyes will gloss over and stuff will be missed by the players. 2-3 is the "norm". If you can get it to 1, you're doing GREAT!

2) Relevance is key. Take the Forgotten Realms setting. Your Brief doesn't need to include the history of the whole world. It needs to be about where the PCs ARE, and what they NEED/SHOULD know as major things. Again, using the Realms, "The Time of Troubles just ended in the past 5 years" is something that can affect the players (especially a cleric type), and they should know, because it's a major point that is recent. "A cult dedicated to Baphomet has started growing on an island off the east coast of Faerun" doesn't belong- especially if the PCs are on the west coast.

3) Clarity is transparent. Technical terms that aren't important should be avoided. If you're playing on a custom world, don't specify that the clouds are cumulonimbus and not cirrostratus. Do the PCs need to know? Heck, do the PCs understand the difference?! "The sky is constantly cloudy" is MUCH better, unless you're gaming with a  meteorologist. And even then, give him/her "the look", and say "it's clouds. Does your PC have a degree in cloud studying? Or in shooting/swinging a sword?" (Yes, I've had to do that to a player. And yes, he WAS a meteorologist). If there is something specific to your world, define it. You can have the word Arcspiel all through your brief, but it does no good if the PCs don't know that it's the source of all magical power on the planet.

4) Bold, italics, all caps, and highlighting are ways to draw eyes to certain things. Personally, I don't use bold or italics too much. I tend to use highlighting to separate sections, and all caps for important things.


What goes in it?
1) The (very brief) synopsis of what got the players HERE, NOW. If there's a "theme" to the campaign. Important aspects to the campaign.

2) Answer the questions before they're asked. In order to do this, you have to ask yourself what questions will be asked. Don't overthink it- you'll end up with a 20 page Brief. And that's not brief. But don't underthink it either. Put yourselves in the players shoes. What needs to be known? Starting level, starting equipment/wealth, what books, what method for rolling stats, races and levels allowed/disallowed. Those are some of the commons, but nobody knows your players gaming as well as you, the GM.

3) Specifics for the settings. If I'm running a PF game, I might list any changes to religious rules, or the Deities. I'd list any changes to RAW (Rules as Written). If I require that Priests choose ONE god, and not a pantheon, that gets included. Also, I give the location we're starting, as well as key locals and key places in town. This last part is, of course, dependent upon the characters knowing. If the players don't know where they are, I'm not going to include it. If the players just arrived, and haven't been told anything about the town, they don't know who the locals are or where anything important is.

Attachments:

Rebuilding Campaign Brief.docx (20.74 KB)

[joshuagoliath]

So, we've seen the Campaign Brief. That's all that's needed, right?

Yes. And no. But yes.

The Brief is your launching point. It's the outline of where we're starting from. But, what about all the stuff that happens? What about the 50967 NPCs the PCs encounter? What about that time they visited the Mustached Dragon Tavern, and broke all that furniture? Or was that the Toupee'd Tarrasque Tavern? How do I keep it all straight?!

Enter your Campaign Bible. The Brief was your first steps, into the unknown- the Bible is your record of where you've been.

Things to get (and approximate prices):

QTY   Item
2         1 inch binder ($2 each)
1         2 inch binder ($5)- you can wait on this. But you'll want it eventually. As the campaign grows, so does the bible.
2-3      1/2 inch binders ($1.50 each)
    For the binders, I SUGGEST D-Rings... they're a bit more expensive, but generally worth it, IMO. But then, I know people who swear by round ring. Personal choice.
          Document protectors. Find them on sale. Plan on reusing them. Buy them used- if they're a bit "bleh", it's ok. Hell, if they're a LOT "bleh", it's ok. Price varies wildly by quality. You can get a pack of 100 decent quality ones for about $7. I suggest 100-200, but you can start with 50, and add more as you go (it's easier on the wallet)
          Dry erase markers (the thin ones), or map markers. Personally, I like the lumocolor markers and an eraser marker. You can get a 4-pack for about $6, plus $2 for an eraser pen.
          Tabbed dividers. You can get a 5 pack for less than $0.75, or the A-Z set for about $4. You're going to want at least 10, but if your campaign is going to a lot of places, you'll want a lot more.
 

Now, some of you might have seen the list of binders, and say "Oh boy, how bad is this going to be?". Don't worry, it's not that bad. We're going to start off with a 1 inch, and gradually move up to the 2 inch. The half-inch are going to be a mixture of things. Stay with me, and remember the Rule #1- DON'T PANIC! When you see an item marked with *, it means we're going to see that item again. EVERYTHING will have at LEAST 2 copies. That's why we have 2 of the 1 inch binders.

Whatever you do, remember- the Players should have access to the Bible. DO NOT put anything "GMs eyes only" in it!! (that's why we have those small binders!)
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So, what do we want in our Bible? Well, the very first thing we want is- our Campaign Brief. After that, the order mostly flexible. But, I'm going to tell you the order I have.
1) The Campaign Brief
2) All house rules, and "rules clarifications"- both those from the start, and those that come up during the campaign. This way, we can keep it consistent.
3) World features: Calendar, with holidays (and moon phases, eclipses, etc) marked is GREAT. After all, those things CAN be important. Brief history of the world (as it's known). How about an international tensions level mention? Has Byzantium captured a Western Empire spy? Are the two naval powers getting ready to duke it out across the seas? How about that Duchy that is trying to break off from Timiro? Things specific to your setting and campaign, that are of BIG PICTURE importance, and known.
4*) The PCs. Here, I have 2 copies of each. One is a copy from when we started, then I usually make a copy every other level or so. This is so that you know, at least roughly, what your PCs are capable of, when you plan adventures.
5) World/Region/Area maps. These are the "bigger picture" maps.
5A*) Places synopsis- this is a short 1 page (maybe 2 pages) brief about a town/city/etc that the PCs have been through, or know a lot about. It isn't about the layout- that goes with maps. It's more of population size (and races); local attitudes towards clergy, magic, psychics, other races, etc; main local business; major export/import; who's the mayor, city council, etc; dungeons/caves/monsters in the area (and how they affect the town); that sort of thing. You don't need to stat out any people- just a line or two about them (as far as the general world knows). This is also where you put notes of events at these places (see previous comment about breaking furniture at a tavern)
5B*) Maps, with references. A world map is nice, in case your group goes on a long trip. But, more important are town and region maps. How long will it take us to walk from Town A to Village F? Is it 2 kilometers? 10 miles? You want that area/regional map. You also want to have a (at least rough) map of various towns PCs visit, with key locations marked. Nothing messes with heads more than the Tavern changing locations every time you come back to town, because the GM forgot where he put it.
5C*) People. Who did you say was the mayor of Spittle? These are the named or mentioned NPCs, but don't really deeply interact with the PCs routinely. The local drunk, the mayor, the town crier, the gravedigger, all get mentions here. 1-2 lines is all, just enough so that when they encounter that same person later, you run it the same way.
5D*) People. The ones that the PCs will actually deal with enough (and deep enough) that you want them statted out. The merchant who they always visit, the dwarf blacksmith that works on stuff, the members of the thieves guild they interact with. That sort of character

Now, 5B-D are broken down by 5 % 5A. So all the people for the Village of Spittle should be behind Spittle's spot in 5A. All the people from the Town of Thoot should be behind Thoot's spot in 5A. So your binder will go 5-5A-B-C-D, 5A-B-C-D, 5A-B-C-D, 5-5A-B-C-D, 5A-B-C-D, 5A-B-C-D, rinse and repeat as needed.
Spittle Synopsis, Map, People, People. Thoot Synopsis, Map, People, People. ETC.... Also, if you're playing a far ranging campaign, I find it helpful to order them by region. For example, in a PF campaign that goes all over the world.. I'd have a world map. Then an Eastern Territory map, followed by a map of the Western Disputed Lands. Behind that, I'd have all my towns/cities/etc that are in the western disputed lands. Then I'd do a section for the Eastern Disputed Lands, and all the places in there. I'd do all of the ET regions, then I'd go and do a section for the Wolfen Empire, Timiro, etc etc etc. BUT ONLY DOING THE AREAS MY PLAYERS ARE GOING TO NEED TO DEAL WITH. If the entire campaign is going to be in the Wolfen Empire, I'm only going to do the Great Northern Wilderness, and maybe a bit of the "edge" areas, like the Shadow Coast (if I foresee interaction there).

If you're one of those people that has the money to burn, feel free to use a 1/2 inch binder for each region. That makes it a LOT easier to organize and manage, but can get expensive. After a few years of doing all this, you'll have the extra binders (maybe).


6) STUFF- Major plot items, famous artifacts, specialty tools, custom items, etc. Note: If you don't expect it to be in (or at least influence) your campaign, don't include it. There's no point in putting out Fire Orb of Gonzgor into the bible if it's not going to have some bearing on the game. Remember, players see this stuff. Don't taunt them.

7) Conquests- As each adventure along the way is finished, a synopsis of the adventure, as well as the end results (and affects on regions and the world) should be slipped in here. This is as much about what everything the PCs have done as it is about the world as a whole. Some GMs put the "entire" adventure in here as it's completed.


Keep in mind that as your campaign goes along, your Bible will grow. New towns and people get added. New items will be discovered (or created). PCs may come and go. New rules clarifications will be discussed, or possibly rules created. New conquests will happen.

When we start, everything will fit easily in a 1 inch, possibly even a 1/2 inch. But, when you get a good, LONG campaign, you'll need that two inch. I've even seen a single campaign that spanned *4* 3inch binders... Granted, that same "campaign" was more "world campaign", going on for almost 20 years, players coming and going, PCs dying, retiring, getting replaced, etc...
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Now, remember how we had 2 of the 1inch binders, and I said EVERYTHING would have two copies? Copy #1- for the players access. Copy #2- GM's private copy. This is where you slip in the secret parts. You can mark dungeons on the maps, you can mark where that buried treasure is.... you can write down that the Mayor of Spittle is actually a demon-worshipper... The secret powers of that magic item. The fact that the magic item gives a bit of power to a Deevil Lord each time it's used... Backroom deals, behind the scenes goings-on... all of that goes into your GM copy. 

Add to the GM copy section 8) Disposables- these are your disposable NPCs that you're not even going to name- your guards, your bandits, the orcs, etc... Stat as little or as much as needed for each one.

Now, those 1/2 inch binders are now going to get some use.

Binder 1) A copy of the maps and town stuff. What I like to do is make little "packets" of each region, and slip them into 1-2 document protectors (per packet). That way, I have a "disposable" copy of each area. This is a copy that can be marked up, written on, soda spilled on, etc. It's also a ready copy if you are going to run a game at someone else's house.

Binder 2) The next or ongoing adventure. This way, you, the GM, have it in YOUR hands, ready to go. And it's "there" but not IN the Bible.

Binder 3) This is your "as I need it" binder. Ideas. Treasure plans. Notes and thoughts. ETC. Completely optional binder, but useful.
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Now, the campaign is over.. the Villain is dead, the world is safe, the PCs are all retiring... what now?

First, make a copy of anything you want to use in your next campaign, and set it aside for your new campaign binder. Take everything out of your half inch binders, and slip some dividers into your big 2 inch, to sort out what stuff came from which binder. Then, slip it all in there. That way, should you ever decide to run that campaign again, you have the binder "mostly" made- you just got to brush off some stuff and clean it up for a new group.

[Adam of The Old Kingdom]

I was in a campaign were a player was to write an in character journal entry about the last session. we had it bound and made all pretty.

[Jaymz]

I like this. I already do something similar when I look to start a game and plan on using all my house rules. I print them off or email them to the players.

[joshuagoliath]

A LOT of us do something similar. This is primarily about two things- formatting (putting it all together), and additional stuff that's good to have.

At the same time, it kind of points out the extra stuff that we DON'T need. How many GMs have written a 5 page "background" for a campaign or adventure, 90% of which has NOTHING to do with the PCs or what the actual campaign is? We get wrapped up in extra background, or in world history, etc... stuff that isn't going to matter.

Also, this is a great thing for a NEW(ish) GM to learn about.. if you're learning everything by trial and error, it's nice to get some pointers.

[damianmagecraft]

Jan 22, 2014 16:38:44 GMT joshuagoliath said:

A LOT of us do something similar. This is primarily about two things- formatting (putting it all together), and additional stuff that's good to have.

At the same time, it kind of points out the extra stuff that we DON'T need. How many GMs have written a 5 page "background" for a campaign or adventure, 90% of which has NOTHING to do with the PCs or what the actual campaign is? We get wrapped up in extra background, or in world history, etc... stuff that isn't going to matter.

Also, this is a great thing for a NEW(ish) GM to learn about.. if you're learning everything by trial and error, it's nice to get some pointers.

yeah if they bother to listen to the pointers.

[joshuagoliath]

All we can do is give them the tools. It's on the individual to use them. But, even if PLAYERS see this, they may go "This is COOL!" and point it out to the GM, and work WITH the GM to make & update them