I have tons of ideas for a really great semi-long-term D&D campaign.
Someone come teach me how to write D&D campaigns.
@witchfynder_finder the most important thing is to write it in such a way that the players directly influence and change major parts of the story...
so instead of being like "and then the players save the city from the evil dragon" write "do the players succeed at saving the city? If they do, at what cost? If they don't, how does the story continue?"
@lizardsquid No, yeah, that kinda stuff I totally get. I like to think I'm pretty good at stories and such.
I just don't know how to take a story and turn it into a campaign. =P I'm reading the DMG as a starting point, but do you have suggestions for other resources for things like writing good encounters, combat or otherwise?
...not really, that's the part I suck at with D&D (and the reason why I run more story focused rpgs...)
sorry~
@witchfynder_finder I find it kinda helpful to look at adventures other people have written, and steal stuff from those?
I particularly look for Old School Renaissance adventures, because they're typically written in a slightly more system-agnostic way
@witchfynder_finder my number 1 piece of new-GM advice is: resist the temptation to get fancy at first. Like any craft, basic skills need practice.
Run a couple very short campaigns. Test your NPC rp'ing. Build an encounter, and fix it mid-combat when the balance fails. Adapt when players ignore or circumvent your plans. Practice clear, consistent description. Note that time management is hard, & ruling on the fly is harder. Tweak the system.
Then branch out into longer & more complex stories.
@lizardsquid That's okay~ I'm sure I'll find something. I'm just a perfectionist and have never run a game before so I want it to be perfect but don't know how to make it so =P