Welcome to the world of Game Mastering! With the Free Range RPG Campaign Builder, written by the esteemed author Amy Kaplan, you are about to embark on an exciting journey of creating your own homebrew campaign. This companion book will guide you through the process, providing essential pages to document and develop your unique gaming world. Whether you're a seasoned GM or a newcomer, this campaign builder is here to support and inspire you.
Begin your creative adventure with the Brainstorming page, where you can let your imagination run wild and jot down the high-level details of your campaign. Don't worry about getting it perfect-just let your ideas flow. The prompts provided will assist you in this process, ensuring you cover all the essential aspects.
Next, turn your attention to The World pages, where you can summarize the overarching world your players will explore. Include a calendar if necessary, and use the space to sketch out rough maps that will grow and evolve as your campaign progresses. Remember, you don't need to fill in all the details at the beginning; allow the world to unfold organically.
Move on to What Do My Players Need to Know for Character Creation. Define the rules and guidelines for character creation in your system, including information about gods, races, languages, and allowed classes. Clarify whether multiclassing is permitted and determine the starting level for your players.
Transition to the Local Settings section, where you'll establish the foundation of the campaign. Describe the system of government, influential factions, and their leaders. Include enough detail to vividly portray the world to your players, and don't forget to add common resources such as merchants and inns. Sketch rough outlines of the locales on the Map section as needed.
Once you've filled in those pages, revisit the Campaign Summary-a concise "cheat sheet" providing key points about your campaign on a single page. Note any relevant sourcebooks, page numbers, NPCs, allies, and adversaries, especially those that require your own creation.
The NPC and Adversary pages offer prompts to help you flesh out important non-player characters and adversaries. Describe their appearance, backstory, and role in the campaign. Consider if stats are necessary or if they will primarily serve as roleplaying encounters.
Utilize the Adversary List and NPC List to track the adversaries and NPCs your party encounters, noting important details like locations and interactions.
Create captivating Mysteries and Scenarios-questlines that propel your players through the adventure. Remember, players often forge their own path, so offer multiple solutions to problems and avoid railroading them.
If your campaign requires special items, head to the Loot Page to document and design them. From unique weapons to peculiar artifacts, let your creativity shine.
The book includes pages for Random Events, Traps & Puzzles, and even a Player Character section to record important details about your players' characters. Feel free to incorporate their backstories into the campaign, utilizing the provided Back Stories pages.
Lastly, take advantage of the Note pages at the end for additional space to jot down any extra information or ideas.
Armed with the Free Range RPG Campaign Builder, you're now equipped to craft immersive and thrilling adventures for your players. So gather your dice, gather your friends, and let the storytelling begin. May your journeys be filled with endless possibilities and natural 20s aplenty!
Amy Kaplan was born in Chicago, Illinois. She has lived in Illinois, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Kentucky, Maryland, Louisiana, Texas and Australia. Amy is the mother of five and grandmother of two children. Amy considers her family and friends to be most important to her. If she isn't spending time playing games with her friends and family, you can almost always find her around her two cats, Polly and Calgary. Author of eagerly awaited and whimsical children's books often based on old folk tales; Amy is also the author of a number of gaming aids for role-players.
