Organizing a Continuing Campaign

Even more complex (and more
interesting) than a full-scale adventure
is a series of adventures involving the
same characters. This is called a cam-
paign. If a single adventure is the
equivalent of a novel, a campaign is an
epic trilogy – the kind that is still going
after seven books!
A campaign consists of one adven-
ture after another – or possibly several
overlapping adventures at once. Each
adventure may take many sessions to
resolve. The GM decides what goes on
in the game world in between game
sessions – and especially between
adventures. Important NPCs go about
their own affairs. Wars, weather, poli-
tics, and trade can go on in the “back-
ground” of the campaign, giving rise
to new adventures. Your players can
be a good source of suggestions . . .
and they will be tremendously pleased
if their adventures affect the “whole
world” in some way, whether they turn
aside a catastrophic war or simply
find a cure for the Queen’s wart.
A large campaign can have dozens
of players (not all playing at once!),
several cooperating GMs, planets
worth of mapped territory, and
hundreds of significant NPCs, from
kings and popes down to thieves and
beggars.