Last time we discussed settings in duet sagas. This time we’re going to discuss the campaign, or the story of a PC. The campaign really isn’t something specifically laid out like the setting, story arcs, or adventures. It’s the process of mentally organizing and juggling these elements to set the stage for the PC’s journey. It is important to note that a campaign evolves and may encompass numerous phases that emphasize different themes and aspects of the setting. For example, imagine you are running a Star Trek campaign. During this campaign, the PC might begin at Starfleet Academy, progress to her first assignment on a starship, and then to another assignment on a starbase. Just by location alone this would be three different phases of the campaign but then imagine if at some point there’s a war with the Romulans; this could be a phase as well. The point here is that with duets the concept of a campaign is a fluid one that might be constantly changing. The narrator shouldn’t fight this but should follow the path set by the PC and how the actions of the PC influence the setting and story arcs. This brings us to an important point.

Campaign = Character

I can't state this enough - the campaign is about the PC. Consider the PC the star of the story but a star who can’t be replaced and if that star leaves the show, then the show is over. Thus you need to make the PC, and by extension the player, happy. This doesn’t mean you make everything easy and remove defeat from the campaign, it just means that the narrator needs to keep focused on making the campaign entertaining. What this means varies for every player, but I will also say the player should remember that the narrator has put in a lot of work so the player has a responsibility to try to explore and engage with the world the narrator has created. If both come halfway. then it’s amazing how things work.

Now, you really can’t design a campaign until you have a PC. Yes, typically a duet saga begins with the narrator suggesting a system, setting, and idea but it’s when the PC is agreed upon that things truly begin. This is the part of the process when some narrators get freaked out and frustrated, including myself at times. When narrating a group, the narrator has a lot of freedom to decide things but since duets are focused on the PC, there’s required a lot of compromising and conforming of ideas. I’ve mentioned before many times the necessity of this back and forth with duets, but I think that this time I’m going to suggest some ways for how you can better communicate your ideas to your duet partner.

1. Listen. If you want to convince someone that your idea is good then you have to know what they want. If you’re the narrator, try to ask your player what they’re in the mood for BEFORE you pitch a new duet saga. Try to figure out if there is a setting, system, or character type the player is interested in that you can use as a foundation of your idea. If you’re the player, listen to what the narrator says when pitching his idea for a duet saga. If the narrator keeps mentioning war, magic, and so forth then these are key terms and concepts he really wants to explore. If both duet partners are willing to incorporate the other’s desires it makes the process not only easier but gives you more room for other ideas. So if the player is interested in a feudal fantasy campaign then the narrator can adjust his sci-fi concept to encompass a feudal-style government and some fantasy elements.

2. Honesty. This applies to yourself. If you’re the narrator and you really want to have the PC out blowing things up and killing hordes of enemies then you should say so, but if the player proposes an idea that’s different but you suspect could be fun then take that option. This is the same for the player. If you’re not in the mood for a political intrigue campaign, then express that but if you wouldn’t mind a mystery every now and then you should express that as well.

3. Articulate. This is so important. I have found that players and narrators don’t really try to “sell” their ideas to the other person. Well, narrators do actually really sell their ideas; it’s more often the players who don’t try to sell their character. You do this by connecting your concept of a PC to the vision of the narrator, which you do by linking the character to potential adventure and story-arc ideas you could imagine as part of the narrator’s vision. If a player makes a serious effort to sell their PC to the narrator I think this would resolve a lot of player-narrator disconnects. I seem to spend a lot of time going over compromising and communication. This is because this is the one area I seem to still struggle with after countless campaigns. At this stage both myself and my regular players have become picky and are often looking for something new. This is fine but it makes things difficult. Generally, narrators and players at a point get caught up in this strange phase where they want something “new” but also want to do things like they always have. Roleplaying is still fun and everyone had a good time it just takes a lot more effort to get things started.

Evolution of a Campaign

Developing a campaign is really all about developing a framework. A campaign is made up of story arcs and adventures that fit into the setting. A useful way to view campaigns is the process of juggling themes. You don’t really design a campaign, it’s more about harmonizing the themes that both player and narrator want from the setting and story arcs. Themes can range from war to exploration and other common types of adventures and campaigns to more subtle themes like character growth, faith, love, and so on. The most important thing to remember is that it’s a fluid process and campaigns evolve over time.

At the beginning of a campaign the narrator introduces the world and gives the PC a chance to find herself. No character concept survives contact with a campaign just as no campaign concept survives the introduction of the PC. Once the player starts roleplaying and interacting with the world, everything changes. This is one reason I support the tweaking of a character after a few sessions; if necessary make some significant changes to the PC to better reflect the actual character the player is playing. Remember the character sheet reflects the character, not the other way around. During the beginning of a campaign the narrator should toss out a little of everything and see what clicks with the PC and player; I find it wise to consider them as two separate entities. After the beginning part of a campaign you slide into various segments that represent phases in the story of a PC. If the narrator can keep adapting the campaign to both the evolution of the setting and the interests of the player then you’re going to have a successful duet.

One problem I get myself into all the time is over-committing to a story arc or theme. Let’s say I spend several adventures foreshadowing a civil war and finally spring it upon the campaign. It will now dominate the theme and story arcs for awhile but it doesn’t click with the PC or player in any fashion. Sometimes a campaign evolves in a direction that doesn’t work. My caveat here is that if you think things aren’t working then flip things on their head and go off in a new direction. You don’t necessarily have to end something, like the civil war, you merely have to point the PC in a new direction. Now there are some players who are more than content to dive deep into a story arc and with these players a narrator rarely goes wrong. If you have one of these players feel blessed but most are somewhat fickle. Let’s look at a few good tricks for managing successful campaigns.

Successful Tricks

1. Balance. Juggle everything and make sure you don’t favor one element over another. If you are flooding the player with handouts about the setting but neglecting adventure design then your campaign will struggle. Aim for the complete package as a narrator.

2. Aim for the PC but Hit the Player. When crafting and adapting a campaign you are working through the actions and reactions of the PC but you have to keep in mind the player. Yes, the PC may be a fantastic warrior but maybe the player isn’t in the mood for lots of tactical gaming. This is frustrating for narrators who can’t parse out the PC from the player. Sure the adventure you designed may be perfect for the PC’s abilities but that doesn’t mean the player will enjoy it. It’s odd but I see this happen a lot.

3. The PC is the Star. Let the PC be awesome. Let the PC make real decisions. Just remember that the PC is the center of the universe and don’t fight that urge. This doesn’t mean the PC always wins, is all powerful, and so forth - it just means you need to remember that the PC is the star of the show. She can’t be replaced so without her the show ends - in other words make sure the PC and the player are happy. This varies. Some players like things on the hard setting and some the easy setting so figure that out and it falls into place.

4. Mix It Up. The best duet campaigns really have a little bit of everything. They can have romance, conflict, intrigues, mystery, humor, and so forth and so on. That said, be cautious when introducing a new element and don’t go overboard. If you’re running a tactical orientated campaign and all of a sudden toss in a multi-adventure political intrigue story arc it might be too much. Most campaigns have a style of play that dominates and you should keep this front and center unless you get a lot of positive signs from the players.

5. Pacing is Everything. Stuff needs to happen, the world needs to move forward. Don’t hesitate to elevate the PC’s status such as with promotions, rewards, and so forth. Don’t fret about decisions of the PC that change things significantly like marriage or chasing off after some tangential goal. This is just how it works. So you don’t want things to move too quickly but you also don’t want things to stall. My general rule is to look at the actions of the PC. If the PC is acting like you would expect someone with greater importance would act then elevate the PC. Keep the story moving. This is the same with relationships, families, and so on. Admittedly, this might get you backed in a corner at some point but the trick is forward momentum.

6. Move Forward. Like with pacing you need to keep moving but sometimes you can just declare the passage of time. I’ve skipped forward months and even years in a duet when it seem appropriate. This is a great trick to jumpstarting a campaign that might be bogging down a little. Leap forward in time and see the results of the PC’s actions.

7. Experiment. I am a firm advocate of solid execution but I also do believe a little experimentation is a good idea from time to time. I think that if you try something different every ten or so adventures it’s no big deal and can be a lot of fun. The main rule is to inform the player you have something different coming up. Something different could mean the player runs a NPC from the campaign in an adventure or maybe it’s a flashback, time travel, or other unusual scenario. Maybe it’s just an entirely different adventure from the style of the campaign.

8. Build On the Good. Campaigns grow and develop and when you can liken past NPCs and adventures to the current ones it adds a lot of depth and meaning. This also allows you to recycle material. If a location or NPC clicks with the player then bring it back later on for another adventure or maybe make them more permanent features to the campaign. On the other side of the coin, if something falls flat then let it die a quiet death. So if a NPC superior you thought was awesome ends up underwhelming everyone then jettison him for someone new.

9. Don’t Fret the Bad. Stuff will fail. It can’t be helped: some adventures will be bad, some story arcs lame, and ideas you thought were brilliant will most assuredly fail to impress. It is easy to fixate on the bad. Imagine an adventure that is 80% solid, 10% good, and 10% bad. What do you focus on? Myself I fixate on the good and bad, which is a little foolish because it’s the 80% solid that really matters. Consider it this way. The bad is something you can quickly recognize and probably realize what went wrong so why dwell on it? The good is reassuring and worth focusing on but it’s the 80% solid that really matters - this is what you want to both maintain and improve. Narrating is always a work in progress so don’t get hung up on the bad as that isn’t worth the worry; positive reinforcement is better than negative reinforcement and this applies to yourself as well as the other.

10. Have Fun. So here is where I will contradict some of what I said earlier. The goal is to have fun. If fun for you is spending hours developing a functional lunar-solar calendar and cosmological system for your campaign setting then you should do that. My only caveat is that you mustn't sacrifice other elements of the campaign for that work. Another point is that when a campaign is no longer fun you should probably wrap it up. Definitely you might try salvaging it but the goal is fun and I’m certain you can develop a new campaign as good as the last one. Okay that’s enough for this month.