How deep do you go when building out your campaigns? (piefed.ca)

submitted 3 weeks ago by Gyangrene@piefed.ca to c/rpg@ttrpg.network

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Curious to know how other GMs go about designing and filling out their campaigns with different material like items, NPCs, locations, etc. I've traditionally gone very deep and sometimes even granular (much to my own detriment because I bite off more than I can chew sometimes), and try to build out enough material to establish the setting and make everyone feel "unique" to the campaign setting.

What do you find works best for you? How deep do you like to go when building out the setting and materials? Are there any specific elements you focus more on as opposed to others?

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[-] Ziggurat@jlai.lu 1 points 3 weeks ago

I think the Gm-section of Kult divinity lost is pretty great, as it explains you how to build a mind-map for your metaplot and how to use PBTA mechanics to make the plot move in the background.

Now what I practically do is outiline the main theme and the reccuring NPC, then rely a lot on what the PC want to do and how they act to see how it develops. There is no point in writing long texts nor planning too much in advance when the PC will break everything by killing the wrong person

this post was submitted on 12 Feb 2026

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