The following is a simple, step by step overview of the necessary campaign development framework. It is intended to be flexible, and descriptive of steps that involve varying degrees of cooperation between the GM and the players. Depending on the campaign, the GM may wish to allow the desires and activities of the PCs to dictate most or all of the details and course of the game. Points I-IV are only for gamemasters who wish to build a campaign world from scratch. If you already have a suitable world setting such as Earthdawn then skip to Point V. Start the Players with a Rich Background.

1. CHOOSE A PRACTICAL SETTING WHICH INTERESTS YOU

2. ASSEMBLE MATERIALS

3. DESIGN THE CAMPAIGN SETTING
   1. Designs should flow from the general to the specific. Construct the general parameters first, and then build specific concepts using the general framework. The design of a world setting would progress as follows:
      1. The World
         1. Gods, the Cosmos, and the World
         2. Physical Landscape
            1. Land
            2. Water
         3. Climate
      2. The Inhabitants
         1. Plants
         2. Animals
            1. Wild Beasts
            2. Monsters
            3. Social Beings
      3. The Cultures
         1. The Dynamics of Setting and Culture
         2. Elements of Culture
            1. Physical Resources
            2. Subsistence Patterns
            3. Values and Kinstrife
            4. Language
            5. Religion, Myths, and Histories
            6. Technology
            7. Class Specialization / Social Structure
            8. Art, Architecture, and Symbolism
            9. Politics and Warfare
               
            10. Peculiar Elements
                
         3. Sedentary Cultures
            
         4. Nomadic Cultures
      4. The Events
         
         1. The Dynamics of Politics and Culture
            
         2. Natural Events
            
         3. Political Events
            
      5. The Non-Player Characters
         
         1. The Dynamics of People and Events
            
         2. The Dynamics of Individuals and Culture
            
         3. General Figures of Note
            
         4. Specific Figures of Note
   2. The Player Characters. Find people you can deal with individually and as a group, even for long periods of time.
      1. Explain the nature of the game rules to be used.
         
         1. Published Roleplaying systems.
            
         2. General and specific guidelines adopted by the Gamemaster.
      2. Explain the "house rules" regarding the conduct of the players and the nature of their relationship with the Gamemaster while the game is in progress.

4. FIND A SUITABLE SPOT AND ADEQUATE AIDS FOR RUNNING THE GAME

5. START THE PLAYERS WITH A RICH BACKGROUND
   1. Ask each player about their desires for their character. Maintaining reason and play balance, attempt to incorporate them into their PC background.
   2. Based on the player's wishes, game needs, and the PCS race and profession, help choose an appropriate cultural background for the PC.
      
      1. Give the PC a handout or talk about their cultural roots, and the manner of their folk.
         
      2. Inform the PC of any overall goals or problems associated with their culture.
   3. Build a specific past for the PC.
      
      1. Discuss an family background, taking note of any adventures connected with family members.
         
      2. Discuss the early goals and activities of the PC.
         
         1. Adventures
            
         2. Schooling
            
            1. Language
               
            2. Formal skill development
               
         3. Hobbies or informal skill development
      3. Allow for PC possessions. The GM may wish to provide certain items and/or give the PCs the opportunity to pick a certain mix of general or specific items according to desire. In the latter case, the GM might provide a list or lists of items, apparel, and cash, and allow the PCs a set number of choices.
         
         1. Possessions common to the PCs race or culture.
            
         2. Items acquired which are related to the PCs profession.
            
         3. Heirlooms.
            
         4. Cash and items purchased with cash before the game commences.
      4. Be clear about things the player wishes to keep secret.

6. START THE GAME WITH A MANAGEABLE YET CHALLENGING ADVENTURE
   
   1. Gather the PCs together.
      
      1. Provide an encounter or series of encounters which bring the PCS together as one or more groups
         
         1. Give each PC a tale of how they came to the place where the campaign starts.
            
         2. Start them in one or more common places.
            
            1. At an inn or tavern, inquiring about work, wealth, or someone sought.
               
            2. As prisoners attempting to escape.
               
            3. On a ship or caravan.
               
            4. As their people's representatives in a given place.
               
            5. At a contest or fair.
               
            6. As disaster victims, such as a refugees or survivors of a ship wreck.
               
            7. As slaves.
               
         3. Get clear any long or short-term goals each PC may have at the time the game begins.
      2. Allow for any common goal or goals which might keep them together
   2. Based on the area and the PC group's desires and stated goals, construct a variety of adventure options with which to start the campaign.

7. EMPLOY A FRAMEWORK FOR CREATING ADVENTURE OPTIONS DURING THE COURSE OF THE GAME
   1. Generally, the more often you adventure in or refer to an area, the greater the need for detail. Since time is limited, construct areas based on game need, and flesh out vague regions when the need arises. The higher the probability of an area's use, the more you should fill in the associated framework.
      
      1. Develop a picture of the possible alternatives the PC group may have.
         
         1. Where are they?
            
         2. Given the best resources, how far can they reasonably travel?
            
         3. What direction(s) will they most likely take?
            
            1. What goals, if any, do they have?
               
            2. Are they operating with any specific clues or information which might direct them somewhere?
      2. Based on the alternatives and basic game considerations, determine high priority, medium priority, and low priority areas of game development.
         
         1. Map out and develop high priority areas. These regions need to be quickly and carefully detailed. In descending order of need:
            
            1. Areas where the PCs begin.
               
            2. Relatively close areas where the PCs plan to spend a lot of time.
               
            3. Regions adjacent to the PC group's location which have a reasonable chance of being entered by the players.
               
         2. Should time permit you should try to construct:
            
            1. Areas of strategic importance which are complex in nature.
               
            2. Major routes in between.
               
         3. Sketch out medium priority areas. These areas need to have general outlines: maps, cultural notes, basic patterns of settlement and politics.
            
         4. Note the general world framework regarding low priority areas.
   2. Attempt to use the regional maps and guidelines as a means of framing details of an area the PCs enter or explore.
      
      1. Base specific maps on the land and climate found on the world and regional maps.
         
      2. Base encounters on plants, animals, twp deployment, political and cultural activity, and settlement patterns, etc.
         
         1. Daily life and political events will dictate where peoples and creatures normally are.
            
         2. The inhabitants will respond to excitement, and will act accordingly.
   3. The overall world setting will provide a general guideline in nearly every circumstance where more specific detail is unavailable. Where an incredible surprise or lack of time somehow forces the GM to create without some framework, a spontaneous creation might be necessary. In such a case, two choices are best pursued:
      
      1. End the game session in order to avoid an overwhelming, contrived random response.
         
      2. Using maps and charts detailing probabilities based on activity and visibility factors, provide for standard encounters based on locale and circumstance.
         
         1. Natural obstacles (e.g., storms or traverses).
            
         2. Animal attacks.
            
         3. Bandit attacks.
            
         4. Patrols.
            
         5. Local places of interest (e.g., tombs, abandoned border forts, etc.)
      3. Use common sense and unbridled luck (a dice roll) to create a random event of a modest nature.

8. END THE CAMPAIGN WITH AN APPROPRIATE ADVENTURE
   1. "Quest" or goal-oriented games might have an explosive climax which determines the success or failure of the campaign. Any rewards and benefits might follow.
   2. Campaigns oriented toward complete independent action and detached adventuring might end with the breakup of the group, possibly after a particularly fine fight.

9. PROVIDE THE PLAYERS WITH POST-CAMPAIGN NOTES ON THEIR CHARACTERS

Earthdawn is a Registered Trademark of FASA Corporation. Original Earthdawn material Copyright 1994 by FASA Corporation. All Rights Reserved. Used without permission. Any use of FASA Corporation's copyrighted material or trademarks in this file should not be viewed as a challenge to those copyrights or trademarks.Except where otherwise noted, all other original material is Copyright 1997-99 by L.A. Pride, Bill Hayden, Josh Young, and Chris Brumley.