Getting Back In The Game, So To Speak
So here I am, 55 years old and it has been a long time since I played regularly in an RPG campaign, and even longer since I ran one as GM. This has to be changed.
A Veritable Cavalcade of Options
The key elements of any campaign I run will have to be fun and appeal. Fun, because if it isn’t fun why do it? Appeal, because I would like to attract some good players and hold on to them. These two key elements will be primary considerations in deciding other factors:
- Genre
- Game System
- Number of players
- Group Structure
- Location
Genre
What genre should the game take on? There is always good ol' sword and sorcery, in all its various sub-genres. Gritty fantasy, high fantasy—there are so many variations. Fantasy Noir. Epic or Mythic, based on either existing cultures or new invented ones. Most experienced players are comfortable with this one.
Something more technological? Science Fiction has an almost infinite range of varients: Steampunk, Dieselpunk, Near-Future, Post-Apocalypse Dystopia, Sword and Spaceship Planetary Romance. Straightforward Traveller.
Alternate History? Adventures based on 30s Pulp Magazines?
There are many that could be fun.
Something more technological? Science Fiction has an almost infinite range of varients: Steampunk, Dieselpunk, Near-Future, Post-Apocalypse Dystopia, Sword and Spaceship Planetary Romance. Straightforward Traveller.
Alternate History? Adventures based on 30s Pulp Magazines?
There are many that could be fun.
Game System
I do have my favorites. I like Chaosium’s Basic Role-Playing and its various relatives, like Runequest and Call of Cthulhu. GURPS is a good system if you like a bit of crunch. There are other systems I have not used yet, but which intrigue me; chief among these is Savage Worlds.
Choosing a game system would have to be done carefully and should include the players.
Choosing a game system would have to be done carefully and should include the players.
Number of players
Four to six seems to be the bestsize for a gaming group. A larger group can be fun if there are ways of keeping the game from bogging down. Worth a lot of thought, that.
Group Structure
The traditional group that includes one Game Master (or DM, Referee, or Storyteller) and several players is the classic mode, but not the only one. Having more than one GM, or a rotation is worth a look.
Location
Most likely the Sacramento area.
So…what will we play?
