#RPGaDAY2018 - Day 21: Preparing for an extended campaign. Part 1 - The Goal and The Antagonist

Disclaimer: My style of DMing is akin to that of a storyteller. While this does not mean that I try to railroad my players into a course of action (a topic I can talk about in the future), it does mean that I am averse from running sandbox type games. If you are a sandbox type DM, or are looking to be one, then you might not find my next 5 posts as interesting or agreeable. I find sandbox type DMs amazing, but it's not my cup of tea when it comes to running a game of my own.

Before I begin, I'd like to point out that I will be using an adventure module, namely Curse of Strahd, as an example of how I would prepare for an extended campaign. If you'd rather know about the process of campaign preparation for a homebrew game, I can tell you that the process isn't too different for me. I know using adventure modules can be seen as lazy or limiting to some, but it really doesn't have to be. All you need to do is add your own flare, which is what you would do in a homebrew game anyway.

(Here's a link to the other posts)

Part 2: Notable Landmarks

Part 3: Player Integration

Part 4: Adventure Outline

Part 5: Ongoing Preparations


With that being said, let's begin.

Part 1 - The Goal and the Antagonist

The first thing I do when preparing for a campaign, is read up on the main goal for the players in it, or the main conflict that needs to be resolved, and study up on the character behind it, who should be the principal antagonist of the players. This is so paramount that adventure modules are generally titled to something related to one of these two things. Now, let's see what we can do when we take Curse of Strahd as an example.

WARNING: MILD CURSE OF STRAHD SPOILERS

Of course I was going to talk about Strahd in RPGaDay

The Goal

In Curse of Strahd, the PCs find themselves trapped in the land of Barovia. Their goal is to get out. The only way to do this is through Strahd, as he's the one that dictates who gets to go in or out. It can be as simple as that, though the adventure module brings a Tarokka card reading mechanic that allows players to search through the land of Barovia for objects that will help them against Strahd.

Castle Ravenloft, where Strahd resides

The Antagonist

The entire campaign centers around Strahd von Zarovich. He takes notice of the PCs as soon as they enter his realm, or perhaps even before that. He is capable and willing to manipulate events in the background. Bringing adventurers to his realm for them to become his plaything is what Strahd does to pass the time. It never ends well for them and this should be evident to the players.

Strahd von Zarovich

Strahd is capable of inviting the players to his castle, refuse their requests to let them out, and then overwhelm them if they become hostile. He can leave them be until they become a bigger challenge for him, perhaps attempting to corrupt them in the meantime. To Strahd, the PCs are his prey, and he is the hunter of hunters.

Strahd is in direct control of any beast in his realm, and he has loyal spies everywhere. His tyrant rule has taken all hope from those living in his lands, and he enjoys inflitrating in their lives to further torment them. Wherever the players go, they will notice Strahd's influence. 

With this information, we can build the rest of the campaign around how to get to the goal (find ways to defeat Strahd and leave) and how Strahd can antagonize them in the meantime. Next time, I'll talk about landmarks and NPCs in the adventure.