Solo TTRPG Tips: How to Find Inspiration for Creating Your Campaign

 


As your prepping your solo TTRPG session, have you ever found yourself thinking, "Ok... how do I come up with a really good campaign?"

First of all, this is COMPLETELY normal. You have NO idea, how many ideas I had and scratched all them out because they either felt boring or just too "predictable." A lot experienced solo TTRPG-ists come up with their own system and they go off what works for them, so don't feel like you are "doing it wrong."

For me personally, this is how I combat the question, "How do I come up with a good campaign?"

1. I create the character FIRST.
- I like to start with figuring out my character's strengths, flaws, goals/dreams, past/current relationships, how they view morality/politics, etc. I LOVE getting into those details and make them complicated, which I personally think would add a lot of different elements to their story. Make them complext!

2. Then, I create the campaign surrounding that character's personality and history.
- Think about why your character would want to take on this quest from the king. Or, if they were presented with a dilemma... where they don't really know what the "best" choice is... there's a werewolf in town and everyone wants him dead... but when they get to know the guy, he's a really nice law-abiding citizen!

- You do NOT have to stick with 1 resource to find inspiration. You can use as many or as little as you'd like. For me personally, I'll look in my D&D Dungeon's Master Guidebook, but also find inspiration from other resources like lore from Ker Nethalas or Carnage & Aether.

- For example, I took a creature from Ker Nethalas, a humanoid vinekin and named him... wait for it... KEVIN. lol. And created a whole D&D campaign around him! I have yet to play it, but I am so excited for this one!

A Vinekin's Revenge

3. Take inspiration from your favorite movies/shows and literature!
- This is a reason why I love reading... I find so much inspiration from reading about characters and learning about how they progress and change depending on the circumstances placed in front of them! For example, I love Harry Potter and Tom Riddle's story and how he became Lord Voldemort is a great example of a complex character and his development. Another classic example is Bilbo from The Hobbit! It was so cool seeing how he became such a brave and courageous hero, when he started out as this little homebody that just loved staying in The Shire.

- Look into all kinds of folklore or even mythology! 

4. Always have some good tables around!
- Mythic GM Emulator is a really great resource with a lot of tables for settings, NPCs, dungeons/traps, locations, etc. You can most DEFINITELY keep things unpredictable and just roll on the tables as your character encounters something new. Maybe your character visits a town, what's the vibe of the town? *rolls on table*... result: destructive. Maybe the town is in ruins and people are looking for help!

5. If ya hate it, then don't play it. 
- The most important part is that you're having fun. If you're not enjoying what's going on with your character, then make the choice to do something different rather than rolling on the tables... OR, just stop playing all together. 

Enjoy the process and track what works for you! Come up with your own process, and so what if it's not the typical way to play. It's all YOU and how YOU define what a "good" campaign is. Have fun!

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