For a while now I’ve been trying to work out my ideas on something I rather lazily refer to as “The Arc Campaign”.
- Solving the problem of campaign atrophy.
- Making one of these actually come to life so we can test a theory.
Arcs
Why Arcs?
- Once I set up the basic theme and plot of the arc, with a few key points, it becomes easier to focus down to minimal prep for each game session.
- If we use short arcs, perhaps as short as 3-episodes, we reduce the risk of the GM skipping off before the story is ended.
Mini arcs are great tool. If the campaign is suitably chopped into mini arcs you can always pause the game or end it in between them. These can become story/player driven and very dynamic.
In addition to using arcs for the whole group they can be useful ways to manage individual characters.
Not every character needs to be in an active mini arc of their own in every mini arc the group plays but you do have to be careful to make sure that the group all feels like they have enough individual attention over the course of the main arcs. It also serves to give some meaning to those little background bits that sometimes get forgotten or pushed by the wayside.