Dungeons & Dragons is a really fun game if you know how to play it right. When you play a Dungeon Master (DM), you are the one who controls the other players and the gameplay. To play this game, of course, you must have a fantasy world. Otherwise, you will have great difficulty playing a game that is set in this fantasy world. This wikiHow will help you create a Dungeons & Dragons world.
Step
Method 1 of 1: Creating a Dungeons and Dragons World
Step 1. Get the Dungeons and Dragons main rulebook
It's not recommended to play Dungeons and Dragons (D&D) if you don't have a core rulebook, such as the Monster Manual, Player's Handbook, and Dungeon Master's Guide. If players know how to play Dungeons and Dragons and know the rules by heart, they don't need to read them while playing. However, some players may have never played Dungeons and Dragons and read the manual. Therefore, it's a good idea to have the main Dungeons and Dragons rulebook in hand in order to play it well. Note that reading the System Reference Document (SRD or a reference book containing a set of Dungeons & Dragons rules) will not be enough. If you play while reading the book, you will be overwhelmed and slow down the game because the book contains very detailed information and rules.
Step 2. Read the Dungeon Master's Guide
The "Chapter 5: Campaigns" section of the Dungeon Master's Guide version 3, 5 describes the campaign (a continuous storyline or set of adventures usually involving the same characters) and its world. In this chapter of the book you will find more information on the technical aspects of making the D&D world. However, this wikiHow will explain the subjective elements of making the world of D&D. It's a good idea to read that chapter before you start creating the D&D world.
Step 3. Consider the player's wishes
Basically, a Dungeon Master's job is to make the game fun. The best way to create a fun game is to understand what the players want. Find out what they like, what they don't like, what they find cool, what they find scary, etc. When you know this information, you can design a world that appeals to them. If there are players who like sports, you can create a country that has magical fantasy sports. If any player is interested in archeology, add some ancient relics to the world. Design the world in detail, such as adding world settings, protagonists, antagonists, strange characters, and so on. This is done to keep players interested in the world you create.
Step 4. Decide whether you want to design the world from specific to general or general to specific
How do you design a campaign? Would you like to start building the world by pre-designing a small village on the side of the world? Or do you want to pre-design the whole world? If you want to design the world from the specific to the general, you have to start creating the world by designing a specific place in detail. After that, you can gradually expand the world according to your needs. If you want to design the world from general to specific, you must first design the whole world. After that, you can start designing a specific place and add details about continents, regions, and more. Each world design method has its own advantages. You have to consider your needs and the amount of time it will take to prepare for the world.
- If the characters are of a low level, you can design the world from the specific to the general because the characters can't travel fast. This can give you the opportunity to expand the game world while they are on the move. In addition, you can fix some errors that occur early in the game when the characters travel to new places.
- If your characters have a high level, especially after having the ability to teleport, you should be prepared to deal with any obstacles that arise. This type of campaign requires very thorough and thorough preparation. If the players have a high level, they need a whole world to play.
Step 5. Create a detailed world
The more details added to the world, the happier players will be when playing in that world. Adding details can make the designed world feel real. Don't forget to take notes while adding details. You have to draw a map or at least a sketch of it. In addition, you must also list information for the city and Non-player Character (NPC).
Don't add too much information. Players would be annoyed if every character they encountered had a very detailed description. Some information can make minor characters, such as farmers you meet on the road, look more attractive. However, you should add detailed information only on the main characters in the campaign
Step 6. Start designing the campaign
If you have done the previous steps, you have successfully created a world for the Dungeons and Dragons campaign. Now you can create a campaign for that world. Thus, the players can be adventurous. Of course, players need a campaign in order to have goals to achieve in Dungeons and Dragons. Therefore, you should do well as a Dungeon Master. If you feel overwhelmed, remember that you are almost done creating the world and players can't wait to play in the world you created.
Step 7. Start creating a background story why the PCs (playable characters or characters played by players) travel together
PCs may have been friends for a long time or they were hired by someone or a town to get some work done together. Keep the story original, except for new players playing Dungeons and Dragons for the first time. Don't make up stories that are clichés, such as: "An old man who was on the side of town told the players that there was treasure in the goblin cave". If you want PCs to explore caves inhabited by goblins, you should make a more interesting storyline. For example, the miners working in the cave were attacked by hordes of goblins. They enlist the help of the PCs to retrieve the equipment stolen by the goblins and rescue the kidnapped miner.
Step 8. Make the monster information interesting and unique
All Dungeon Masters use the same type of monsters when telling the story. As a Dungeon Master, you have the freedom to describe your monsters as creatively as you can. Don't just describe goblins as monsters wielding swords led by large goblins wielding large swords. On the other hand, you can give the goblin various weapons that match his personality, such as arrows, spears, buckets filled with hot water, and so on. In addition, you can also give different classes to the goblin leader, such as knight (knight), assassin (assassin), thief (thief), and others.
Step 9. Tell interesting stories and information at the beginning of the game
As a Dungeon Master, you have to keep players interested in the storyline and the world you create. For example, you can tell them that the company that employs the miners is from a neighboring kingdom. They consist of archaeologists who are trying to find mystical items of great power buried in caves. As the PCs explore the cave, they find evidence that hordes of goblins were recruited by the orc leader to raid cities. The attack of the goblin horde in the cave was only the beginning of the great invasion they had planned. Think creatively. Your campaign must have a clear storyline and contain various clues that hint at the plot and enemies that PCs will face in their next adventure. Campaigns that are intended for low-level PCs can be used to introduce mid-level and high-level enemies that they will face. If you plan to make PCs fight Widodo the King of Thieves at the top of Mount Merapi, you can include it in the storyline of the campaign. Explain that he was the one who hired the orc leader to burn down the city. In addition, he is also protected by a shaman witchcraft and the PCs must defeat the shaman before they can fight Widodo.
Tips
- The good world can be used for several different campaigns.
- If it's your first time becoming a Dungeon Master, it's a good idea to start playing at level 1.
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Make a list of names and short descriptions of the characters. That way, if you need certain information, you can find it easily so it won't interfere with the gameplay. As an example:
Name: Jesswit Appearance: tall, skinny human with red hair Other Information: stutters when nervous
- Prepare a random encounter (an enemy that appears suddenly) according to the player's level. If the players can defeat the enemy easily and the battle path is not as expected, you will have difficulty managing the flow of the game. By improvising and having a good enemy roster, you can make the game more enjoyable.
Warning
- Be careful when making decisions that are difficult to undo, such as the world's weather. If you're planning to create a desert world, it's a good idea to be prepared to deal with the various obstacles that arise.
- All kinds of unexpected things can happen. As a Dungeon Master, you have to handle this well.
- Be careful not to restrict player movement and storyline. This means that you shouldn't force players to follow certain paths or design a campaign based solely on a storyline. This makes the players unable to do anything other than follow the main storyline. Develop the world, create interesting places, and let players discover the stories contained in the campaign.
