Chapter Eleven: Adventures and Campaigns

One of the primary functions of a GM is to tell a story. These stories usually involve one or more tasks that the player characters must complete in order to bring everything to a successful close. They may have to travel far and wide, perform feats of bravery and stupidity, fight aliens or weird lifeforms, and so on. Stories like these can take place in a vast array of possible settings, and their outcome may have significant consequences on the lives of the characters (or the whole universe, for that matter). The stories and the tasks that comprise them, when taken in concert, form what's known as an adventure (or mission, depending on the gaming circle). Adventures and adventuring is the heart of the game; it is through them that players may experience the joys and wonders of the Wing Commander Universe. How any given adventure will play out is entirely up to the GM, the players and the characters they control. Adventures can last either be stand-alone stories, or they can be linked together in a series of "episodes" that last from session to session, what is known as a campaign.
This Chapter deals with the intricacies of adventures and discusses some of the elements that a GM may consider adding to any adventure that they create. Section One discusses plot and format, and includes a primer on how to design adventures, encounters and sites. It also includes a series of sub-Chapters that have some basic ideas and structure advice for the GM who needs to come up with something quickly. Section Two delves into settings and discusses some of their features. Finally, Section Three discusses how to begin and maintain an ongoing campaign.
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NEXT: 11.1 Creating Adventures
PREVIOUS: 10.6 A Short Example of Game Play
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