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Starting a New Game: The Bootstrapping Method

As pointed out by other GMs, starting a new game can be tough.  There is, however, one method that is tried and true, for just this sort of problem.  In these cases, many GMs bootstrap their campaigns by starting with a prewritten module or adventure and then move on into their own campaign ideas.

I've used this before with my pirates campaign.  Sure, I was comfortable with the idea of pirates and the big picture, but getting down to the nuts and bolts of what happens on a pirate ship was new.  So I grabbed the Wormwood Mutiny and started out with that story.  When the party got to a point that I wanted depart on my own adventure, we jumped the path and went on our merry way.

The nice thing also with starting out on an adventure path is that adventure paths are already set up to provide a step-by-step learning experience.  Each new thing is learned in a specific encounter.  These build up all the pieces up front needed to define the world.

So next time you are starting a new game and need a hand, grab a module and drive on.




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