Games are like plants *

1. Games are like plants *

   #1

   Literally, Campaigns are like plants.  They can only grow if the conditions are right.  The GM must plant them in the correct place and right environmental conditions (i.e. the players must like the ideas behind the games and be willing to play in them). Just like the gardener must prepare the soil and growing environment, the GM must create the basics of the campaign before play.  
   
   They require regular tending, as well as sufficient watering and sun. The GM
   must work on scenarios, input creative ideas from players and other sources.  There is weeding and bug removal for the gardener. For the GM, there is character maintance, cutting out bad story lines, and the weekly chores required to keep the campaign going.  Every now and again, the gardner needs to fertilize and spread bs. The GM does the same thing, as they lay the foundation for the next stages of the campaign.
   
   The Gardener reaps the rewards of their patience and work. The GM sees their campaign grown, their plotlines develop, and the characters developing and advancing.  As the plotlines begin to mature, and new areas of the campaign need to be developed, the GM works on the next cycle, just like the Gardener begins again in the spring.  
   
   Thoughts on the subjects?
   
   And some game tips related to this:
   Seed, Nurture, Sow - Plants: Games are like plants, they require preparation, nuturing, and time to develop.
   
   Seed, Nurture, Sow - Prepareation:GMs should stop and think about the campaign. This is the preparation required for the convention. They should generate a number of potential plots they would like to run, in addition to plots the players want. Think about what will be needed for those scenarios. Make sure that all the elements needed for those scenarios are found in the campaign. (If you need a university for one scenario, make sure your game environment has a university in it).
   
   Seed, Nurture, Sow - Seeds: People like to think there is a reason for everything and often search for explanations, even if there are none. Players are no exceptions. Spread plot seeds (interesting people/ things/ events) through our campaign. You don't have to have any idea behind them (at this time). The Players will eventually make sense of them by forming their own theories. Any plot seeds that don't fit will be discounted as anomalous or mysterious, prompting further investigation. Listening in to the Players theories should prove inspirational in deciding what really is the truth. GMs Note: If or when you have an idea of what is going on then make sure that you highlight the clues that fit your theory.
   
   Seed, Nurture, Sow - Seeds: Develop a number of mini-adventures or cool scenes based on a set locations in the game world. Spread these adventure seeds around your world. That way, when you need something to keep the players occupied while you set up a main plot, a sub plot will be right there for the picking.
   
   Seed, Nurture, Sow - Nurture: Figure out which of the old "seeds" the players are most interested in, then drop a hook. While they don't take proactive action, they're always dealing with the things that they've been thinking of.
   
   Seed, Nurture, Sow - Tending: Work with the players to weave their characters into the world and together as a group. From this foundation, determine one to three goals or problems the character needs to work for/ resolve. As the campaign continues, work these goals/ problems related to the characters into as many scenarios as you can. As those plot lines are resolving, check with the players to see one to three goals or problems of their characters they want to play out. This forms the new seeds for the campaign.
   
   Seed, Nurture, Sow - Weeds: Some plotlines will be uninteresting to the players or they will turn out as undramatic. Keep track of the plotlines running and let the ones that are uninteresting or undramatic fade away, hopefully from memory. GMs, Maybe when they someone thinks about them again, you will have a way to turn the plotline into something exciting and related to what is going on in the campaign.
   
   Seed, Nuture, Sow - Sow: Run scenarios that have already been seeded a while ago. The players won't generally choose which adventures to go on, but they'll quickly pick up on a new "hook" that lets them know that one of the "seeded" situations is now "ripe."
   
   Seed, Nuture, Sow - Sow: You need to run scenarios that interest the players and are based on what they are thinking about right now. If you don't the scenario might be stale and the run go rotten.

2. Where did this come from?

   #2

   In Feudal Japan, one of the reasons warriors learned fine arts was to learn new ways of looking at things. They could them bring the new ideas, new patterns, and new processes from their fine art to their combat arts. Many of the florid descriptions found in Japanese combat texts comes from describing draws like setting down a tea cup or swords strikes as strokes of a paintbrush, the opponent being the canvas.
   
   I had been reading a cook book and developed tips based on en mes pleis (French for In Place, the cooking technique of doing all the prep work first then cooking) and how to roast as an analogy on how to create drama for charcters (high heat... then long and slow... then a burst of high at the end). I could see the wisdom in the Samurai's approach. In addition to better gaming, I can now make a souffle.
   
   Someone told me he wanted to grow a campaign organically. He wanted to have a seed idea then make stuff up as they adventured along (A total DIP campaign). My first thought was he wants to make a campaign by putting it in shit and see what happens. My second thought, more appropriately, was it sounds like he is going to garden his way to a campaign. My next thought was how gardening could be used as a gaming analogy. A few minutes later... here we are.
   
   
   
   
   Seed, Nuture, Sow - Preparation: A campaign, like a plant, can not develop in the wrong setting. The GM must make sure that the campaign setting choosen can a) support the type of adventures they want to run and b) has all the things required for the campaign in place. If you want to run military scenarios, then you will need a war and a place where the war is being fought, that means (b) you will need opposing countries, armies, and groups that relate to the conflicts (religion, healers, etc).

3. So you don't believe me?

   #3

   Here is an article from another site. www.atfantasy.com (Highly recomended).
   
   Why Gaming Is Like Pizza
   
   Mark Kibbe of Basement Games
   
   It was a gaming night like any other. I was sitting behind the Referee screen interacting with the players as the adventure unfolded. I had spent nearly two weeks constructing the adventure and, so far, things were going as I had planned. The adventure's twists and turns had caught the players unaware but they were overcoming some of the more elaborate traps. They had already acquired a fair amount of valuable trinkets but the main treasure was still beyond their grasp; the treasure was goading them onward. We had been gaming for about three hours when Paul chimed in, "Is anyone hungry?" That was our cue. Rain reached for the phone to place our order with the local pizza shop while Scott and I put on or jackets and headed for the car. And while Scott was driving us home and I was sitting in the passenger seat with the pizzas and sandwiches on my lap it dawned on me: gaming is a lot like pizza. Now, you might ask yourself - what do role-playing and pizza have in common? The simple answer is: everything.
   
   Good campaigns, like good pizza, take time to prepare. In gaming, the Referee should think first about the size of the adventure. Small scenarios might not need a lot of time to create while supreme-size campaigns can take weeks to complete. Also, once the size is determined, thought should be given to the adventure, its plots, its hazards, and its rewards. Like preparing a pizza, if the process is rushed or haphazardly thrown together the product might not be enjoyable. It could have a bland taste or a cardboard texture. The more preparation given to the adventure, the more appetizing the adventure will be.
   
   As with pizza, role-playing adventures are better with lots of toppings. The Referee should pay attention to the amount of treasures, monsters, and traps that go into an adventure. The hazards should not be too easy or too difficult for the players' characters and the rewards should be worth the risk. Also, like with pizza, the adventure's topping should be evenly distributed over the entire adventure. Overloading one side with too many or too few toppings might leave the remainder of the adventure tasting bland or ordinary.
   
   Creating tension in a campaign adventure is like heating the pizza oven. Just like a pizza needs sustained heat to cook all the way through, a gaming night needs drama and tension to hold the players' interest. If the Referee fails to engage everyone in the campaign, players may become distracted and lose focus. Keeping the campaign sizzling is the best way to ensure that everyone stays involved. Remember, drama does not always need to be life-threatening but it does need to create a puzzle or predicament that must be resolved.
   
   Appealing to the players' likes is a good way to entertain them. If a person doesn't like mushrooms, would you order a pizza with extra fungus? Of course not. They wouldn't enjoy the pizza. The same consideration should be given when creating a campaign. If your players enjoy a certain type of adventure, cater to their likes. Give them some of what they enjoy. You don't have to submit to their every whim but giving them something that appeals to their overall tastes is a good way to entertain them. If your tastes vary from your players, split the difference. Like ordering a half pepperoni and half extra cheese pizza, build the campaign the same way. Give them what they like and then expose them to the type of gaming you enjoy. Maybe you can win over their appetite.
   
   
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