Actually going to agree with this one. To adress the other commenters pushing against this post. Yes, roleplay can trigger a trauma response especially if it is done without consent. And creating a backstory is far different than creating pieces of a backstory, having it passed around to the other players and having the potential of conflict because of rumors. A lot of people will find that fun (I’m thinking of using this in my next campaign), if you have had a terrible experience with this it won’t be.

On the other side of the coin, roleplay can be a wonderful way of facing traumas, but it has to be done right and with consent. Having clear communication between DM and players should be default and if allowing one player to not participate in that or have an altered participation (maybe leave out the one false), then so be it.

I also think it’s sort of fucked up to dogpile this post.

Not who you responded to, but I can’t follow a pre made campaign as a DM. My current campaign started as a pre made, but prepping for it felt too much like homework so we hopped the rails and I’ve been my own story.

To answer your question from how I operate, I have a rough idea of what the conclusion of the campaign looks like and a rough odea of how the party might get there. I only really know the specifics of what the party is currently doing or what they might encounter in the next months. At this point in the campaign the the players know who the big baddie is, what they’re up to, and know of means to stop them. It’s up to them to figure out a plan to stop the big bad. The party has taken some of my hooks to solve their problems and have gone completely off the rails at some points to solve their problems. There are some points in the campaign that are pretty linear (like right now, they need a macguffin from a particular place) and some where they’re given set pieces, a location, and a good luck slap of the ass.

As it pertains to the meme up here for me personally, sometimes I’ll build an encounter/boss/set piece and the party will completely fucking skip it. That’s okay though, now I have a partial idea for later. I hope that gives you some insight into the other side. I’m also interested in other DMs that make their own, what methods they use.

My strategy was to give the group some notoriety after they had done some stuff in the local region and have the local populous come up with really bad names and descriptions for them. Eventually they came up with their own name that fit them really well. They still have a few in jokes based on the names they were given. It felt fun and collaborative so I’ll probably keep that strategy.

Wait for a sale if price is an issue. From my perspective CS:2 looks like CS:1 with a bunch of mods and substantial DLC baked right in.

I don’t mind supporting this company because they show time and time again that they love the game and the community.

Wow, you and the commenter above really sold me on it. That’s the way the internet was meant to be used. You go and search for shit. Not shit getting fed to you because “it totally matches up with other things you like”. I’ve hated these algorithms for so long. And for me personally completely misses the mark on what actually excites me. Instead it intentionally shows me bullshit that I will scroll through for hours or plaster my face in front of the second I have exactly 30 seconds of free time in my day. It’s fucking junk food.