(RPG) "Ripped from the Headlines" Campaign Development

It was a rought night for Amelia and me sleepwise, so as the little one finally passed out, I grabbed a newspaper and did something I haven't done in years: "Ripped From the Headlines" campaign development.

If there's one thing I've been consistently complemented on, it is my ability to keep continuity. Whether it's advancing hidden storylines that characters only catch a glimpse of, or making sure the innkeeper's son, who was 2 years old at session #4 is an older kid when the party returns in session #72, the characters should not be part of a static universe.


When my Georic campaign, turned towards Hackmaster, my best resources weren't Dragon Magazines or trips to the local game store. It was a copy of The Express-Times, the local paper. When I worked for that paper, I would grab a copy out of the trunk (I always had a few stashed there), grab an early breakfast, and add events to my campaign's future calendar.


How do I take a pile of school board meetings, special interest pieces, and hokey local news and turn it into fantasy fodder? It takes a little practice, but those local tax increases are now baronial tax increases, and the question becomes why? Drunk and disorderlies become drunk and disorderly berserkers in one town for one night.


I always used the newspaper's circulation area for the current country we're focusing. For example, when I reviewed The Express-Times, Easton would be the capital city, and the further the story occurred from Easton, the closer it should happen to the country's borders. National news stories would be equally spread out along the continent. A Connecticut hazardous waste spill turns into a magical anomally in a nearby kingdom. Politicians being arrested in Washington state would be a potential revolt on the other side of the continent.


International events are usually the simplest of all. Georic uses the maps from the Epic of Aerth setting from Dangerous Journeys, so I can place world issues on the appropriate corner of the globe.


So, what evolved from this morning's paper? First off, with the recent death of Osama bin Laden, this week's worth of events would need to happen after a significant event in the campaign, say, the successful completion of the Burning Trog's revenge on the Slavers of Roark. It would send the region into a tailspin, and all those Pakistan stories could find adequate use.

1. An article about a pro lacrosse team coming to the area turns into a tournament in the Kingdom of Marakeikos. Celebration? Holiday?


2. "Pakistan suspected of leaks" article. Hyrkania and other nations who paid lip service to the slavers are irate that adventurers from "the west" have destroyed their evil, yet stable, balance of power. Perhaps those nations will look across the sea to the already evil Parthian Empire for support?


3. "Drilling, gas in water linked" Miners in the western frontier are dying off faster than usual. What is killing them?


4. "Illegal immigrant's release ripped" A cleric from Khemmet wrecks havoc in Northern Barthey. Citizens from Khemmet are already banned from Barthey, what will the backlash create?


5. "River rising in Memphis" Incredible flooding strikes the Ispatlian peninsula again. The Ispatlian people have suffered greatly since the Mage War and looks the troubles are coming back around for a second wave.


6. "Nuke plant closing for seawall" I'll have to go back and see what type of disaster Nippon was ripe for. Is it natural? Magic? Agents from Cathay, Lemuria, or Mu? Giant Lizards?


7. "Ship with refugees sinks off of Tripoli" Looks like a Tripolia Trade Union and Nodrun might begin a naval skirmish/war.


8. "Tower wants city official's pay cut" Every few years, some group, be it ethnic Traldar, the "new" Barthey, or some revolutionary group demands a change to the structure of nobility in Marakeikos. This time it looks like a group of merchants and teamsters are pushing for change, possibly for some future titles once everyone forgets what previously transpired.


9. "Steinbrenner aided the FBI in terrorism investigation" The former ruler of Vlachia actually aided the Burning Trogs in stopping the Slaver Menace. No official response has come from the current ruler of Vlachia.

There's absolutely no way the PCs would get involved with each of those events, but the next time there's an storyline in the paper, I can adjust it to previous events. I'm not just running a video game with a level in stasis until the players want to unlock it. Thirty years of game time shouldn't result in the same info block that I originally typed up years ago.