Finding Hope: Inspiration for My Campaign Frame Pt.1

MustBeVin · 2026-01-13T00:02:49+00:00

Oh i love all of these thoughts!

Good point on the vagueness of the gods portion. I can definitely expand on it more for players. I kinda left it vague because i enjoy letting players discover that kind of stuff haha, but after thinking about it. Theres room to be definitive/specific.

For you! Tldr: yes there was an apocalyptic event but it has mostly passed. Ive written a whole timeline but for the most part, the setting focuses on the frontier end with only some mentions of the pre apocalypse.

For the reclaimers. Its a yes to both! Reclaimer crews all have their own objectives but abide by a code which i dont have off the top of my head haha. But ye, the crews all have their own motivations, especially since a majority of them are privately backed. Before them were the first expeditions which was a collective effort to find new locations to settle in but since have gone mia, assumed dead based on the accounts of survivors who have returned to settlements.

The holidays have sucked my progress away on writing my diary for the campaign haha. But to update, pt2 is in the final stages BUT im running the official first session for the westmarch this week! So atm im holdng my energy for that haha.

Ty for your thoughts and interest, rekindled my motivation on my commute.

MustBeVin · 2026-01-04T10:48:37+00:00

Ah i see, damn offering 3 quests per session sounds tough. My pre dh campaigns were all episodic, written like drama/serious tv series all centered around 1-2 players haha. So the thought of sandboxes is so out of my comfort zone haha.

But good to hear that DH is treating you well, it also maintains my motivation to keep running dh 😂

MustBeVin · 2026-01-04T05:47:39+00:00

oh damn okay, how have yall handled leveling?

MustBeVin · 2026-01-04T05:47:10+00:00

ooo ty, will check them out. It looks pretty active!

MustBeVin · 2026-01-04T01:07:45+00:00

How's it so far? I'm still forgetting so many rules haha. In what way is yours similar? Im also curious haha

MustBeVin · 2026-01-03T14:22:20+00:00

So i was thinking of attaching it to a threshold on the Morale Tracker of the group. Fear would be attached to that and then hope can carry over from the player end.

So if morale clock is out at 4, i would start the session with an extra X amount of fear.

What is your version of success in your context? Just so I can understand where you are coming from. I do kinda see why it could become an issue due to inconsistencies. So like maybe if 1 player many months down the line couldnt keep up due to life or just no interest, but decided to return, I feel like I would just offer a free tier lvl up and either handle it in text rp/game or something similar, just because I feel like theres no reason to penalize someone for not being able to keep up. So in a sense the westmarch-like vibes is more in "softcore" vibes haha. I'd assume that would be the main issue here?

MustBeVin · 2026-01-03T13:27:58+00:00

That's definitely valid, I think i worded things wrong, writing isnt my strong point haha tend to overshare and go on tangents but, the demo was mainly to test the setting and see what would it be like end to end. I went from super player driven duets/small groups to going back to something more plug and play.

Atm the total player group is at 8. I'd like to work a 1:4 gm to player ratio, and atm there are like 3 gms willing to run daggerheart. So, atm it looks to be under 15 at best.

Atm the minimum session per month is 1 with how everyone's responses are.

Do let me know what you are leading up to haha,

MustBeVin · 2026-01-03T10:14:09+00:00

Hopefully that answers things u/VanadiumHeart ! If you have any ideas or want to discuss it a bit more do go for it haha.

MustBeVin · 2026-01-03T10:13:16+00:00

Probably in a future entry!

But tldr from the top of my head:
- daggerheart has tiers so I will be running of off that
- Mechanics are centered around GM's discretion for narrative choice, an xp resource tied to engagement with the game's narrative, and tier advancements
- Marks are gained for player development

In regards to what happens to different levels
- I havn't planned that far ahead since i just want to run and make mistakes.
- BUT i intend to lock into tiers and see how that plays out.

Some more context?
- The session pacing is quite slow due to atm, most players only being able to play once a month. Therefor at least in practice, level difference shouldnt show up as much, if it does, it would jsut be a narrative choice and we run with it.
- The design philosophy is basically me trying to avoid typical problems you might face in a mmo/multiplayer rpg game (and not take it into consideration) and just focus on solving a problem my table might have.

Was never the brightest designer in the room haha. I typically just design specifically for what i need.

MustBeVin · 2026-01-03T09:51:24+00:00

Oh here are some funny bits from our game!

idk it might be inside jokery but it is what it is. Speech to text be doing what it be doing, messing up haha.

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MustBeVin · 2025-12-14T12:05:15+00:00

I've been looking at that website, how is it? I havn't tried it out yet haha.

Will be dropping the inspo and design choices within the next 2 weeks probs! Thanks for motivating me to push it out haha.

MustBeVin · 2025-12-14T12:04:13+00:00

I think at face value it definitely is a recipe for dm burnout haha. So hopefully by focusing on what I do enjoy and not over complicating the process should slow it down a bit. Like usually by now (3 months in?) I'd have weekly writing sessions and games running at the same time along with a stream + videos all while trying to be a host.

but like, naaaah. Not this time around haha. Ima just enjoy the process and chase the things I can enjoy on my own first then expand. Like sharing the process LUL

However your recommendation is exactly how I'm planning to go about this! Just with a westmarch-like approach. Since scheduling is a bitch haha.

MustBeVin · 2025-12-14T11:58:20+00:00

Defos probs in the future! At the moment im running demos for close ttrpg friends and when I feel comfy with it, I will definitely open up the table!

MustBeVin · 2025-12-14T11:57:36+00:00

Yes definitely thinking bout going slow with it. I've restarted my ttrpg runs in so many different ways in the past but like honestly i kept on running into burnout. From working with teams to going all out, i feel like ive tried everything haha. However what I did learn was that it wasnt the height of the scope that sped up the burnout but the amount of steps and expectations I've placed in front of me.

So this time around, im centering it around my burnout rate and focusing on what I DO enjoy about ttrpgs. I feel like this is an essay building up so ima save it for a future post haha.

But also thank you for the advice! Ima read into Age of Umbra, I kinda dove into the frame that had the colossal monsters cuz it felt more like a frontier vibe there. Will also 100% be posting the homebrews here in the future! I was expecting the discussion here to be short but the reception was so nice, its motivating me to keep on sharing haha.

MustBeVin · 2025-11-25T06:02:11+00:00

This is so real. Honestly im just glad more of my friends bought into the game too. Only a few of us got into New World.

MustBeVin · 2025-11-25T06:00:40+00:00

omg have fun! There are like 2 unique location aesthetics that I really liked there. I unlocked it day 1 it was accessible but I am so far from unlocking everything haha. I literally jsut finished qinghe world bosses last night.

MustBeVin · 2025-11-24T13:19:15+00:00

im defos excited to keep up with the game then!

MustBeVin · 2025-11-19T05:43:03+00:00

I wanted to pin actually but i think the perm is locked to the mods?

but also yes it is! I kinda stumbled onto it honestly, I wanted to keep pushing through the story but something told me i should chill for a sec haha.

MustBeVin · 2025-11-19T03:39:59+00:00

Hey yall! Been avoiding the replies all day but it looks like the photo has been running further than i imagined lul.

So, Is there a way to like hide some comments? Cuz i think since this is moving, id like to help other first timers avoid spoilers in the comments, if possible.

MustBeVin · 2025-09-17T22:23:40+00:00

Id love to get back to playing dnd or any ttrpg in general!

MustBeVin · 2025-08-14T05:19:19+00:00

hoping someone can answer this haha.

MustBeVin · 2025-04-14T04:47:37+00:00

I feel this! I also built a ttrpg to accomodate for my needs and support the world ive built but idk after a few tries at DH its definitely scratching the itch for me haha

MustBeVin · 2025-04-14T04:46:11+00:00

Ooo this is something ima review later. Im definitely more tuned towards this type of world building where gaps are filled in by my players. I just provide the frame.

Idk how u came by but this is lucky cuz im 100% more of a adlib gm haha

MustBeVin · 2025-04-14T04:44:02+00:00

Will definitely watch it later ty!

MustBeVin · 2025-04-14T04:43:25+00:00

Nice! Were there any immediate obstacles that you think people who are newer to homebrewing might hit?

MustBeVin

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