RPG Campaigns / Ongoing

Tabletop Campaign Notes

Running a table: world-building, session prep and improvisation — the most creative planning exercise I do all month.

Overhead view of a hand-drawn campaign map, dice and notes lit by a single lamp

Running a table is part writing, part improvisation and part live systems design. You prepare a world, then watch players walk straight past the door you built and open a wall instead.

It is also where the poet in me gets to work: names, cadence, the rhythm of a scene read aloud.

Prep like a strategist, run like an improviser

The trick is preparing situations rather than scripts: motivated factions, a live clock and open terrain. Scripts break the moment players get creative; situations bend.

Prep motivations, not outcomes.
Keep a running clock so the world moves without the party.
Write three names and one striking image for every location.

Specification

Role: Game master
Party size: 4–5 players
Prep time: ~2 hours per session
Notes system: Linked markdown vault with faction and NPC graphs
Cadence: Fortnightly sessions

Open-World Fantasy Campaign

A long-form fantasy playthrough logged like a project: faction map, decision log and the consequences of every branch taken.

Cyberpunk Narrative Run

A choice-heavy sci-fi run played for the branching narrative rather than completion — mapped as a decision tree.

Talk shop?

Parts lists, thermals, benchmarks or campaign notes — I'm always happy to compare builds.

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