Campaign endings

[Nemsoli]

So, one of the hangups I have as a gm (with my own content as opposed to running purchased campaigns) is coming up with endings. I'm pretty good at ideas as to how the campaign should start, and I have no lack of ideas for the middle. Where I encounter issues, is wrapping up the campaign, or at least that "Season"
of the campaign.

Usually my campaigns have ended before that has been a problem, with people moving off or other people wanting to try a new system for a while to give me a "break", but when I'm doing my plotting I would love to have ideas on how to wrap it up at the beginning. I know that BBEG will have to adapt to the players and change the outcome, but I'm always wondering how to get to the ending.

Any tips or suggestions?

 

[JochenL]

In retrospect, I would say that my endings were fine for me but not as satisfying for the players as they could have been.

So I decided to only think of endings where the bad guys win and the catastrophe is happening. These could be defined in levels to see the progress the baddies have to their ends. In one game, this was named "grim portents" or something similar and it was associated with a bad (weather) front of events/machinations.

For the heroes' endings, I try to listen to the players. They have a pretty good idea of how things should develop in their interest.

Depending on the progress each party made, I then decide on who achieves how much of their goals.

 

[JohnnFour]

I've put this in Scrivener, @Nemsoli, for a possible future Musing. Stay tuned.

 

[Nemsoli]

Good to know you use Scrivener too @JohnnFour

 

[JohnnFour]

I really like it. I fought with it too much for PDF exports, but it's fantastic for my writing.

 

[Nemsoli]

Yeah. I have the work for my "Iron Horses" Campaign there.

Trying to make it more of a "Marches" campaign. But I recognize the weakness in my approach to story writing.

 

[JohnnFour]

@Nemsoli Sent you a draft Musing that hopefully helps.

 

[Nemsoli]

it was. Thank you, Johnn. Very insightful