Rich Burlew (of OOTS comic fame) writes about his plan/attempt to build a compelling world here. It's broken into bits. Now a campaign is not a world, but a world can be a useful thing for a campaign to have.
As for the campaign writing part, I'm not terribly sure. To my mind, there are several important qualties for a good campaign:
1) Goal - it's important for the characters to have a goal, as it will keep them focused and provide a context for their choices, and keep them moving (no scumming or resting after each battle if the goal is timed).
2) Complications - this is where you add plot twists, and other modifications of goals. Add subgoals, plot twists, people changing sides, treachery, whatever here.
3) Obstacles - These are the things that stand in the way of the players achieving their goal. Maybe it's monster encounters, maybe it's distance, maybe it's a corrupt magistrate who gets them arrested or whatever.
If you plan out a goal or two, and a complication or seven, then the campaign runs itself except for the obstacles, which at least I find aren't too hard to figure out a session ahead of time.
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Rich Burlew (of OOTS comic fame) writes about his plan/attempt to build a compelling world here. It's broken into bits. Now a campaign is not a world, but a world can be a useful thing for a campaign to have.
http://www.giantitp.com/Form.html
As for the campaign writing part, I'm not terribly sure. To my mind, there are several important qualties for a good campaign:
1) Goal - it's important for the characters to have a goal, as it will keep them focused and provide a context for their choices, and keep them moving (no scumming or resting after each battle if the goal is timed).
2) Complications - this is where you add plot twists, and other modifications of goals. Add subgoals, plot twists, people changing sides, treachery, whatever here.
3) Obstacles - These are the things that stand in the way of the players achieving their goal. Maybe it's monster encounters, maybe it's distance, maybe it's a corrupt magistrate who gets them arrested or whatever.
If you plan out a goal or two, and a complication or seven, then the campaign runs itself except for the obstacles, which at least I find aren't too hard to figure out a session ahead of time.