The Starsigns Campaign

Role: Game Master

Independent Project

Players: 4 (Average)

Engine:

Tools

Owlbear Rodeo | Excel | Obsidian | KenkuFM | Clip Studio

Overview

Dungeon Master for a a weekly 3 to 4 hour collaborative storytelling tabletop role playing game. Includes a group of 4 players and has been in progress since 2024 utilizing a heavily modified framework of Dungeons and Dragons 5e.

Players engage in various types of challenges spanning combat, social, exploration, puzzles, politics and more as they uncover and attempt to overcome various antagonistic forces.

My role as a game master is to create an engaging world, and adventure for my players to interact with. I do this through a collaboration with my players to develop a tailored experience that is unique to their playthrough. This is done through planning and preparation periods, as well as improvisation and reactive storytelling to create a living world that imparts autonomy on the players and reacts to decisions that they make.

This is my own custom campaign featuring heavily reworked classes, skills, mechanics and more as I introduce additional features to create an immersive tailor made campaign for my players. It has its own storyline, maps, characters, goals and more which helps bring life to the world and create a long term engaging experience that keeps players coming back every week.

For this project, I have to spend a lot of time learning about other areas, and developing skills (Cartography, languages, chemistry, etc…) to develop an authentic world that is able to support the illusion that my players are immersed in.

Project Goals

Create a long term campaign that delievers on the feeling of an adventure travelling through the world, as players develop from newcomers to heroes.
Create a world that feels believable with its own distinct areas that players can explore.
Work with players to develop a collaborative narrative for each of their characters and the way they influence the main storyline.
Develop ways for players to have a personalized character that represents the way they play the game and the choices they make throughout it.
Test and develop mechanics, and systems to improve player driven play.
Develop a compelling narrative that engages players to play every week.
Create memorable and interactive NPCs that engage with players and make the world feel alive, reactive and compelling to engage with.

Responsibilities

Create maps that give players important information on areas that they are exploring, ranging from world maps, city maps and battle maps to empower their ability to learn, record information and make informed decisions.
Design and build battle maps utilzing various layouts, terrain and environmental factors.
Plan out short term and long term goals, and create a roadmap in which to introduce information relevant information to players, potential plot points and rewards.
Track cause and effect player decision making and incorporate meaningful adjustments to the world in response to their choices.
Work with players to develop their own personal characters, and stories along with any supporting details that would be present in the world of the game.
Run 3 to 4 hour sessions, moderating, reactive designing and performing improptu design challenges.
Design mechanics, features and abilities around player behaviours and enemy personalities.
Develop, write and perform characters with distinct personalities, manners of speech, storylines and interactions, giving life and additional ways for players to interact with the game.
Develop various cultures, regions, and history forming a foundation to create distinct areas players can explore through their adventures.
Develop character specific mechanics and abilities based on how player characters behave in situations and over the course of the campaign rewarding their desire to interact with the game.
Create custom made artwork for characters to represent them in a virtual table top space.
Write lyrics and create songs as a mechanisim for players to discover potential information.
Create supporting assets that make the world feel alive, full and responsive.

Additional Details

Genre: Table Top Role Playing Game
Duration: April 2024 – Present (2+ Years)