The Wayfarer's Guide

Very early on, I made the decision that I needed an 'introductory pack' for my players, something they could read (or at least glance through) to get some idea of the scope of the campaign. I did not want to have to stop the flow of the adventure to explain what would be basic knowledge to the characters. I can not honestly say that it was ever used by my players, but it did release me from my perfectionist, self-imposed obligation to explain things to the players that their character would know. Basically, the onus for imparting that basic knowledge landed on the shoulders of the players, allowing me to focus on building the campaign. It worked rather well, I think, even if no one read a word.

The result of my game-mastering ideology was the The Wayfarer's Guide to Kolanor. The current document is very much a work in progress as I try to compile three older versions and voluminous notes that would help complete it, taking it form a 'guide' to an 'almanac' of sorts. As with all things Kolanor, updates to come as I get the opportunity.

Two other documents accompanied my work on the Wayfarer's Guide. The second was the Game Master's Log crammed with sketches, maps, notes, and all sorts of other random goodness regarding the campaign. Plot details, including what was really going on, as well as plans for future campaigns that never got off the ground are included in this. Definitely a long term project, this item will most likely remain stowed away so as not to provide too many spoilers. There are a lot of things that I don't believe the players ever learned about that I'd prefer to keep close in case I ramp up a new campaign in the future.

The third document was 'A Cartographic Guide to Kolanor' complete with a world map and a few large-scale maps of particular areas. The maps began as a sketch, were scanned into a digital format, got traced in MS Paint, eventually transferred to Campaign Cartographer software, and took on many forms. At one point, I had a 4' x 5' wall map made of taped together printouts. This original piece is hiding in a document tube in a dark corner of my home as I type. At some point in the future, I plan on taking advantage of updated software to revisit the cartography. This is also most likely a long way off. I do hope to rebuild the original atlas with an updated look, but the maps definitely need serious work. Someday...