I spent a few hours today cleaning up my gaming area.  In addition to some dusting and book restacking I sorted through three file boxes of old campaign materials dating back from the mid 90’s.  Among the treasures I found were notes, plot outlines, NPC write-ups, and dozens of maps.  Most of what I found ended up in the trash, however the maps I kept and organized in their own file box.

I kept my maps for two reasons.  First of all, you never know when you need a quick inn, a keep, forgotten tower, old ruin, or even an entire city on the fly.  I personally don’t like it when a DM constantly describes every location the same way, so I try and keep a little variety in my campaign by having a unique map for every location.  Secondly, I just love maps.  From my childhood spent doodling them, through majoring in geography in college, I have always loved maps and cartography.  For me, my maps are not just useful tools; they are works of art that express, and stimulate my creativity.

As I sorted and filed the maps I was thinking about the various adventures and campaigns they were connected with.  Some were great stories I’d love to run again, others were campaigns that died off before their time.  A few of the maps were never even used while a couple looked as though they had been run through the washing machine.  But I digress; this article isn’t about maps or mapping.  Looking at the huge collection of maps I had drawn I realized the pivotal role they had played in my creative process.

When I design an encounter, an adventure, or even an entire campaign, I almost always start with a map.  As I draw I begin thinking about the location’s purpose and its history.  The more I draw, the more I understand and connect with the location.  As I understand more about the location I begin thinking about the creatures and people connected with it.  I think about their purpose and their history.  By the time the map is complete a story has emerged in my mind.  Armed with a good story I’m ready to introduce the final element necessary for a great game; the player characters.

All of us have something that initiates our creative process.  Maybe it’s a great villain, or an interesting artifact.  Some of you may be inspired by a story element, or even a character hook.  Maybe it’s an amazing event or just a theme you want to explore.  Whatever the catalyst is for you it’s important to understand it and cultivate it.  The creative process is the vehicle that allows you as the DM to create and facilitate the fantastic stories that you and the players want to tell.

So, what’s your creative process like?  How do you find inspiration and motivation to create the elements of your campaign?  I’d love to hear about the process from others and share some creative ideas amongst the RoleplayingPro community.