When I set out to build a campaign, I work in large story arcs first. I try to get a vague sense of what I want to happen, where it will begin and end, what tone and themes I’m going to explore, and throw in anything I think would be cool. What I don’t do is structure the whole thing.

The level of preparation for any given session varies. Sometimes you show up late, or forget your character sheet. Sometimes the adventure isn’t fleshed out. Maybe you haven’t considered what to do about food. These things happen, and to a certain extent are expected. But not today.

When you’re introducing a new player, you want it to look like everyone is on the ball. You want the game to run smoothly. It may be a lie, but you want the newcomer to think that all sessions are as awesome as this one. Let them find out the horrible truth once they’re already addicted. As such, whether as a player or as the Gamemaster, make sure you are prepared.

You have this huge idea for a campaign. You’ve spent countless hours jotting down notes and fleshing out NPCs and now you’ve begun play. Your players love it and stories and characters flow forth mightily. You are filling countless notebooks with ideas and stories!

Now how do you keep track of this mess of paper? What if you want to share some notes with another gamemaster to get their feedback? How could your players contribute to the notes that you’ve created? Better yet, how could they contribute to the world you’ve been building?

Create a wiki.

Bringing in a new player to an established group can be a big challenge, especially if the new player has never played an RPG before, but even if not. The truth is, roleplaying is very intimidating. Even as an experienced player, joining a new group or learning a new game can be a source of fear. I recently joined a game of Legend of the Five Rings, and found myself overwhelmed by the depth of an unfamiliar setting and the nuances of a new rule system.