The more interesting and detailed a campaign world, the easier it is to write adventures within it. Players enjoy coming away from a campaign and feeling like they've discovered something exciting and new. A volatile social climate in your world will create adventures for your players that will keep them interested. 
by Brent Knowles
GM: "You ride over the hill and into Hammuri, seat of power for the Duchy of Thovescore. There is a big castle beyond a sprawling city."
BIG DURIK: "Ok I ride into town and find an smith who'll fix my plate-mail."
MARVIN: "I'll go to the mage-shop and buy some reagents."
COLLIN: "Me and Mic will ride up to the castle and talk to the King. See if there are any adventures to be had. Maybe his daughter has been kidnapped or something."Imagine that this is a new country that the party has never visited before. Notice their assumption that everything should run as they expect it to. Many times in the haste of writing an adventure, the GM glosses over the background and the players become used to this. This is to the disadvantage of both the players and the GM. With a little setup and imagination, the players will find that the discovery of new kingdoms is an adventure in itself.
Work Before the Campaign Begins
Spending time before the adventure begins is essential to managing a well-balanced campaign world. At the very least have maps of every location the players may journey to during the adventure. These will allow you to focus on your world . . .This article originally appeared in the second volume of Pyramid. See the current Pyramid website for more information.
Article publication date: December 11, 1998
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