Running a Materialist Campaign

My last post looked at historical materialism as an aid to campaign creation. It suggested orientating a campaign around a dominant social process, as the driver of change. Part of this is about adding a further level of depth to a generic fantasy setting, without a corresponding explosion in the mental load involved.

I’ve previously talked about imperialism as an example of such a process. Here I’ll outline how this worked in my last campaign, with a consideration of economics as a central driving force.

Tailoring the Setting

Historically, generations can go by in which social relations are comparatively stable. While there will be underlying tensions in such times, setting a campaign during a period of revolutionary upheaval can help bring this to the fore. I’ve also found that certain scenarios can facilitate social processes playing out in a more restricted location.