Steering the Ship: What I Learned from Changing Course Mid-Campaign
Whenever I start a new campaign, I usually have a personal goal as a GM—some way to step out of my comfort zone and grow. Maybe I want to try a new system, experiment with homebrew mechanics, or explore a type of setting I haven’t mastered yet. Earlier this year, that led me to His Majesty the Worm , and with it, a challenge I had previously failed: running a satisfying megadungeon. I had tried before during the pandemic, running Barrowmaze for a group of friends over several intense days. It quickly became repetitive, and after a series of unfortunate deaths involving bottomless pits, we all gave up on it. This time, I wanted to make it more engaging. I designed the dungeon as a modular space that rearranges itself whenever the players return to the surface. Thematically, this made sense—the megadungeon was a dreamlike realm shaped by a colossal worm that feeds on the desires and dreams of adventurers. A shifting layout reinforced the dream logic. In His Majesty the Worm , pla...