Last time, we chatted about some flashy showmanship to keep attention while running your games. This time, we’re looking at the bigger picture and talking about the benefits of using supplemental content when building your campaigns.
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It’s an exciting time to be creating games, and the bright showrunner should capitalize on this creative zeitgeist. I’m going to discuss two different ways that incorporating supplemental RPG content can increase the scope of your audience.
First, we’ll talk about the benefits of running published campaigns from RPG companies, and second, we’ll jump to incorporating content from small creators.
Going Big
Running a published campaign means that the GM purchases a campaign book from a company like Wizards of the Coast or Kobold Press and then runs their players through the adventure as written.
Running pre-written campaigns is a popular way to game since it saves a great deal of creative stress for a GM. Published campaigns come pre-loaded with exciting stories, interesting characters, and a structured world in which your players can thrive. Since so many people already play these published campaigns, running them on your show creates an instant link between your production and an invested audience.
For the majority of my life, I ran homebrew games exclusively, so when I decided to run my first published campaign, I had no idea where to start. I had picked up Curse of Strahd from Wizards of the Coast, so I ran to the internet and began to search through streamed playthroughs and podcasts. Luckily, I found the podcast, Taking Initiative, which proved to be an incredible marriage of the Curse of Strahd module and creative threads inspired by the adventure content.
I am not the only one to be in that exact position. Running a published campaign makes your show relatable, helpful, and takes advantage of all the marketing big publishing companies already contribute to their products. So consider these written adventures for your next arc or even spice up your feed with a bonus playthrough and watch those new audiences roll in.
Going Small
The other side of the coin involves incorporating content from small creators. Rather than buy and run the giant source and campaign books, you choose to include smaller pieces of content published online by individual creators. The vast majority of this content is cheap or free, and you can find short modules, monster stat blocks, magic items, and additional class features posted by individuals.
But what’s the benefit of incorporating this content from lesser-known folks? Integrating the content of small creators works like a grass-roots campaign. Running a short module by an individual creator is likely to attract the attention of the creator. Lifting the work of these writers creates an atmosphere of gratitude and taps into the benefits of “phoning a friend.”
By championing these smaller creations, your show gains an atmosphere of inclusivity and becomes interesting because of the uniqueness of your content. When employing this strategy however, you must declare loudly and proudly which new piece of content you are using, and always always give credit to the creator! Allying yourself with like-minded individuals yields benefits.
Dig into the Hoard
In summation, there is a veritable dragon’s hoard of RPG material out there ready to plug and play in your shows. Gamers are creating all over the place, and folding their work into your games makes both parties stronger for it. So get out there and take your supplements! Whether you run full campaigns or use quirky trinket tables, the bulk of your audience will thank you for it.
Here’s an awesome supplement to start you off!
Northlands Worldbook is now available for 5.5, and soon for ToV!
The post Run your best actual play | Take your supplements! – June 8, 2026 appeared first on Kobold Press.
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