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Campfires Aren’t Just for Character Intros Anymore!

Campfire Writing Software is a tool for writers. It’s phenomenal for tracking everything from characters, to major plot lines, to world building, and more! I was provided a free copy to review, and boy, do I have thoughts. Spoiler alert (in case the article’s title didn’t give it away), I loved it! If you want to watch me go through it initially and get my raw thoughts, you can watch this week’s RPGtube video on my channel!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0b8EtewFRo

I’ve used writing and world building software in the past. After playing with Campfire some more, I think I’ve decided that Campfire is probably my favorite, and I’ll tell you why!

Ease of use

When it comes to writing software, there’s bound to be a learning curve, whether steep or gradual. Campfire is probably the most intuitive I’ve found. Not only does it utilize a more visual, drag-and-drop sort of approach to world building, but it’s very well-designed. The navigation bar just feels right, and even with having never picked it up before, it was really easy to get the hang of (as demonstrated in my video).

Moving objects was second nature, and the whole thing was not only smooth and functional, but it was very aesthetically pleasing. The design itself guided me through the process. The organization of the navigation bar focused on characters first, followed by relationships, then expanded into plot threads, timelines, etc. The whole thing felt like a natural progression of development for a story, and even little things, like color coding, really enhanced the user friendliness of the experience.

Natural storytelling progression

As I just mentioned, the program itself was extremely intuitive, and the format of the navigation bars lent itself to progressive storytelling. It really felt like it was holding my hand, guiding me through the craft of developing a narrative. The whole program just generally felt like it made sense for crafting a story that would gradually grow in complexity as it progressed.

Customization rocks!

If the program didn’t already have enough features to have you salivating, it also offers customization options. As with everything else in this program, creating your own article or segment is super intuitive and natural. Need a specific article under each character that details their special zodiac options for branching fates? Creating that tab is as easy as typing the title and rolling with it.

The fact that the software offers the deeper customization without bombarding you with additional prompts and features is nice, too. It feels like a butler asking, “Do you need anything?” instead of a waiter listing all of the various options, customizations, and side orders that come with things like wiki pages.

This tool just feels perfect for storytellers and Game Masters in particular. It’s super easy to navigate and return to, and I cannot wait to input all my story and campaign ideas into it!

But rather than have me continue gushing about the features I liked, I think this program is really something that speaks for itself. I highly recommend you try it out for the 10-day period and decide what you think about it.

What do you think?

Have you used Campfire? Is there another product on the market that you think does the job better? Let us know in the comments!

And remember to tell your story, your way!