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Dragonlance: Beginning

Post/Author/DateTime Post
#1
zombiegleemax
Sep 03, 2005 15:44:12 Hello,
when I make new table with fresh, new players, their first question always is this: Dragonlance?

So I was pondering how can I tell to new players about the world of Dragonlance. Why wouldn't to make campaign about it? I was thinking to make a campaign, an adventure, to tell new players about history of Krynn and also to give them awesome roleplaying experience. This also will them about Dragonlance itself. To experience different ages and etc. But how I'll tell this things? Where should I start? Can I make their characters to be ageless or should I be blunt and forget this crazy idea and tell them just by words about history and Dragonlance?

Any ideas you come up to, please tell me.

Humble yours,
Krynnish player, from Finnland..
#2
ranger_reg
Sep 03, 2005 17:42:09 Read the Dragonlance Chronicles books.
#3
kalanth
Sep 03, 2005 20:39:46 A more usefull answer than telling you to read the chronicles:

With my campaign, I just bought each player a copy of the DLCS (used at $7 each from Amazon.com) and told them all the read the book. The blunt way is a good way to go, however, the idea to bring out the history is to visit ruins or to craft areas that house elements of history, from books that talk about parts of the world, to relics of the past. Emphasize to them the idea of taking some knowledge skills, and use those skills to fill in the history (i.e. Religion when it comes to alternate names for the gods, or the history of a specific ritual). To allow them to get heavy RP, maybe they run across a major NPC that is a historian, or a bard of some renown, and they do the RP thing but drop clues the require the players to find a piece of the past inorder to move forward into the future.
#4
zombiegleemax
Sep 05, 2005 1:09:27 Hmm.. Good tips. I like it.

How about using time device as a part of historian trip, but also something useful in a way of quest or something like that?

Thanks for reply.

P.S. I have read chronicles.. :P
#5
kalanth
Sep 05, 2005 2:43:54
Hmm.. Good tips. I like it.

How about using time device as a part of historian trip, but also something useful in a way of quest or something like that?

Thanks for reply.

P.S. I have read chronicles.. :P

Steel from the pages of Key of Destiny. During the Shatterd Temple in the Ruins of Hurim the characters encounter several visions that tell them the story as though they were there. Its flikers of ghostly hauntings that repeat themselves over time, but they really helped to make the place creepy and yet tell them why things are as they are.

This kind of thing could be cool. You could have a ghost town / fishing village near the Blood Sea and have the character experience a rather epic vision of the cataclysm striking and creating the Maelstorm. Maybe have them come across the now abondoned keep of Lord Soth where they experience a flicker of the day he left his wife and child to die.

Of course, I understand you want them to know and appreciate the history of this fine world, but you do not have to fill them in on everything. I have been alive for 26 years, I know a good amount of history and would enjoy a conversation about the past from time to time, but if it came down to a contest of wits, I would back out because I don't know everything. Same goes in DL, they should not be required to know the name of the dragon that helped out Huma during the 3rd Dragon War, or the racial type of those that captured Kaz the Minotaur during that same period. These are things for historians and bards to know, the average joe off the farm fighter guy is not going to have a clue about that chunk of history. Of course, if you have a PC that is playing a character like my last Eberron character, you better know your history.

My last character was a historian, and I dumped everything I could into Knowledge (History). At the characters death (6th level) I had a 17 in that skill, and was using it to gain knowledge of things the DM did not even know well. But most people out there would not want to play such a character because he was not a power house, he did not wield great magics (he was a Psion / Urban Ranger) and he was not very stealthy. He was just book smart. If you have this kind of guy running around in your game, read your history up, down, left, and right. Know it in and out because it adds to the game if you can respond without cracking a book.
#6
zombiegleemax
Sep 05, 2005 14:51:38 Ooh, I like the idea of having them play through the ages of Krynn. That could be some serious fun. Maybe have them play something long-lived, like elves or high ogres or something like that? Or you could just have them play a bunch of connected one shot adventures that tie into various parts of Krynnish history. Let them keep their experience point totals, but have them make new characters for each age. Or they could keep their character and just give him a new name (perhaps a relative of the old character), and go with something like that.

Some possible one shots:

*The slave uprising that led to the downfall of the ogre race and the creation of Irda. (Play as either humans or ogres)

*The hunt for the graygem. (Play as gnomes)

*The earlier Dragon Wars. (Play as Elves)

*Something from the time of Huma. (Play as Knights of Solamnia, or goblins)

*The Cataclysm. (Play as clerics or priests)

*The Dwarfgate Wars. (Play as dark dwarves who betray the mountain dwarves)

*The War of the Lance. (Play as Knights of Solamnia)

*The Summer of Chaos. (Play as Knights of Neraka? Or commoners. Bwahaha)

Anyway, I think it could be a really cool intro to Dragonlance. Then your next campaign could be in whatever age your players liked best!
#7
zombiegleemax
Sep 09, 2005 14:43:01 I did a campaign where the characters were involved in the Summer of Chaos, we did some of the events that led up to it, or they were at least mentioned. One of the characters played a Dark Knight and no one in the party knew what he was. We played it up until the Chaos War and the players had fun. We moved up the campaign during that time to the discovery of the ambient magic and that is where we are going to pick up. It was much fun.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 zombiegleemax Sep 03, 2005 15:44:12	Hello, when I make new table with fresh, new players, their first question always is this: Dragonlance? So I was pondering how can I tell to new players about the world of Dragonlance. Why wouldn't to make campaign about it? I was thinking to make a campaign, an adventure, to tell new players about history of Krynn and also to give them awesome roleplaying experience. This also will them about Dragonlance itself. To experience different ages and etc. But how I'll tell this things? Where should I start? Can I make their characters to be ageless or should I be blunt and forget this crazy idea and tell them just by words about history and Dragonlance? Any ideas you come up to, please tell me. Humble yours, Krynnish player, from Finnland..
#2 ranger_reg Sep 03, 2005 17:42:09	Read the Dragonlance Chronicles books.
#3 kalanth Sep 03, 2005 20:39:46	A more usefull answer than telling you to read the chronicles: With my campaign, I just bought each player a copy of the DLCS (used at $7 each from Amazon.com) and told them all the read the book. The blunt way is a good way to go, however, the idea to bring out the history is to visit ruins or to craft areas that house elements of history, from books that talk about parts of the world, to relics of the past. Emphasize to them the idea of taking some knowledge skills, and use those skills to fill in the history (i.e. Religion when it comes to alternate names for the gods, or the history of a specific ritual). To allow them to get heavy RP, maybe they run across a major NPC that is a historian, or a bard of some renown, and they do the RP thing but drop clues the require the players to find a piece of the past inorder to move forward into the future.
#4 zombiegleemax Sep 05, 2005 1:09:27	Hmm.. Good tips. I like it. How about using time device as a part of historian trip, but also something useful in a way of quest or something like that? Thanks for reply. P.S. I have read chronicles.. :P
#5 kalanth Sep 05, 2005 2:43:54	Hmm.. Good tips. I like it. How about using time device as a part of historian trip, but also something useful in a way of quest or something like that? Thanks for reply. P.S. I have read chronicles.. :P Steel from the pages of Key of Destiny. During the Shatterd Temple in the Ruins of Hurim the characters encounter several visions that tell them the story as though they were there. Its flikers of ghostly hauntings that repeat themselves over time, but they really helped to make the place creepy and yet tell them why things are as they are. This kind of thing could be cool. You could have a ghost town / fishing village near the Blood Sea and have the character experience a rather epic vision of the cataclysm striking and creating the Maelstorm. Maybe have them come across the now abondoned keep of Lord Soth where they experience a flicker of the day he left his wife and child to die. Of course, I understand you want them to know and appreciate the history of this fine world, but you do not have to fill them in on everything. I have been alive for 26 years, I know a good amount of history and would enjoy a conversation about the past from time to time, but if it came down to a contest of wits, I would back out because I don't know everything. Same goes in DL, they should not be required to know the name of the dragon that helped out Huma during the 3rd Dragon War, or the racial type of those that captured Kaz the Minotaur during that same period. These are things for historians and bards to know, the average joe off the farm fighter guy is not going to have a clue about that chunk of history. Of course, if you have a PC that is playing a character like my last Eberron character, you better know your history. My last character was a historian, and I dumped everything I could into Knowledge (History). At the characters death (6th level) I had a 17 in that skill, and was using it to gain knowledge of things the DM did not even know well. But most people out there would not want to play such a character because he was not a power house, he did not wield great magics (he was a Psion / Urban Ranger) and he was not very stealthy. He was just book smart. If you have this kind of guy running around in your game, read your history up, down, left, and right. Know it in and out because it adds to the game if you can respond without cracking a book.
#6 zombiegleemax Sep 05, 2005 14:51:38	Ooh, I like the idea of having them play through the ages of Krynn. That could be some serious fun. Maybe have them play something long-lived, like elves or high ogres or something like that? Or you could just have them play a bunch of connected one shot adventures that tie into various parts of Krynnish history. Let them keep their experience point totals, but have them make new characters for each age. Or they could keep their character and just give him a new name (perhaps a relative of the old character), and go with something like that. Some possible one shots: The slave uprising that led to the downfall of the ogre race and the creation of Irda. (Play as either humans or ogres) The hunt for the graygem. (Play as gnomes) The earlier Dragon Wars. (Play as Elves) Something from the time of Huma. (Play as Knights of Solamnia, or goblins) The Cataclysm. (Play as clerics or priests) The Dwarfgate Wars. (Play as dark dwarves who betray the mountain dwarves) The War of the Lance. (Play as Knights of Solamnia) The Summer of Chaos. (Play as Knights of Neraka? Or commoners. Bwahaha) Anyway, I think it could be a really cool intro to Dragonlance. Then your next campaign could be in whatever age your players liked best!
#7 zombiegleemax Sep 09, 2005 14:43:01	I did a campaign where the characters were involved in the Summer of Chaos, we did some of the events that led up to it, or they were at least mentioned. One of the characters played a Dark Knight and no one in the party knew what he was. We played it up until the Chaos War and the players had fun. We moved up the campaign during that time to the discovery of the ambient magic and that is where we are going to pick up. It was much fun.