I'm a new member to the boards - created an account a while ago but this is my first post.
Compared to the majority of the stuff on these boards - which seems to deal with the creation of 3rd edition rules - my questions are likely to be pretty basic. I'm intending to run my first Dark Sun campaign soon, and we're actually using 2nd edition rules, but the kind of things I'd like input on are matters of adventure creation and stuff, so don't think that should matter too much.
So basically I'm about to create the beginning adventure, and I'd appreciate it if you could help me out with some ideas.
I want the players to begin as escaped slaves, which accounts for their lack of previous acquaintance, and also to begin the campaign in the middle of nowhere, far from any cities. I haven't decided exactly where yet.
My current idea is for them to be transported inside a small, heavily guarded caravan. The caravan will be attacked - the players don't know what by, since there are no windows or holes - but they'll emerge to find the caravan's escort and several or the other wagons have been dragged beneath the sand by something. So a chance attack by a monster allows them to escape (I won't bother detailing what the monster[s] were).
For this to happen the caravan obviously has to be travelling across sands, and I was thinking, would a caravan travelling across sand need runners, like a sledge, since wheels wouldn't work?
I'd like the basic structure to consist of a brief section of travelling, after which the players will arrive at a village. Whether it'll be a client village or slave town, I haven't decided yet. Because the players are desperate they ask to be taken into the village (there's no other settlement for miles around). The village gives them water and food to survive for a while (maybe for a price, or a few items the players might have salvaged), but require a greater service to fully take them into the village.
So that's the setup - pretty generic I know.
The main portion of this first adventure will then consist of this task the village sets the players. Ideally I want it to be indoors - a cave, mine, building complex, etc. - since I think that's easier to manage as the main body of the adventure, with another brief journey to the location in question. They'll be standard new lvl 3 PCs, which means that most monsters are too difficult. For that reason I was considering making the majority of the opponents other humans, half-elves, or humanoids in this adventure, since they can range from being fairly weak opponents, to very strong ones. I also think humans fighting humans, although of course not absent from other campaign settings, is characteristic of the brutal life on Athas (or at least my version of it).
So that's the gist of it - do you have any suggestions as to what this task could entail? I'm all for intricate storylines spanning several adventures, but in the past I've hopelessly delayed my campaigns from starting by devising these sort of plots before we even begin playing, so right now I'm looking to create a nice introductory adventure to get the PCs set up in this village (upon successful completion of their mission), and I'll then start thinking about longer-term storylines.
By the looks of things most of you are experienced players, so although these might be pretty basic questions, I thought you might also welcome an opportunity to help a new DS GM...?
Cheers,
Mark.
Take a gander at it.
Start them as slave in a quary, mines or harvest field and make there life hell.
How you can do that?
- Burning sun during the day and extremally cold night.
- Whip overseer Templar asking for a specific daily quota almost impossible to reach in exchange of a bowl of water.
- Other slave trying to stole the PC water and food ration.
- Other slave bribed by Templar to spy on slave who want to get free.
- Carrion animal, like Kes'trekel, watching the field from high overhead and attacking weak PC.
I did this a couple of time (my favorite place being the Obsidian quarry of Urik (Makla) and its obsidian stone cutting the flesh. ) Believe me, do like 2-3 game of this, and your player will try to free themselve fast and will thank you for giving them the real taste of Athas as it supposed to be.
It might be worthwhile to do a slight conversion to A Little Bit of Knowledge from the first campaign boxed set. It starts off with the players chained into a slave caravan that's attacked. (lack of info to protect spoilers)
Take a gander at it.
I'd agree. It's a good start, and interestingly enough, Mark, you've basically synopsized it in your first post.
I agree that freeing your players at the first instance doesn't give them a true taste of slave life; your way sounds like an effective way to start a campaign with ex-slave PCs.
In my case I'm not so much bothered about the PCs' slave past being part of the story, as it being a convenient way to set up the campaign. I was thinking that rather them having suffered as slaves for months or years, they'd be newly captured, being transported to wherever they had been purchased or were to be sold.
The two other reasons I'd be reluctant to start my own campaign like that are 1) I'm not sure of my own ability the create several adventures - many hours of playing time - in which the players start and end the adventure in the same state of captivity and in the same mine/quarry/fields, and
2) Some of the people I'm going to be playing this with have never played a roleplay game before, other than simple introductory ones. I think a more straightforward and pacey beginning would be more entertaining for them.
With regards to Nivek_kpk and Radnovius' suggestion - I'd forgotten about that! I've read through the introductory adventure and I don't like all of it, but I'll certainly use the beginning and a few of the encounters out of it.
Cheers,
Mark.
Pringles:
Some of the people I'm going to be playing this with have never played a roleplay game before, other than simple introductory ones. I think a more straightforward and pacey beginning would be more entertaining for them.
Keeping your players in mind is always a good idea. I've known some DM's who are so wrapped up in their story and that it stands on the tracks they've laid down, that the whole session is miserable.
I'd suggest having the new players stick to fighter, rogue, or cleric (if they want a spell caster). I find it helps cut down their confusion a bit. Also, what I've noticed about more fast paced adventures is that they tend toward hack and slash. Now, killing stuff is fun, don't get me wrong, but adding a little bit of intrigue will hook your players. I've run a few Vampire stories which my players thought were awesome because they never really knew who was a friend and who was an enemy or what the motivations of the power players truly were.
Pringles:
I agree that freeing your players at the first instance doesn't give them a true taste of slave life; your way sounds like an effective way to start a campaign with ex-slave PCs.
In my case I'm not so much bothered about the PCs' slave past being part of the story, as it being a convenient way to set up the campaign. I was thinking that rather them having suffered as slaves for months or years, they'd be newly captured, being transported to wherever they had been purchased or were to be sold.
The two other reasons I'd be reluctant to start my own campaign like that are 1) I'm not sure of my own ability the create several adventures - many hours of playing time - in which the players start and end the adventure in the same state of captivity and in the same mine/quarry/fields, and
2) Some of the people I'm going to be playing this with have never played a roleplay game before, other than simple introductory ones. I think a more straightforward and pacey beginning would be more entertaining for them.
With regards to Nivek_kpk and Radnovius' suggestion - I'd forgotten about that! I've read through the introductory adventure and I don't like all of it, but I'll certainly use the beginning and a few of the encounters out of it.
Cheers,
Mark.
Start them as free living in the wild, like elves tribe or whateevr, do a couple session like that, when they are enough goods, capture them.