I am toying with the idea of starting my new AD&D game as a Planescape campaign. Previously, I've only used Sigil and the Planes as temporary asides from the usual campaign, in the same manner in which I've used Ravenloft.
However, unlike Ravenloft, I'd like to explore a planar exploration as the focus of the campaign. This has left me with one flaw that seems apparent with doing so.
Have any of you who have done the same found that the game devolves into "which plane are we going to tonight?" and that the mystique of planar travel is completely lost?
My basic idea, at this point is to have natives of Sigil who are going to have reasons to explore the planes, all grouped under an over-reaching plot that gives the jaunts a semblance of coherency toward that objective.
Any thoughts/discussion would be gratefully recieved.
The planes are HUGE and have an ENORMOUS variety of climate, creatures, alignment and law-chaos affinity. In my first attempt to construct a campaign, i tried to put too much of everything in it. After reading it again, it was obvious that it would be overwhelming to a group that doesn't even know the basics of how the planes work:
1) Belief is everything and can move even cities.
2) The rule of three.
3) Chaos and Law are more important in many cases than alignment.
My favorite
4)It's easier to die irreversibly in the planes than anywhere else.
So i started compiling the campaign again taking into accounts that had escaped my attention previously.
I believe that the whole point in Planescape is ambience and atmosphere. Sigil is in my opinion the most atmospheric location the planes have. Sure, there are places more bizzare, more deadly, more divine, or simply more beautiful. Sigil alone has almost everything. You can see ANY creature imaginable roaming its streets, and find almost any item the planes have to offer.
These characteristics Sigil has, led me to decide that i would start with an adventure inside it. I thought that if the group, manages to get a grasp of the essence of Sigil, and understand the intricate links that bind people or factions together, then they would be ready to roam the outer planes without fearing death out of ignorance. In addition to that i think they would enjoy discovering the ambience it has to offer.
As for the "mystique of planar travel being lost" that you said, i think that Calmar is right. It is better to focus on a couple of planes at a time. For example, you could create a campaign, consisted of three or four smaller adventures. They could focus on one or two planes. When finishing each part, the group will have travelled two planes thoroughly, and given you the opportunity to expand and elaborate on each one, for a richer experience. This way when you reach the end of the campaign, everything will come in place, without creating a feeling of dizziness to the group.
I hope it helps a little....
[INDENT] [/INDENT]You should NEVER thoroughly explore a plane. They're infinite. Focus on cities, sites etc... rather than trying to map a plane. Be there for good reasons berk! Remember the locals may give ya the rope fast if they catch on your clueless! Factions, guilds, and other organizations give infinite plot hooks for why the characters are planescaping. In the planes, environment can be deadlier than locals! yield only small "safe" zones which the adventures take place in. Keep the planes mysterious and deadly and you never run into the "Aha! Would believe we've already got a map for the 347th layer of the abyss already? Onward! I know the way!" feeling.
[INDENT][/INDENT]
[INDENT] [/INDENT]You should NEVER thoroughly explore a plane. They're infinite. Focus on cities, sites etc... rather than trying to map a plane.
In the planes, environment can be deadlier than locals! yield only small "safe" zones which the adventures take place in. Keep the planes mysterious and deadly and you never run into the "Aha! Would believe we've already got a map for the 347th layer of the abyss already? Onward! I know the way!" feeling.
I'm all for keeping the planes as mysterious as possible and treating the whole expedition very much like exploring colonial Africa - there are parts of it that are 'civilized' (from a certain point of view) but really, the rest is 'deepest, darkest Africa", unknown, inhabited by nasty creatures and only the native folk know their way around and aren't always inclined to help the Outsiders.
However, thanks for the tips HarmonysRage, I'll certainly keep them in mind.
Have any of you who have done the same found that the game devolves into "which plane are we going to tonight?" and that the mystique of planar travel is completely lost?
If that's happening, something's wrong with the game. The portals are supposed to provide unpredictability to planar travel (Only a few are detailed, fewer are detailed as safe). Even plane shift requires a special tuning fork for the plane you want to go to, and that could be a heck of a trip in itself.
I also agree with starting out on only one or two planes in the campaign. Gives you a chance to really flesh things out.