Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 slivvy_gaidin Aug 18, 2003 23:07:54	I've got a couple adventures that I've downloaded from the Kargatane, and I'm planning to DM soon with my group. What I need, though, is a way to tie all of the adventures together. I want a campaign- not just a series of disjoined modules. So, a couple of questions for the DMs. -How do you people go about building a campaign. Do you just get a goal for the PCs to work towards? -Are all of your quests and adventures generally tied in to the grand scheme? -What kind of goals do you use for your PCs? I just need a bit of a push in the right direction- I'm really keen on writing my own stuff.
#2 zombiegleemax Aug 20, 2003 20:15:48	A campaign generally has one over arching plot that carries everything along. I LotR for example its to destroy the ring. Avoiding the Ring Wraiths, fighting the Balrog, the orcs, the battles etc are all just "adventures" along the way. Most RL campaigns hinge around the plans of the Darklords but other powerful denizens or organizations (such as the gentleman caller or the organized churches) also make good candidates. I recently read a good post about a camapaign that was going to be driven by a secret attempt to eliminate the practitioners of Hala by powerful parties not disclosed. At the start of the camapaign just run some "random" adventures (you can bury some seeds in them but the PCs won't be able to see a pattern till much later). Then PCs should start matching wits against some of the minions deployed to achieve the over all goal. PCs still may or may not see the big picture but will understand that (say) there is a ring of kidnappers in an area and it will take several adventures to stamp all of them out. PCs will then learn that the ring of kidnappers marched to the tune of some other entity. They may or may not pursue this thread. But after you hit them over the head with several other "kidnapper rings" (or whatever) eventually they're going to go after the next stage of bad guys... ultimately working their way up the chain to whomever started the campaign. Be sure to include some "larks" that have nothing to do with the main campaign plot for diversity and to keep the players from understanding everything. Hope that helps. -Eric Gorman
#3 slivvy_gaidin Aug 20, 2003 22:01:43	Thanks! that does help- especially the LotR reference.
#4 zombiegleemax Aug 22, 2003 4:22:41	If you're looking for some good Ravenloft mods to run back to back, I'd recommend the Feast of Goblyns -> Roots of Evil series. Feast of Goblyns is a great mod, especially just to get things started.
#5 slivvy_gaidin Aug 25, 2003 20:28:35	I downloaded the Feast of Goblyns adventure. Man, I can't wait to play that one- I really like the advice and tips it gives you in the prologue- as well as the fact that its quite a long adventure. Thanks for the direction.
#6 zombiegleemax Sep 18, 2003 9:48:18	Hey, Slivvy. I hope this post finds your campaign is going well. I'm in the process of running a long-term Ravenloft campaign myself (one year real-time). I'm also running my players through Feast of Goblyns RIGHT NOW as I type this. I'll tell you how I started MY campaign. Hopefully it will provide an idea or two for ya. First and foremost, I hope your RL DM is well-versed on the history of the realm. As some of it is really rich and well-documented. Not to mention ill as hell! Myself, I have virgin Ravenloft players. Meaning they've had ZERO exposure to the game. They don't even know what a "darklord" or a "domain" is. So although it's 2003 now, I decided to start my players at the BEGINNING of the line (set the time-machine for 1990). I started my campaign in Vallaki, Barovia in the summer of 735. I wanted my players to be native Barovians and start the story there, as we all knows it all goes back to Strahd and Barovia. I started them as young, classless children with a smattering of skills. My first adventure wasn't even a RL adventure persay. It was actually an old 2E Thieves Challenge modules (I modified it to be about the "River Ivlis Bandit"). My reasoning behind this, was to introduce the players to Ravenloft WITHOUT innundating them with the supernatural and occult right out the gate. Originally, they dealt with the gritty, underbelly of society, where the poor struggled just to get by. So when I finally DO introduce the classic Ravenloft elements, they won't be old hat. So start the campaign Slow and Low like the Beastie Boys. Then, you need to come up with one single all-players encompassing storyline that integrates ALL the PCs (as HVF suggested). This has to be the ONE major storyline arc that will carry the Game. And Ravenloft's history is built-in with one of these giant threads: Hyksosa's Hexad. This doomsday prophecy is the main key to my entire campaign. But the players don't have to know it right away. What you ALSO need, is two or three SEPERATE storyline threads for EACH character. This will give the world that "onion" feel, with more than just one layer. Every guy (or gal) will have their respective goals and motives. So make sure to find time in the game for little character side-treks and whatnot. Make sure to emphasize the NPCs as more than just cannon-fodder. And make SURE not EVERY NPC is a bad guy! Not EVERY girl is an evil vixen! Not EVERY NPC offering to help is simply waiting for the right time to betray the characters! It's not ALWAYS gloom and doom! Make sure you emphasize the positive, so the players don't just give up. The Fight must continue. One more thing (sorry for the length): The Land. The lands of Ravenloft are naturally beautiful (by day). Make SURE the players understand this! NO OTHER realm can match Ravenloft in terms of sheer, rustic, natural beauty. The players must WANT to protect these lands from evils clutches. It's only when night falls, do the shadows get deeper and the Children come out to play...