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New Dragonlance DM Reportin' for Duty

Post/Author/DateTime Post
#1
Herr_Doktor
Nov 13, 2003 20:36:48 Greetings all,

I will soon begin DMing my first Dragonlance campaign. I regularly DM a campaign in the Forgotten Realms and will continue to run that one.

One of our group members can't make it as often as the rest, and so we're creating a Dragonlance campaign that I will DM when he is actually around.

The only two things I know for certain at this point is that we will be using the Dragonlance campaign setting (I have that book at my disposal) and that the players wish to begin with 7th level PCs.

Since nobody in the group (excepting one player) knows much about the world I'd prefer they started at a lower level since PCs of that level would know a fair bit about the world around them. However, enough of them want to be that strong that I will be allowing it.

One PC wants to be an ogre, and is very happy that the rest of the group decided to begin at a higher level. The group will be mostly good or neutral in alignment (that ogre is going to cause some trouble, I'm sure).

The only experience I have with the setting is that I once read through an old adventure module for 2nd Edition. When I asked about it on this board awhile ago it turned out that most of the people who knew of the adventure here thought that it did not fit well with the feel of Dragonlance... I can't remember it's exact name.

Any advice for a first-time Dragonlance DM?
#2
Dragonhelm
Nov 13, 2003 21:23:39 You already know how to DM, so you've got that going for you.

I started out with Forgotten Realms, then moved on to Dragonlance myself. My biggest recommendation is to keep the game story-oriented. Hack-n-slash don't work as well in DL.

I'm not sure on what era you're planning on running, but I have a couple of suggestions.

You may wish to run in the War of the Lance, as that sets up everything for DL. On the other hand, if your group wants to play classes such as the sorcerer, you may want to do post-War of Souls.

WotL is more limited on classes, but WoS requires a bit more knowledge of the setting.

Remember as well that villains are thinking villains, moreso than thugs that beat you up. Black robe mages, for example, will never resort to physical violence. They prefer to manipulate.

Humor is a vital part of DL, as seen with tinker gnomes and kender. Be careful not to overdo it, though. Also, try to stay away from stereotypes with these two races. Not all kender are Tasslehoff, after all.

Above all, keep it fun. Don't let rules or continuity get in the way of your group's characters, and their story.

Good luck with the game! Be sure to let us know how it goes.
#3
zombiegleemax
Nov 14, 2003 9:56:50 I'm DMing a post-WoS game for a few friends, but because of increasing amounts of hassle, have had to let in a few more players. I've made Chronicles mandatory reading at the least, and have given them a few books extra that deal with the sorts of people they're playing. For example, the kagonesti ranger borrowed the Lioness. I was going to lend the dwarf cleric Dark Thane, but that character is retiring due to being acid arrowed by a 'white' robe. The wizard is now suffering for that poor choice. Abjurer red robe? I don't think so...
#4
Herr_Doktor
Nov 14, 2003 10:24:14 Thank you for your suggestions, I'll check out the War of the Lance era then...

Are there any old adventure modules/sourcebooks that are a must for events and such that occured during that era?
#5
zombiegleemax
Nov 14, 2003 10:27:05 Hey! I've been running DL campaigns for awhile, using stats off of the DL nexus site (thanks Trampas!), so I'm more familiar with that than any other gaming world. The main difference is that DL is MUCH more story oriented. In fact, to make both YOU and your players happy, I would suggest basing your exp. awards on actual roleplaying rather than EL tables. The players don't have to know much about DL as long as you do yourself, just allow them knowledge rolls to see what they know about the world. If you don't know DL very well, put the campaign off until you can read Chronicles. It's THAT important. In my experience, the War of the Lance time period is the most fun to play in, though there is more freedom in the WoS and Age of Mortals. You don't have to allow the ogre to cause problems, just don't allow an evil alignment. Because DL is so story oriented, if he plays the alignment correctly you WILL have problems...it's easier to make the character true neutral or CN alignment, especially in the WotL period where the ogres are a mostly subjugated race in Takhisis' dragonarmy.
One last note...in DL, more so than anywhere else, the characters need a longterm goal or quest to strive for. It facilitates roleplaying and can force the party to interact much more than the traditional dungeon hack. Also, DL deities seem to take a more active role in world events, so feel free to use them for party manipulation or just plain fun.
Good Luck, and enjoy!
#6
zombiegleemax
Nov 14, 2003 10:35:27 My suggestion?

Type out summaries of your adventures and post them on the board so we can all read them!

I think it's a good idea...
#7
kalanth
Nov 14, 2003 10:44:58 everyones suggestions are good, and they should help you run a decent DL game. As they said, keep an eye on the story content, because it can be easy to get caught up in the battle side of D&D, but you should be focusing on the Story. Try to personalize somet of the story, players usually enjoy that. And a bit more of the political arena is good. There should be a decent stretch of games that have no combat at all, unless you decide to drown the world in another war. A great example is Sir Gerard and his adventures in the War of Souls. I think he was in two combats, maybe three during that time frame. I recently just had a series of 11 games with no combat, which was snapped with a dragon battle. The players seem to love it, especially because the game is revolving around them at this time, while they also see the world keeps turning.
#8
brimstone
Nov 14, 2003 12:09:47
Originally posted by Herr Doktor
Are there any old adventure modules/sourcebooks that are a must for events and such that occured during that era?

The best thing would be to get the original 14 modules for Dragonlance or the 15th Anniversary Dragonlance Classics book. Either one would provide the necessary information to give you a good idea about what happened during the War of the Lance.

However, all of that is out of print...and sometimes hard to come by (although the 15th Anniversary DL Classics can usually be found on hitpointe.com or eBay).

Barring that...I'd say that if you're going to run a game in Dragonlance game during the War of the Lance, it should be madetory for you to read Chronicles...that would help you emensly. (but don't let your players read them)

Hope that helps!
#9
Herr_Doktor
Nov 14, 2003 12:42:56 Care to name those 14 original modules? Or point me toward a list?
#10
cam_banks
Nov 14, 2003 13:09:44
Originally posted by Herr Doktor
Care to name those 14 original modules? Or point me toward a list?

DL1 Dragons of Despair
DL2 Dragons of Flame
DL3 Dragons of Hope
DL4 Dragons of Desolation
DL5 Dragons of Mystery (source material, not an adventure)
DL6 Dragons of Ice
DL7 Dragons of Light
DL8 Dragons of War
DL9 Dragons of Deceit
DL10 Dragons of Dreams
DL11 Dragons of Glory (war game, not an adventure)
DL12 Dragons of Faith
DL13 Dragons of Truth
DL14 Dragons of Triumph

There you go.

Cheers,
Cam
#11
brimstone
Nov 14, 2003 14:20:20
Originally posted by Cam Banks
There you go.

And the 15th Anniversary Dragonlance Classics is just a re-hash of those 14 modules in SAGA/AD&D 2nd Edition format all put into one big book.

Either one would be fine, if all you're looking for is WotL info, I think.
#12
kalanth
Nov 14, 2003 14:41:18 Whatever happened to those SAGA/3.0 ed printings of the Chronicles Games? Those are what I am after.
#13
zombiegleemax
Nov 15, 2003 16:21:28
Type out summaries of your adventures and post them on the board so we can all read them!

Are people really interested in hearing the actual stories of DL games? For entertainment, ideas, criticism or suggestions? Could they be typed up properly and added to Dragonlance.com or the Nexus, perhaps? We'd have to label them carefully in case the players have a look-see, but not all players would come here. Or we could, at least, wait until they've finished a particular plot-line, or leave enough still covered up to leave only clues about what they should be doing - a kind of journal by the one who knows what's supposed to be going on.
#14
ferratus
Nov 16, 2003 13:27:09
Originally posted by Dragonhelm

Remember as well that villains are thinking villains, moreso than thugs that beat you up. Black robe mages, for example, will never resort to physical violence. They prefer to manipulate.

I disagree. A dagger to the belly is a signature move of black robed mages who want to conserve a good spell. ;

As for thinking villians, every setting strives to have those, even homebrew worlds. It is less about the setting than about whether the DM is able to pull it off. Dragonlance for some reason, has a common perception about itself that it knows how roleplaying "should be done". I find that rather silly, because it is a D&D setting like all the rest.

I would prefer if dragonlance rpg books spent less time telling me I should have "thinking villians" or "grand villains" (such as the DLCS does) and give me more information on how these villains (such as the Knights of Nereka) think or how they weild such impressive amounts of power.
#15
brimstone
Nov 17, 2003 10:27:53
Originally posted by Kalanth
Whatever happened to those SAGA/3.0 ed printings of the Chronicles Games? Those are what I am after.

I just told you. :D

The SAGA re-hash of the War of the Lance is called 15th Anniversary Dragonlance Classics. But it's 2nd Edition AD&D that is included...not 3e. Sorry. It came out about a year before 3e did.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 Herr_Doktor Nov 13, 2003 20:36:48	Greetings all, I will soon begin DMing my first Dragonlance campaign. I regularly DM a campaign in the Forgotten Realms and will continue to run that one. One of our group members can't make it as often as the rest, and so we're creating a Dragonlance campaign that I will DM when he is actually around. The only two things I know for certain at this point is that we will be using the Dragonlance campaign setting (I have that book at my disposal) and that the players wish to begin with 7th level PCs. Since nobody in the group (excepting one player) knows much about the world I'd prefer they started at a lower level since PCs of that level would know a fair bit about the world around them. However, enough of them want to be that strong that I will be allowing it. One PC wants to be an ogre, and is very happy that the rest of the group decided to begin at a higher level. The group will be mostly good or neutral in alignment (that ogre is going to cause some trouble, I'm sure). The only experience I have with the setting is that I once read through an old adventure module for 2nd Edition. When I asked about it on this board awhile ago it turned out that most of the people who knew of the adventure here thought that it did not fit well with the feel of Dragonlance... I can't remember it's exact name. Any advice for a first-time Dragonlance DM?
#2 Dragonhelm Nov 13, 2003 21:23:39	You already know how to DM, so you've got that going for you. I started out with Forgotten Realms, then moved on to Dragonlance myself. My biggest recommendation is to keep the game story-oriented. Hack-n-slash don't work as well in DL. I'm not sure on what era you're planning on running, but I have a couple of suggestions. You may wish to run in the War of the Lance, as that sets up everything for DL. On the other hand, if your group wants to play classes such as the sorcerer, you may want to do post-War of Souls. WotL is more limited on classes, but WoS requires a bit more knowledge of the setting. Remember as well that villains are thinking villains, moreso than thugs that beat you up. Black robe mages, for example, will never resort to physical violence. They prefer to manipulate. Humor is a vital part of DL, as seen with tinker gnomes and kender. Be careful not to overdo it, though. Also, try to stay away from stereotypes with these two races. Not all kender are Tasslehoff, after all. Above all, keep it fun. Don't let rules or continuity get in the way of your group's characters, and their story. Good luck with the game! Be sure to let us know how it goes.
#3 zombiegleemax Nov 14, 2003 9:56:50	I'm DMing a post-WoS game for a few friends, but because of increasing amounts of hassle, have had to let in a few more players. I've made Chronicles mandatory reading at the least, and have given them a few books extra that deal with the sorts of people they're playing. For example, the kagonesti ranger borrowed the Lioness. I was going to lend the dwarf cleric Dark Thane, but that character is retiring due to being acid arrowed by a 'white' robe. The wizard is now suffering for that poor choice. Abjurer red robe? I don't think so...
#4 Herr_Doktor Nov 14, 2003 10:24:14	Thank you for your suggestions, I'll check out the War of the Lance era then... Are there any old adventure modules/sourcebooks that are a must for events and such that occured during that era?
#5 zombiegleemax Nov 14, 2003 10:27:05	Hey! I've been running DL campaigns for awhile, using stats off of the DL nexus site (thanks Trampas!), so I'm more familiar with that than any other gaming world. The main difference is that DL is MUCH more story oriented. In fact, to make both YOU and your players happy, I would suggest basing your exp. awards on actual roleplaying rather than EL tables. The players don't have to know much about DL as long as you do yourself, just allow them knowledge rolls to see what they know about the world. If you don't know DL very well, put the campaign off until you can read Chronicles. It's THAT important. In my experience, the War of the Lance time period is the most fun to play in, though there is more freedom in the WoS and Age of Mortals. You don't have to allow the ogre to cause problems, just don't allow an evil alignment. Because DL is so story oriented, if he plays the alignment correctly you WILL have problems...it's easier to make the character true neutral or CN alignment, especially in the WotL period where the ogres are a mostly subjugated race in Takhisis' dragonarmy. One last note...in DL, more so than anywhere else, the characters need a longterm goal or quest to strive for. It facilitates roleplaying and can force the party to interact much more than the traditional dungeon hack. Also, DL deities seem to take a more active role in world events, so feel free to use them for party manipulation or just plain fun. Good Luck, and enjoy!
#6 zombiegleemax Nov 14, 2003 10:35:27	My suggestion? Type out summaries of your adventures and post them on the board so we can all read them! I think it's a good idea...
#7 kalanth Nov 14, 2003 10:44:58	everyones suggestions are good, and they should help you run a decent DL game. As they said, keep an eye on the story content, because it can be easy to get caught up in the battle side of D&D, but you should be focusing on the Story. Try to personalize somet of the story, players usually enjoy that. And a bit more of the political arena is good. There should be a decent stretch of games that have no combat at all, unless you decide to drown the world in another war. A great example is Sir Gerard and his adventures in the War of Souls. I think he was in two combats, maybe three during that time frame. I recently just had a series of 11 games with no combat, which was snapped with a dragon battle. The players seem to love it, especially because the game is revolving around them at this time, while they also see the world keeps turning.
#8 brimstone Nov 14, 2003 12:09:47	Originally posted by Herr Doktor Are there any old adventure modules/sourcebooks that are a must for events and such that occured during that era? The best thing would be to get the original 14 modules for Dragonlance or the 15th Anniversary Dragonlance Classics book. Either one would provide the necessary information to give you a good idea about what happened during the War of the Lance. However, all of that is out of print...and sometimes hard to come by (although the 15th Anniversary DL Classics can usually be found on hitpointe.com or eBay). Barring that...I'd say that if you're going to run a game in Dragonlance game during the War of the Lance, it should be madetory for you to read Chronicles...that would help you emensly. (but don't let your players read them) Hope that helps!
#9 Herr_Doktor Nov 14, 2003 12:42:56	Care to name those 14 original modules? Or point me toward a list?
#10 cam_banks Nov 14, 2003 13:09:44	Originally posted by Herr Doktor Care to name those 14 original modules? Or point me toward a list? DL1 Dragons of Despair DL2 Dragons of Flame DL3 Dragons of Hope DL4 Dragons of Desolation DL5 Dragons of Mystery (source material, not an adventure) DL6 Dragons of Ice DL7 Dragons of Light DL8 Dragons of War DL9 Dragons of Deceit DL10 Dragons of Dreams DL11 Dragons of Glory (war game, not an adventure) DL12 Dragons of Faith DL13 Dragons of Truth DL14 Dragons of Triumph There you go. Cheers, Cam
#11 brimstone Nov 14, 2003 14:20:20	Originally posted by Cam Banks There you go. And the 15th Anniversary Dragonlance Classics is just a re-hash of those 14 modules in SAGA/AD&D 2nd Edition format all put into one big book. Either one would be fine, if all you're looking for is WotL info, I think.
#12 kalanth Nov 14, 2003 14:41:18	Whatever happened to those SAGA/3.0 ed printings of the Chronicles Games? Those are what I am after.
#13 zombiegleemax Nov 15, 2003 16:21:28	Type out summaries of your adventures and post them on the board so we can all read them! Are people really interested in hearing the actual stories of DL games? For entertainment, ideas, criticism or suggestions? Could they be typed up properly and added to Dragonlance.com or the Nexus, perhaps? We'd have to label them carefully in case the players have a look-see, but not all players would come here. Or we could, at least, wait until they've finished a particular plot-line, or leave enough still covered up to leave only clues about what they should be doing - a kind of journal by the one who knows what's supposed to be going on.
#14 ferratus Nov 16, 2003 13:27:09	Originally posted by Dragonhelm *Remember as well that villains are thinking* villains, moreso than thugs that beat you up. Black robe mages, for example, will never resort to physical violence. They prefer to manipulate.** I disagree. A dagger to the belly is a signature move of black robed mages who want to conserve a good spell. ; As for thinking villians, every setting strives to have those, even homebrew worlds. It is less about the setting than about whether the DM is able to pull it off. Dragonlance for some reason, has a common perception about itself that it knows how roleplaying "should be done". I find that rather silly, because it is a D&D setting like all the rest. I would prefer if dragonlance rpg books spent less time telling me I should have "thinking villians" or "grand villains" (such as the DLCS does) and give me more information on how these villains (such as the Knights of Nereka) think or how they weild such impressive amounts of power.
#15 brimstone Nov 17, 2003 10:27:53	Originally posted by Kalanth Whatever happened to those SAGA/3.0 ed printings of the Chronicles Games? Those are what I am after. I just told you. :D The SAGA re-hash of the War of the Lance is called 15th Anniversary Dragonlance Classics. But it's 2nd Edition AD&D that is included...not 3e. Sorry. It came out about a year before 3e did.