I thought it would be interesting to hear from the various posters out there,
Briefly describe a mundane scenario within your region that you would enjoy playing.
A story arc doesn’t have to involve the fate of the kingdom to be entertaining.
Remember no invasions, coups, artifacts, ubermonsters or other shattering events.
This is your chance to climb out on that limb the various triads are already on.
Nothing too grand of scale or Oerth shattering. Just a fun dungeon crawl combining the spirits of The Caves of Chaos (of Keep on the Borderlands fame), White Pume Mountain and Tomb of Horrors. And, this would have given the region's members a chance to do something, at long last, about this blight in the lands of Almor. The good people of Almor have suffered immeasurably. And of course, Sewarndt could have been denied a tool he was trying to use.
Given all of the concern expressed over the direction of some regions to go for bigger battles and events as the focus of play.
I thought it would be interesting to hear from the various posters out there,
Briefly describe a mundane scenario within your region that you would enjoy playing.
A story arc doesn’t have to involve the fate of the kingdom to be entertaining.
Remember no invasions, coups, ubermonsters or other shattering events.
This is your chance to climb out on that limb the various triads are already on.
Desciribing current scenarios would be spoilers, especially since we only have one retired regional so far. But I can tell that NAE5-02 and NAE5-03 are very low-key and localised modules and at least playtesters (both local and some in Nyrond) have enjoyed them both.
I would certainly like to play them but since I was the author or co-author in both... :D
What I would like to play however. Hhmm....any scenario where Hextorites are displayed in good light, perhaps hunting so called 'Idee Volunteers' near the Hollow Highlands. A nice little guild war in one of the towns. Assisting/putting down a demagogue. Smuggling operation over the Hollow Highlands or putting down one.
S.H, Ahlissa (Naerie) webslave
1. Travel around Keoland on caravan duty and get a feel for the area.
2. Clear the road between two mining towns that have suffered from orc attacks.
3. Escort a disguised Yeoman ambassador to Niole Dra.
4. Clear out a gnomish mine infested with kobolds.
5. Clear the name of a dwarven artisan in Cryllor.
6. Find and destroy an old undead-infested temple in the Dreadwood.
7. Find the cure for a plague in southeastern Keoland.
8. Deal with a Wastrian village in the Hool.
9. Help a dwarven village in the Good Hills.
--hardly Oerth-shattering stuff for characters of 1st-5th level.
Year 2:
1. Escort the Yeoman ambassador from Niole Dra back to the Yeomanry.
2. Solve a mystery and fight undead with the Darkwatch in the Rushmoors.
3. Rescue a half-elven girl who was kidnapped and taken into the Dreadwood.
4. Find out what happened to a group of seekers who found a gate in the Dreadwood for the Baron of Dilwych.
5. The new Viscount of Nume Eor's cousin was captured by lizardfolk in the Hool. Some tribes are joining together and seem to be preparing for war.
6. A Scarlet Brotherhood monk escapes and runs into the Hool. Chase him down and find out why he's there.
7. Escort a Keoish herald to Geoff. Keep an innocent woman from being killed by the Darkwatch.
8. Help a halfling brewer collect the ingredients for his famous lambic.
--One of the mods was a little "out there" in terms of a lower-magic campaign. Still no Oerth-shattering (or even Keoland) shattering events, even though PCs are now approaching 8th level or higher. The groundwork, though, is being laid out for Year 4 events.
Year 3:
1. Find an Olman priest who interrupted an unveiling of Olman artifacts at a Gradsul museum.
2. Find a strange place in the Hool once innhabited by the mysterious Baltron.
3. Help negotiate a truce between the nobles of Linth and the disgruntled Oeridians they rule.
4. A festival of magic in central Keoland goes awry.
5. Find out what silly plans that crazy Baron of Dilwych really has going on.
6. Help a family having problems in Cryllor.
7. What is going on in Baltron's tower?
8. Something is inciting the orcs in the Good Hills against the little folk.
--Now we are looking at some characters who are 13th level. Still nothing truly shattering in Keoland has happened after three years of play. Several plots are in motion, but you are still dealing with lesser nobles and the small wheels within the bigger wheels, although those bigger wheels are becoming visible in the distance.
Remember too, the original plan for LG called for the Triads to make a story arc that would last 5 years. Within that five years, the story would have to go from introducing the characters to the setting, to building up the trouble, to hitting the climax of the conflict, to letting the PCs finally either fail or succeed in resolving the conflict. As the 10th-13th level characters entered Year 4 of LG, it was time to start seeing some changes.
Now I'm not saying that all the Triads were/are perfect in their execution of the plots. (And I can say that as I am a former one.) But to say that the campaign moved too fast to some of these events is completely disregarding everything that came before them, and it is completely neglecting the mandates of good storytelling.
While LG, by its very design, can't be as tight as a good home campaign, I think Keoland at least did a great job in pacing.
Regards,
Shawn
Let me start with Keoland, a place that caught some heat (from people not even involved in the campaign, of course) for the death of the king. Year 1 adventure plots were as follows:
Usually people who critise LG do a wide generalisations, such as what Delgath said about regions not cooperating, etc. on other thread. It is the point of posts like this to counter all the negativy people put forth.
S.H, Ahlissa (Naerie) webslave
When an old albino elf is found half dead somewhere in the outskirts of the forest and claims to be noone else but Dalakurion, olven prince of Vecna's times, Ivid the Bowman
calls the heroes for help. The campaign should losely be based on Mr Sargent's work Ivid the Undying and Michael Moorcock's Stormbringer.
As it developes the Scarlet Brotherhood, a gang of Vecna Cultists and Olven fanatics from the Lendore Isles struggle with the gaming group for what might be the highest of all prices: Hunger, Dalakurion's magic blade...
When my Erde campaign ends, this might be the next project I will be up to...
As it developes the Scarlet Brotherhood, a gang of Vecna Cultists and Olven fanatics from the Lendore Isles struggle with the gaming group for what might be the highest of all prices: Hunger, Dalakurion's magic blade...
Er.. Raph, they said "low-key", not "world shattering" :D
Maybe you'll like it more after you read this... (All my notes concerning that campaign so far...)
*SPOILER WARNING: My Players! You read this - you marry with an Owlbear!
The idea behind the campaign was meant to be that, of course, the albino elf is not Dalakurion, but a lesser demon transformed by the Crook of Rao's power.
Some adventures in Coldwood later, during the final battle (that was supposed to go for the village), the demon teleports the group and some of their enemies (Scarlet Brotherhood, Olven agents) to the time of the Olven - Flan War.
They should witness, but not participate in the destruction of the City of Summer Stars and then eventually ally with some Olven to get some artifact from Kas, that may bring them back to their time.
The loss of the artifact of time - travelling is supposed to explain why Kas got trapped in Ravenloft.
It's not what you can call a beginner adventure, but an average campaign that only affects the setting status quo in an attack on a random village, but it lets the characters see *in a dream like - sequence* some of the background history. So I thought it might be interesting as a *low key* scenario.
I seriously beg you all pardon if I slided of topic...
I will think of a better way to contribute to this thread!
You're absolutely right! It doesn't fit into that thread! Should have thought it over before... I am sorry!
If I designed LG Pale modules, in Year One I'd create an adventure that features the assimilation of the Tenha refugees into the Theocracy. I'd highlight the Church Militant and the templars and legates who deliver the Question and provide PCs with options contingent on what kind of characters they play. I'd highlight the contrast between the refugee encampment and the pristine Basilica along with other differences of social class. Some of the villains would include human priests of Incabulous, Nerull, and Vecna.
I've played one or two LG modules that refer to the Tenha refugees and the Faithful Flan but only in passing. I'd center this social conflict in the initial low level adventures, since the LG campaign was initially focused on Wintershiven, i.e., the northern part of the Pale.
In mid-level adventures, I'd shift the focus to the invasion of Tenh. There would be no Ether Threat. Instead, the campaign would involve PCs on missions north of the Yol River. Some of these might involve them supporting the Prelatal Army, but that would not be necessary. I'd feature the Troll Fens as well as the Phostwood and provide significant opportunities to deal with the remnant of loyal Tenhas as well as Fists of Stonehold and the forces of Iuz.
For variety, PCs might be summoned to the heartlands of the Pale, perhaps needing to visit Ogburg to visit a sage or a library. Also, PCs who had formal relations with the Theocracy might become involved in a succession of the Theocrat, but the Ogon Tillit's death would not involve any battles with ancient wyrms. It might seem "natural" but instead be found as an act of poisoning or other assassination that was covered up by the Theocracy. A priest of Vecna might be ultimately responsible but only through the agency of ambitious Pholtan clergy. There would be no obvious split between "Progressives" and "Conservatives."
If PCs visited Ogburg or other souther parts of the Pale, then I'd likely feature the Valorous League of Blindness, along with strife in the Adri Forest and the Flinty Hills. Depending on player interest, these modules could feature PC support of the Flinty Hills noniz, support for the Adri woodsmen, or machinations with or against Grishken and Carindrell.
I tend not to play high level D&D, so I'm not sure what kind of adventures I'd design if a campaign reached that stage, but I'd look to the PCs actions to determine an appropriate climax and denouement.
They're not region - specific, just simple plotlines for random adventures, but I used some of them as *default* introductory adventures in my preferred wood/elven area, the Adri Forest ...
The stories are not meant to take more than one 3-hour-game-session, so maybe they fit for a LG convention game:
I. The Magic Coin (Children Gone Berserk Part One)
In a small village, some children discover the corpse of an ancient warrior who bears a mysterious coin in his hand.
The coin, when touched releases a random magic spell, say *Fireball*, *Summon Monster II* etc.
The children use the coin and start some events that
II. The Elven Warrior (Children Gone Berserk Part Two)
*Same village* Children find the grave of an ancient warrior, obviously of elven origin, and take his magic arms.
The corpse raises from death to hunt the children to give him back his possessions and so sooner or later attacks the village where the heroes are staying...
III. Attack of the Wererats
In a random tavern, some wererats have taken possession from the vine cellar. The heroes are sent to kill them and fit out that the keeper of another local beerhouse is behind the assault...
IV. The strange letter
A local nobleman sends for the heroes, who might already have helped him in an earlier adventure, to find out about a codified letter he found on the desk of one of his family members... The heroes may investigate the meaning of the code and at the end, come to know that it is no secret scripture, but the wicked scribblings of child that tried to exercise his writing skill... :D
The problem of Low - Key stuff is for me, that it involves too much *random* stuff that could be set everywhere in every setting - on the other hand, so you preserve the status quo almost entirely...
Don't exactly know if these ideas could be of use, but I believe they are more near to the topic than the other one was... :D