A new campaign, need some ideas.

[CoopersPale]

Hi all,

I'm about to start a campaign with some long time players, and as the DM (this time round) I'm looking for a bit of inspiration.

The group has decided the campaign will be a homebrew, focusing on the 1st level PC's who are all members of the same barbaric/low tech tribe.

It is as yet undecided if we will go for traditional player races as PC's, or use something like Orcs, or Gnolls as the PC race.

However, the question really is: what Ideas have you fellow board members got for events the PC's can be involved in? I'm a little dry on this front.

I'm planning on there being conflicts/wars going on in the region that will displace or otherwise affect the tribe, thus allowing for some spark of adventure....

I've got the following in mind already:
- Most of the fighting types in the tribe are elsewhere (at a war or somesuch) and thus it falls to the young PC's to do some things for the tribe, (what, I do not yet know ) probably being coordinated by the witchdoctor/shaman.

This is a little boring, really just a variation of "doing missions for our boss wizard/king/leige/church" theme.

Anyone got some good hooks/Ideas I could use in such a setting?

Your creativity is appreciated,

cheers

cooperspale

 

[Tonguez]

I'm planning on there being conflicts/wars going on in the region that will displace or otherwise affect the tribe, thus allowing for some spark of adventure....

Okay the village has been attacked and the tribe has scattered into the bush/mountains etc. The PCs are a small group of survivors who have managed to locate each other.

Their mission:
1.Find the other survivors before the enemy does,
2. establsih a safe camp (perhaps an old abandoned village site/ancestral cave/ruin) and then
3. defend themselves as they try and survive the enemy occupationb and/or
4. recapture their home village

1. The enemy is scouring the area with war dogs/monsters (IMC I use Vecoliraptors!!) killing any survivors they find - the PCs may need to fight to save a captured tribesman

2. They reach the safe camp only to find it infested with monster X (Vermin, Goblins, OwlBears) which the PCs need to clean out - or find another site

3. The tribesman need to build a camp, fortify the area, collect weapons, hunt and gather food, keep everyone happy (this is the Roleplaying session) - throw in whatever random encounter you like eg the few remaining pigs the tribe has are going missing - it is discovered that they are being stolen by monster Y that lives under the new camp!

4. The tribesman are trained and the PCs ready to make an attack against the invaders and drive them out. (see the Battleground Scenarios thread on the General Board for ideas)

 

[Xarlen]

Go for kobolds. Everyone loves kobolds!

But, seriously. If it's an ECL race, make it harder.

Likely, yes, all the tribal defenders are off during confrontation. The PCs are left behind, to defend the women and children (This would be a great way to introduce some female PCs, since they're the female warriors trained to protect the others). One could be the shaman's apprentice.

1) The camp's food source goes (Maybe an accidental fire), PCs must find a new source of food (Perhaps even hunting down monsters to eat).

2) The enemy launches an attack. Not a strong one (Since they're expecting green horns). The PCs surprisingly fend them off, but now have to hunt the survivors (if any).

3) The shaman or a PC (His apprentice?) recieves some visions; first, that their forces are dieing/going to die. The second reveals the whereabouts of some item/weapon/whatever which must be retrieved, then gotten into the hands of the most able warrior of the tribe (This weapon one of the PCs could eventually inherit, when they become powerful enough to be considered the highest level member of the party). It's guarded by traps, and perhaps some puzzles.

4) The tribe, still depending on the PCs, are approached by new inhabitants of the area, an enemy to their tribe's enemy, or to some whom they have had scurmishes in the past. The PCs then become the spokesmen, trying to negotiate trading terms, or perhaps have these new 'allies' help their tribe defeat the enemy (this could be done like Europians coming in, and beginning to speak to the Native Americans).

5) One of the females gives birth to a child that is half fiend, tiefling (Whatever race they happen to be), half-dragon, or somesuch. The Shaman could leave what to do about the child up to the PCs, as a test of their character, or they may need to negotiate what to do about it.

5a) The Pcs now have to figure out Why the female gave birth to a 'tainted' baby. Is there such a creature in the hills? Some dirty secret of the tribe?

6) The PCs, as further bastians of the war effort, look to make deals with a monster near by, convincing it to help them (Mr. Ettin, if you go to the front lines, we'll give you a goat every month).

7) Monsters. Just monsters. Maybe some stirges are building a nest nearby (it's breeding season), or something similar with giant ants.

8) The tribe loses the fight. A messanger runs back to the tribe, warning them that they have lost, and the enemy is now regrouping and healing before heading their way! They must move everyone out, and find a new place, fast!

9) Apply here what Tonguez put.

 

[reason]

runequest supplements...

Old runequest and new hero wars supplements are a great place to liberate plot ideas for the sort of campaign you're looking for -- Griffin Mountain is a good place to start. Massive book built around PCs as young members of tribes.

http://www.glorantha.com/library/griffin/GM-index.html

Reason

 

[CoopersPale]

Thanks guys!

These are some great ideas, I'm going to grab some of them for sure This is why I'm here on the boards !

So, thinking long term plot arc here, given that the tribe is safe now (and the PC's have survived), and that there are some long term villans as a result of the enemy's incursion, I'm going to now want to convince the PC's to leave the tribe and explore/go off and do things elsewhere.

I'm thinking the easiest hook here is "for the good of the tribe" (i.e. go do this thing, to ensure the tribe's safety) but I'm wondering if anyone else has some Ideas that can now be thrown in to separate the group from the tribe.

I've got:
a) shaman/cheif is a baddie, and hates the PC's so he sends them away on some lengthy mission,
b) the tribe wasn't safe, and was destroyed. Or scattered completely.


thanks again,

CoopersPale

 

[Xarlen]

How about playing the Shaman as a nice guy (supposedly). He's acting very noble and nice, and behind the characters' backs, is pulling the strings and such.

 

[Bihor]

The big theat could be civilisation. Humain and elf trying to expand their kindoms. The PCs could be a rag tag scout team of different tribes (races), or trying to unite the tribes (races) against the civilised human.

 

[Tonguez]

The big theat could be civilisation. Humain and elf trying to expand their kindoms. The PCs could be a rag tag scout team of different tribes (races), or trying to unite the tribes (races) against the civilised human.

The Mongol Campaign in Age of Empires 2

That was my favourite campaign and it starts with a small force of Mongols (lead by Temujin) going about and visiting the other neutral clans, doing missions on their behalf in return for which they agree to join him against the Khitai invaders

Use that same idea - the PCs must visit the various clans and races of the area and persuade them to support their effort against the invaders. At each point the clans they visit set a task for the PCs to complete to earn respect (eg PC visit the Clan of Hommlet and are tasked to clear out the Temple of Elemental Evil)

 

[Ms Kitonik]

Food for thought

Low-Tech tribe with lots of Shaman/Clerics, Witchdoctor/Sorcerers, Barbarians and Rangers is being pushed out of their lands by Hi-Tech (steel and seige engines) Civilization with Low or No Magic.

Can guerrilla tactics slow down the army enough for the noncombatants to escape?

Can shield walls, organization and catapults stand up to snipers, raging-heroes and fireballs by the dozen?

 

[Crowe9107]

Have a valuable resource (gold, mithral, dead dragon hoard, trade route, etc) discovered on the tribe's homeland and now a big empire wants it and is not afraid to push the tribe out of the way. Works best if the players are the ones who make the discovery and tip off the bad guys by accident to give them some personal responsibility in the conflict.

Re,

Carl Rowe