Defend the town, for the entire campaign

[Dannyalcatraz]

Dude, unless you live in a truly tiny town, you haven't seen all of your town. There is always something new to explore.

Heck, just consider how many towns and cities are built upon the ruins of older cities, in increasingly deep strata. Exploring those buried ruins has been a subject of archaeology and currently, urban spelunking.

Urban exploration - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

In the OP's case, perhaps that tiny town was once the seat of an evil empire whose name has been carefully and methodically erased from history...but the evil has reawakened and its calling out to those descended from its former servants...

 

[Wootz]

Dude, unless you live in a truly tiny town, you haven't seen all of your town. There is always something new to explore.

Heck, just consider how many towns and cities are built upon the ruins of older cities, in increasingly deep strata. Exploring those buried ruins has been a subject of archaeology and currently, urban spelunking.

Urban exploration - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

In the OP's case, perhaps that tiny town was once the seat of an evil empire whose name has been carefully and methodically erased from history...but the evil has reawakened and its calling out to those descended from its former servants...

Maybe for a few levels, but I wouldn't want to be a level 27 demigod running around in my hometown's sewers

 

[Scribble]

In the OP's case, perhaps that tiny town was once the seat of an evil empire whose name has been carefully and methodically erased from history...but the evil has reawakened and its calling out to those descended from its former servants...

Or maybe the PCs are just trying to get to the mythic White Castle. That place is a bitch to get to. Especially when Neil Patrick Harris steals your car(t.)

 

[Scott DeWar]

. There is always something new to explore.

case in point: teh thread in the gaming action threads called those left behind. one chaos beast was summoned, but it escaped. now how many rats were turned into chaos beasts and how many of those rats then touched other creatures ...

 

[Halivar]

Paragon level is when you jump on Cid's airship and leave the city to explore the rest of the world.

Ok, so I ripped that off Final Fantasy... but at least you can't prove which one!

 

[fba827]

I really like this idea -- gives the PCs a chance to set roots and really connect to a place and its people. As a player I'd be open to trying it out. But a lot comes down to implementation by the DM.

However, me personally, as a DM, I know I lack the creativity to make it that interesting and 'fresh' in terms of story/plot/monsters for an entire campaign. I feel like either I or my players (or both) would get bored with my lack of imagination on this.

 

[Halivar]

However, me personally, as a DM, I know I lack the creativity to make it that interesting and 'fresh' in terms of story/plot/monsters for an entire campaign. I feel like either I or my players (or both) would get bored with my lack of imagination on this.

Same here. I think it would require me to, completely before the first session, devise the entire town, complete with plots & subplots. It would have to be as detailed as, say, Saltmarsh in the DMG2.

 

[Alzrius]

Same here. I think it would require me to, completely before the first session, devise the entire town, complete with plots & subplots. It would have to be as detailed as, say, Saltmarsh in the DMG2.

There are products like that out there. Books such as Ptolus, which I mentioned previously, or The Great City might be exactly what you're looking for.

 

[Moon_Goddess]

You should definitely rent the Seven Samurai and also, The Magnificent Seven which is a copy of it set in the Wild West. Both great films, especially the former. Set in a small village, peasants hire the experts to defend their town, but it could give you lots of ideas for how to do such a campaign.

You forgot Pixar's A Bug's Life, also the same movie (with a twist)... Still a good one, it's just a good story to begin with no matter if it's Samurai, Gunslingers, or Circus Bugs?

 

[Halivar]

There are products like that out there. Books such as Ptolus, which I mentioned previously, or The Great City might be exactly what you're looking for.

Unfortunately, I can't really use these products, for the same reason I can't use published adventures: I end up spending more time on researching the published material than I would have on brainstorming if I'd written it myself.

But I have remarked in the past on the apparent quality of both of those products.