[NOTE: Cross post from RPG.net for anyone who frequents both here and there.]
I am a ways off from actually running the game, but I want to get started on world building and sandbox filling now.
My idea is very roughly: this is a D&D world and everyone (players and their characters, anyway; maybe literally everyone)knows it. It want to go ahead and lean into Player Knowledge and D&D Tropes and the like, while still making it a fun experience that has the same capacity for drama and meaningful experience as a "normal" D&D campaign.
There are a couple of options as a baseline that I see off the bat. First, there's the "players are transported into their D&D campaign world by their wizard DM" a la The Guardians of the Flame (but with less rape). Or the adjacent D&D Cartoon setup. I kind of like the idea of people off playing a D&D LARP that turns real as the setup, but that's neither here nor there at this early stage.
Another thought is something I remember some poster coming up with (I wish I remembered who to give proper credit): There IS No Dungeon, in which the campaign tuns out to be like the 3rd iteration of the Matrix or whatever. Leveling and powers and spells and all the rest are a function on mastery over the Matrix and your monsters and big bads are AI. Plus there's the potential for some side fun in the "real world" hiding from squiddies and the like (for which i would use an entirely different game system, perhaps something FATE related).
Finally there's the set up that the players are playing players playing the game, like a Knights of the Dinner Table RPG or something. You don't play you, you play Bob The Power Gamer who plays a Paladin Warlock or whatever.
So the first part of this is: do you have any other ideas on what sort of initial conceit will support a very meta-D&D campaign? Have you ever played such a game or something close to it? Do you have recommended reading or viewing? Thanks!
I am a ways off from actually running the game, but I want to get started on world building and sandbox filling now.
My idea is very roughly: this is a D&D world and everyone (players and their characters, anyway; maybe literally everyone)knows it. It want to go ahead and lean into Player Knowledge and D&D Tropes and the like, while still making it a fun experience that has the same capacity for drama and meaningful experience as a "normal" D&D campaign.
There are a couple of options as a baseline that I see off the bat. First, there's the "players are transported into their D&D campaign world by their wizard DM" a la The Guardians of the Flame (but with less rape). Or the adjacent D&D Cartoon setup. I kind of like the idea of people off playing a D&D LARP that turns real as the setup, but that's neither here nor there at this early stage.
Another thought is something I remember some poster coming up with (I wish I remembered who to give proper credit): There IS No Dungeon, in which the campaign tuns out to be like the 3rd iteration of the Matrix or whatever. Leveling and powers and spells and all the rest are a function on mastery over the Matrix and your monsters and big bads are AI. Plus there's the potential for some side fun in the "real world" hiding from squiddies and the like (for which i would use an entirely different game system, perhaps something FATE related).
Finally there's the set up that the players are playing players playing the game, like a Knights of the Dinner Table RPG or something. You don't play you, you play Bob The Power Gamer who plays a Paladin Warlock or whatever.
So the first part of this is: do you have any other ideas on what sort of initial conceit will support a very meta-D&D campaign? Have you ever played such a game or something close to it? Do you have recommended reading or viewing? Thanks!
). The players would have a "real world character", a "VR character", something around Level 14-15 but styled in whatever outlandish way they want in case the adventure switches into dealing with stuff outside of the competition (spoiler, one of the other teams cheats the PCs out of a victory 
