D&D 2E Need Campaign Metaplot Ideas

[R_J_K75]

We've decided to switch back to 2E for our in person game. I'm asking for suggestions on a background metaplot ideas for a game with 3 players and 3 DMs, we're all the same players. We're aiming for an episodic format, but with a metaplot in the background we can all pull from. We're looking at 1-2 sessions per DM, starting in the North 2E boxed set. Please a few sentences only. Im having a session 0 tomorrow so just looking for a few ideas to present to the group. Thanks folks

 

[ilgatto]

Funnily enough, our group has just decided to do the same thing - have multiple DM's taking turns running the same party of PCs. After the inevitable discussions on how to do this, I've decided to start the whole thing off by me DM'ing the classic adventure The Halls of Tizun Thane, published in 1980 in White Dwarf #18 and in The Best of White Dwarf Scenarios #1.

Spoiler: For the DM only

While this does not provide a plot per se, it does have a cool feature that will allow multiple DM's to have the PCs travel from setting to setting/world to world/game system to game system. Also, it can easily be placed in Robert E. Howard's Hyborea, for there are clear connections to this setting.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

A merchant caravan allows for great flexibility in storytelling and variety of plot points.

A bounty hunter’s guild would have a broad variety of possibilities, urban & wilderness.

(See also the link in my sig about campaign ideas.)

 

[aco175]

The new Golden Vault book or Yawning Portal could be ok. I ran the Forge of Fury and now I'm running Against the Giants in one campaign. It is ok and if other people DM it likely will feel just as choppy.

Add a dragon theme overstory. I had some dragon cultists come to Phandalin seeking the white dragon from the Essentials box and stumble onto the PCs and another dragon. A larger dragon is trying to influence the region.

You may find that one of the DMs will become the primary DM and one of the others will never be ready with stuff to run and it falls to the primary.

 

[R_J_K75]

During the summer of 2020 when we first resumed face to face gaming I ran a series of sessions heavily influenced by the pandemic and its social, political, and economical results of it. An unknown disease was spreading turning sentient creatures into various undead. Yesterday one player who played then said he really liked it and we should revisit that. Thats going to be our background metaplot.

A merchant caravan allows for great flexibility in storytelling and variety of plot points.

A bounty hunter’s guild would have a broad variety of possibilities, urban & wilderness.

Ive run campaigns where trading costers and merchant caravan were the main theme and it was fun. We decided that 2 of us are going to play thief's so I think its safe to say that the campaign will lean heavily on being sneaky with shenanigans ensuing.

The new Golden Vault book or Yawning Portal could be ok. I ran the Forge of Fury and now I'm running Against the Giants in one campaign. It is ok and if other people DM it likely will feel just as choppy.

We dont want to run pre-gen adventures, we're planning on each DM running one to two session games each then handing over the reins to the next DM.

You may find that one of the DMs will become the primary DM and one of the others will never be ready with stuff to run and it falls to the primary.

Youre probably right but I've already made it clear that if this happens, I don't want to play if I end up the primary DM as I usually do. I want the job to be shared equally and fairly. I understand that things come up from time to time though.