If you're more interesting in the plot than the logistics, skip to below the "****" line.
I ran a one shot D&D adventure for my co-workers a couple months ago, and it went over very well. Since then, I've been contemplating running a regular game (the more people in the hobby, the better, no?).
My co-workers are generally 30-something computer programmers. A handful had played D&D "a couple times in high school", but none are gamers.
My current idea is to run a 1st - ??th level dungeon campaign, with heavy exploration, heroism, and strategy, and hopefully a good deal of roleplaying.
****************
Premise: The PCs are slaves of an intelligent, evil race, until they stumble upon an invisible portal while working. The guards do not take kindly to the sudden disappearance of one of the PCs, and prepare to kill a PC, forcing them to revolt and overcome their guards.
The area through the portal serves as a hidden refuge from which the PCs can wage a guerrilla war against their captors. It is a wizards bolthole, shielded against scrying and dimensionally anchored.
Over the course of the campaign, the PCs will explore the remaining areas of the wizard's bolthole, portions of which will be inaccessible to 1st level PCs.
The PCs will have to gather resources (i.e. food!) by staging raids against their former captors. As they become more established, I hope that they will also take to freeing other slaves (or at least family) and punishing their captors.
Of course, eventually, the wizard will come home, and might have a thing or two to say about the people who have moved into his emergency refuge.
****************
Questions:
+ Captors: Which race should I use? I would like them to have access to most standard classes, and definitely want humanoid, evil, and reasonably civilized. My first inclination are Grimlocks. There is another blind race that I'd like to find, but I can't remember their name (darkcloaks, or something?). Other possibilities include drow, derro, or duergar, but I don't want to put non-darkvision PCs at a severe disadvantage for the whole campaign.
+ Portal: I'm torn regarding whether to allow the external end to move. On one hand, it makes it a lot more believable that the enemy can't simply track down the entrance or block off the area the attacks are coming from. OTOH, I don't want the PCs popping to the surface or directly into the enemy storerooms. Any thoughts for how to restrict this while giving it enough freedom allow some strategic use?
+ Wizard's bolthole: How should I block off portions of the lair? Wizard lock? Fiendish black pudding with the front area warded by Prot. vs. Evil? Part of the point here is to give any PC mages access to workshops, spell scrolls, etc.
+ Newbies: Are there any classical newbie errors I should watch out for with this setup? Anything I'm overlooking that would let the opponents crush a weak band of guerrilla fighters?
+ Startup: How do I ensure that the PCs revolt in the first place? Why are the captors letting a 1st level party work together? What are they working on?
+ Logistics: Assuming the PCs free some of the other slaves, what should I do with the freed people? Will they be able to help the PCs, or just be a burden?
Thanks very much for any help or advice you can offer!
. . . . . . . -- Eric
I ran a one shot D&D adventure for my co-workers a couple months ago, and it went over very well. Since then, I've been contemplating running a regular game (the more people in the hobby, the better, no?).
My co-workers are generally 30-something computer programmers. A handful had played D&D "a couple times in high school", but none are gamers.
My current idea is to run a 1st - ??th level dungeon campaign, with heavy exploration, heroism, and strategy, and hopefully a good deal of roleplaying.
****************
Premise: The PCs are slaves of an intelligent, evil race, until they stumble upon an invisible portal while working. The guards do not take kindly to the sudden disappearance of one of the PCs, and prepare to kill a PC, forcing them to revolt and overcome their guards.
The area through the portal serves as a hidden refuge from which the PCs can wage a guerrilla war against their captors. It is a wizards bolthole, shielded against scrying and dimensionally anchored.
Over the course of the campaign, the PCs will explore the remaining areas of the wizard's bolthole, portions of which will be inaccessible to 1st level PCs.
The PCs will have to gather resources (i.e. food!) by staging raids against their former captors. As they become more established, I hope that they will also take to freeing other slaves (or at least family) and punishing their captors.
Of course, eventually, the wizard will come home, and might have a thing or two to say about the people who have moved into his emergency refuge.
****************
Questions:
+ Captors: Which race should I use? I would like them to have access to most standard classes, and definitely want humanoid, evil, and reasonably civilized. My first inclination are Grimlocks. There is another blind race that I'd like to find, but I can't remember their name (darkcloaks, or something?). Other possibilities include drow, derro, or duergar, but I don't want to put non-darkvision PCs at a severe disadvantage for the whole campaign.
+ Portal: I'm torn regarding whether to allow the external end to move. On one hand, it makes it a lot more believable that the enemy can't simply track down the entrance or block off the area the attacks are coming from. OTOH, I don't want the PCs popping to the surface or directly into the enemy storerooms. Any thoughts for how to restrict this while giving it enough freedom allow some strategic use?
+ Wizard's bolthole: How should I block off portions of the lair? Wizard lock? Fiendish black pudding with the front area warded by Prot. vs. Evil? Part of the point here is to give any PC mages access to workshops, spell scrolls, etc.
+ Newbies: Are there any classical newbie errors I should watch out for with this setup? Anything I'm overlooking that would let the opponents crush a weak band of guerrilla fighters?
+ Startup: How do I ensure that the PCs revolt in the first place? Why are the captors letting a 1st level party work together? What are they working on?
+ Logistics: Assuming the PCs free some of the other slaves, what should I do with the freed people? Will they be able to help the PCs, or just be a burden?
Thanks very much for any help or advice you can offer!
. . . . . . . -- Eric
