"Themed" campaigns

[Atticus_of_Amber]

A while ago, someone on these boards (well, actually one of their predeccessors, it may even have been the original Eric Noah boards) did some work about a campaign where the PCs all start as part of an army which has just gone to war. It solves all those "you meet in a tavern and decide to go adventuring" problems. Setting adventures becomes easy - "the high command has sent you a new mission, go into that old temple complex, clean out the hobgoblins and secure it for use as a base by our advancing army", etc.

Now, I'm not against cheesy campaign beginnings per se (see Sagiro's "you're all brought together by a good archmage for a mission to save the world" and my own "you all wake up together in a strange world wearing ceremonial robes of some kind") I do think this sort of campaigb would be interesting.

Here are the variations I've thoguth of or heard of so far:

The PCs are all
- soldiers in the same army (everybody must have a level of fighter)
- members of the same theives guild (everybody must have a level of rogue)
- students at the same university (more free flowing - see the Project:Silverymoon website if its still going)
- members (or employees) of the same mages guild
- spies in the same spy organisation

Any others?

Any thoughts?

 

[BiggusGeekus]

I always like the oD&D GAX3: Principalities of Glantri. There were several campaign ideas, but the big one was students a magic university. It looked like it would be a lot of fun to play. Sadly, I could never get a group that would play all mages.

Incidentally, I don't see why eveyone in you "war" setting would have to have a level of fighter.

 

[handforged]

hired as guards for the same caravan
servants of the same deity or religion
running from the same thing
escaping from the same thing
graduates of the Royal Adventuring School

 

[Atticus_of_Amber]

The "must take a compulsory level of <insert class>" was part of the old thread. I can see arguments both ways...

 

[Rook]

Well, all the PCs could be members of the same religion or church.

The PCs could all be deserters from the same army.

There are many "monster" centered campaigns possible, including the every popular "PCs are all monsters in a dungeon, protecting it against those nasty adventurers", found in Reverse Dungeon and other sources.

The PCs could all be explorers/settlers, making the way safe for a outpost of civilization, a la Return to the Keep of the Borderlands or Sun and Scale.

 

[MaxKaladin]

In my current campaign, the PCs are all employees of a Senator in a Roman-like empire. Well, the actual term is "Confidential Assistants". Basically, they do the stuff he needs done but is too difficult or delicate to be handled by regular servants. That's what got them all together (being hired by the senator) and what generates most of their adventures.

Another idea is everyone is a member of the same noble family.

 

[Atticus_of_Amber]

I think the idea of the PCs all being students at teh same university could really work in teh wake of the Harry Potter novels.

Project: Silverymoon seems to be great for this. Charcters from all round teh Realsm come to Silverymoon to go to university. they all meet up (same "dorm room"). Slowly they get jobs as Kinights in Silver or spellguards or whatever.

I'm actually disappointed I didn't do this for my current campaign. It would have been fun to put a modified Temple of Elemental Evil near Silverymoon...

The army idea has the great advantage of providing motivation for adventures - the party just get new orders. That keeps them toghether and gives them a purpose until they gel as a party - then you can throw a curve by bringing tehm into conflict with their own commanders, etc (perhaps they discover a traitor in the high command ut no one believes them).

 

[anglachel]

If I ever DM I have already planned how my players will begin. I will instruct them all to devise a reason for leaving a civilized continent for a less civilized one. Then they will all be the only survivors of a ship wreck. Their first quest will be done as a repayment of the town/lord for healing and rescue.

 

[Tonguez]

The PCs could all be explorers/settlers, making the way safe for a outpost of civilization, .

My current campaign is doing this explorers sent out to find a new Island seen in the vision of an old priest.

The next stage will be settlement of the Island in which PCs will be leaders of the community

Eventually they may even build an empire of their own...

Otrher Ideas

I have designed and played in campaigns in which the PCs were agents of the Holy Church. -
Cleric = Inquisitors
Fighter = Temple Knight/Crusader
Rogues = Investigators for the Grand Inqusitor
Wizards = Temple Scholars

I also played a game in which all the PCs were members of a a travelling Circus

Other options could include Pirates/Buccaneers fighting a corrupt Kingdom

A friend of mine did a campaign in which the PCs started as 15 yr old 'commoners' whose village had been destroyed by an invading army

What about a 'Scarlet Pimpenel' type game of rogues-infiltrators in a corrupt kingdom

 

[EOL]

Here's a couple that I've either ran or played in the past:

Each party member is randomly selected to be framed for crimes against they state. They are forced to work in the mines when an orcish invasion gives them a chance to escape.

The party members are kidnapped to be prey in a birthday hunt by some ogres or something similar. First course of business get away.

Finally there's the Daggerford premise, every character is a conscript in the town militia.