Game fuel. Post about an upcoming session; get suggestions

[RangerWickett]

Part of the art of lying isn't just looking convincing. It's about having something to say. They should do improv, to have a quick response when they're put on the spot.

I am amused.

Burlesque. Pickpocket Gauntlet. Timed lockpicking sequences.

Ah, a variety show. Good times.

American Gladiator.

Okay, this might be going a little far. "Meet my master thieves: Blaze. Laser. Blazer. And my fitness consigliere Meechelle."

My campaign setting began as just a kitchen sink to set dungeon dives in, but I'm trying to flesh it out a bit more. Find its tone.

It's an ancient Earth. I mean, so ancient that its sun is a red giant. So ancient that [demi]human history is measured in billions of years.

Before we go any farther: necromancer riding on top of the blood-rune-inscribed husk of a harrier jumpjet. Okay, continue.

The Earth is fading, and everybody knows it. Really -- there was a prophesy a few years ago, and for once all of Earth's soothsayers agreed that the world is ending. When? They don't know exactly, but Earth's glory days are over.

The question is, how would the peoples of a Fading Earth act? Other than every forest having long since been cut down and then replanted in nice even rows, how would such a world look?

If we're not already to the societal decay stage, and there are still large nations and such, I'd imagine some sort of lottery system. "We're all working to create a ship that will carry people away to safety. There's only room for 5000 people aboard, but if you want a chance to fly, you have to contribute!"

Even if we are in Mad Max territory, there would be false prophets living like kings as they get their minions to work on crazy projects that supposedly will save them all.

Prayers and invocations to higher and lower entities. Maybe an alien will handily teleport the whole planet to some system with a younger sun. Maybe someone will figure out a way to have the sun start fissioning instead of fusioning, for a solar fountain of youth.

Robots! Or Undead. Either way, people trying to become immortal in ways that will endure after the end of the world.

Normal people? Eh, the world's probably not going to end in my lifetime, so I might as well keep doing what we've always been doing: working to feed ourselves, shagging like bunnies, trying to make sure the kids turn out alright and don't go joining those "become a golem" cults.

 

[Stormonu]

Here's a twist for the "dying earth" -

The cults of demon worshippers are trying to save the world. Why? They know the final judgement will pass if the world ends and they want to indulge themselves a while more, so they're ensuring that ancient knowledge gets used to eke out more life for the world for as long as they can.

In this case, the demons have been persuading adventures to delve into the ruins to recover lost knowledge and artifacts that may be able to reverse or halt the decay and death of their world.

 

[Merkuri]

Regarding the theater of thieves, not sure how it will work in a fantasy setting, but I thought of a fake psychic show where one or more theater workers walk through the audience and hold up objects borrowed from said audience and the blind-folded "psychic" on stage will name the objects. The psychic knows what objects are being lifted up because of how the aide announced it, so "Great one, what do I hold?" means a purse, "What do the spirits say I have?" means a dagger, etc. Not only do the thieves get to practice giving each other coded messages, but all the workers walking around in the audience is a great time to pickpocket.

 

[Pentius]

Hm, I am amused by this thread idea, and desirous that it stay active, but I am doing a module for my next game on friday, and am pleased with my alterations, so I have nothing to ask of the collective this week.

 

[Gilladian]

I love the dying earth idea; I think I would have a small group of "blind unbelievers" who swear that the sun cannot die, that in the last extreme moments, it will reverse its decay, and then a time of peace, plenty and perfection will descend upon the world; all that is necessary is to hold to hope, and be a good person until that time begins. Players may be baffled by them, but I bet they'd spend a lot of time trying to protect them from demon-cultists and hedonistic nihilists.

In a much smaller scale, one of my players owns a small family farm near the village the PCs go dungeoneering out of. I'd like to somehow bring the farm into their adventures, but not just make it a typical "ankhegs are digging up your fields, what do you do?" sort of thing. What more subtle ways could an adventurer-owned farm play into plots?

 

[Wednesday Boy]

I'm currently designing a Dragonborn Paladin/Sorcerer|Starlock in this thread in the 4Ed forum. He's a bit high-fantasy, but his foundation is the same Arabic scholar as was in The 13th Warrior- a good inspirational launch point given your post.

Thanks for the brainstorm! Some sort of foreigner could certainly be an interesting addition. Maybe a foreign merchant with close ties to the collective house.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

In a much smaller scale, one of my players owns a small family farm near the village the PCs go dungeoneering out of. I'd like to somehow bring the farm into their adventures, but not just make it a typical "ankhegs are digging up your fields, what do you do?" sort of thing. What more subtle ways could an adventurer-owned farm play into plots?

A wandering druid, injured & unconscious, shows up on their doorstep: this is your setup for a "Plants vs Zombies" adventure.

Farms have lots of land, and it wasn't uncommon for them to become battlefields or command posts in war. In peace, they have been safe-havens for unpopular political groups and social activists (Underground Railroad, anyone?).

 

[Wednesday Boy]

In a much smaller scale, one of my players owns a small family farm near the village the PCs go dungeoneering out of. I'd like to somehow bring the farm into their adventures, but not just make it a typical "ankhegs are digging up your fields, what do you do?" sort of thing. What more subtle ways could an adventurer-owned farm play into plots?

Perhaps you could have the resources of the farm (food or land) commandeered by an unsavory authority figure to futher agendas that are counter to the PC's beliefs. The player would have to deal with passively supporting an agenda they disagree with or actively disobeying a lawful order, so it thrusts them from being a bystander to being neck deep in the situation.

 

[Matchstick]

I love the dying earth idea; I think I would have a small group of "blind unbelievers" who swear that the sun cannot die, that in the last extreme moments, it will reverse its decay, and then a time of peace, plenty and perfection will descend upon the world; all that is necessary is to hold to hope, and be a good person until that time begins. Players may be baffled by them, but I bet they'd spend a lot of time trying to protect them from demon-cultists and hedonistic nihilists.

In a much smaller scale, one of my players owns a small family farm near the village the PCs go dungeoneering out of. I'd like to somehow bring the farm into their adventures, but not just make it a typical "ankhegs are digging up your fields, what do you do?" sort of thing. What more subtle ways could an adventurer-owned farm play into plots?

Who's watching the farm while they're away? Could that person be tempted in some way, perhaps by illegal crops? Perhaps a family hostage has been taken to force some sort of illicit behavior?

I think personally I'd go small scale murder mystery. Someone that no one else really cares about is involved (perhaps the as the victim or the accused) but because that NPC is a family retainer (farm hand, cook, whatever) the adventurers are inspired to investigate this mystery.

 

[Merkuri]

Maybe the PCs find out that the item they've been questing for is actually buried on the farm. This works best if they've been tracking clues to this item for a while. They might find out that the last item's owner was a relative of the farm owner, and eventually they realize that he buried it while he still owned the farm.