D&D General Sword & Sandals campaign ideas

Ancalagon said:

Have a few adventures, a plot will emerge. It isn't always wise to start with a big campaign arc planned out, because that can lead to railroading.

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WayOfTheFourElements said:

Stay true to Conan and run episodic adventures?

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Here you go. I've run Sword & Sorcery adventures/campaigns pretty exclusively since 5e came out, and this is the way to do it.

Not every campaign needs an overarching plot, and if you DO need one your players will hand it to you after an adventure or six.

Don't sweat it. Just play.

One of the classic sword & sandal “campaign themes” was a simple quest. The protagonists go on a journey, and things happen. Think of how many times it has been used, and not just within the genre: The Odyssey, The Voyages of Sinbad, Jason and the Argonauts‘ quest for the Golden Fleece, Kung Fu (TV show), Sliders, Quantum Leap, Battlestar Galactica, The Hulk (TV show), the quest for the Holy Grail, the Epic of Gilgamesh...

There’s THE QUEST, and then there’s all the stuff that happens on the journey. And the protagonists might not even complete THE QUEST. Sent for waters from the Fountain of Youth, they might find it no longer exists, is a complete fable, or that the person setting them on the path doesn’t need it (for any of a number of reasons).

A couple of (not mutually exclusive) suggestions:

1. Draw up a few powerful NPCs before the campaigns starts. These don't have to be fully fleshed-out or even fully-formed ideas, really. Just some vague ideas you have on paper (something as simple as: King Burdan; old warrior who carved out his own kingdom and has no heir) you hint at when the PCs are exploring the world.

2. Let the PCs explore a bit and see what kind of trouble (in the form of unintended consequences) they create.

The key is that you take good notes of what's happening so you don't get caught in some story-destroying plot hole. If you do, and your players are mature, you can always ret-con it but it would be better if the story flows consistently if not smoothly.

Search up the Dark Sun 5e conversion/homebrew guides. I have seen a bunch around and lots of them have good ideas for a lower-magic, Conan feel.

Mythic Odyssey of Theros is probably another good one to look at.

Watch/read a few movies/books/comics about them for inspiration. 300 (movie and graphic novel), Spartacus, Gladiator, Conan, etc.
Pick up and play video games with the same tone as you want to have in your games