A game set during the war between Arkhosia and Bael Turath

[aco175]

For types of missions, I first thought along the lines of the Indiana Jones movies. They all took place during WW2, at least the good movies, and while there was elements of the bad guys, it was not always something like the Eastern front scope of war. Plenty of the small battles were against the Natzi's like at the airport with the spinning plane, or on the submarine, breaking into the castle to get his dad. Side quests to crypts to find knowledge and such can random more monsters into the mix to keep from being bogged down with just Natzi's.

 

[Lancelot]

The upcoming Conquest of Nerath boardgame sounds like it might be useful at some stage for this campaign. It's not specifically Bael Turath vs Arkhosia, but it appears to be the same sort of "prehistory of the Nentir Vale" concept.

Dungeons & Dragons Roleplaying Game Official Home Page - Product (Conquest of Nerath Boardgame)

Sounds interesting. 250 plastic playing pieces, etc. A D&D version of the classic Axis & Allies boardgame? Could help to model some of the really big clashes of what you're planning.

 

[The Monster]

I'm getting a bit stoked about this...

Between large scale battles, commando strikes, infiltration missions, counter-espionage and political intrigue there's definitely a lot of potential.

I'm simmering my own new 4e campaign; I've been using WW2 as a source of inspiration to plot out the grand scheme. I've got to agree there's a lot of potential ground there...
--obviously, engaged in a big battle (whole range of variations here, depending on who's winning and specific situation)
--escorting refugees through contested territory
--delivering vital supplies to a besieged city or fort
--liberating prisoners from an enemy camp, er, dungeon
--destroying a key enemy research/resource/ritual facility
--extracting (or inserting) spies from neutral or hostile territory
--escorting diplomats to/from neutral or conquered states
--protecting shipping from underwater threats
--capturing/assassinating an enemy leader
--finding enemy spies/saboteurs
--inspiring neutrals or friendlies to keep fighting
--bribing/persuading enemy subjects to turn against them
--fighing in extreme environments and seasons (Russo-Finnish winter, anyone?)
...and so on.
I've got a broad outline for heroic tier so far, some ideas for paragon, and am fishing for ideas for epic.

 

[Dr_Ruminahui]

If you are going to run a military based campaign, and are willing to look at third party materials, you may want to look at the Soldiers of Fortune book that is being sold by Kobold press. You can find 2 related EN links here:
http://www.enworld.org/forum/4e-discussion/301784-soldiers-fortune.html
http://www.enworld.org/forum/4e-discussion/302554-video-review-soldiers-fortune.html

I've ordered it (even if it doesn't fit my needs, its only 10 bucks, so given that it sounds really well made I thought it was worth the look), but haven't gotten my PDF yet. I can comment further when I've got it in my grubby paws.


Personally, I really like the sound of what you are doing - it sounds like you've got a really good mix of letting the PCs feel like heroes while making it amply clear that there are things out there happening that are way out of their league (for now, anyway...). If you can keep that balance, I think you;ll be able to get a flavourful campaign where player progression really feels like it means something within the game itself. So, be sure to keep up with the stories/rumours of what is happening elsewhere - dire rituals, clashing titans/dragons/war machines, the wiping out of regiments with single spells, grand villains with interesting character quirks and vast powers... and I would present them as rumours, which you would then follow up with later on, confirming them (or not) as you go along to provide a nice sense of continuity to the setting and letting the players feel like they are really part of something.

For literary inspiration, I recommend the Black Company books by Glen Beck (The Black Company - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia) and the Malazan Book of the Fallen (Malazan Book of the Fallen - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia), particularly the first 3 books or so in each series... both give very good portrayals of elite units that are outclassed by the forces around them and yet still make a difference - the former has particularly interesting characters (especially for the "villans"), while the second is great at communicating the epicness of those around. However, both read rather more like modern special forces units than medieval ones... however, given the level of magic in most parties, that may be appropriate for the a D&D military campaign.

 

[Nikosandros]

For types of missions, I first thought along the lines of the Indiana Jones movies. They all took place during WW2, at least the good movies, and while there was elements of the bad guys, it was not always something like the Eastern front scope of war. Plenty of the small battles were against the Natzi's like at the airport with the spinning plane, or on the submarine, breaking into the castle to get his dad. Side quests to crypts to find knowledge and such can random more monsters into the mix to keep from being bogged down with just Natzi's.

Yes, Indiana Jones can certainly provide a lot on inspiration. The back-drop of the war might be Easter Front like, but the PC will certainly be involved in individual missions much like many of Indy's escapades.

 

[Nikosandros]

The upcoming Conquest of Nerath boardgame [...] Could help to model some of the really big clashes of what you're planning.

Yes, that game looks potentially interesting. When it comes out, I'll certainly take a look.

I'm simmering my own new 4e campaign; I've been using WW2 as a source of inspiration to plot out the grand scheme. I've got to agree there's a lot of potential ground there...
[...]
I've got a broad outline for heroic tier so far, some ideas for paragon, and am fishing for ideas for epic.

Lots of good stuff here.

If you are going to run a military based campaign, and are willing to look at third party materials, you may want to look at the Soldiers of Fortune book that is being sold by Kobold press.

Yes, I'm aware of it and I was considering its purchase.

Personally, I really like the sound of what you are doing - it sounds like you've got a really good mix of letting the PCs feel like heroes while making it amply clear that there are things out there happening that are way out of their league (for now, anyway...). [...]

This is also very good advice.

For literary inspiration, I recommend the Black Company books by Glen Beck [...][

I agree, the Black Company is a very good series. I've also read and enjoyed the first four books in the Malazan series. Lots of good military stuff in there.