A New Kind of Campaign (Feedback Wanted)

[airwalkrr]

Let's start with the average-damage-rule. This would reduce the number of dice rolls, but only to a minimal degree. I suggest you either apply this rule to all die-rolls or not at all.
(to allow for critical hits and misses, you might rule that on a d20 roll, a 1 is a critical miss, a 20 a potential critical hit, and all other results are considered '10')

Ooo. I don't know if that would work at all. There needs to be some element of randomness in the game. Making all damage rolls average would eliminate the need for almost all dice but the d20, which means fewer dice are needed at the table. The only other dice I can see being used with any regularity would be d100 for things like confusion or miss chance (I wouldn't impose an average roll on something like that). But even those could be fairly easily substituted for a d20 roll.

on the subject of 'expanded' characters:
I am assuming you introduced this rule to minimize the number of rules taken from non-core books. However, if you have a potential group of 20 players, and each uses rules from different sources, you still have a lot of work.

In a sense, yes. But I'm more concerned about what the individual player has access to as opposed to the group as a whole. I own all the WotC books and I am at least passingly familiar with most of them, especially the more popular options like radiant servant of pelor, exotic weapon master, and marshal (at least they seem popular to me).

As for mini-campains: Whenever a small selection of players is available more often, you can always split off that group from the main campaign. They will then no longer be available in the main campaign during the time they play the mini campaign, but I don't think they will see that as a problem (I don't know many players that have time to play 2 or 3 sessions a week, or find it a problem to skip one of the sessions if another campaign happens to have a session in the same week)

Good idea. I'll have to think about that.

Your description makes me think of EGG's original D&D campaigns, or what I've read of them anyway.

That is kind of what I am shooting for. I don't have the chutzpa to assume I can recreate what seems to be the halcyon days, but there are a large number of players who are my friends around me locally and I don't usually get to see a lot of them but a few times a year. This would provide the perfect excuse for more regular contact, which I would enjoy.

 

[Nightfall]

*thought as much* Good luck anyway Airwalker. Just as I said, couldn't do this myself. But good luck anyway.

 

[DarkKestral]

-A PC can trade ALL of his expanded slots for the opportunity to use all items from one sourcebook. For example, a PC could give up his expanded slots to be able to access all the rules items in the Player's Handbook 2. Another PC might choose to give up his expanded slots so he could play a shadowcaster and use shadow magic from Tome and Magic.

I see the expansion slots as an issue here; I can't play a Tiefling Shadowcaster, for example, because I'm sacrificing one slot to play a tiefling, and then 20 slots to play a shadowcaster with shadow magic. (and what's the point of playing a shadowcaster if you don't get the shadow magic??) It essentially screws a number of fairly simple non-phb but still fairly balanced race/class combos that are flavorful and says they are impossible. Why aren't you going with a LA (which is really only good for low LA races anyway, as humans are almost always mechanically the best race for powergaming) + book system that doesn't penalize people for using single splatbooks that are the primary source for their class-specific feat/ability options?

 

[Nightfall]

Dark,

Eh maybe Air walker likes not having LA races in his game. I guess...Or wants more 1st edition feel in his games.

 

[taliesin15]

I have heard of campaigns similar to this one, some not using AD&D or d20, and even participated in one in the early 80s. Basically, it sounds pretty good, and I know its doable, its more a matter if you as the DM have the time and energy to keep it fresh, coherent and successful. I must say as a fellow DM that I admire your courage and cojones to take on such an ambitious campaign.

 

[Nightfall]

Tal,

That and they like older editions. (I don't mind the fluff, just the mechanics.)

 

[Wik]

1) Personally, I think it sounds like a lot of fun. I've always wanted to run something like this if I ever join one of those gaming clubs or something.

2) XP is going to be an issue - if one guy only shows upevery eighth session or so, he's not going to be much help to the group. I think there needs to be a way to keep PCs involved, while at the same time "rewarding" players who attend regularly. I'd start the group at 3rd-5th level, and reward only 50% normal XP.

3) Be prepared for a day when the whole cast shows up. Egads.

4) I'd run the session in the SAME DUNGEON. Make an incredibly large dungeon, with multiple levels, entrances, and the like. Especially with varying difficulties, themes ("the undead area", "The hobgoblin tribes") and even potential rewards (an area that rewards a lot of scrolls will attract casters, for example).

This way, each player would have his own map, with his own experiences of the dungeon. So that, when the group encounters an area with orange slime, it's a new experience to one player, but the other player is saying "uh oh. We're in the layer of Drezlyx.... get your acid resistance spells ready." Players could also plan expeditions to various areas, and certain players (who have been to "key" areas) could even hire on as "scouts"). To keep this going, have a high player fatality, and insist on destroying any maps a player might have when his character dies (only his character had access to that information).

Also, you could allow players to learn of new entrances (and if they know of a new entrance, odds are good they'll be able to access some place new, and get first dibs on any of the great treasure!)

5) Published adventures should be run on a seperate day, and shouldn't be all that common.

6) I'd connect it to the internet somehow, or otherwise connect the players outside of the game, so they have a place where they can communicate in character, pass on information (true or not!), and even gloat about some of their experiences.

7) Include some mysteries that keep players coming back for more - what's with the murals in room 282 (and why hasn't anyone solved the puzzle)? Will anyone ever catch that pesky Ethereal Filcher (and what action is it that triggers his appearance)? If only someone could figure out a way to move that solid gold statue in the anti-magic room on the fifth level.....

 

[jdrakeh]

Ironically, what you describe, people have been doing for years -- they're called "demo games" (I currently run one for C&C, atcually). Hobby shops have been utilizing such "open to anybody" camapigns for decades in order to bring in new customers and help move products that they carry in stock.

Now, my C&C game didn't start out as a demo game, but since it is played in the backroom of the FLGS, it eventually turned into one -- we have a core group of three players (usually there) and a group of 2-4 players that rotates in and out on a weekly basis. Our "mini campaigns" take place when players involved in the central plotline can't show up.

 

[airwalkrr]

I see the expansion slots as an issue here; I can't play a Tiefling Shadowcaster, for example, because I'm sacrificing one slot to play a tiefling, and then 20 slots to play a shadowcaster with shadow magic... (snipped for brevity)

The reason is simple. If you want to play around with an entirely different rules set (like Tome of Magic, Tome of Battle, Magic of Incarnum, Expanded Psionics Handbook, etc.), you don't really need any other tricks. Characters using these rules will get plenty of new material to deal with without having to worry about LA races.

2) XP is going to be an issue - if one guy only shows upevery eighth session or so, he's not going to be much help to the group. I think there needs to be a way to keep PCs involved, while at the same time "rewarding" players who attend regularly. I'd start the group at 3rd-5th level, and reward only 50% normal XP.

I want to reward regular players. However, a fresh player or one who only shows up occassionally, could go on a sidetrek to earn extra XP. And actually, I plan to award 1/4 the XP and GP, though I am not 100% sure on that number yet. We will start at 1st-level however, because, well, 1st-level is fun.

3) Be prepared for a day when the whole cast shows up. Egads.

That is a good point, perhaps I will allow sign-ups on a web page ahead of time (first come first served) and limit the number of players per session to eight. I could possibly increase this limit when/if I get a co-DM.

4) I'd run the session in the SAME DUNGEON. Make an incredibly large dungeon, with multiple levels, entrances, and the like... (snipped for brevity)

That is essentially the idea behind using Castle Greyhawk as the backdrop for most adventures. Were I FR junkie, I'd use Undermountain.

5) Published adventures should be run on a seperate day, and shouldn't be all that common.

That is the way I would work the side treks.

6) I'd connect it to the internet somehow, or otherwise connect the players outside of the game, so they have a place where they can communicate in character, pass on information (true or not!), and even gloat about some of their experiences.

Good suggestion. I was thinking about building a website for the campaign and I think you've convinced me.

7) Include some mysteries that keep players coming back for more - what's with the murals in room 282 (and why hasn't anyone solved the puzzle)? Will anyone ever catch that pesky Ethereal Filcher (and what action is it that triggers his appearance)? If only someone could figure out a way to move that solid gold statue in the anti-magic room on the fifth level.....

Ah, very nice. I will have to store that suggestion away. Thank you.

 

[GQuail]

This return to the old-school style of campaign management could be good fun: though the main hurdle, as others have said, is making sure you manage who turns up for each session. In my normal D&D game I have a team of 8 players, and that can be slow in big combats: trying to run more than that would be quite a challenge and, IMHO, likely to become quite dull for the PCs waiting on their turn. Some sort of "sign up" online would be a good trick, but I know I'd get a bit tense if I was told I couldn't turn up for the game because 8 people were already picked.... and then people at the last minute had to back out.

I'm not too sure about the points system for character generation from non-core sources, but I appreciate the theory at least: players have to dedicate themselves to non-core options rather than cherry-picking them.

An internet site is a great idea: some sort of "tavern" where the different PCs can meet up, swap stories, and arrange the next jaunt. If you want to focus each session on "in the dungeon" events, this is where most of the rumour mill can operate: post up the ramblings of barmaids, old soaks and veterans for them to ponder between sessions. And if they can upload pictures, they could even swap dungeon maps with each other: two players who never meet in campaign might get a nice information trade going on!

The sidequests should probably be run on seperate days: I wouldn't enjoy being left out of a few weeks of gaming because a smaller group of the players had elected to play some sidequest a few days ride away but I wanted to reach level 4 of Zagyg's laboratory. That may introduce organizational problem re: finding a night everyone is free on top of "game night", but for short spurts at a time it's doable.