Brainstorming a Knightly campaign.

[Inconsequenti-AL]

I've got a basic idea for a new campaign and would like to get some input on it.

It's designed to be a short (~4-6 month/20-30 session) campaign arc. If it's successful it will be continued at a later date. The group will be 5 or 6 experienced players. There's been a fair amount of low level gaming lately, so this will start at 7th level.

The basic idea for the campaign is that the players are members or associates of a knightly order - something political, militant with religious overtones. Feel this would allow for most character concepts and provide a common theme.

Their mandate will be to secure a lost territory on the fringes of their empire. The first part of the campaign would involve the players siezing control of the main town and keep. Followed by getting it up and running, while dealing with problems in the area.

I'd be interested in any ideas for campaign settings, suggested resources, challenges, possible enemies or random thoughts!

 

[diaglo]

seizing control kinda sounds like usurping...

maybe there will be a resistance movement formed against the usurpers. or a group loyal to those who have be ousted. if the original leader is slain in the power struggle. perhaps some distant relative is sought to reclaim his birthright.

maybe they (the PCs) are flooded with requests to pay off old debts the former leader had runup.

maybe a rival nation sees them as weak or a threat and starts to amass an army on the border. with a few skirmishes taking place. caravans/boats seized or taxed, etc...

maybe a new coin is now minted with the likeness of the PCs as the rulers... a forgery scheme is started by a guild of rogues

crops start to fail. or can't be harvested due to the loss of manpower or shifting of priorities with the new rulers.

an ancient evil is uncovered in the mines of the land

a natural disaster strikes... flood, earthquake, tornado/hurricane, wild fires, a meteor strike, etc...

 

[JimAde]

Clearly whoever they're taking the town from won't be happy, so that's plenty of fodder right there.

For a twist, you could have the PCs discover, over the course of several adventures, that they haven't been told the real reason this town/area is important. It seems (as Diaglo suggested) that there is something ancient and sinister hidden in the area. The kicker is that the knightly order's leaders know this and want the power of the ancient evil for their own. The PCs can discover that the leadership is rotten at the core and eventually find themselves in conflict with their own. They can try to recruit old friends and acquaintances back at "headquarters" but who can they trust? It's a classic!

 

[diaglo]

for resources i always like to pull out nonfiction and fiction.


Bullfinch's Mythology
1001 Arabian Nights
The Coming Plague
The White Plague
The Death of Ben Linder
Love in the Time of Cholera
A Hero Ain't Nothing but a Sandwich

 

[Whisper72]

Okay... some random thoughts...

- Another militant order (rivals) came up with the same idea and harass the PC's
- Unbeknownst to the PC's and authorities, the village is home to some sort of 'underground cell' of some weirdo sect / demon worshippers, and they now feel threatened (the original powers that were were not aware of this group)
- some trouble with 'civilians' who were in league with the former powers and are not happy: sabotage. If not handled well, maybe a full scale riot ensues...
- a tribe of goblins / whatever moves into the area perceiving a power-vacuum
- now that the PC's are here they are asked to deal with some mystery in the woods (maybe an abandoned temple which still spanws some evil creatures every now and then)
- a necromancer wizard (in town or in a tower nearby) had a deal with the previous powers for fresh bodies of deceased villagers, and now starts to raid the cemetary

 

[sephyr]

Have you read Song of Fire & Ice? That could be a great resource for a knightly campaign. It would be fun to see character types like the Knight of Flowers, the Mountain That Moves, or Jaime Lannister.

 

[Arnix]

This may sound like a shameless plug (maybe...?) but we do something very similar in our Guidebook series. "A Question of Honor: A Guidebook to Knights" and "A Question of Loyalty: A Guidebook to Military Orders".

We have an entire setting in Honor called the Hill Lands. It is overrun with orcs and the Knights are on a holy crusade to retake the holy lands. If you follow history it is similar in concept to the Crusades. The book contains several PrCs for different knightly orders.

Honor contains information on different military orders as well as information on being a member of a knightly order by pickign up a Class Template, sort of like a PrC but maintaining your normal class.

GameWyrd did a review on both of these if you want a detailed synopsis.

Honor: http://gamewyrd.com/review/rpg.php?id=377
Loyalty: http://gamewyrd.com/review/rpg.php?id=458

RPGNow Page: http://www.rpgnow.com/default.php?manufacturers_id=464

If you have any specific questions, feel free to contact me.

 

[Inconsequenti-AL]

Thanks. Some excellent stuff! Got me thinking... will put together a few ideas:

Initially the keep is ruled over by a half-orc warlord... His father rules the neighbouring orc tribe. While he may not like his son, he'll feel obliged to 'do something' about it, blood is blood after all? A tribe of rampaging orcs on the warpath sounds like a good problem to deal with.

A powerful neighbourhood Necromancer is appealing. Give him a cult of servitors and worshipers scattered through the region. I like the idea that he had a deal of some sort with with the previous warlord. Perhaps he feels he's still owed for the 'unfortunate debts' run over the last few years? I guess he could start making some most unreasonable demands of the PCs?

On second thoughts, I'm rather tempted with an evil Druid instead. Not a common staple and could make for something different.

I'm think I'm going to keep the knightly order basically straight to begin with. Having them bad from the start might 'pull the rug out' from under the campaign when/if the PCs find out. Save that for a change of leadership and a later plot arc!

Some sort of evil McGuffin or McEvil ruins could definitely fit. Interest from other groups, some from their home kingdom - could work well. Guessing this sounds like the major thrust for the plot. Will have to think carefully about the type of McEvil... and whether to link it to the Necromancer.

Plague, famine, meteor, Dragon and flood type natural disasters got me thinking. Perhaps a series of portents and signs pointing that something bad (tm) is on the horizon.

Forgot about the thieves guild - got to have one of these. I guess a change of rulership will lead them to test how far they can push things.


Good to get some reading:

Be sure to check out Song of Fire and Ice - havn't heard of that.

'A Hero Ain't Nothing but a Sandwich' - I need to know. Just looked on Amazon and it's £50! Will have to have a look around for that.

The White Plague - a non dune book by Frank Herbert. Colour me curious...

 

[diaglo]

The White Plague - a non dune book by Frank Herbert. Colour me curious...

color me lucky... i was actually talking about the book by Rene J. Dubos

i didn't realize Frank Herbert had done one too.

 

[Inconsequenti-AL]

I've found it now... I blame Amazon and it's over eager searches.

Think that's going to be a library one... seems to have been out of print for a while... unless they've confused me with that as well?