Campaign Creation Secrets [making linked adventures from 1st-20th level]

[nikolai]

3e was with the idea of PCs going from 1-20th level in about a year. Does anyone have any idea about how to go about designing a cohesive campaign that goes about building up series of adventures running from 1st level to 20th and some important accomplishment? By this I don't mean the losely connected adventure like the adventure path.

Anyone done this?

nikolai.

 

[astralpwka]

Here's my suggestions...

Give your plot a timescale. Know your campaign setting well enough to know what is going to change over the course of it's future history. Plan a loose ending, what you know you want to happen by 20th level. A 20 level outline might be the way to go too. Your stories will probably have the latter half of your planning thrown out the window though, as characters change, and affect your storyline.

 

[Kugar]

Design NPC. Before the first roll of the dice just generate NPC stats of assorted levels. Take the top dog, and figure out a way that he's doing something very bad. From there figure out who works for him and against him. Now throw in some neutral/interesting characters, to use as needed. Throw in a setting. Done!

Develop 3 secrets that no one knows.
Every time the PCs kill/remove someone make a replacement.
At the end of every session, re-evaluate everyone's goals and projects.
Every 4 levels or so, throw in a twist. Add a significant secret.

Now between sessions all you have to do is develop a few NPCs, and map out a location every time they go somewhere new. This makes a remarkably cohesive setting, even though it does not look like it. The only problem is it gets boring fighting the same bad guy for levels upon levels, so the twists should be significantly interesting (Think Requiem for a God, or When the Sky Falls for help)

Kugar

 

[Lalato]

Well... you have to start out with a central theme to your saga. Once that theme is established, you can tackle the rest.


I think that instead of trying to go for a 1 to 20 progression, you should break it down into more manageable chunks.

1-5, 5-10, 11-15, 16-20

or

1-7. 8-14, 15-20

Treat these smaller groups as story arcs. Generally, I like the first grouping better. It lets you do a bit more with the characters. I also like that you can inter-relate the story arcs better with the first grouping. For instance, elements from 1-5 can turn up in 11-15... and elements from 5-10 can turn up in 16-20. The various story arcs have to tie back into the central theme.

Example Theme: Your Homeland is at War with an Evil Foe

1-5: PCs are recruited into the army or some such... early adventures are more about staying alive in war, but definitely related to central theme.

6-10: PCs have gained some recognition... now is the time to switch gears... it's not necessarily about survival anymore... perhaps their is spying or a bit more court intrigue.

11-15: Switch gears again... Back to battle... and this time the PCs Homeland suffers a great loss. The PCs cannot stem the tide against them. It's all about survival again.

16-20: The PCs homeland has been overrun by the evil foe. The PCs are in hiding, they must find a way to defeat their evil enemy. Will they deal the critical blow that will free their people? Lots of intrigue in this story arc.

In between the major bits of story, there can side adventures/quests and other tidbits.

Anyway... the above is just off the top of my head, but that's generally how I would work a campaign... A main theme divided into smaller story arcs.

--sam

 

[Mark]

Re: Campaign Design Secrets

3e was with the idea of PCs going from 1-20th level in about a year.

18 months, IIRC.

14 encounters per level of roughly the appropriate EL for the group.

Find out if the players are self-starters or need leading from adventure to adventure.

If they are self-starters, find out the types of things they wish to do and create mainly tailored encounters. Build up a stock of NPCs, small encounters, and side-treks, and be prepared to drop them in when the players take left turns.

If the players are more apt to follow your lead for adventures, you can create more status quo encounters...places where the PCs need to go to find adventure and will do so after you drop hints about them. You can still build up a stock of NPCs, small encounters, and side-treks, but will be less likely to need them.

Most groups fall somewhere in between and can go back in forth favoring one or the other. You might have to gear towards status quo, but be more ready for tailored encounters.

After a few games and finding out how the players are interacting with one another, start forming a plan for a "larger purpose" that can be interwoven with the fabric of your other adventures. Dangle it occasionally for the players to see and if your campaign is going to develop into a story primarily about that one "larger purpose" try to break it down into level-appropriate scenarios; low-level adventures with minions of a BBEG, mid-level adventures with serious allies of the BBEG, more mid-level adventures with obstacles that the BBEG has set up to keep the PCs out of the way, high-level direct confrontation adventures with the BBEG's inner-circle and a final adventure with direct conflict with the BBEG.

More or less, salt to taste...

 

[DiFier]

Re: Campaign Creation Secrets [linked adventures from 1st-20th level]

3e was with the idea of PCs going from 1-20th level in about a year. Does anyone have any idea about how to go about designing a cohesive campaign that goes about building up series of adventures running from 1st level to 20th and some important accomplishment? By this I don't mean the losely connected adventure like the adventure path.

Anyone done this?

nikolai.

A year? Like in 1 real year the PC's should go from 1st to 20th level? or one IC year? We are so very slow then. one year?

In my main game we've been playing for about 18 months with a break of about a month in the middle (and are currently on break but the 18 months ended when the current break started.) We've gone from 3rd level to almost 14th. that is playing once a week almost religiously.

 

[nikolai]

Re: Re: Campaign Creation Secrets [linked adventures from 1st-20th level]

A year? Like in 1 real year the PC's should go from 1st to 20th level? or one IC year? We are so very slow then. one year?

A year in real life - the (hypothetical) calculation is, if I recall correctly, a session a week, a just over 4 combats (EL=level) a session, 3 sessions a level, which makes just over a year to 20th. Of course, this is easily changed by tweaking XP or different playing speeds.

nikolai.