Seeing some of the threads over the past few years regarding the various APs and homebrew campaigns, I thought I'd share mine.
It is a Forgotten Realms campaign where the party is hired to join a mighty Caravan traveling from Waterdeep to Kara-Tur and back (hence the name, "Caravan") starting in 1365 DR. (I started working on it, off and on, nearly 10 years ago)
All in all, in game time, the trip is scheduled for about 5 years. To keep the party from leveling up too fast, I dole out a set amount of XP at the end of each chapter. My current group has been playing for almost a year and a half (we can only play once a month).
Here is the synopsis of the first 7 chapters (out of a planned 28). If there is any interest in this thread, I'll post more (I've only got the story written through 14).
Chapter 1: Waterdeep [Level 1]
“Heroes’ Rest” – short foray into Cliffside manor owned by the Massalan family where the party first encounters the Zhentarim.
Chapter 2: The Road North (Waterdeep – Westbridge – Triboar – Yartar) [Level 2]
“Welcome to the Krypthome” (Issue 52) – they loved the honkmoss
“By Kraken” – side trek in Yartar where they run afoul of the Kraken Society and find the remains of a missing Harper
Chapter 3: The Interior (Silverymoon – Hellgate Keep – Delimbyr Vale – Loudwater – Llorkh – Graypeak Mountains – Serpent’s Tail River – Soubar) [Level 2]
“The Whistling Skeleton” (Dragon 200) – the sorcerer charged into the ambush and was promptly fried
“The Matchmakers” (Issue 7) – the party botched the rescue attempt so badly I had to use “Shut In” (Issue 128) to get things back on track
“ Midnight Snacks” – based on a scenario from the FR Book of Lairs
“Cave In” – while evading the menace at Hellgate Keep the party plummeted into a sinkhold and had their first experience in the Underdark
“Keeper of the Balance” – after emerging from the Underdark they came across the abandoned Massalan (see Chapter 1) ancestral home (Goldworthy Castle from Dragon 145) in the Graypeak Mountains. The only problem was the crazed druid who had taken up residence
“Grakhirt’s Lair” (Issue 1) – got pulled into rescuing the town of Nolivari
Chapter 4: Welcome to Iriaebor (Triel – Scornubel – Asbravn – Iriaebor) [Level 3]
“A Day at the Faire” – wedding feast and faire (Dragon 118)
“For the Price of a Rose” (Planescape Box) – the party got their first taste of the planes and earned the enmity of the Plunderers
“The Eternal Boundary” (TSR module) – much fun, but almost got themselves killed by trying to take the big diamond
Chapter 5: To the Inner Sea (Elversult – Teziir – Sea of Fallen Stars – Ordulin – Yhaunn – Sea of Fallen Stars [again]) [Level 3]
“Honor Lost, Honor Regained” (Issue 48) – side trek
“Raid on Teziir” (Pirates of the Fallen Stars) – much wave-riding fun and royally ticked off Vurgrom the Mighty
“The Oracle at Sumbar” (Issue 48) – waiting on the caravan, went to visit a relative and found trouble again
Chapter 6: Into the Elven Wood (Essembra – the Wood – Myth Drannor – Hillsfar) [Level 4]
“Raid on Essembra” (based on “Raid on Boremium from DL “New Beginnings”)
“Pool of Radiance – Attack on Myth Drannor”
“Till Death Do Us Part” (Issue 29)– stumbled across as they traipsed through the forest
“Commando” – rescue mission into Hillsfar sewers and Castle Vultureroost to rescue a Harper
Chapter 7: Dangerous Latitudes (Thentia – Glister – Vaasa – The Great Glacier – Bloodstone Pass) [Level 4]
“The Dark Place” (Issue 49) – they really hated the gacholoth
“Seeking the Lost” – escorting a trio of priests of Ibrandul find a lost temple
“Sons of Gruumsh” – orcs, why did it have to be orcs?
“Old Durnick” (Portal to Adventure by Mayfair Games) – cleaned out monsters and found lost temple to Ibrandul
“Wererats of Relfren” (Issue 14) – due to player absences I had to add a filler and this little gem worked perfectly, the looks on their faces when they figured out the problem they faced was priceless [this is where we left off]
“Steelheart” (Issue 53) - back on track and going to cross the Zhentarim again and add the Cult of the Dragon to their list of enemies
“Snow Baby” (FR14, the Great Glacier)
And they have a chance to permanently remove one of their Zhemtarim foes in Bloodstone Pass after a tough ambush.
The party should be approaching Epic levels when they return to Waterdeep.
It is a Forgotten Realms campaign where the party is hired to join a mighty Caravan traveling from Waterdeep to Kara-Tur and back (hence the name, "Caravan") starting in 1365 DR. (I started working on it, off and on, nearly 10 years ago)
All in all, in game time, the trip is scheduled for about 5 years. To keep the party from leveling up too fast, I dole out a set amount of XP at the end of each chapter. My current group has been playing for almost a year and a half (we can only play once a month).
Here is the synopsis of the first 7 chapters (out of a planned 28). If there is any interest in this thread, I'll post more (I've only got the story written through 14).
Chapter 1: Waterdeep [Level 1]
“Heroes’ Rest” – short foray into Cliffside manor owned by the Massalan family where the party first encounters the Zhentarim.
Chapter 2: The Road North (Waterdeep – Westbridge – Triboar – Yartar) [Level 2]
“Welcome to the Krypthome” (Issue 52) – they loved the honkmoss
“By Kraken” – side trek in Yartar where they run afoul of the Kraken Society and find the remains of a missing Harper
Chapter 3: The Interior (Silverymoon – Hellgate Keep – Delimbyr Vale – Loudwater – Llorkh – Graypeak Mountains – Serpent’s Tail River – Soubar) [Level 2]
“The Whistling Skeleton” (Dragon 200) – the sorcerer charged into the ambush and was promptly fried
“The Matchmakers” (Issue 7) – the party botched the rescue attempt so badly I had to use “Shut In” (Issue 128) to get things back on track
“ Midnight Snacks” – based on a scenario from the FR Book of Lairs
“Cave In” – while evading the menace at Hellgate Keep the party plummeted into a sinkhold and had their first experience in the Underdark
“Keeper of the Balance” – after emerging from the Underdark they came across the abandoned Massalan (see Chapter 1) ancestral home (Goldworthy Castle from Dragon 145) in the Graypeak Mountains. The only problem was the crazed druid who had taken up residence
“Grakhirt’s Lair” (Issue 1) – got pulled into rescuing the town of Nolivari
Chapter 4: Welcome to Iriaebor (Triel – Scornubel – Asbravn – Iriaebor) [Level 3]
“A Day at the Faire” – wedding feast and faire (Dragon 118)
“For the Price of a Rose” (Planescape Box) – the party got their first taste of the planes and earned the enmity of the Plunderers
“The Eternal Boundary” (TSR module) – much fun, but almost got themselves killed by trying to take the big diamond
Chapter 5: To the Inner Sea (Elversult – Teziir – Sea of Fallen Stars – Ordulin – Yhaunn – Sea of Fallen Stars [again]) [Level 3]
“Honor Lost, Honor Regained” (Issue 48) – side trek
“Raid on Teziir” (Pirates of the Fallen Stars) – much wave-riding fun and royally ticked off Vurgrom the Mighty
“The Oracle at Sumbar” (Issue 48) – waiting on the caravan, went to visit a relative and found trouble again
Chapter 6: Into the Elven Wood (Essembra – the Wood – Myth Drannor – Hillsfar) [Level 4]
“Raid on Essembra” (based on “Raid on Boremium from DL “New Beginnings”)
“Pool of Radiance – Attack on Myth Drannor”
“Till Death Do Us Part” (Issue 29)– stumbled across as they traipsed through the forest
“Commando” – rescue mission into Hillsfar sewers and Castle Vultureroost to rescue a Harper
Chapter 7: Dangerous Latitudes (Thentia – Glister – Vaasa – The Great Glacier – Bloodstone Pass) [Level 4]
“The Dark Place” (Issue 49) – they really hated the gacholoth
“Seeking the Lost” – escorting a trio of priests of Ibrandul find a lost temple
“Sons of Gruumsh” – orcs, why did it have to be orcs?
“Old Durnick” (Portal to Adventure by Mayfair Games) – cleaned out monsters and found lost temple to Ibrandul
“Wererats of Relfren” (Issue 14) – due to player absences I had to add a filler and this little gem worked perfectly, the looks on their faces when they figured out the problem they faced was priceless [this is where we left off]
“Steelheart” (Issue 53) - back on track and going to cross the Zhentarim again and add the Cult of the Dragon to their list of enemies
“Snow Baby” (FR14, the Great Glacier)
And they have a chance to permanently remove one of their Zhemtarim foes in Bloodstone Pass after a tough ambush.
The party should be approaching Epic levels when they return to Waterdeep.
