[d20 Modern] Campaigns I'm planning to run

[JPL]

1. This'll just be a one-shot for next weekend...

In 1890, the mysterious Mycroft Holmes assembles an imprompteu team of detectives, explorers, and gentlemen spies to travel to the exotic Orient on the trail of the shadowy mastermind called Hanoi Xan. They discover Xan's secret plot to awaken a sleeping army of invincible snake-warriors --- all part of his larger scheme to conquer all of the East...and then, the world!

What ensues will hopefully be a mixture of Victorian colonialist adventure, detective novel, and pulp action. Xan has a few specially-bred man-eating albino gorillas as pets, and the snake-men are actually aliens [we'll see if the players catch on to this, since everything will be presented as Chinese mysticism].

2. "H.P. Lovecraft presents Blade II"
An action-movie, borderline superhero approach to the Cthuhlu Mythos. High-level, heavily armed, professional monster-hunters as the PCs.

Port in the magic system and sanity rules from CoC d20. At least one PC will have to be a psychiatrist, just to keep everyone else from getting too crazy.

There are Things Man Was Not Meant to Know. Shoot Them.

 

[Crothian]

Those both sound like very good ideas.

 

[JPL]

Those both sound like very good ideas.

Thanks.

What bothers me is that only two of my six players have even selected character concepts at this point [to say nothing of actually writing up their characters].

Hard to give everyone something cool to do if you don't know who "everyone" is.

But the master swordsman from Japan is going to square off against the evil saber-wielding Prussian henchman. That'll be fun.

 

[Crothian]

I fully understand. I'm startign a modern game in January, and we made character the first week of december with the idea of them using the time to ask me questions and get a decent concept going. This of course has not happened and most of my e-mails about the game people don't reply to.

 

[JPL]

I should probably just roll up some characters on my own and let players pick one when they show up on Saturday.

If I had it to do over again, I would've picked something a little less quirky. And I would've leaned on everyone a little earlier to give me some input.

 

[Gospog]

Flock Together

JPL,

These ideas are great! I hope to rip of- er, borrow elements of the first one for a Pulp Heroes game of my own.

To JPL and Crothian,

I feel your pain. But that's why we're the GMs. Usually, our players don't buy into the game as much as we do. It's a GM thang.

I suggest the following antidote: Invite a GM (or more than one) to one of your games. I did this with Dave Lozzi and it is a great "vacation". For example, Dave is going to come over my house next month for Pulp Heroes. He's already looked over the rules (again) and is working on a character. Yay!

I also invited a certain cat who frequents these boards. He is, similarly, a great player.

They enjoy the break from being a GM, I enjoy players who respect the Golden Rule.

Again, thanks for the awesome ideas!

 

[JPL]

Gospog, you steal all you want. My ideas far outnumber my actual opportunites to game.

I actually invited my regular GM to play. He'll be playing a sort of composite Englishman --- a cross of Sherlock Holmes and John Steed of "The Avengers".

Everyone else continues to drag their feet. I just rolled up Elijah McCoy, a Fast Hero/Gunslinger, Texas Ranger, and resident fish out of water. Surrounded by Brits, then stuck on a boat to China...he'll be ready to shoot some people.

Now I'm going to work on a Strong Hero 6 specializing in the Brawl family of feats [although he won't use Streetfighting] --- he's a British nobleman who's a great fan of scientific pugilism. Since the adventure is in Hong Kong, he will undoubtedly get into all sorts of fistfights with Combat Martial Arts types --- and he'll get thrashed around quite a bit.

 

[blackshirt5]

Now I'm going to work on a Strong Hero 6 specializing in the Brawl family of feats [although he won't use Streetfighting] --- he's a British nobleman who's a great fan of scientific pugilism. Since the adventure is in Hong Kong, he will undoubtedly get into all sorts of fistfights with Combat Martial Arts types --- and he'll get thrashed around quite a bit.

Give this guy several ranks in Perform, that way he can sing the Russell Crowe "Fightin' Round the World!" song.

"Now, these Chinamen, are sneaky buggers. They're known to not only punch, but to kick with their feet!"

 

[JPL]

Give this guy several ranks in Perform, that way he can sing the Russell Crowe "Fightin' Round the World!" song.

"Now, these Chinamen, are sneaky buggers. They're known to not only punch, but to kick with their feet!"

Ever see Conan O'Brien playing the old-time Irish boxer on SNL?

"I'll pepper your porridge! I'll butter your biscuits!"

That's what I want in this game.

Two more players have signed up:

A Spanish bullfighter [Charismatic 1 / Fast 5, with the Dodge feat chain] --- I'm hoping he rises to the occasion when the screaming albino death-ape charges him. [I'm not sure yet why they bring a bullfighter on this mission --- but I suppose a man without fear is always welcome.]

An English ex-con, shipped out to one of the Aussie penal colonies. I'd like it if the player took levels in Smart and Tough and played him as the ultimate survivor --- whether in the slums of London or the wilds of Tazmania, he'll scrape by somehow.

I'm also wondering if someone should play a butler. There's some great role-playing material there...

 

[dkilgo]

I don't know what my current D20 modern Gm's campaign is going to be like. He just told me to get a character concept, and create a character. I am leaning towards the Tough hero with a few levels in the Smart hero heading towards the advanced class of Body Guard.

What do you guys think?

Or, I was thinking of taking a Smart hero give him a few levels in Tough hero, and follow up with the Techie advanced class.

I really want ot do a combination of the Smart and Tough heroes, as you can probably see. Any other ideas?