Explanation Help

[Mourngrymn Dasha'r]

I know this has been around these forums once before but I can not find anything on it.

I am starting a new campaign for my local group and I am trying to begin the game in a way we have never done before. Trying to throw in other than normal events, etc so it doesn't seem like the same old system, same old game. I wanted to start them off in an academy type setting where they do not know each other but are put together as a group like a class of students in a University or College today.

I recently read an entry in Story Hour that intrigued me as how they pulled it off but alas I can not find it again.

What I am looking for is a few examples of how to explain why there are Academy's such as this in the world. I can explain the how they work, just not the why they are here and why people would go to them or send their children.

A little help please. Thank you.

 

[diaglo]

knowledge is power.

so high class patrons send their kids to learn the ways to stay rich.

lower class do it thru scholarship.. the whole village is paying for student X to go.


middle class are trying to achieve high class...

 

[Mourngrymn Dasha'r]

Thanks

That part is nearly a given and understandable. But, how many should there be? Just one in the most lucrative Kingdom, or should there be one in each Kingdom?

But, how do they work? What benefit does it give to go to this Academy? Do you get a piece of paper saying your educated? Can the academy be used to train adventurers? And if so, how do you explain the rhyme or reason behind an adventurer going here. Will guilds accept adventurers into their society if they have gone through the academy or turn their head if they haven't gone or not passed? Its the answer to these questions that baffle me.

 

[diaglo]

this is an area where real lif (RL) helps.

look at universities and colleges and how they were founded. where they are founded. by which groups. for what reasons and so on...

now apply your campaigns politics and magic to the search. and figure it out.

 

[Stormborn]

I can see a couple of scenarios where having all the PCs in such an academy might be a good idea:

- In a highly lawful society only graduates (or students for early levels) of a registered Academy of the Society of Exploration can legally enter the Empty Lands and explore the ruins found there. Anyone entering those lands w/o permission is usually killed on sight (too many evil cultist been bringing back nasty artifacts) or imprisoned if attempting to cross the border, which is heavilly patrolled. Attempting to sell or buy items found there w/o a licence is punishable by heavy fines and jail time. Encourage the PCs to take scholarly skills, maybe even give them a starting occupation/major, that gives them some addition class skills or bonuses to the ones they have.

-In a small but wealthy nation promising students are sent to the Royal Academy. The nation, while influential, can't really field much of a millitary, and instead uses irregular forces like adventurers to explore, gather wealth, stop threats before they become a problem. Graduates are given free reign to choose their actions, but must report regularly to the Oversite Authority.

-In a traditional setting any large city or metropolis, and maybe some small ones, can have unviersites. They teach everything, not just adventuring, the PCs happen to be among the more active and promising students. Some proffesors of theirs are retired adventurers possibly, and encourage them to go, or are willign to give students credit for retrieving certain artifacts and information from dungeons and wilderness areas. This could make a unique twist to a hack-n-slash group when your mission is to retrieve a certain species of fungus that only grow in the tombs of undead or to bring back a living carrion crawler for study or the like.

 

[Mourngrymn Dasha'r]

All great info thanks...


Plus if the author of the Story Hour that used the Academy as their main setting please post a link to that please. I would like to finish reading it. It was great.

 

[Thornir Alekeg]

Stormborn beat me to what I was going to say, almost exactly.

As for the question of "Do they get a piece of paper" I would say, maybe, if that is what you wnat, but I would prefer the idea of a brand or tattoo for graduates

Guilds, like real world companies will probably prefer graduates over others, but would be willing to accept people with real world experience who did not attend an academy - although those people might discover that they are treated as second-class members - the Guild heirarchy is dominated by graduates, so they favor those who did as they did.

 

[Mourngrymn Dasha'r]

I like that tattoo idea. As wel las your avatar, I need ot go read yesterday's comic from OOTS. Thanks for reminding me.

 

[Piratecat]

There's a FANTASTIC book that you may want to check out: Redhurst, Academy of Magic. This was up for an ENnie for a very good reason. The book lays out a great wizard's academy, with maps and NPCs and classes. It's the book I'd use if I were trying to create my own wizard's school.

http://www.humanhead.com/hhgames/RAM/ram.html

Check out their downloadable Player's Guide.

 

[Mourngrymn Dasha'r]

Cool, thats a nice little read there.