Getting D&D going again.....

[Ed Cha]

Thanks for the input so far. I'll check out your product, but in the end - I think I am going to make something up from scratch.

With all of that said, I've decided I want something in a winter setting....lots of ice and snow......and a fortress built into a chasm or on a cliffside that the characters will have to explore......Don't know why....dont have any plot hooks - but that seems like a cool setting to me.

Any further help would be appreciated....

You're welcome! A homebrew campaign is always fun for the DM, but keep in mind that published adventures and sourcebooks are always good resources to keep handy for inspiration or ideas.

Also, I'd like to recommend folklore and history books. It sounds like reading up on some Norse mythology or Viking history may help you with your setting.

 

[William Ronald]

You also might consider the type of adventure that you want to run -- do you want something truly fantastic (monstrous opponents) or more realistic. (Hunting down a thief.)

You can also check on the websites of various D20 publishers. The Whispering Woodwind, by Creative Mountain Games is a good introductory adventure. There are also many other introductory adventures put out by D20 publishers. (Okay, publishers, players, and DM, make your adventure recommendations.)

You may want to have rewards for good role playing. Also, I think an adventure should be intellectually challenging as well as exciting. So, give the players a chance to use skills and interact in ways that are not yet possible with computer games. Have them haggle with merchants, answer riddles, or solve mysteries. Also, you can throw in a few red herrings -- to possibly get the players off track.

Okay, people. We have a DM who wants to get back into the game. Time for our best DMs to offer advice. What do YOU think can help Melkor get his players to make table-top RPGs part of their recreational activities?

 

[Gothmog]

If you want to hook them from the get-go, here is something I tried a few years ago with great success. The PCs awaken individually in a castle/manor house/fairly out of the way location, without any idea who they are or how they got there. Some gear suitable for their class is near them when they wake up. Upon exploring further, the PCs find that some sort of battle has taken place recently, with numerous dead armored men and men wearing crimson robes lying about. No one else is alive in the location, but a few scribbled notes, or orders found on the armored men say they were sent here to "cleanse" the location by any means necessary, and with the seal of a nearby noble as the waxmark.

IMC, I made the PCs the long-dead heroes of an evil cult who resurrected them to bring their cult back to prominence. However, during the resurrection ceremony something went wrong (magical flux, attack, powerful outsiders showed up, etc) and the PCs were restored to life, but without their memories or all of their skills (I started them at 3rd level as well). Now the PCs have to figure out who they are or were, contend with an evil cult that sees them as saviors, and the good guys who see them as a scourge on the world. There is plenty of room for political maneuvering, LOTS of roleplaying, and dungeon delves to discover who and what they were. You could also throw in various dreams or memory fragments tantalizing the PCs with their pasts. Finally, the PCs would have to make a decision to return to their old lives, or start out new and leave their vile pasts behind them. It was a great campaign, the players loved it, and I had a blast DMing it.

 

[Ed Cha]

Here are some random tips:

When you are weaving your plot ideas together, make sure that everyone is connected somehow. I don't know if you're familiar with the six degrees of Kevin Bacon theory, but basically if you have a campaign setting where each NPC the party meets is somehow involved with another NPC (directly or indirectly) it can be very interesting. PCs will feel like they are engaged with your setting and become a part of this web of relationships.

Give each NPC a name. Keep a list of random NPC names so that each can be memorable. Make sure each one has an individual and complex personality, instead of just naming them "Bob" or making them all either a grumpy merchant or a beautiful seductress. If you can, try to use different voices for each one so that PCs can differentiate them easily. Using dramatics in your game can also help make it feel like the players have entered another world. Your world.

In other words, you don't necessarily need a fantastical world full of exploding magic and great terrible monsters around every corner to make a memorable game. In my opinion, it's not so much the concepts but rather how you carry them out. Many players will be more involved and engaged in plots and NPCs rather than "neat" ideas. Interesting concepts are always welcome, but too much can de-sensitize your players. Like spice, use them sparingly.

Again, I would suggest trying to read up as many published adventures as possible before you run this game. These days a lot of people seem apathetic to published adventures and that's maybe why I see so many bad games being run out there. But you've got to learn how an adventure is run before you run one yourself.

Also, history and reference books are good sources of inspiration (and you might actually learn something like when were windmills invented, etc!) I find these resources great learning tools and helpful idea sources.

To answer your specific questions:

1) The opportunity to be heros. To save the day, even if it means sacrificing their characters in the end.

Establish an interesting and engaging plot-line that gets them involved in the affairs of the realm. Perhaps they must choose which side of a war they will support and by making the right choice they save the kingdom.

2) To feel like they are not being railroaded.

Create a world that is open-ended in which the PCs can roam freely wherever they want. If you design an encounter where there is a monster inside of a cave that holds a special magic item, but the PCs decide not to go in there, make sure you have enough material to cover so that they can go somewhere else. Having enough options keep you from forcing your players down a specific path.

3) The opportunity to be 'bad asses'....Instead of the average joe.

How about giving each of them specific unique powers? For example, you can give the rogue the ability to sneak attack for double damage once per day or give the fighter the ability to bind wounds (bandage injuries for 1d6 points of damage, a two-round action) once per feat attained. Don't let them become generic characters. You can do this without necessarily playing prestige classes. Be creative, but always remember game balance.

Hope some of this is helpful!