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<blockquote data-quote="Quickleaf" data-source="post: 7163601" data-attributes="member: 20323"><p>I think it's smart that you've got a year of playing and a bit of DMing under your belt before embarking on a homebrew campaign. Definitely don't be dejected by some of us "old-timer" DMs. It's important that you as DM really enjoy the game too, after all you're player #4 or 5 or 6 or whatever. You should have a say in the sort of game you run, but you want to listen to your players too.</p><p></p><p></p><p>You know your players, so sometimes you can anticipate what they'll do. This seems like a big assumption to me.</p><p></p><p></p><p>The even bigger assumption, however, is that they lose the fight / aren't able to expose Glasstaff. That is a sign of "rail-roading", which means, essentially, that the DM is indulging in aspirations of being a novelist and really isn't giving the players a chance to influence the story <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite2" alt=";)" title="Wink ;)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=";)" /> Don't worry, most of us made that mistake along the way.</p><p></p><p>And putting the PCs into a scenario as captives rarely works. You can START a story there, like <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scourge_of_the_Slave_Lords" target="_blank">A1 Slave Pits of the Undercity</a> did, but I really mean START – the first words out of your mouth are setting the scene with the PCs as slaves. Attempting to capture them AFTER starting play? 9 times out of 10 that flops. Terribly. Players hate it; they fight it tooth-and-nail. The only time you rally get to do a capture scenario as DM is (a) if the party makes a mistake and through the course of play ends up getting beaten (they suffer a TPK and you decide to have them captured instead), or (b) the PCs decide to pretend to be captives to infiltrate or gain info undercover.</p><p></p><p></p><p>The game's setting is something you want to get group input on. Normally you want to have a "session zero" discussing play expectations – if you need help coming up with the questions to ask during "session zero", just ask and we can help. But what you don't want to do is impose upon the players a new setting "Abeir Toril" when they are hoping for / invested in bog standard Forgotten Realms or pseudo medieval fantasy. Also, uplifting the PCs fom their home environments can tend to invalidate their background choices.</p><p></p><p></p><p>In reality, the rogue picks the lock on his shackles, the mage uses the shackles as a spell component, the cleric uses them as an improvised weapon, and the fighter uses them to slide down the banner wire to choke out the guard captain from behind...and then they throw the evil baron off his perch and the hidden rogue pulls the lever unleashing the captured dire bear upon the baron. This is how players think. <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" /></p><p></p><p>"You must fight one another" looks good in principle, but as the old adage goes: No plan survives contact with the players.</p><p></p><p></p><p>What stands out to me is the lack of any player or character names / motivations in your story outline.</p><p></p><p>You have a story without characters, essentially. And in D&D that's no story at all.</p><p></p><p>Not sure if your players already have characters created for this campaign, but if not, then during "session zero" you want to be writing down details about their PCs (motives, backgrounds, bonds/flaws/ideals/personality traits, potential story and adventure hooks, NPCs the player makes up, etc), and incorporating those details into your campaign arc.</p><p></p><p>Here's an example from one of my games set in the Witcher setting:</p><p></p><p>[SECTION]The overextended Nilfgaardian Empire is at the edge of Dol Blathanna, the elven nation once established as a protectorate. A group of heroes have journeyed here over the Blue Mountains bringing a half-elven woman named Odvara who possesses the gift of magic to be trained under the supervision of the elven queen & mighty sorceress Francisca Findabair. Each of these heroes has their reasons. </p><p></p><p>For the sly witcheress Kynee, what is supposed to be a simple job-for-coin serves as a cover for her smuggling mission, but becomes more complicated as it's revealed Odvara was born under the same Black Sun (eclipse) as Kynee and they share unusual mutations.</p><p></p><p>For the storm sorceress Talashia, who was betrayed by a rival sorceress in league with the Cult of the Black Sun, this is an opportunity to engage more deeply in the politics of sorcery far from the witch-burning fires scouring the rest of the world...and there's something in the air of Dol Blathanna that speaks to her.</p><p></p><p>For the witch/sorceress Elora, who suffered greatly trying to control her own gift, she empathizes with Odvara. Moreover, having once been cursed as a hag, Elora realizes the hag who seems to be after Odvara has a connection to her, and must draw upon her past hag-hunting experience.</p><p></p><p>For the steadfast witcher Fergus, this is a mission of honor complicated by his past hag-hunting with Elora, and by Odvara's doting upon him as her guardian knight. There may be an opportunity to discover what the mysterious runes covering his body mean as well.</p><p></p><p>For the dwarf Barakor, this is also a mission of honor, however it's personal as well; the darkness that has fallen over his homeland Mahakam is spreading in Dol Blathanna, and he must fight against it if hopes to save the mind of the mad dwarven king. </p><p></p><p>For the elf Tamaran, this is a chance to find his place in elven society after years as a Scioa'tael rebel, while Odvara challenges many of the elvish superstitions that Tamaran grew up with but has always questioned.[/SECTION]</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Quickleaf, post: 7163601, member: 20323"] I think it's smart that you've got a year of playing and a bit of DMing under your belt before embarking on a homebrew campaign. Definitely don't be dejected by some of us "old-timer" DMs. It's important that you as DM really enjoy the game too, after all you're player #4 or 5 or 6 or whatever. You should have a say in the sort of game you run, but you want to listen to your players too. You know your players, so sometimes you can anticipate what they'll do. This seems like a big assumption to me. The even bigger assumption, however, is that they lose the fight / aren't able to expose Glasstaff. That is a sign of "rail-roading", which means, essentially, that the DM is indulging in aspirations of being a novelist and really isn't giving the players a chance to influence the story ;) Don't worry, most of us made that mistake along the way. And putting the PCs into a scenario as captives rarely works. You can START a story there, like [url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scourge_of_the_Slave_Lords]A1 Slave Pits of the Undercity[/url] did, but I really mean START – the first words out of your mouth are setting the scene with the PCs as slaves. Attempting to capture them AFTER starting play? 9 times out of 10 that flops. Terribly. Players hate it; they fight it tooth-and-nail. The only time you rally get to do a capture scenario as DM is (a) if the party makes a mistake and through the course of play ends up getting beaten (they suffer a TPK and you decide to have them captured instead), or (b) the PCs decide to pretend to be captives to infiltrate or gain info undercover. The game's setting is something you want to get group input on. Normally you want to have a "session zero" discussing play expectations – if you need help coming up with the questions to ask during "session zero", just ask and we can help. But what you don't want to do is impose upon the players a new setting "Abeir Toril" when they are hoping for / invested in bog standard Forgotten Realms or pseudo medieval fantasy. Also, uplifting the PCs fom their home environments can tend to invalidate their background choices. In reality, the rogue picks the lock on his shackles, the mage uses the shackles as a spell component, the cleric uses them as an improvised weapon, and the fighter uses them to slide down the banner wire to choke out the guard captain from behind...and then they throw the evil baron off his perch and the hidden rogue pulls the lever unleashing the captured dire bear upon the baron. This is how players think. :) "You must fight one another" looks good in principle, but as the old adage goes: No plan survives contact with the players. What stands out to me is the lack of any player or character names / motivations in your story outline. You have a story without characters, essentially. And in D&D that's no story at all. Not sure if your players already have characters created for this campaign, but if not, then during "session zero" you want to be writing down details about their PCs (motives, backgrounds, bonds/flaws/ideals/personality traits, potential story and adventure hooks, NPCs the player makes up, etc), and incorporating those details into your campaign arc. Here's an example from one of my games set in the Witcher setting: [SECTION]The overextended Nilfgaardian Empire is at the edge of Dol Blathanna, the elven nation once established as a protectorate. A group of heroes have journeyed here over the Blue Mountains bringing a half-elven woman named Odvara who possesses the gift of magic to be trained under the supervision of the elven queen & mighty sorceress Francisca Findabair. Each of these heroes has their reasons. For the sly witcheress Kynee, what is supposed to be a simple job-for-coin serves as a cover for her smuggling mission, but becomes more complicated as it's revealed Odvara was born under the same Black Sun (eclipse) as Kynee and they share unusual mutations. For the storm sorceress Talashia, who was betrayed by a rival sorceress in league with the Cult of the Black Sun, this is an opportunity to engage more deeply in the politics of sorcery far from the witch-burning fires scouring the rest of the world...and there's something in the air of Dol Blathanna that speaks to her. For the witch/sorceress Elora, who suffered greatly trying to control her own gift, she empathizes with Odvara. Moreover, having once been cursed as a hag, Elora realizes the hag who seems to be after Odvara has a connection to her, and must draw upon her past hag-hunting experience. For the steadfast witcher Fergus, this is a mission of honor complicated by his past hag-hunting with Elora, and by Odvara's doting upon him as her guardian knight. There may be an opportunity to discover what the mysterious runes covering his body mean as well. For the dwarf Barakor, this is also a mission of honor, however it's personal as well; the darkness that has fallen over his homeland Mahakam is spreading in Dol Blathanna, and he must fight against it if hopes to save the mind of the mad dwarven king. For the elf Tamaran, this is a chance to find his place in elven society after years as a Scioa'tael rebel, while Odvara challenges many of the elvish superstitions that Tamaran grew up with but has always questioned.[/SECTION] [/QUOTE]
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