Help! I need novel ideas for starting a campaign.

[Ravellion]

Well, I am from Hoorn originally, lived in Amsterdam for a few years, and that is where I am going to return to hopefully, though the housing demand is high and this would make it hard to get a decent place on my money, so I might move back to Hoorn first.

Thanks for the suggestions so far! I like a few already, but I don't want ot say just which ones yet, because that might pollute further replies

Rav

 

[geezerjoe]

Here is an idea that I was considering for my next campaign ... its kinda long term and complicated (potentially) but I call it "Powers That Be"

Basically, given the DM's guidelines, each of the players would take the role of one or a number of gods and contribute in the creation of the entire world. The game would be divided initially into rounds where each godling would create portions of the new world, races, places of power, etc until a nice sized world with some generous details has been created.

Next, the players would become one of the races that anyone created, and would play one of the earlier time lines where people live in tribes, the races haven't encountered each other, magic is low but so is melee since most feats haven't been created yet, most monsters don't exist, dragons are real young, etc etc etc ... you get the idea. I'd suggest putting a level limit of like 7 or 10 or so

After a few levels or adventures in the world like this (or many if it strikes your fansy) then do a new round of godling actions where the gods try to screw around with the kinds of things that they didn't like in the game and such ... (as the DM you could mess with the players by changing what gods they control in the new round and such)

Wash rinse and repeat adding new elements as you go so that magic becomes more powerful, great heroes develope new fighting styles, and legends are made.

Just an idea

Joe2Old

 

[geezerjoe]

Here is an idea that I was considering for my next campaign ... its kinda long term and complicated (potentially) but I call it "Powers That Be"

Basically, given the DM's guidelines, each of the players would take the role of one or a number of gods and contribute in the creation of the entire world. The game would be divided initially into rounds where each godling would create portions of the new world, races, places of power, etc until a nice sized world with some generous details has been created.

Next, the players would become one of the races that anyone created, and would play one of the earlier time lines where people live in tribes, the races haven't encountered each other, magic is low but so is melee since most feats haven't been created yet, most monsters don't exist, dragons are real young, etc etc etc ... you get the idea. I'd suggest putting a level limit of like 7 or 10 or so

After a few levels or adventures in the world like this (or many if it strikes your fansy) then do a new round of godling actions where the gods try to screw around with the kinds of things that they didn't like in the game and such ... (as the DM you could mess with the players by changing what gods they control in the new round and such)

Wash rinse and repeat adding new elements as you go so that magic becomes more powerful, great heroes develope new fighting styles, and legends are made.

Just an idea

Joe2Old

 

[geezerjoe]

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaagh ... double post!!!

forgive me

J2O

 

[Kaiyosama]

You could always be an EN test monkey and go for a Ghostwalk campaign.

(BTW, you can edit the second double post instead of posting thrice)

 

[Arken]

Isn't there a whole campaign settings contest database around here somewhere, you could filter some good ideas out of that

 

[BiggusGeekus@Work]

A campaign based around air ships would be cool. A world where the continents float in the sky and travel is primarily ship based through the air. Make the party the loyal crew of a pirate hunter or whatever.

I like this! You could have the first adventure be the players getting captured from their villiage. The pirate airship flys on for a couple of weeks until the players finally get their chance to strike back. But now they're far away from their villiage and they have no idea how to get back.

The first adventure could be fighting their capturers when the pirates land on a floating island inhabited by nasty jungle kobolds.

 

[Pielorinho]

Have you asked your players what sort of game they'd like? I consider this an essential first step -- at the very least, you have to tell them what kind of game you'd like to run and see if the idea appeals to them.

Are you interested in running a game set largely in one area, with in-depth politics happening? Do you want to run a travel/exploration game, in which the characters encounter all sorts of spectacles? Will it be an epic campaign, in which the characters meet the Dark (or at least Grubby) Lord in the beginning and spend the whole game figuring out how to defeat him? Or will it be more episodic, with a series of smaller story arcs?

Do you want something light in tone? Grim? Mythic? Gritty? Are we talking Indiana Jones, or are we talking Dark Crystal? Or maybe it's historical in tone, a la Guy Gavriel Kay, or horrific, a la China Mieville?

I'd try to figure out these questions first, and then look for ideas that match the feel you're going for.

Daniel

Edit: awhile ago, the Rat Bastard forum held a Rat Bastard Iron DM tournament, in which the contestants created an entire campaign stretching from first level through epic levels. You could steal from it for campaign ideas; there's some funky stuff in there, including floating islands, trickster-priests, ancient squid gods, and more. Here's the thread; it's long, but sometimes very juicy.

 

[Zappo]

There was a "small changes with big flavor" thread once that may help you... you could try the single-race campaign, or the single-class campaign. All the characters are rogues from the local thieves guild, each with some specialization...

 

[Remathilis]

Have one of the PC's inherit his uncle's magic ring, but then reveal the ring is a cursed artifact created by the darklord during the second age. Now, he PC's must form a fellowship to destory the ring by pitching it in a volcano...

oh, you wanted "Novel" ideas, not ideas from novels...