Help w/ the world of MIDNIGHT

[KnowTheToe]

OK, I am going to be running a campaign in the setting of Midnight and I need help. I am looking for links to sights, bulletin boards, story hours and any insight you may offer. I own the setting and am going to start rereading it, but am looking for your help. I know this can be a difficult world to run and I want to do it justice for my players.

 

[mac1504]

The premiere site:

www.againsttheshadow.org

There is no equal... (actually I think there is no other )

 

[mac1504]

OK, I am going to be running a campaign in the setting of Midnight and I need help. I am looking for links to sights, bulletin boards, story hours and any insight you may offer. I own the setting and am going to start rereading it, but am looking for your help. I know this can be a difficult world to run and I want to do it justice for my players.

I don't think it is a difficult world to run at all, but there definitely is an atmosphere that you will want to shoot for to give it the right feel. Fury of Shadow, a new box set for Midnight will be hitting store shelves sometime in the next week or so, and that has a lot of new campaing materials that help to give you a sense of mood for the setting as well.

Good Luck!

 

[Keeper of Secrets]

Good Luck! I would love to keep posted on anyone's Midnight campaign as I think that aside from that and XCrawl, that may be more of the more interesting and innovative campaign world out there.

 

[Chingerspy]

I don't think its a hard world. I am yet to run a Midnight game but I have all the products bar the new boxed set. Here are a couple of points that may help:

1. Throw the usual D&D settings in your head out.
2. Read/Watch Lord of the Rings again.
3. With LOTR fresh in your head, make Sauron win.
4. Now imagine the LOTR world in darkness with hoardes of organised Orc and Uruks patrolling the lands. The Dark Riders are the Legates - use the ring, errr magic and they will know about it.
5. Destroy all written works and religious structures opposing The Shadow.
6. Along with all this, most magical knowledge is lost or captured.
7. Now outlaw weapons and magic use - penalty death.
8. Are you there yet? Elves hide themselves away, weapons are disguised or hidden away, the underground is strong but careful. Agents of the Shadow are everywhere and could be your closest friend.
9. I really hope you get the idea now LOTR noir.

 

[LeapingShark]

Against the Shadow has enough Midnight reading material to keep you busy for the next decade or so. Be sure to check out the story hours and play by posts.

 

[Archon]

"The Shadow?"

before i even knew about Midnight, before it even came out i think, my world had headed to almost this exact same location. So when Midnight came out i didn't run and pick it up. but i have checked it out and it is an amazing setting. they went a little farther then i did with it (my world is still tightly enforced by humans for now...) but the similarities still exist. i like the settings that are "not the norm" like, Dark Sun, Planescape, Ravenloft and now Midnight.
it's good to explore the possibilities and extremes.
anyway, just bare in mind that in a world covered in darkness even the smallest light can bring hope. heroes aren't just people who save villages from dragons anymore, heroes are beacons of hope for hundreds and thousands. every victory against the shadow should feel inspiring yet at the same time hopeless because The Shadow has won. and even a couple of small victories will not win the war. If your players take on the role of hero, which i suggest they do, it is not just a quest for glory and honor it becomes a daily struggle for survival against seemingly endless forces with little chance of true victory.
Anyway, worlds where the bad guy has one have always been my favorite to run. Everything just becomes much more epic in scope. BUt good luck and i hope the game goes well.
mik
aka "Archon"

 

[Sado]

7. Now outlaw weapons and magic use - penalty death.

How do you outlaw weapons? I can understand how you can keep swords, great axes, etc, away from people. But what about normal tools that can also function easily as weapons? Like smaller axes for chopping wood, spears and bows for hunting, knives for evryday use, etc. Is it assumed that these are outlawed too? Or is irt divided along simple/martial lines? How does it work? What "weapons" are people allowed to possess?

 

[Chingerspy]

I have always thought that tools such as hammers, sycles, etc... would be hard to outlaw. While strictly tools these and more make effective weapons. Lets face it most of the military weapons wielded by medieval soldiers were straight from the farm.

I would tend to play it as if the group was stopped by an orc patrol and found to have hammers, pitchforks, etc... on them and failed to bluff their way around the questions (orcs are still pretty dumb, mind) then things would get nasty. Disguising potential weapons is big business in Midnight (especially the way I see it) an example from Against the Shadow (book, not site) is the disguised hammer: remove the handle and the head which is blunt on one side and either end but has a carving or mold on the face which makes it look like an inoffensive statue.

I see the towns of Midnight under more or less constant occupation by orcs either staying there as rulers or simply passing by frequently on their patrols taking what they want, when they want. With all this oppresive activity it would be fairly easy to know who should have access to what tools and who is making them or selling them to the inhabitants. Knowing the sources of tools means that you can easilly police the ownership of them. Of course some unaccounted for tools escape the orcs and find their way into the hands of those fighting the Shadow. Its surprising at first just how much getting your hands on a hammer means to you, let alone a dagger!

I hope that gives you a better idea of where I am coming from.

 

[d20Dwarf]

OK, I am going to be running a campaign in the setting of Midnight and I need help. I am looking for links to sights, bulletin boards, story hours and any insight you may offer. I own the setting and am going to start rereading it, but am looking for your help. I know this can be a difficult world to run and I want to do it justice for my players.

It sounds like both you and your players are geared up for a good romp on Aryth. One bit of advice I would give is to make a deal with them: you'll *run* Midnight if they *play* Midnight. In other words, both the players and the DMs have to adapt to the world. If the players just run around killing things and not worrying about the consequences, they're going to die, or you'll be forced to get them out of the mess. If the players really get into the setting and act like they are outlaws in constant danger of being overwhelmed by the Shadow, then I think you'll all find some amazing gaming experiences. Just read a few of the story hours on www.againsttheshadow.org to see what the setting can be. Paka, Tailspinner, Kane and the rest really know their stuff.