How Big is the Big Picture?

[the Jester]

In your campaigns, how big does the 'big picture' tend to be? Do the things your pcs get involved with affect their town, their country, their continent, their entire world? The multiverse itself?

In my campaign, the 'big picture' encompasses the multiverse and the multiverse that came before the present one.

 

[reveal]

In your campaigns, how big does the 'big picture' tend to be? Do the things your pcs get involved with affect their town, their country, their continent, their entire world? The multiverse itself?

In my campaign, the 'big picture' encompasses the multiverse and the multiverse that came before the present one.

IMC, the PCs are involved in a plot that could affect the entire continent of Khorvaire, in Eberron, and probably beyond. So I'd say the entire world but it wouldn't be too far of a stretch to see the BBEG(s) going into other Planes.

 

[Crothian]

it is as big as the players want to take it

 

[Morpheus]

In the current Arcana Evolved game we are playing, the "big" picture is a ruined city (Serathis) that is being explored by both dragons and giants (the two main factions in AE). The PCs are doing their part, but nothing catastrophic has happened...yet. Things will start to pick up with this week's session and it will be an express train to Hades from here on out...

 

[ThirdWizard]

My last campaign had to do with changing the multiverse into its next incarnation.

My current campaign is much smaller scale, mostly just involving a "small" portion of the Outlands. I reduced the scale in order to emphasise the more important character driven aspect of this game. However, eventually it is going to deal a great deal with Sigil, the Outlands, taking place during the death of Aoskar.

 

[Gez]

In your campaigns, how big does the 'big picture' tend to be? Do the things your pcs get involved with affect their town, their country, their continent, their entire world? The multiverse itself?

In my campaign, the 'big picture' encompasses the multiverse and the multiverse that came before the present one.

It encompasses: the relationship between mortals and gods, the survival or death of an evil empire, the fate of the elven race (two, formerly three, elven PCs... *sigh*), the continued existence of the PC's homeworld (threatened to get destroyed like an eggshell when the growing fiendishworld within will finally burst free), and the continued existence of the universe itself (the Nihil (think Far Realm) is wanting to delete this obnoxious pocket of reality that stains its glorious nonbeing).

I'm going to send them a lot of mortal quandaries, lose/lose choices, and other situations when responsability is a burden. For example, if/when they'll learn that ethergaunts are only wanting to exterminate all other sentient races because the Khen Zai philosopher-seers have determined this was the only way to prevent utter annihilation of the universe by the Far Realm... Can they, despite their comparatively very limited intellect, find another way? Or when they'll be revealed that the evil artifact they're trying to destroy is the quickest, simplest, "fusslessest" way to bring the downfall of an evil empire (and discharge the artifact from its magic in the process, rendering it a mundane and unwieldly weapon rather than a terrifying undead-producing supernaturally sharp sword). Can they use it despite the resulting taint that would stick to them? Can they trust their informers on this? Will it bring other consequences?

 

[Aust Diamondew]

It's level dependent and player/DM dependent. At low levels don't effect nations usually but only small areas at high levels they can effect the whole world possibly even the multiverse. But players/DMs decide what adventures they do. So it's possible at high levels to do adventures effecting only small nations or cities but generally IME high level equals big far reaching adventure.

 

[Nifft]

IMC, really, really big. Reality-spanning.

-- N

 

[RFisher]

It varies.

In my ideal campaign, the picture starts small but keeps getting bigger. Like in EE "Doc" Smith's Lensmen stories.

 

[Mokona]

The big pictures usually involves multiple countries or the whole continent. But at some level sinking an entire continent really affects all of the world. I'm not much for multiverse games so it would be hard to impact that.