Midnight: My players wonder--What's the point?

[Desdichado]

If you want low magic 16th century piracy, you're probably better off picking up Green Ronin's Skull and Bones rather than trying to cobble something together from Freeport and Midnight. Sure, I like both of those, but they don't lend themselves to an easy transition into what you're looking for.

 

[d20Dwarf]

Any thoughts on how well they'd work together?

Once again I'll simply recommend the Midnight Yahoo Group. There have been copious discussions on there about placing Freeport in Midnight.

 

[Pbartender]

If you want low magic 16th century piracy, you're probably better off picking up Green Ronin's Skull and Bones rather than trying to cobble something together from Freeport and Midnight. Sure, I like both of those, but they don't lend themselves to an easy transition into what you're looking for.

Thanks for the tip, Joshua... I'll have to take a peek at that the next time I get into the FLGS.

 

[jujutsunerd]

It's kinda like saying: "I'm interested in Dark Sun, but I don't like psionics. Convince me to buy it anyway."

Well, you could run a really neat gladiator-based campaign in one of the citystates. Perhaps the characters could be a bunch of slaves sold to a gladiator school, and...

Oh, you don't like gladiators? No problem. Plenty more campaigns in Dark Sun. Let's see... How about a Lawrence of Arabia-influenced campaign? There are lots of really huge deserts in Dark Sun, perhaps there is a desert tribe there - maybe consisting of cannibal halflings? - that is being slowly eradicated by the troops of a city state that for some reason wants the land they live in cleared out. Perhaps there is a hidden oasis with something important they want to get at? Anyway, the pc's start out working for the city-state but as time passes they are increasingly impressed by the 'natives' and...

I could go on. But I'm sure you get the point. ;-)

/Jonas, who has never played Dark Sun, and isn't too keen on Dystopian misadventures.

 

[jujutsunerd]

When you play Forgotten Realms, do you quit when you realize you can't completely destroy the Zhentarim?

No. But I would quit if I couldn't destroy *Elminster*. ;-)

/Jonas

 

[Aaron2]

It also provides a context for moral exploration in the game. That's what has made it special.

What moral exploration? The BBEG is evil, his plans are evil and his minions are evil. Sound's pretty cookie-cutter to me. I've asked this before, is there any reason for someone who is -good- to support Izrador or what he's trying to accomplish? I haven't heard of any. It's lacking even an "end justifies the means" quandry.


Aaron

 

[Nifelhein]

What moral exploration? The BBEG is evil, his plans are evil and his minions are evil. Sound's pretty cookie-cutter to me. I've asked this before, is there any reason for someone who is -good- to support Izrador or what he's trying to accomplish? I haven't heard of any. It's lacking even an "end justifies the means" quandry.


Aaron

Well, the books say one did, but when he realized what he did to his people he just put an end to his own life.

By the way i think Wil was not saying on that side of the coin, but evil wouldn't, necessarily, support Izrador's followers, Good, Neutral and even Evil can all fight the Shadow together, for they want a better world, a world with balance or just a world for himself, Izrador won't leave any of them.

Anyway the BBEG is a god that has no phisycal presence, makes no appearences and is mostly simbolic, you could even say that he was a good god that has been turned evil by some reason and is now under torpor, the legates are under the grasp os this corruptor and take their power from a god.

Book of Vile Darkness also has a prestige class that is a draining caster, he takes power from a god that he is not a follower of. That can be what legates truly are, the good god was the one that actually sacrificed his vessel to seal the world from evil and has fallen in an eternal slumber. A powerful mortal found this god's existence and has developed a way to draw power from him/her, creating a floklore around a god of evil and the like, he would have taken a long way to inperson that and make many believe it...

He is the true shadow and one that not only can be defeated, but can also be left aside, for the god can be awaken by some unknwon means.

There are just too many takes on Midnight, this one can make for some very good options that would result in a world of struggle: the legates are cleric of a mortal entity, they draw power from a good god, this god, once awakened, would get followers, true clerics.

Anyway imagination is awesome.

 

[Nighthawk]

For all three Midnight groups I have been with the moral exploration has been one of a personal nature for each character/player. What are you willing to do as a hero, and what is off-limits? What are your boundaries in terms of what happens around you?

So far, IME, it seems the heroes are much more grounded, so to speak. They have their ideals, but they are careful in how they let their principles dictate their actions and non-actions. Basically, most of them choose not to believe that it is better to burn out than fade away. Some have decided that being a hero is not the ideal they aspire to, instead choosing a more self-serving route or one of fierce resistance in which the acts that would normally be avoided are not immediately dismissed as they were before.

I think there is a bit too much emphasis on Izrador having won, and some are reading too much into it. To be honest, Izrador is interested in Eredane not to conquer it and make it his own, but as a means to a personal end (outside of what we typically view conquest's purpose is). How that happens does not matter, just that the end is achieved. IMO, this leaves quite a bit of room for interesting role-playing in Midnight. It's not like most campaign settings are not altered by playing groups anyway, to varying degrees, if that's what people want to do.

 

[Neo]

What moral exploration? The BBEG is evil, his plans are evil and his minions are evil. Sound's pretty cookie-cutter to me. I've asked this before, is there any reason for someone who is -good- to support Izrador or what he's trying to accomplish? I haven't heard of any. It's lacking even an "end justifies the means" quandry.


Aaron

The only way to stop a snapping dog from biting is to show it time, love and attention.

In other words plenty of good people in Eredane support Izrador even if only on the surface, because its the way that has least repercussion for them and thier loved ones. By keeping the dark god content and giving him no reason to turn his baleful gaze in thier direction, they are able to at least try and grasp a fragment of the normality they all wish for.

There is also the reason say of good noble types working to ensure Izrador and his night kings are provided whatever they need in order to prevent them taking it out on the nobles people or sending excessive garrisons of orcs or worse.

Or say the herbalist who lends medical assistance to Izradors troops, because he knows that by doing so he will be able to move through thier camps and outposts, taking stock of supplies, weaknesses, numbers and so forth.

Or the peasants daughter who volunteers to act as a kitchen servant within the guard barracks knowing full well what could possibly happen to her, simply because she knows that in the role she will be able to steal whatever scraps and leftovers she can to feed her desperately hungry family.

As I posted before its all about damage control... better to sacrifice a little and benefit the masses than act openly defiant and lose the lot.

There are always good reasons for tolerating bad people and vice versa.

 

[LuYangShih]

I just take it as a challenge. The Midnight characters I have run so far, if they manage to survive into the higher levels, will change the world for the better. Unless a DM outright kills my characters from sudden heart attacks, they cannot stop me. BAHAHAHAHAHAHA!