Mike Mearls' Genius: Type your own core story

[Snowy]

In the year of the Black Fever, a crack adventuring group was sentenced to death by an evil King for a crime they didn't commit. These men promptly escaped from the kingdom's most impregnable dungeon to the hidden byways of the Forest of Shadows. Today, still hunted by the king's men, they survive as wandering outlaws. If you have a problem, if no one else can help and if you can find them, maybe you can hire....the AD&D Team!

Best story ever! Can I play a charismatic rogue wheeler dealer with an eye for the ladeez?

 

[Ourph]

Best story ever! Can I play a charismatic rogue wheeler dealer with an eye for the ladeez?

No! You must play the schizophrenic half-kender/half-tinker gnome Bush Pilot.

 

[Sammael]

A group of unlikely heroes struggle to preserve their world when a terrible prophecy begins to unravel, learning to trust their enemies and fear their allies while battling the rising tides of darkness. To fulfill their own part of the prophecy, they must die and be reborn anew, as shall be the world itself.

 

[Tatsukun]

Two more I have used. . .

A group of ships (sea, space, air, tunneling, whatever) explores a new area, facing horrors unknown to the civilized areas they left behind. Small scout and special tactics groups are sent out constantly, and they find adventure (plus loot!). [Think Startrek Voyager]

A small group of archeologists explore lost ruins and somehow find themselves back in time (or in an post-apocalyptic future) and strive to get back to where they were. [Think the DnD Cartoon, or Sliders]

-Tatsu

 

[I'm A Banana]

A small group of heroes assembles to stop the evil plans of a villain. Each week they get closer to the source until they ultimately succeed or fail. Then it starts up again in a new region/world/dimension.

 

[NewLifeForm]

Most of my campaigns go something like this...

A ragtag group of misfits, visionaries and down right weirdos are pressed together under dire circumstances to save the world/galaxy/universe from an evil person/force as warped as themselves, if not more so. An adventure-comedy with tragedy to break the tension.

NewLifeForm

"It's life Jim, but not as we know it..."

 

[Frostmarrow]

a group meets to explore ancient secrets, fight ancient enimies, and do lots of good things that no one will ever know about or really understand., And they will get pounished for it but never stop.

-Nice one, Crotch. No good deed ever goes unpunished.

I've been tinkering with this:

Adventurers infiltrate a medieval locale in search of macguffin. They surveil the place under-cover and interact with the locals. When the goal is within reach suddenly they are made! They must steal the macguffin, fight the guards and make way their escape. Next week they do it all again.

 

[Shadowdancer]

Strangers are thrown together by chance during an emergency. They discover they work well together, and more or less like each other, so they agree to keep working together. They travel from star system to star system trying to stay alive, conquer their personal demons, find adventure and make lots of credits -- not always in that order.

Read how well they're doing in the T20 story hour linked in my sig.

 

[Shadowdancer]

For our D&D campaign:

A group of adventurers travel near and far seeking to recover lost items and forge new alliances in an effort to help their friend be chosen the new king. In the process, they acquire lots of phat loot. Next week they do it all again.

 

[mythusmage]

(snipped for space reasons)

Quoted at my blog as an example of what really goes on in a D&D adventure.

Update: And in reply I received the following:

Just wanted to comment on one passage of this all too familiar scenario:

"Despite having no food source, fresh water source or slammin' nightlife..."

A gaming companion and I noticed the distinct lack of nightlife in the dungeons, so we created the fun-dead. This was an amorphus group of swinging zombies engaged in eternal partying. There was no defense against them; the save roll was only to determine how many days you lost, and whether or not you got robbed during the alcoholic haze. Sure solved the DT problems, though.