my new campaign: the Western Shore

[EricNoah]

I'm thinking of using a graphic organizer program (Inspiration, something that lets me make brainstorm webs) to help guide my thinking. The PCs will start with a set adventure -- Halls of the Minotaur. But from there, I want a wide-open field and I want suitable rumors for each of about 8-10 different 1st-3rd level adventures. So I might attach 3-5 rumors per adventure, then be able to print those out on labels and put them on index cards (maybe with a code that reminds me what adventure they go with). I might also draw lines between adventures that have connections (say between B1 and Dungeon of the Fire Opal, for example) with a note about what the connection is.

 

[EricNoah]

Of Sound Mind

Nice. I have it and have never run it. And I think one of the PCs is going to be a psion.

 

[Piratecat]

They're coming out with a 3.5 pdf version quite soon, I believe!

 

[kensanata]

Some ideas for this kind of organic campaign: You need to present foes that come from other places (a hook), are looking for a certain item (another hook), are too strong for the party so they need to look for an ally (another hook), villains that manage to escape and return to fight another day (makes them feel at home), a safe place to return to and defend (home sweet home), etc.

Basically I think it is very important that you don't waste your energy early in the game. Have two or three small things ready that you can spontaneously place anywhere when the party goes in unexpected directions. Reuse people and places. Hometowns, returning villains, old ruins reoccupied, that kind of stuff.

Some examples from my current campaign to illustrate these ideas:

• As first level adventurers, the party was faced with a CR 3.5 bird demon (tengu) having kidnapped a child, and two level 7 sorcerer fox demon brothers (kitsune) in a stalemate fighting for a magic composite longbow +3. Getting the child required the help of one of the brothers. Getting the bow required making a powerful enemy. Difficult choices for players, and no matter what happens, two of the three will probably survive as allies or enemies.
• Next, traveling to the next town, they were ambushed by thieves. A famous bandit trying to set up a camp in an abandoned ruin. The party barely manages to kill his seven henchmen and the bandit chief manages to flee.
• Two or three sessions later, on their way back, the party is attacked again. As they return to the ruin, they find that the bandit chief as returned with reinforcements and is finishing his reconstruction of the castle.
• In the other town, they fought an medium evil necromancer who had sumonned a mighty devil. It turns out that the temple was built on the grounds of a cursed family whose last surviving heir left town 50 years ago, and it seems that he was the necromancer's boss who had supplied the powerful scroll. And he seems to be raising an undead army in another valley.
• A monk they had met after their first adventure when they had killed a handful of religious soldiers was interested in helping them, being himself busy organizing a revolt. This same monk went on to further his cause in the very same valley the undead army is being raised.

The important part is that I haven't prepared anything about this valley, yet. But I've planted powerful cues that adventure is to be had there, and should the party turn there, I'll start working on it. For now I've spend time detailing the bandit castle, adding turtle demons (kappa), a long lost magic weapon by a powerful demonhunter, an evil cleric helping the bandits, trying to ursup the position as band leader and founding an evil cult. (Haven't decided on his masters, yet.)

And so on. Plant hooks, and don't be afraid to reuse people and places. Don't work too far ahead.

 

[EricNoah]

Excellent advice, thank you!

 

[howandwhy99]

I've been doing something like this for my Age of Worms campaign. It's not quite freeform as it is an adventure path, but the players are in charge of where it goes and what they do. There are plenty of other adventurous things to do too.

Your western shore world is cool. I really like the mix between Westeros and other traditional D&D worlds. I'm seriously thinking of stealing that family lineage idea of yours too. I expect it'll bring a lot of political infighting to the forefront of the game.

Dropping in favorite adventures is something I've done in my own campaign too. What I've done is extrapolate the backgrounds, NPC goals and histories, locations, items, and anything else I thought was important from the adventures into the the world. I find this really helps in that I never need hooks into adventures; the world is the adventure. We have a much smaller space though, but as it's Greyhawk I expect it to grow in later levels. You map seems pretty large actually. The mileage for travel on the map key means a lot of long overland treks. Just an FYI.

We use rumors too. Originally I started the game with a local area introduction and a list of rumors. What I didn't expect was that was enough to get the group up and exploring. We had a big bang starting session to get things going, but in retrospect I don't think my group needed it. Rumors are the way I have information spread in my campaign. I do upkeep on them (like pretty much everything) and put a few new ones in and pull a few old ones out. How I determine this is by spinning the world forward. I like to use dice to determine important actions when the world comes in conflict between sessions, but I'm not above manipulating those outcomes to fit with the AoW path. It isn't too bad, but it does still feel like playing God. Below are the intro and starting rumors.

[sblock=Intro]Blackwall

The hamlet of Blackwall lies on the southern edge of the western spur of the Cairn Hills and just north of the large Mistmarsh swamp. Originally established around ten years ago as a small mining outpost for Greyhawk City, the site is rumored to have been previously occupied long ago. Throughout much of its existence the hamlet has been blessed with good fortune. Owed in part to the wealth of the diamond ore plied from its sole mine, Blackwall’s true fortune is in the character of its people. Around 100 or so in number, the Blackwallers have formed a safe haven away from the larger, seedier and corrupt mining towns. Having escaped the cruel, servile existence other miners suffer, the people of Blackwall have not taken their good fortune lightly. They guard their freedom and befriending one means earning the trust of all.

Blackwallers are a mixed lot. Mostly human, some gnomes and halfings have come to stay, as well as a few less common races. Owing to their close-knit nature, the good people in town overlook their differences recognizing the real worth of what each offers the community. Wildmen in the hills regularly trade food for metal goods and often end up staying longer than first intended.

The hamlet did not begin on such peaceful terms however. The original mine owner Harristor Slade supervised from offsite using brutish overseers to enforce exacting laws and harsh consequences for failure. Then only after a year Slade died and the mine was purchased by a man named Balabar Smenk. A large, fat man Smenk visits only periodically, but he removed the half-orc Kullen and the other overseers. Taking them away with him to the closest town, Diamond Lake, Smenk installed new watchmen for the mine. Ever since productivity has increased. And though the strict rules governing entrance into the mine and the handling of ore are still in place, the changes in management have been beneficial for all.

Most of the people in Blackwall work in the small mine or are family members of the laborers. A few others run shops or services out of their homes like Barren Faraday’s Stablehouse, which is the only inn in town. A small garrison of soldiers accompanied by the beautiful sorceress Marzena also live in Blackwall. Protecting it from the rare incursions of beasts from the Mistmarsh and guarding the ore caravans back to Diamond Lake, the soldiers have become a part of the community. Operating out of an old tower dubbed Blackwall Keep, the garrison is led by Commander Garm Land. A gruff, older gentleman it is rumored Garm was an adventurer in his younger days and fought in many wars before coming to Blackwall. Whatever his background, Garm was the first to befriend the gnomes and tribal humans surrounding the hamlet in the Cairn Hills. Some of his soldiers say these alliances have kept the people safe from bandits and worse dangers in the hills.

More recently, an unforeseen calamity has befallen the hamlet of Blackwall. Just two weeks ago a mighty earthquake shook the entire land. Fortunately, it occurred during the night and no one was hurt, but the braces in the mine collapsed and the tunnels filled with fallen stone. Balabar Smenk arrived a few days later to survey the damage. Unfortunately, due to the strict laws governing how the stone is removed and checked for diamonds the process is slowly moving forward. The Blackwallers have not been deterred however. Even now they gather around the miners relieving them as they labor harder and faster than before. Dishes, furniture, clean clothes, and other items are all being shared with those who lost them in the earthquake. Already the hamlet has been cleared of fallen rubble from the unusual hexagonal columns of black stone that make up the cliff sides. Blackwall is buzzing with activity and its people alive with hope to overcome and carry on

The Mining Towns of Greyhawk City
Several generations ago three towns were established in the Cairn Hills to dig for the precious metals and gems within. Due to the rugged terrain and lack of surrounding civilization these three have fallen into disrepute and corruption. Greed rules those in power. And those without remain trapped in near bondage to the mines.

The Cairn Hills
The northward-thrusting arm of the Abhor-Alz is known as the Cairn Hills. The hills surround Midbay on Nyr Dyv and form the borderland between territory claimed by Greyhawk City and that of the Duchy of Urnst. Several thousand gnomes once dwelled in the central portion of the Cairn Hills until the past generation of orc attacks dwindled their number. Halflings enjoy the northern slopes, while many dwarvenfolk live in the area where it meets the Abbhor-Alz and the hills become young mountains. In the hinterlands below Nyr Dyv’s Midbay, where the hills are very rugged, there have been strange burial sites discovered from time to time. The rich finds are of a people unknown even to the demi-humans, evidently predating them! Discoverers returned with harrowing tales of horrid guardians, death, and worse, but carried back ingots of precious metal, gems, and other treasures as well. The discovery of these burial sites gave the hills their name, and also makes them a target for many foolhardy adventurers. There are no settlements east of the marshes around the Upper and Lower Neen Rivers until the eastern edges of the hills are reached.
- The Savant-Sage

The Mistmarsh
A broad shallow swamp teeming with reptile life, the Mistmarsh fills the lowlands west of the Cairn Hills. Lizardfolk claim certain areas of the deep marsh, and wandering ghoul packs are a danger throughout.
- Iquander[/sblock][sblock=Rumors]Blackwall Rumors

1. Balabar Smenk owns many mines and is very rich, but he seems very angry or unhappy whenever he visits.
2. Marzena is missing. Some say she went into the Mistmarsh again to meet with her friends the magical faeries there. Others say she is a faerie.
3. Commander Garm took several of his best soldiers west into the hills a day or two ago. They say he is going to kill some goblins who are raiding a gnome hovel.
4. Strange creatures have been seen in the hills lately by the wildmen. They call them barkers, but say they are unusual. Some are red as fresh blood. Others are pitch black all over. Maybe these were born from the blackstone?
5. The garrison caught something that wandered out of the mistmarsh. They are keeping it locked up in the dungeons beneath the tower.
6. An old witch named Maive lives in the marshes east of Blackwall. She can kill you with the evil eye or turn you to stone. If you say her name three times in a row, she’ll put a hex on you.
7. Barren Faraday has a brother he never talks about. Many think he is an Elf as Barren has the pointy ears of those who never grow old.
8. The earthquake was caused by Harristor Slade’s ghost. He hates all Blackwallers and returned to haunt the mine.
9. Kullen the old overseer is now a thief. A visitor said he saw him, an albino ½ orc, beat up one of the townsfolk in Diamond Lake.
10. Dwarves built the old tower of Blackwall Keep. They are the ones who protect us from the dangers of the Mistmarsh.
11. Two families of halflings have left the hamlet in the past year. A few think the little folk have discovered a way to steal the diamonds from the mine, but no one wants to accuse any who are still around.
12. Some of the young men want to go to the towns to meet women. They say there are not enough in Blackwall for all of them, but everyone knows what kind of girls live in the towns.[/sblock]For dangerous creatures I think in Big +'s and Big -'s. The most powerful lawful creatures are in lawful cities. The most powerful chaotic ones are in dangerous monsterlands. As it's generally safer in civilization the adventures change form, but can still be deadly. In uncivilized areas it is harder to get to the high CR monsters without having to move through many low ones first. I find this works for a having a few CR 20's and lots of CR 1's in both cases. It also helps for drawing lines of cause and effect up ladders of authority as rippling consequences or down those lines based upon powerful leaders' plotting.

I don't do serendipity either (with that one AoW path exception again); by which I mean I don't create hooks for adventure any more than the rumors. The encounter dice fall where they may, so what occurs depends on the players and on the roll. I know I roll on the spot, with both adventure-laden and non-adventure-laden encounters on the list. On the other hand, serendipty can be fun and having the most enjoyable thing happen is just more fun. I try and balance it with reality. Everyone's going to have their own preferences though.

Is that any help? There's more from where that come from. I think what we're doing is similar in some ways.

 

[EricNoah]

You map seems pretty large actually. The mileage for travel on the map key means a lot of long overland treks.

A lot of the action at levels 1-4 or so is going to take place in a fairly small portion of that map, actually, but you bring up a good point. What I really need is a bag of tricks to pull from when the PCs are en route, because as you point out that's going to happen a lot. If they start in Dundraville and then decide to follow up on the rumor that leads them to Wildsgate, I not only need to be ready to run Into the Wilds, I need to have some interesting stuff to do along the way. So I will want to work on some encounter menus and some special encounters, as well as scour my published materials for good side-trek adventures.

Good thoughts, keep 'em coming!

 

[Joshua Randall]

If they start in Dundraville and then decide to follow up on the rumor that leads them to Wildsgate, I not only need to be ready to run Into the Wilds, I need to have some interesting stuff to do along the way.

Why? You only need to do that if you and your players want to. If you want to lay the map on the table and draw a red line from Dundraville to Wildsgate (a la the Indiana Jones movies), you can.

Personally, as a player, I find random wilderness encounters and side-treks boring. Oh sure, I like the XP and the loot, but I tend to be rather focused on one thing at a time. If my focus is to get to Wildsgate to get the McGuffin, then that is my focus -- not on fighting bandits and ankhegs along the way.

 

[Joshua Randall]

More on Rumors and "Just-In-Time DM'ing"

First of all, here is the link I meant to post before --> http://www.enworld.org/showpost.php?p=944596&postcount=35 This goes strait to the relevant post containing rumors, and not to my really outdated story hour thread.

As a DM, I love rumors. Love them. They let me indulge my creativity but they don't require me to do any actual work until necessary (see below). Also, they let the players pick and choose what they want to do. I can then use that information to make future adventures more enticing to the players.

For example, suppose I give out a list of N rumors. X of them involve some bad thing happening in a particular place, Y involve treasures in ancient ruins, and Z involve political intrigue. If the players ignore the X rumors and leap on the Y rumors, then I know that I should get out the graph paper and the random magic item tables in the DMG. If the players get really into the Z rumors, then I know that I should make more NPC-focused, role-playing heavy adventures.

The second aspect of rumor-dissemination is that you eventually have to craft an adventure around the rumor. But I put this off as long as possible, so I call it "just-in-time DM'ing".

Let me use a concrete example. Take the rumor about the pieces of Darklord Vashna's axe Gajikago being in the Maakengorge. I don't do anything about this until the PCs indicate that they are heading in that direction. Then, what do I need?

* A large-scale map of the surrounding areas (which I already have because I stole the setting from somewhere else).
* A small-scale map of whatever "dungeon" I want the party to investigate. I'll grab this from Dungeon magazine (Maps of Mystery are great for this) or from Wizards' online map gallery.
* Some monsters for the PCs to fight. I can get these almost anywhere -- Dungeon mag, monster manuals, wizards.com . I can use DM Genie or another program to make advanced, templated, or classed monsters, or do it by hand if I must. This is the most time-consuming part of the process.
* Some treasure, including the axe itself. I can randomly generate the treasure, or I can just grab some from another source (Draconomicon is nice for this). For the axe, I can make up some stats, or I can use a Weapon of Legacy or something.

Notice that the above items are roughly in order of when I will need them. I can run an entire session off the large-scale map, essentially stalling for time until I allow the PCs to reach the small-scale "dungeon" map. I can then let them fight monsters in the dungeon and save the treasure generation for the session after that... ending on a cliffhanger as they defeat the final boss monster / find the hidden treasure room.

In the actual campaign from which those rumors are taken, the PCs never went after Gajikago. Thus, I never had to do anything about making a dungeon, monsters, or treasure for that particular rumor.

I never do any actual work until I have to. Because I've found over the years that much of my preparation is wasted. (Yes, I can save stuff to re-use, but only to a limited extent.)

 

[diaglo]

A lot of the action at levels 1-4 or so is going to take place in a fairly small portion of that map, actually, but you bring up a good point. What I really need is a bag of tricks to pull from when the PCs are en route, because as you point out that's going to happen a lot. If they start in Dundraville and then decide to follow up on the rumor that leads them to Wildsgate, I not only need to be ready to run Into the Wilds, I need to have some interesting stuff to do along the way. So I will want to work on some encounter menus and some special encounters, as well as scour my published materials for good side-trek adventures.

Good thoughts, keep 'em coming!

break out Outdoor Survival by Avalon Hill.

that's what i'd do.