New Campaign time...

[Inconsequenti-AL]

It's that time again! I finished my last campaign and have a couple of months to prepare for the next one. This group has multiple GMs and we take turns running something.

I'm aiming for a mini campaign that lasts 4-6 months. For us around that's 20-30 game sessions. If it's good, then it will get dusted off and played at a later date.

The last few I ran were:
The Freeport series - that was a longer campaign.
A low level Arcana Unearthed rules/Ancient Egypt themed game.
PCs as an order of knights. Mid level. Set in Kalamar.


What would you run given those parameters?

I'd be tempted to try running a module. Although they have bought out the worst in my GMing style in the past. Any suggestions?

 

[Evilhalfling]

Do a player survey of some sort, It is what I did before starting my current campaign.
It prompted me to start at a lower level, more magic rich game
In particular ask what types of adventures are preferred. ie wilderness/poltical/dungeon crawl/exploration etc...

I had it easier because I did my survey a few weeks before the end of another DM's game so I could set up a contrasting game. With more than one other person running before you run again its hard to know what would be a change of pace.

You don't seem to have a regular homebrew world, but with a few months I don't see the need for you to depend on a modual. I am biased against them. (the last one I ran was RttToEE and I had it explode when the dungeon crawl portion became too boring.)

Anything catch your eye in terms of history or new game books? these are my frequent sources of insperation

 

[MetalBard]

Wow, you're able to play twice a week, usually? That's cool.

Are you open to buying new material to play this campaign or are you more looking to use the stuff you've got already?

As for modules, the Istivin: City of Shadows campaign arc from Dungeon magazine (back-drop and three adventures) is pretty cool. I think it's in issues #117, #118 and #119. It starts off around 9th level and since you'll have 20-30 game sessions, you may want to set some stuff up for before that arc.

 

[Kid Charlemagne]

I've recently been tossing around the idea of a) a historical Europe game (15th/16th centure timeframe) or b) a horror fantasy game using the Cthulhu mythos. However, I've got a homebrew setting that I use extensively for my main DM'ing, and I have no intention of abandoning that!

I second the idea of quizzing the players as to what they'd like. Toss out a few concepts and see if they go "ooh!" or not.

 

[Inconsequenti-AL]

EvilHalfling - I'd be up for getting player choice involved in there - read about peoples good experiences with that before my last campaign... Unfortunately, I think it needs a little directing with this group - last time I tried I got a 'Whatever you want to run' kind of responses. I think it'd work best giving them a selection of ideas to pick from.

I'm kinda with you on the modules. Last one I ran was Nightfang Spire - got very boring before we reached the end of it... If I'd thought about it, I'd probably have blown the place up too. Just too much hacking and cutting similar looking monsters! Since that, I tend to read them - then steal the good bits and ignore most of them... although it's been quite a while and I'd give them another go.


MetalBard It's normally only once a week - possibly an extra session on bank holidays or similar - I figured 4.5 sessions a month and I might be guilty of rounding up a bit.

I'd be quite happy to pick up new material - certainly fine with a book or two - a whole set might be going too far though.

Can you give me a quick heads up on the Istivin: City of Shadows arc? Don't collect Dungeon. But guess if it's recent I might be able to snare the back issues from somewhere?

 

[alsih2o]

Boatworld- Go nautical, change their MO

Monstrous humanoids- Give them a view form the other side

Bounty hunters- dark, gritty adn still good aligned.

 

[Inconsequenti-AL]

Boatworld- Go nautical, change their MO

Monstrous humanoids- Give them a view form the other side

Bounty hunters- dark, gritty adn still good aligned.

Hi!

I'm liking the sound of nautical gaming. Considered doing that a while ago, but completely forgot about it.

The game I was considering had a bit of the second option as well... I was thinking of a Sinbad style setting - jungles, dinosaurs, etc. The PCs would be renegade humans - on the run from the vicious and colonial 'British' empire - bunch of hobgoblins seemed to sit right for some reason... For a complete set of three I guess it'd need Ninjas.

Perhaps see if I can track down my random jottings about it.

 

[diaglo]

for pirates and ninjas in a D&D setting.

go with a Portugese, Dutch, English spin on the trade with Japan. ala Shogun.

use the OA or Rokugan stuff for the setting and the core rules for the PCs.

and then get them to mix and match cultures/rules as they start to interact with them

makes skills like speak language or diplomacy really important.

 

[Crothian]

I'd do a gestalt ninja's in Bluffside game. Everyone plays gestalt characters but one of the classes has to be Ninja. They are all sent from far away to investigate whatever in the city.

 

[NewJeffCT]

It's that time again! I finished my last campaign and have a couple of months to prepare for the next one. This group has multiple GMs and we take turns running something.

I'm aiming for a mini campaign that lasts 4-6 months. For us around that's 20-30 game sessions. If it's good, then it will get dusted off and played at a later date.

The last few I ran were:
The Freeport series - that was a longer campaign.
A low level Arcana Unearthed rules/Ancient Egypt themed game.
PCs as an order of knights. Mid level. Set in Kalamar.

QUOTE]

Well, your choices above are pretty wide ranging - Kalamar is intriguing, but by the book (I call it the gaming equivalent of plug & play) while Arcana Unearthed is the opposite. How did the above campaigns work out for your group? Does your listing them mean they are likely out of bounds for the campaign?

Freeport is interesting & could be plugged into a Kalamar like setting with little problem, I think. (a bigger version of Prompeldia, or a different version of Zoa?) Then, you can have knights against pirates... or, have the PCs be pirates or freebooters working against knights that are similar to your previous campaign (or, have the freebooters loosely aligned with them, but obviously both sides get things done differently...) The Kenzer Salt & Sea Dogs supplement is pretty good, too!.