Please help, ideas and suggestions for Age of Worms Campaign.

[Renfield]

I'm presently running an Age of Worms campaign, and while my group has been enjoying themselves they are getting tired and a bit annoyed with the modules and the linearity therein. (Apologies if Linearity isn't a word. In my little world it now is!) We've had a good time but a TPK here and a couple near TPK's there and we have no one from the original party left. The modules are starting to get more annoying than enjoyable though the story and concept are quite fun. The campaign is set in Eberron for our group and I'm looking to change things up a bit. Make them a little more interesting.

A few ideas my PC's have come up with:

In the last game the PC's were wiped out by their mindflayer opponent but rather than have the campaign die we needed to find a way for it to continue. So, the noblewoman they had rescued earlier was apparently pretty well connected, and surprisingly well informed and when she tried looking in on her benefactors magically she learned they were in dire straights and possibly dead. She hired a group of adventurers (the PC's with their new characters) to seek out the adventurers that quite possibly saved her life and her familie's good name. She intends on funding their resurrection.

This time when the PC's entered, with the aid of various divination magics they knew what to expect. Or at least enough for the fight to go their way rather than against. It was still challenging (the recovery adventure happened one week after the parties demise) but the PC's prevailed. Now some have the opportunity to continue on as their old PC's or play these new ones out. Instead of that I am considering having the players actually play two seperate adventuring group both striving to combat the age of worms assisting one another indirectly. So far I'm just toying with this idea but I think it has potential. One group might investigate one module while another works on a seperate plot I fabricate elsewhere, perhaps the Vampire King is a thrall of Kyuss and is striving to prepare the political world for the coming of their new God, an NPC finds something that eventually leads one group to begin looking into this. This might also option a sort of switching off between the groups (Group A works in one module while group B fights in the custom path and after meeting up they compair leads and soon group B is working on one of the modules while group A covers a custom area). Just one idea.

Any other ideas or suggestions of giving the campaign a bit of a twist without completely abandoning the modules?

DoR

 

[billd91]

Sounds like an excellent idea to me but I can't say that I have any good advice on other resources to plumb for ideas.
The really nice thing is that by running two groups of PCs, you can mix the adventures up a bit in style and setting. Throw in one with some humor when the main AoW strain is really dark. Throw in some city work when the AoW strain is in the dungeons.
That should also help keep the story fresher for the characters too.

If you're running this in Greyhawk, there are various areas/groups that could be involved and spawn adventures. The Circle of Eight in Greyhawk City can send PCs on other missions to find out more information. Is the Scarlet Brotherhood or the Horned Society involved at all? Perhaps a mission into Iuz to determine if the Old One is up to some tricks in all of this.

 

[theredrobedwizard]

If you're running this in Greyhawk Eberron, there are various areas/groups that could be involved and spawn adventures. The Circle of Eight The Arcane Congress in Greyhawk City the Arcanix Towers above Aundair can send PCs on other missions to find out more information. Is the Scarlet Brotherhood Blood of Vol or the Horned Society Llesh Haruuk (or his many minions) involved at all? Perhaps a mission into Iuz The Demon Wastes to determine if the Old One Lords of Dust are up to some tricks in all of this.

Fixed it for you based on information in the OP's first paragraph.

I'd suggest having one group go to some far flung region that is much different from the adventure path. If the AP sends the "main group" to Q'barra, send the "second group" to the Frostfell or possibly Sarlona.

-TRRW