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ShortQuests -- individual adventure modules! An all-new collection of digest-sized D&D adventures designed to plug in to your game.

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Message: <blockquote data-quote="MoogleEmpMog" data-source="post: 1816844" data-attributes="member: 22882">Ah, that's not an actual campaign.  I just threw it together for explanatory purposes. <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f600.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":D" title="Big grin    :D"  data-smilie="8"data-shortname=":D" /> The most expansive political intrigue game I've ever run (or played in) is based somewhat off the console tactics RPG Final Fantasy Tactics.Basically, the PCs are part of the royal secret police (the Black Sheep Knights) in the aftermath of the major war depicted in that game.The king is a former assassin, spy and saboteur who schemed his way into power, then married the princess to secure his position.  He assassinated the Grand Duke he allegedly served and framed his chief rival for leadership, but actually saved the latter's life by faking his execution.  He took advantage of a separate plot to off the opposing side's leaders and consolidated power by appealing to the merchant class, but since taking the throne he's repealed his concessions to the merchants and established himself and the elected house of parliament with absolute central authority.  He's isolating merchant, noble and peasant interests to keep them at each others throats.  He's (unintentionally) driving his beloved wife insane with fear and loathing because she's discovering the depths of his plots.  He's a criminal mastermind whose managed, by his cunning, his ruthlessness and his skill, to achieve total power over a nation.He's also the good guy, the PCs' boss, and the last, best hope for his people.If he fails to maintain his dictatorial power, foreign interests, the church, the rival nobles, the merchants, and proto-communist revolutionaries will tear the kingdom apart.  And then one faction or another will probably unleash the army of nigh-invincible demons waiting to enslave all their souls.Fortunately, every one of these factions hates every other faction almost as much as they hate the king.  The PCs' job is to take advantage of that fact.The Ivalice campaign is going well, so far.  No spells to bog down battle, plenty of scheming and double-crossing, and some very fun fights - a Romandan agent battle 'killed' two PCs and the survivors barely managed to drag them out - good thing I'm using a "no combat deaths" houserule.  Actually, that's come up several times. <img src="http://www.enworld.org/forum/images/smilies/devious.png"  class="smilie" loading="lazy" alt=":]" title="Devious    :]" data-shortname=":]" /> However, a campaign of this complexity can be hell to run; I honestly wouldn't try it without a group of players I was very familiar with, and I probably wouldn't work from scratch on it.  Using the already convoluted FFT base helped to set the tone, especially since two of the players had played the game and knew the strange, sordid backstory already.EDIT: Aggh... non-linear posting kills me again.  Fixed the left-out stuff.</blockquote>

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