Captain_Commando
First Post
Caravan of Blades Preview
For those of you who are unfamiliar with Caravan of Blades, it is a pay-for-play DnD 4e campaign that I am currently planning as a temporary, supplementary source of income (NOT my main source of income). Whether or not it will succeed is unknown though the plan does seem doable based on the circumstances.
I will primarily (but not solely) be marketing to college students in Manhattan in New York City.
The location is to be determined. I will aim for a place within walking distance of a university (if not on campus). There is also apparently a very healthy gaming population in the city.
My advertisement will consist of flyers, online ads, and word-of-mouth. I will also run a number of free teaching games (why just look for gamers when you can also create them?).
The first couple of weeks will probably be sparse. However since this isn't a particularly big operation and I only need to get a negligibly small percentage of the local population to participate, it shouldn't be hard to pack the seats as the campaign progresses (assuming I deliver well on my end).
I intend to make my gaming sessions superior to average gamers' sessions like the difference between A-movies and B-movies.
Here is a preview of the details while I'm working things out. This is the result (not final) of an earlier thread at RPG.net which I used for community brainstorming. My next update (on a new thread) will be the big one with all the set-in-stone details.
When everything is ready, I'll be posting announcements on multiple gamer forums. Feel free to comment and speculate until then.
Each session will be a self-contained story episode, so anyone can drop in any time during the course of the campaign without the story being disrupted.
The campaign will have an original setting. The story focuses on the adventures of a mercenary adventuring company that travels from city to city taking up all sorts of odd and dangerous jobs. Not all episodes will take place in civilized areas though, as there are all sorts of dangers and intrigues along the trail...
(Note: Pricing and Scheduling are still Not Final yet)
There will be sessions on at least 3 days of the week, with at least 2 sessions taking place on each of the days (at least 6 sessions per week).
Each session will be 2 1/2 to 3 hours long.
Every week will feature the same episode for each of the sessions.
The maximum number of players will be 7 (3 on each side and 1 on the other end if a rectangular table is used).
There will be a total of 20 episodes from March to August. Characters will level up from 1 to 20 as the campaign progresses.
Entry fee to each session will be $7 per player (not per hour - the whole session).
I will run free teaching games to help draw in new players. Scheduling and frequency for this is to be determined.
I might do reservations.
There will be a special messageboard on a special forum that will be used as support for this campaign. Campaign details and other goodies will be posted on the board, including:
-A recap of the events that have taken place in previous sessions/episodes.
-A parallel series of fictional stories, linking the events of each session/episode.
-30 different pregenerated characters (15 male, 15 female), complete with statistics and backgrounds, that the players will be able to choose from at each session. The characters will be updated weekly.
-Details of the original setting being used for the campaign.
-A calendar of sessions.
Gaming materials provided/used by the game master will include:
-stationary and pencils
-miniatures
-map and dungeon tiles
-printed handouts (12-15 page booklets with pictures and text)
-dice
-copies of the rules
-game master props (pictures, flat puppets, etc.)
The gameplay of each session will be a blend of rail-roading and free form storytelling. The players will have a limited menu of actions they can take and places they can visit throughout the session. Each menu choice made by the players causes a certain amount of game time (not real time) to pass.
Depending on the order and nature of the party's activities (or inactivity), each session will have multiple possible events and endings. It will be somewhat like the television series "24" crossed with a "Choose Your Own Adventure" book, with tension and anticipation after each decision made knowing that whatever happens in the end is in the players' hands.
This format is designed for enhanced control of session duration while giving players enough control of the story to become immersed in the gameplay.
Character Death
This is a big issue since the players are paying to play. Each member of the party is given a special tattoo that magically links that person to another company member just before embarking on a mission/job.
At the beginning of the session, each player chooses 2 characters: a primary and a back-up. If the primary character's hit points are reduced to 0 or less, the character is teleported away to the caravan and the back-up teleports in (on the next turn of the primary character). The primary then becomes the back-up (healed back at headquarters) and vice versa.
This is the most highly guarded secret of the group and the source of its success as an adventuring company.
Players will never have to twiddle their thumbs because of an unfortunate critical hit from an unexpected attack. A "death" may however have interesting in-game consequences that affect which ending the session finishes with.
What Does This Campaign Offer That Is Worth the Cost?
-Players don't have to come in on the same day or time. The campaign schedule allows their participation to be flexible, fitting to their schedule, not the game master's.
-Since this is for money, the game master (me) is far more likely to be reliably available rather than having to cancel because of work or study.
-Players don't have to attend every single session or even more than one. The online updates make it easier to jump in anytime.
-Players don't have to buy books or bring ANYTHING. Just cash for entry fee.
-It's quality interactive entertainment for less than the price of a movie ticket.
-Game masters may be many but well-performed game masters with miniatures and maps and time to flesh out a campaign and flexible gaming schedules are few.
-PAPERWORK. None of the players will have to do any between sessions. XP, character advancement, and treasure will be automatically regulated so much more focus is on enjoying the story and gameplay.
-Players will have a large variety of interesting characters that they can try out and since each session will have multiple endings, a player can participate in the same episode more than once and have a different experience each time.
-Quality writing. When the online support is ready, you can see for yourself.
-Exceptional theatrical performance by the game master (this is something that actually has to be seen and heard in person though).
For those of you who are unfamiliar with Caravan of Blades, it is a pay-for-play DnD 4e campaign that I am currently planning as a temporary, supplementary source of income (NOT my main source of income). Whether or not it will succeed is unknown though the plan does seem doable based on the circumstances.
I will primarily (but not solely) be marketing to college students in Manhattan in New York City.
The location is to be determined. I will aim for a place within walking distance of a university (if not on campus). There is also apparently a very healthy gaming population in the city.
My advertisement will consist of flyers, online ads, and word-of-mouth. I will also run a number of free teaching games (why just look for gamers when you can also create them?).
The first couple of weeks will probably be sparse. However since this isn't a particularly big operation and I only need to get a negligibly small percentage of the local population to participate, it shouldn't be hard to pack the seats as the campaign progresses (assuming I deliver well on my end).
I intend to make my gaming sessions superior to average gamers' sessions like the difference between A-movies and B-movies.
Here is a preview of the details while I'm working things out. This is the result (not final) of an earlier thread at RPG.net which I used for community brainstorming. My next update (on a new thread) will be the big one with all the set-in-stone details.
When everything is ready, I'll be posting announcements on multiple gamer forums. Feel free to comment and speculate until then.
Each session will be a self-contained story episode, so anyone can drop in any time during the course of the campaign without the story being disrupted.
The campaign will have an original setting. The story focuses on the adventures of a mercenary adventuring company that travels from city to city taking up all sorts of odd and dangerous jobs. Not all episodes will take place in civilized areas though, as there are all sorts of dangers and intrigues along the trail...
(Note: Pricing and Scheduling are still Not Final yet)
There will be sessions on at least 3 days of the week, with at least 2 sessions taking place on each of the days (at least 6 sessions per week).
Each session will be 2 1/2 to 3 hours long.
Every week will feature the same episode for each of the sessions.
The maximum number of players will be 7 (3 on each side and 1 on the other end if a rectangular table is used).
There will be a total of 20 episodes from March to August. Characters will level up from 1 to 20 as the campaign progresses.
Entry fee to each session will be $7 per player (not per hour - the whole session).
I will run free teaching games to help draw in new players. Scheduling and frequency for this is to be determined.
I might do reservations.
There will be a special messageboard on a special forum that will be used as support for this campaign. Campaign details and other goodies will be posted on the board, including:
-A recap of the events that have taken place in previous sessions/episodes.
-A parallel series of fictional stories, linking the events of each session/episode.
-30 different pregenerated characters (15 male, 15 female), complete with statistics and backgrounds, that the players will be able to choose from at each session. The characters will be updated weekly.
-Details of the original setting being used for the campaign.
-A calendar of sessions.
Gaming materials provided/used by the game master will include:
-stationary and pencils
-miniatures
-map and dungeon tiles
-printed handouts (12-15 page booklets with pictures and text)
-dice
-copies of the rules
-game master props (pictures, flat puppets, etc.)
The gameplay of each session will be a blend of rail-roading and free form storytelling. The players will have a limited menu of actions they can take and places they can visit throughout the session. Each menu choice made by the players causes a certain amount of game time (not real time) to pass.
Depending on the order and nature of the party's activities (or inactivity), each session will have multiple possible events and endings. It will be somewhat like the television series "24" crossed with a "Choose Your Own Adventure" book, with tension and anticipation after each decision made knowing that whatever happens in the end is in the players' hands.
This format is designed for enhanced control of session duration while giving players enough control of the story to become immersed in the gameplay.
Character Death
This is a big issue since the players are paying to play. Each member of the party is given a special tattoo that magically links that person to another company member just before embarking on a mission/job.
At the beginning of the session, each player chooses 2 characters: a primary and a back-up. If the primary character's hit points are reduced to 0 or less, the character is teleported away to the caravan and the back-up teleports in (on the next turn of the primary character). The primary then becomes the back-up (healed back at headquarters) and vice versa.
This is the most highly guarded secret of the group and the source of its success as an adventuring company.
Players will never have to twiddle their thumbs because of an unfortunate critical hit from an unexpected attack. A "death" may however have interesting in-game consequences that affect which ending the session finishes with.
What Does This Campaign Offer That Is Worth the Cost?
-Players don't have to come in on the same day or time. The campaign schedule allows their participation to be flexible, fitting to their schedule, not the game master's.
-Since this is for money, the game master (me) is far more likely to be reliably available rather than having to cancel because of work or study.
-Players don't have to attend every single session or even more than one. The online updates make it easier to jump in anytime.
-Players don't have to buy books or bring ANYTHING. Just cash for entry fee.
-It's quality interactive entertainment for less than the price of a movie ticket.
-Game masters may be many but well-performed game masters with miniatures and maps and time to flesh out a campaign and flexible gaming schedules are few.
-PAPERWORK. None of the players will have to do any between sessions. XP, character advancement, and treasure will be automatically regulated so much more focus is on enjoying the story and gameplay.
-Players will have a large variety of interesting characters that they can try out and since each session will have multiple endings, a player can participate in the same episode more than once and have a different experience each time.
-Quality writing. When the online support is ready, you can see for yourself.
-Exceptional theatrical performance by the game master (this is something that actually has to be seen and heard in person though).
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