Save the world? No thanks.

[Falcon]

As a DM, I spend a lot of time making the campaign as personal as possible for the players. I require an extensive and detailed backstory and draw on that throughout the life of the PC. I then overlay the world context and create scenarios involving persons who have some connection to the PC's, as well as to the campaign story arcs.

In the recent campaign, I inadvertentently created a villain who so caught the players' ire and imagination (I never saw it coming and hadn't given this particular villain a lot of thought, except as a story device and background flavor, but hey) that I ran with it as they ran after him, and have managed to have him involved in one way or another in the demise, injury or threat of every PC's immediate family, homeland, or religion. He is now the crucible from which the entire campaign develops and will most likely die soon, but because of him, the campaign has so many other layers of complexity, danger, urgency, and immediacy for the players, that they are realizing he was just one aspect of the evil they face, and of the greater threats to their families, homelands, and religions.

I have been able to spin off connections to darker beings, plots, and things of which he was but a part, perhaps a mere pawn, that the focus of the players has developed from mere personal revenge or defense of the homeland, to stopping the plots and machinations within which he has been involved in, all of which encompass the players in one aspect or another.


Anwyay, that is how I have worked with the escalation of focus in the world as the players have grown in power.

 

[dren]

To epic or not to Epic...

There are many styles of games and gamers. Power gaming or min/maxing is certainly one type, and a lot of gamers enjoy it. I gave up running those long ago, simply because, in order to be a game the end result can never be known or taken for granted, if it is, the PC's are meaningless and the game is a script and no longer a true game. The problem is, players sometimes fail, and if they do, your world theoretically should end.

Yes, you can hit a rewind button. Have an uber style NPC save the day, or some other plot device. But this is essentially cheating. You cheat the PCs of being in command of their destinies, even if their destiny is death and destruction. Most PCs prefer to be killed by their own hand rather than saved by fate.

I have run epic-style games, but it was the end run. I was moving away and knew that there would be no more games with those players. There was a huge (six month) build-up, involving their characters and an ultra-powered enemy, and four known artifcats and they both saved a race and destroyed an entire city. They loved it. They were proud of it. And I was proud of them, as friends and as their DM, because they helped me run a fantastic campaign. And the epic "save the world" style was appropriate for the circumstances.

Most of the time, PCs in my world rarely get above 15th. I am too interested in showing them another place in my world. Once an adventure is over, I coax the group to try something new. Or they all want a change in character, and it's easier to start fresh.

Power gaming is usually about numbers, and as a professional bean-counter, I am more interested in role-playing than crunching numbers in my spare time. If that's your style, you can have it. ..
I prefer a different style and atmosphere. And so far, most of my players have been satisfied.

However, when I move away in two to three years, it will then be time to purchase the ELH, and give a brand new group of players another "ultimate challenge!!!"

 

[Black Omega]

I don't see any problem with 'save the world' plots. I just think it's important to layer in other things going on as well. Some threads can wind in with others, or can be red herrings.

At present in my game the Big Threat (tm) looking in the background is a sacrifice to summon an Oni. The sacrifice needs someone special, and three characters in the group qualify, as do a few NPC's. While this looms, other things are happening. One of the samurai is jealous his girlffriend is getting gifts from someone, while he himself is also getting some new attention from an secret admirer. The wizard is collecting students while building criminal contacts, The group's main healer has suddenly gone to work as a carpenter for 3 sp a day, making everyone else suspicious what he is up to. The samurai in training has been sent out to find a new master swordsman in town. Etc etc.

World shaking plots are good. They are even better when mixed with more personal stuff.

 

[Johno]

I find it quite funny:

Save the world? No thanks -morose

Anything else got you down, morose?

 

[Morose]

Hehe... good point Johno.

Actually, Morose is a play on my name.... M. Rose. The actual meaning of the word really doesn't fit my personality... but I liked the word play. I'm actually a pretty darn happy guy.