The Dark Tower...anyone tried it as a campaign?

[Shadowslayer]

Just began re-reading some of Stephen King's Dark Tower series, and was wondering if anyone ever used it as a backdrop for a campaign. (for those who heven't read, its a setting that's a groovy mix of fantasy, sci-fi, and wild west...where ordained knights carry six shooters rather than swords and lances)

A related question...if I wanted to include basic firearms (six-shooters, shotguns and rifles mainly) is there a ruleset I can look to that would be reasonably compatible with standard D&D? I'm thinking d20 modern, but maybe there's something else out there? Anyone done a WIld West type expansion for d20?

 

[Vorput]

Actually yes- very recently. It wasn't exactly like the Dark Tower, but featured a world of the future, when there had been an advanced civilization that had since passed on- and had the party shot forward in time to it. Roland played a prominent role as well, being a 6th level ranger/fighter skilled in fighting with two revolvers... having left his home of Gilead, traveled through the land of the dead, seeking the 'Obsidian Pinnacle'- a legendary place that was supposedly the resting place of a dead God- rumored to have the power to raise the dead.

Anyway, my players hated the setting and the campaign died after only two sessions ::sighs:: Oh well.

I used the revolvers straight out of the DMG's section on modern weaponry... I'm sure there's better stuff out there- but that fit my purposes in the short term. Roland was a pretty fearsome character, using TWF and Rapid Shot with 4 or 5 attacks per round, dealing 2d8+1 damage per hit... and having bullets of all sorts of different metals and materials.

Vorp

 

[Philotomy Jurament]

Shoot, I thought this thread was going to be about the other Dark Tower. I had that game many years ago -- we all thought it was super-cool.

 

[Kid Charlemagne]

The Iron Kingdoms has firearms rules that I like (after simplifying them a bit - removing a couple of feats from the equation). They're for 1-shot guns, so no revolvers, but you could work that in, making revolvers do a little less damage than the heavy caliber IK pistols.

 

[SpiderMonkey]

I used the series' metaphysical conceit (an infinity of infinities held together by a single lynchpin, the Tower--or World Tree) for my last major D&D campaign, and some of it was straight from there. Just beware of the players' impulsiveness if you actually let them breach the tower

I think d20 modern would be your best bet. Those creatures from 'between worlds' (I can't recall their names at the moment) could be just about any d20 monster with the 'psuedonatural' template applied. King's work later in the series has some pretty obvious Mythos references/homages.

Good luck with it! It sounds like a great idea.

 

[reanjr]

I did a long adventure based on Black House once. Worked out really well. Strange adventure. For those who have not read Black House, it crosses over with Dark Tower in some ways.

 

[The_Gneech]

Shoot, I thought this thread was going to be about the other Dark Tower. I had that game many years ago -- we all thought it was super-cool.

Same here. And I think you could use it as a basis for a cool campaign, actually.

-The Gneech

 

[Shadowslayer]

Well, I'm only partway through book 4, so I have a long way to go yet.

I guess its just the idea of a wasteland with relics from different places and ages, and mutated beings that intrigues me. Wilderlands is mostly there, except for the gunslinging bit. I'm thinking of this as a flavor thing more than taking the Dark Tower sries and turning them into a campaign. That would be doomed to failure, I fear.

I HAVE had PCs encounter a Billy Bumbler...but at the time it had been 10 or so years since reading the WasteLands, and I didn't even remember where I stole it from.

 

[Vorput]

Well, I'm only partway through book 4, so I have a long way to go yet.

Alright... I'll do everything possible to phrase the following without spoiling what's coming...
but you may not want to read below- as it kind of sort of maybe reveals something about the final book.
Spoiler

Spoiler

There will come a point in the seventh book where King tells you to stop reading... and not go on. You may want to take him up on that... It was the worst ending of a series EVER, imho (literally almost ruined the entire series for me, and I loved it up to that point).

 

[Master of the Game]

Actually yes- very recently. It wasn't exactly like the Dark Tower, but featured a world of the future, when there had been an advanced civilization that had since passed on- and had the party shot forward in time to it. Roland played a prominent role as well, being a 6th level ranger/fighter skilled in fighting with two revolvers... having left his home of Gilead, traveled through the land of the dead, seeking the 'Obsidian Pinnacle'- a legendary place that was supposedly the resting place of a dead God- rumored to have the power to raise the dead.

Anyway, my players hated the setting and the campaign died after only two sessions ::sighs:: Oh well.

I used the revolvers straight out of the DMG's section on modern weaponry... I'm sure there's better stuff out there- but that fit my purposes in the short term. Roland was a pretty fearsome character, using TWF and Rapid Shot with 4 or 5 attacks per round, dealing 2d8+1 damage per hit... and having bullets of all sorts of different metals and materials.

Vorp

Out of curiosity, was this your character, a GMPC?