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Message: <blockquote data-quote="haakon1" data-source="post: 4658773" data-attributes="member: 25619">In my two campaigns (in the same setting), war is a constant theme, in the background.  In that way, it's a bit like "Foyle's War" -- a British mystery TV show about a detective in Hastings in 1940.  He doesn't do any fighting, but many of the plots revolve around issues like a murder suspect/fisherman being killed by the Germans during the Dunkirk evacuation, organized crime involved with rationing, a spy who's a witness to murder, etc.Nature of my war:  In Greyhawk, the Baklunish (quasi-Arabian/Mongol/Central Asian) land of Ket has invaded the March of Bissel (more European).  The two have been at each others throats for centuries, but this time it's no skirmishing at fords -- the Kettites have brought in mercenaries from the demon-worshipped Ulis, to the skilled mountain crossbowmen of the Concatenated Cantons of Perrenland, to scum like orcs . . . and they are rumored to be secretly allied with Iuz (the evil god on Oerth of Greyhawk).On Bissel's side, allied forces include the Knights of the Watch, a holy order, and the Brotherhood of the Sword, a less holy order that runs Gran March as a military state (look up the historical order, or think Spartan knights), plus the Archclericy of Veluna (an LG religious state).How I do combat:  No special rules.  I role it all.Why did the war break out: In a previous campaign, the PC's did "The Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth", and in the process stole Daoud's Magic Lanthorn, a relic of the religion of the Baklunish, for use by Bissel in helping war wounded from the various minor raids.  Allegedly, someone messed with the monks of Xan Yae, too.  Ket doesn't need much reason for war, but that's it.Even less well known -- the PC's FREED Iuz's sister, Drelzna, using a Wish to move her from being a vampire to being a human again.  Freed from her vampiric condition, she turned good and disappeared from the world stage, doing who knows what.  Iuz is PISSED at Bissel for hiring the adventurers who got his sister out of stasis (now she can challenge him) and made her good again (IMC, she was her mom's general, but turned good leading to the fall of Iggwilv's Empire, so her mom had her made a vampire to turn her evil again).In my email campaign, here's how it's played out, by adventure:1) Keep on the Borderlands.  With regular forces off in the war, the PC's will have to do to investigate the murders of merchants in the area.  The PC's eventually ally with the King of the Goblins, but the other bad guys attack the Keep, with an army of undead and bandits!>> I fought this out character by character, round by round.  It took about 250 rounds, with constant "screen cuts" to the action in different parts of the Keep, as the PC's raced around trying to prevent intrusions, until the final fight in the dunjeon's great hall!  Best combat EVER for me in D&D.2) Cauldron of Plenty (from Dungeon).  PC's are recruited by a government agent (who hires various adventuring parties) to get a magic cauldron for the war effort, since it can create mass quantities of meat for the troops.  Only problem is, a giant has it, and it's cursed.>> This is a non-combat, role-playing type adventure.  The PC's managed to befriend the (non-evil) giant and make a powerful ally for their land.3) Dzeebagd (from Troll Lords).  PC's are hired by an injured merchant to recover his daughter.  It turns out, she's been taken to a small, sacked castle.  The PC's have to take the castle to rescue the girl.  The enemy turns out to be both a local bandit organization AND humanoids who seem connected to Iuz.>> Fought as a normal D&D adventure, albeit with a big, long bruiser of a main fight.4) The Standing Stones.  The PC's are sent by their government patron to the isolated village of Ossington, in no-man's-land in the forest beyond the realm.  Ossington provided food and charcoal to the Dwarvish miners/smiths of the Barrier Peaks, who were making arms and armor for the war effort.  Ossington hasn't sent supplies, hasn't been heard from, and the dwarves who investigated did not return.  Go there and get the place running again (and if you don't mind, claim it for the realm).>> Run as written, essentially.  In the end, the PC's stayed for a few months to get the village up and running again.  The PC's now carry a LOT of food in their Portable Hole, just in case something like this happens again.5) Buckbray Manor (Dark Furies).  The PC's are sent by their government patron to a manor that won't send its feudal host to the war front.  The PC's are to get the troops going and deal with the petty complaints about orcs and wolves in the area, even though such things are beneath the now-famous PC's.>> Run mostly as a normal D&D adventure, with two big fights where the PC's were the stars but the local troops, NPC's, and even peasant militia were involved.  Every die roll was done like a normal fight (doable with email time speeds and many d20's).  My own plot involved enemy agents sent to sew chaos and political problems in the realm.  The enemies are werewolves, who have infected local orcs.  One of the werewolves is a cleric of Iuz.  Also unclear so far why the dwarf in the manor was secretly making silver weapons, and was consorting with a former party member who switched sides during the Keep on the Borderlands and got away.  Bwahahaha!6) The Last Baron (Paizo).  Haven't run this yet.>> The PC's will go to the border and meet with the army, who will ask them to infiltrate a traitorous castle, to take the ruler out without the army having to besiege loyal citizens with an evil ruler.In my live campaign, we've run two adventures so far, both run as normal adventures.1) Three Days to Kill.  The PC's are hired to kill bandits, allegedly by merchants who can't get protection from the overstretched government -- actually by other bandits.2) The Sunless Citadel.  Arrest for horse theft (taking bandits horses that had been stolen from merchants) the PC's are offered a way out for doing a mission for the government guy who acts a patron to adventurers.  The mission is to get healing apples for the war effort, and rescue some missing kids of local leader.>> The PC's befriended Meepo, who leveled up with them and took over the place.  Later on, Meepo will give early warning of the Red Hand of Doom, if I decide to go that way.</blockquote>

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