D&D 5E Video Game Inspired Campaigns

[dmccoy1693]

Originally posted at the JonBrazer Blog at Wizards.com

As I have with so many other posts, I'm going to start this with an embarrassingly honest admission: I made fun of mixing video games with table top RPGs during the runup to 4e's release. I remember one time in particular asking my GM if we could level up in mid combat, justifying the question with, "Well that's how it will be in fourth edition." Many others did as well and that certainly does not excuse them.

The odd thing is is that, I find myself actually wanting my campaigns to be more ... video game like. I don't want the mechanics of a video game in the system itself. And I still believe that RPGs are far superior to a video game because you are not limited in your interactions with NPCs based on a limited script and you can change the goal of the campaign on a whim and so forth. But I do want what some video games have used as the central plot in my video games. The good games atleast, are so much more awesome than they use to be.

I started playing Skyrim for the first time about a month ago. (Yes, I know, I'm late to the party. I also have a company to run so I don't get much time for non-table top RPGs.) But damn this game is good. And I keep telling myself while playing this, "I want to do this in an RPG." I mean a campaign devoted to killing dragons as they come back to life from a long lost death would be FREAKING AWESOME. In my entire gaming life, I have killed less dragons then I have fingers on my right hand. Yes, I know, Dragonlance is all about dragons being rather commonplace. Well, I haven't played a single game of Dragonlance. I don't actually know anyone that actually ever played Dragonlance or read any of the fiction.

Even still, most of Paizo's adventure paths have a dragon here or there. Heck, until recently, I was in a Carrion Crown campaign and I can't remember a single dragon the whole time. The Kingmaker game I ran a while back had a single dragon in it by the end of the 3rd module (I'm not counting the faerie dragon or the one or two other things of the dragon type since none of them are true dragons). I have yet to encounter a dragon-killing adventure path.

In D&D 5th edition, I would like to see a full on campaign devoted to hunting down dragons, working with dragons, rescuing dragons from other dragons, and so on.

There are plenty of other campaigns I would like to play in that are not inspired by a video game. How about a hunt down the Cult of Orcus campaign? I played in a svirfneblin adventure at GenCon last year. That seems like a great place to start off an underground campaign where you meet dwarves, drow, and many other underground races while battle terrible monsters that live beneath the surface. For you Forgotten Realms fans out there, I'd love to see a stop the Red Wizards of Thay game. Not all of these campaigns have to start off at 1st level. Some can be 3rd or 5th. But they should all end at 15th level, minimum.

What kind of campaigns would you like to see? Do you want a dragon-hunting campaign? Whether inspired by a video game or not, share your thoughts below.

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[warfangiscuter]

Wow. You just accomplished the one thing I have wanted to do for SO DANG LONG! Of course, I started wanting to do the legend of Zelda. Then I played Skyrim and found that it was more plausible to have moar than one dragonborn than moar than one Links. Pernsonally though, I would want a Halo themed campaign. Imagine players as a group of ODSTs or troopers or whatever fighting elites and the flood and (insert more enemies here)!

 

[dmccoy1693]

Change elites to kobolds and flood to zombies?

 

[MarkB]

The closest I've come is doing some mostly in-my-head worldbuilding on a campaign that would have melded X-COM and Eberron. The reason I didn't go ahead with it was that too few of my players were X-COM fans.

The concept was going to be that the Daelkyr had secretly built up an army of minions equipped with advanced airships, and were launching attacks out of volcanic vents leading up from deep beneath Eberron, conducting mysterious experiments upon outlying Khorvairan villages as well as infiltrating governments and using deadly new weapons in terror attacks against civilian populations.

The PCs would be members of EXKOM (EXtranational Khorvaire Oversight Militia) a top-secret organisation funded by the Five Nations (and maybe others) and equipped by the Dragonmarked Houses. Working from a hidden HQ, they'd face similar challenges to a typical X-COM campaign, taking on dangerous missions against Daelkyr incursions whilst using limited funds to improve their facilities, weapons and ships and employing scholars and artificers to better understand and counter the Daelkyr threat.

 

[amerigoV]

I always toy around using IP like Elder Scrolls, Mass Effect, Fallout just because most of my players do not pay video games - so I can lift stuff wholesale.

I played Witcher 2 recently (did not play W1) and I thought the premise was very interesting. PCs are by definition "different" and are the ones out there killing monsters. Great for small groups.

 

[warfangiscuter]

Nah. If I did change it, elites would be lizardmen and grunts would be kobolds. I think I'll just make new monster sheets. Plus, you need new weapons and weaknesses. ex. Elites suck against plasma and flood hate shotguns. Hey! Vehicles would be awesome!

 

[Vyvyan Basterd]

Of course, I started wanting to do the legend of Zelda.

I ran a 2E campaign based entirely on one of the N64 Zelda games. Worked out petty good. Although then I was more inspired by the maps in the "cheat guide" than the actual game visuals.

 

[dmccoy1693]

Nah. If I did change it, elites would be lizardmen and grunts would be kobolds.

Fair enough.

I think I'll just make new monster sheets. Plus, you need new weapons and weaknesses. ex. Elites suck against plasma and flood hate shotguns. Hey! Vehicles would be awesome!

Well, that's just things like weakness to bludgeoning weapons reskinned.

 

[Kinak]

I want a Legend of Zelda campaign pretty badly.

But there have been a few "collect the X pieces of Y" campaigns (the old Rod of Seven Parts proto-AP and Shattered Star off the top of my head). So why am I not satisfied?

Because the quest to reunite the Triforce isn't what makes Legend of Zelda games. It's reuniting them by traveling through all manner of incredible locations and beating a series of puzzles, monsters, and devilish bosses that are more puzzle than monster.

Even in 4e, which really should be good at that, never had the boss or adventure support to make it a reality. I'd like nothing more than to see a campaign deliver on the promise of a video game boss backed with the flexibility and power of GM adjudication.

Cheers!
Kinak

 

[Olgar Shiverstone]

Neat picture; nice black-on-black text.

I choose video-game inspired campaigns of ... Pool of Radiance, Secret of the Silver Blades, Eye of the Beholder, Baldur's Gate I & II, Icewind Dale I & II ...