Grantypants
Explorer
I had what seems like a really cool idea. I was wondering if anyone has done something like this before?
I want to do a megadungeon delve loosely based on the West Virginia Mine Wars. So it's a relatively standard underground megadungeon along the lines of Castle Greyhawk or Undermountain. The difference here is that at the surface there's a company that has claimed ownership of the dungeon and all it contains. They've hired adventurers to systematically clear each level and bring everything of value to the surface. Conditions for the adventurers are roughly equivalent to conditions for Appalachian coal miners in the early 1900s. The company treats the adventurers terribly, because they can. The company owns the town, the housing, and all the stores for miles and miles, and they're the only game in town if you want to earn a living. When some adventurers start asking for better working conditions, the company cracks down brutally, throwing them out of their homes, blacklisting them from any company stores, and openly murdering anyone advocating for a union. The adventurers
PCs start out broke, deeply in debt to the company store. PCs have two main choices. They can fight monsters in the megadungeon and gain XP but that also means they're collecting loot that the company will take from them when they leave the dungeon. Alternatively, they can try to organize workers on the surface and find ways to circumvent company control, but that's also risky. The company guards are too powerful to take on in anything remotely close to a fair fight, and they don't tolerate dissent.
Despite being based on history, this is still an extremely political adventure/campaign. I don't have the free time or inclination to get it into a publishable state, so I'm not worried about those sorts of considerations. I just think it's a neat idea that thematically fits D&D, especially the more steampunk elements. What do you think?
I want to do a megadungeon delve loosely based on the West Virginia Mine Wars. So it's a relatively standard underground megadungeon along the lines of Castle Greyhawk or Undermountain. The difference here is that at the surface there's a company that has claimed ownership of the dungeon and all it contains. They've hired adventurers to systematically clear each level and bring everything of value to the surface. Conditions for the adventurers are roughly equivalent to conditions for Appalachian coal miners in the early 1900s. The company treats the adventurers terribly, because they can. The company owns the town, the housing, and all the stores for miles and miles, and they're the only game in town if you want to earn a living. When some adventurers start asking for better working conditions, the company cracks down brutally, throwing them out of their homes, blacklisting them from any company stores, and openly murdering anyone advocating for a union. The adventurers
PCs start out broke, deeply in debt to the company store. PCs have two main choices. They can fight monsters in the megadungeon and gain XP but that also means they're collecting loot that the company will take from them when they leave the dungeon. Alternatively, they can try to organize workers on the surface and find ways to circumvent company control, but that's also risky. The company guards are too powerful to take on in anything remotely close to a fair fight, and they don't tolerate dissent.
Despite being based on history, this is still an extremely political adventure/campaign. I don't have the free time or inclination to get it into a publishable state, so I'm not worried about those sorts of considerations. I just think it's a neat idea that thematically fits D&D, especially the more steampunk elements. What do you think?
