D&D 4E What will your first 4E campaign look like?

[Ipissimus]

The campaign I've got planned at the moment revolves around an Antipaladin of Bane with one of the oldest villain motives: he wants to conquer the world. I'll use the PoL setting as a basis.

In the beginning, there won't be much that the PCs can do to stop the growth of the Baneite's evil empire. His armies are well trained, disciplined, supplied and equipped (imagine a diabolical crossbreeding of ancient Rome and the Nazis with infernal backers), They should also have a front row seat to several atrocities. Despite that, i'll also have a few 'good things' that come from the Empire. For example, no wandering monster encounters in the wilderness inside the Empire's boarders, well-maintained roads, laws enforced with ruthless efficiency.

I'm still working out the details for the different branches of the Empire and their methodology. The army was easy, basing it on the Roman legion. The priesthood's a little more difficult, though I'm pulling in some Aztec influences with the human sacrifice angle. Also considering Judge Dredd-like inquisitors to enforce the Empire's laws.

The problems come with reconciling having each adventure somehow based around frighting the evil empire while still being able to throw in some good 'ol dungeon crawls.

 

[Ipissimus]

sorry, double post.

 

[olshanski]

My party will be tasked with preventing the BBEG and his minions from destroying the last of the Truffula trees. The bad guy, "Onceler", and his cronies are busy making thneeds (which everyone needs), at the same time thier rituals are destroying the ecology.

New creatures include the Barbaloots, Hummingfish, and Swamiswans. There is a mysterious entity called the Lorax which may aid the party from time to time if they get in over their heads.

 

[JohnSnow]

The problems come with reconciling having each adventure somehow based around fighting the evil empire while still being able to throw in some good 'ol dungeon crawls.

Whenever you're fighting an evil empire, you often have to go hunting in dungeons for appropriate artifacts, maps, or the lost weapons of another age.

Which are, of course, always in dungeons.

 

[Afrodyte]

The idea I'm kicking around, inspired by fusangite, is to have each player start off by making a 30th level character. This is a god in a newborn world, and the gods each have something they want accomplished, but cannot do themselves. So they send their followers on a mission to explore the world and fulfill this task. However, some danger requires several gods to work together.

So the players also make 1st level PCs who are like cave men or primitive tribesmen coming out into a horrifying and mysterious world. And with the blessing of their gods, they go on a long adventure. If a PC dies, the god grants his power to another member of the same tribe and sends a replacement (same level, different personality, same goals -- easily sidesteps the problems a narrative faces when too many characters die off).

I am so stealing this.

 

[ruleslawyer]

RW's idea *is* pretty rockin'.

(Nice avatar there afrodyte, BTW. My roommate actually used to work for Ms. Priestly's RW analogue...)

If I have to start a new campaign, I'll probably stick with my gray box Realms. Otherwise, it's going to be Greyhawk starting right at the beginning with T1 Village of Hommlet and going hopefully all the way through to Queen of the Demonweb Pits. Old-school adventure path all the way, baby!

 

[Lord Xtheth]

Well, you asked for it...

Ok. that was pretty funny

 

[Suudo]

Great responses, folks. And quick, too.

I will of course be using the implied setting elements (PoL, though I really am getting sick of hearing the term). The world beyond the rule of the city-states is harsh, brutish, and unforgiving. Terrible beasts roam the bones of ancient empires.

I definitely want it to feel rougher and tougher and more primal than a lot of campaigns. Where the wild really is wild, and even the city-states are from time to time.

No ideas for a good plot, yet, but I'm certainly going to use the new elements for all they're worth (tieflings and dragonborn included).

 

[HeavenShallBurn]

The world beyond the rule of the city-states is harsh, brutish, and unforgiving. Terrible beasts roam the bones of ancient empires.

I definitely want it to feel rougher and tougher and more primal than a lot of campaigns. Where the wild really is wild, and even the city-states are from time to time.

For all that they're not in favor by many consider random monster encounters. Lot of people on these boards will deride them because they're not pertinent to plot, or take away time better spent on the main thrust of the adventure, or are just troublesome. But they are vital to maintaining the impression of the players the the wilderness is actually dangerous. If the PCs can move through the wilderness without frequently running into monsters the players will even if they try to ignore it be aware that the environment isn't really so dangerous as it should. And that will affect play, how much depends on the group as always. But for me at least whether DMing or playing I've always thought random encounters were important to maintaining the impression of the world as a very dangerous place. You may have to alter the implied ecology, adding in a higher frequency of monsters and unusual critters of varying power levels. And when you do random encounters they need to be truly random, don't pick out the difficulty of the encounter beforehand, roll for it and let it fly. Some may be walk-overs and other unsurvivable TPK beasts that they need to sneak around and avoid. It will only add to the sense of the wilderness as a dangerous place. Just remember not to throw them directly into combat like a Final Fantasy game cutting from the world to the fight map. Unless you specifically intend an ambush give them enough to formulate a valid response. When the 2nd level party rolls an ancient dragon don't just have the thing fall from the sky and kill them all. Let them hear it scratching its back against a redwood or spot it stalking through the trees with a prey animal in its jaws so they have the opportunity to avoid if they want.

 

[Cmarco]

My first campaign will happen in my homebrew world (which started as a sort-of an amalgam between Forgotten Realms, Mystara, and Greyhawk, but has been transformed by player actions and story events to be a world unto itself). From the look of things, relatively little will need to change in order to update to the 4e "points of light" perspective. However, I'm currently looking at ways of removing some of the higher power NPCs from their comfortable positions, and making the PCs "center stage" again... any thoughts?