Where would you start an Eberron campaign?

[shilsen]

Besides the Eberron game I've been running for my original group, I'd joined a second group as a player a couple months ago. Unfortunately, the DM had to quit due to work overload, so I'm taking over and starting up a second Eberron game.

My original one is set in Breland (with one trip to the Mournland thus far) focused in and around Sharn and I'm wondering where to start the second one. I'm tempted to make it a Sharn game too, since there is so much potentiality for adventure in that city that even with two campaigns in the same place I would barely scratch the surface. Plus, since I like to give my players/PCs almost complete freedom in creating what is the eventual story/focus of the campaign, I'm sure my second group will end up dealing with things far removed from the first. At the same time, I'm tempted to just start off at some other end of Khorvaire and explore new areas.

With all of that preamble, here's a question for the Eberron DMs and players on the boards - where would you start a new Eberron campaign and why? And would you care to share any stories from your current campaign and future plans you have?

*pulls up chair and gets comfortable*

 

[Eremite]

I'm not currently running an Eberron game (I've been thinking about it) and I would answer the city of Sharn in large part because I would love to use the book.

 

[MrFilthyIke]

I would start either in Droam/Shadow Marches for wild and monster-filled....or on the Breland/Mounrland border dealing w/ Mournland and refugee suituation.

OR...Lhazhar for your "Pirates of the Carribean" meets Freeport feel.

 

[Crothian]

I'd wait until I knew what the players were playing and base it off of that.

 

[MrFilthyIke]

I'd wait until I knew what the players were playing and base it off of that.

Bah, screw the players, they're just along for the ride.

 

[Crothian]

Bah, screw the players, they're just along for the ride.

By letting them think they matter, it makes them much happier.

 

[Patryn of Elvenshae]

I'm working on a one-shot that takes place during the waning days of the Last War.

Given that it's planned to be a one-shot, I'm creating the character basics for the players. They'll be the various members of a Cyrish strike team (primarily composed of warforged). A rogue element of the Karrnathi army will have broken through the lines somewhere to their west. The PCs will be sent, special forces style, to find the Karrnathis, figure out their objective, and pin them in place long enough for the "heavy armor" to arrive.

Of course, not all is what it seems ...

In our current Eberron campaign, the PCs were on board a ship traveling from Sharn to Korranberg for one reason or another. Several of the PCs were tasked by an ancient gnome with delivering a sealed box to the University, mine was a member of the ship's company, etc. In the middle of the night, a storm of sahaugin attacked, slaying most of the crew, and causing us to be driven aground on an uncharted island.

The party explored the island and found the remains of a giant city and ziggurat. After the most cursory of explorations - costing the dwarven monk his life, an airship answered the distress beacon and arrived bearing the gnome and a promise of extraction.

We returned to Korranberg, and found that we'd been carrying an ancient goblinoid relic from the old empire. Invited to the public unveiling, we hunkered down and hung out in town for nearly a week - only to have goblinoid assassins strike in the night! While the party was able to fend them off, the gnome who had acted as our patron was slain, along with most of his house staff. Some of the faster members of the party ran to the Library, and found that the guards there had fought off another attempted incursion - and the artifacts were safe.

The unveiling of the artifacts happened several days later (at which we all acted as additional security), only, in the interim, the artifacts had been replaced by fakes! Who has them? How did they get them? And why?

Tune in next week, eh?

 

[Gez]

Probably Sharn, as it's the most adventure-friendly place.

Sharn, like Waterdeep and Castle Greyhawk, is an all-in-one. You have the city, you have the dungeon, and you even have some urban wilderness.

It's where you slaughters icky-bad monsters, as Piffany would say, where you gather ph4t l00t, as intarweb kids would say, where you sell it all to fund your next expedition, and where you can have a bit of political intrigue when you're bored of the hack'n'slash.

It's where you can bring in any character concept, no matter how weird and hard-to-fit otherwise. It's where the tavern all heroes meet up in is located -- damn it, you've got three red light districts!

 

[shilsen]

I'd wait until I knew what the players were playing and base it off of that.

That's probably what I'm going to do, though - as I mentioned before - I'm leaning towards Sharn right now. After all, as Gez mentioned:

It's where you can bring in any character concept, no matter how weird and hard-to-fit otherwise. It's where the tavern all heroes meet up in is located -- damn it, you've got three red light districts!

True. Nothing beats the changeling escort service

 

[Bobitron]

I'm running a pbp here as My First Eberron Campaign. It's set in Thrane, and the players are part of a secret organization that feels those in charge of the Church don't do enough to combat evil. Zealots and Inquisitors, oh my!

Gloria e Flamae Solei