Would You Play In This Game?

[Jake of Spades]

Hey guys, I'm new to ENWorld and have been thinking for a while about creating a play-by-post thread. I've been developing a campaign in my head for a few months now, and was wondering if it would be interesting enough to start. Of course, this is all in my head, so I will be first writing as much as I can down on a blog that will be used side by side in my campaign. Basically, my campaign start is this:

The PCs start off in a not-so typical European themed fantasy realm. It is not-so typical because it is closer to reality than to fantasy. Based off of medieval England, this land is almost entirely populated by humans, although originally inhabited by Elves and Dwarves as well. The humans of this land have long believed that magic is evil, or it is simply the stuff of myths. They believe Elves, Dwarves, etc do not exist.

In this land, the PCs are newly-graduated students (entirely human) from a combat school, where they did NOT learn any magic. All throughout their academic life, they have been best friends. Before heading their separate ways into the world, they decide to go to the capitol city of their country. Here, they visit my world's equivalent of a China-town, and soon find themselves facing the fact that magic DOES exist, and so do Elves, etc. They are nearly killed while in the China-like-town due to being part of an ancient prophecy, and they are soon being shipped off to my world's equivalent to Asia with newfound friends and protectors to accomplish their destiny.

This is kind of just the hook. I have MANY more ideas that would develop throughout the campaign, but my major concern is people not being interested due to the fact you could only be human and, at least to start, could not use magic. What do you think? Thanks!

 

[GandalfMithrandir]

First, this should be in Talking The Talk and also, It think people will want to know about what system will be used, mainly as the thing that they are interested in the most, I myself do not have time, but good luck!

GM

 

[Mircoles]

The system that your using would be good to know.

People love to gossip and then travel somewhere else and gossip some more. So, I'm wondering how knowledge of magic use is being kept from getting to the Pcs.

Who is doing and how?

 

[HolyMan]

GM is right you should throw this idea to the guys in the Talking the Talk area as they do the most playing of all kinds of campaigns.

And yes they will stray from the question of what about parents and can my character learn magic eventually? And ask what system are you thinking of using and after that what books/classes (Tome of Battle being the big one I'm sure they will all want to use).

Now saying human only might not be a problem as my Off to War campaign had everyone start as human until we entered an area near the elven woods where a player joined in as an elf. And I had plenty of players.

Also no magic will be no big deal for most players and I'm sure out of the many you will find 4 or 5 that may take you up on your game.

Good luck and I'll keep an eye out for your game as I enjoy human only no magic allowed games myself.

HM

 

[Janx]

Your hook sounds too railroady. Your dictating too many things about where the pcs go.

You've also doubled the bait-n-switch

1st telling them no magic and limiting what they can play.

2nd whisking them off to the real play area which is completely different.

It sounds like what you really want to run is an asian themed campaign. Why not just run that?

 

[Neonchameleon]

Hey guys, I'm new to ENWorld and have been thinking for a while about creating a play-by-post thread. I've been developing a campaign in my head for a few months now, and was wondering if it would be interesting enough to start. Of course, this is all in my head, so I will be first writing as much as I can down on a blog that will be used side by side in my campaign. Basically, my campaign start is this:

The PCs start off in a not-so typical European themed fantasy realm. It is not-so typical because it is closer to reality than to fantasy. Based off of medieval England, this land is almost entirely populated by humans, although originally inhabited by Elves and Dwarves as well. The humans of this land have long believed that magic is evil, or it is simply the stuff of myths. They believe Elves, Dwarves, etc do not exist.

In this land, the PCs are newly-graduated students (entirely human) from a combat school, where they did NOT learn any magic. All throughout their academic life, they have been best friends. Before heading their separate ways into the world, they decide to go to the capitol city of their country. Here, they visit my world's equivalent of a China-town, and soon find themselves facing the fact that magic DOES exist, and so do Elves, etc. They are nearly killed while in the China-like-town due to being part of an ancient prophecy, and they are soon being shipped off to my world's equivalent to Asia with newfound friends and protectors to accomplish their destiny.

"Newfound friends and protectors"? Sounds like you want to saddle the party with a DMPC - a bad sign. But seriously, the adventure starts either at the entrance to the China-like-town or in a flashback when they are already onboard the ship. Before that point, the whole thing's a railroad. And "All throughout their academic life, they have been best friends"? More forcing than I'd like - I'd rather say that they are friends now but not force a longer relationship or that they couldn't have started as unfriendly rivals.

 

[Janx]

"Newfound friends and protectors"? Sounds like you want to saddle the party with a DMPC - a bad sign. But seriously, the adventure starts either at the entrance to the China-like-town or in a flashback when they are already onboard the ship. Before that point, the whole thing's a railroad. And "All throughout their academic life, they have been best friends"? More forcing than I'd like - I'd rather say that they are friends now but not force a longer relationship or that they couldn't have started as unfriendly rivals.

I concur.

I've done the "you're limited to humans in the military and from this list of classes" thing myself. It's all about presentation:

I think it's better to tell the players:
the game will start in the town of XYZ
every PC knows each other and can work together (justifiying being a party)
every PC has to be human
there's no magic, so no spells (thus not forbidding classes, just the spell casting)

From there, start adventuring in a world with no other races and no magic
then, when they get to a certain point, reveal the stuff that was hidden.

I'm still not keen on the bait and switch. Unless the other races and magic users are in a totally isolated place, there is NO way that people don't know they exist or have tales about them.

In my human only campaign, it was a watery world, where the human "islands" explored far enough and made first contact with other races. This was more akin to Columbus discovering America. And that event had already happened before the campaign started. So I explained that we were playing from the humans perspective (thus humans only) as they explored their larger world.

The other problem with the bait-n-switch is that the players may REALLY want to play in the local area you started in. Moving them to China as your first major act and as the whole platform of your setting defeats that.

Moving them to china LATER, after they done quite a few things in the current land is a better shift. It also better supports the big reveal. What that means, is play through several story arcs in "normal" land. Then reveal the new place and its features.

 

[Wednesday Boy]

What if instead of having the other races and magic unknown to the players and the characters, you only keep it secret to the characters? Knowing that dwarves, elves, and magic are hidden but waiting to be discovered (by the players) should help quash the bait and switch, entice people into your setting, and spark character concepts and goals. You'd get to keep you initial campaign concept and setting and would only have to give up the reveal to the players. And as long as you have halfway decent players there shouldn't be an issues with them knowing information that their characters don't.

 

[the Jester]

I'm going to echo the "too railroady, watch out for DMPCs!" comments.

If you choose to use this as your basic campaign framework, I'd highly recommend letting the players in on it from the very beginning and making sure that they are ok with not having magic or nonhuman options when they are out there in the world. That's a far cry from just saying, "No elves exist, so no, you can't play one".

 

[fuzzlewump]

Wait, is this Big Trouble in Little China? If so, I'm all for it.