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KnightErrantJR
Great Reader
USA
5402 Posts |
 Posted - 22 Jan 2006 : 05:46:16
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Just to clarify, I have posted a lot of Campaign Brainstorming issues for my future campaigns. You may look at those and think "there is no way he can be using all of these," but there is a method to my madness. I once read a statement, I beleive by Chris Clairmont, that he kept a long term rolling story line by having the main story feature most prominently, the next storyline taking up a little less time in the story, and a bit of an introduction to a story arc two storylines hence going on. This way, you always felt like things were moving forward, and the story wasn't just about the here and now, with a narrow focus. To my mind, this fits the Realms pretty well.
So the reason I brainstorm a lot of these is that I want to have some details to leak to the players most likely months before anything concrete develops about that particular plotline. And the other thing I love doing is just having some wild ideas and seeing other people run with them, just as I like to mine other peoples ideas for my campaign. Its the next best thing to actually running a game in my mind.
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Dargoth
Great Reader
Australia
4607 Posts |
Posted - 22 Jan 2006 : 06:09:37
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The main way I can think of dropping hints for future adventures is to use Tavern tales.
Ie the viliians adventures echo in your campaign even before your players come in contact with him |
“I am the King of Rome, and above grammar”
Emperor Sigismund
"Its good to be the King!"
Mel Brooks |
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KnightErrantJR
Great Reader
USA
5402 Posts |
Posted - 22 Jan 2006 : 06:15:17
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| Thats always a good one. I have also had a few stories circulate at various festivals and holidays by means of bardic tales and travellers from other lands spreading rumors. |
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KnightErrantJR
Great Reader
USA
5402 Posts |
Posted - 22 Jan 2006 : 06:16:27
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| Question: How often do you use things like dreams and visions? Not necissarily a dream or vision that spells out everything, but a vision of a villain down the road, or an item that won't come up for a few adventures into the future . . . |
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Dargoth
Great Reader
Australia
4607 Posts |
Posted - 22 Jan 2006 : 06:21:42
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quote:
Originally posted by KnightErrantJR
Question: How often do you use things like dreams and visions? Not necissarily a dream or vision that spells out everything, but a vision of a villain down the road, or an item that won't come up for a few adventures into the future . . .
Not unless the player specficly starts using Divination spells. Also remember even a Greater power can only see 17 days into the future (See F&P)
I wouldnt allow players access to knowledge of future events |
“I am the King of Rome, and above grammar”
Emperor Sigismund
"Its good to be the King!"
Mel Brooks |
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KnightErrantJR
Great Reader
USA
5402 Posts |
Posted - 22 Jan 2006 : 06:26:59
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Not so much future events, but people that they will eventually be moved by their god to oppose . . . such as seeing a preist of Bane that the Helmite cleric will eventually run afoul of. Even if Helm can only see a limited number of days into the future, he can tell when one of Bane's followers might be problematic.
Though this is a good point to remember. The Helmite is building a temple in Mistledale, and Haresk Malorn has been pushing him to build it large enough to shelter the nearby farmers, and when its done, in the Year of Lightining Storms, I intend for it to be a major boon to the people of western Mistledale when the demon hordes come through. I was going to give him a vision about this, just in the form of seeing commoners savaged by a demonic horde, but come to think of it, that event is so far out of what Helm is likely to foresee, I'll hold off on that one. |
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Dargoth
Great Reader
Australia
4607 Posts |
Posted - 22 Jan 2006 : 06:36:46
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Ive found there is such a thing as providing to much infomation. If as a DM you give the Players to much to mull over they tend to loose focus.
What your describing would be ok if one of your players had an acknowledged "special" PC (By Special I mean a Bhaalspawn/Luke Skywalker type character) where they have a preordained destiny. The problem with such campaigns like that is it can turn into a One horse show where the other players characters are merely support actors in the campaign.
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“I am the King of Rome, and above grammar”
Emperor Sigismund
"Its good to be the King!"
Mel Brooks |
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KnightErrantJR
Great Reader
USA
5402 Posts |
Posted - 22 Jan 2006 : 06:39:37
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| Yeah, the Helmite had certain things he wanted to do, and I wrote according to that. Then the Meilikki druid joined the group, and I came up with a major issue for him to deal with. The hardest thing has been the latest addition to the party, the Tunlar barbarian that I don't want feel as if he is just along for the ride with the divine servants in the party. |
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Dargoth
Great Reader
Australia
4607 Posts |
Posted - 22 Jan 2006 : 06:50:16
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I wouldnt run multiple characters with "Manifest" destinys like providing to much info it will lead to an unfocused campaign with a lot of jumping around between each players plotline.
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“I am the King of Rome, and above grammar”
Emperor Sigismund
"Its good to be the King!"
Mel Brooks |
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Mystery_Man
Senior Scribe
USA
455 Posts |
Posted - 22 Jan 2006 : 15:28:41
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quote:
Originally posted by KnightErrantJR
Question: How often do you use things like dreams and visions? Not necissarily a dream or vision that spells out everything, but a vision of a villain down the road, or an item that won't come up for a few adventures into the future . . .
I started the next leg of my campaign arc at the keep where the PC's live. They would have nightmares of a neighboring duke that they've had dealings with being tortured and his subjects enslaved or killed. One person having these nightmares is one thing but they all started to have them and they would get worse every night. Deciding to investigate they found the dukes village in shambles with everyone dead (or undead as it were).
This would be the only time I've used dreams effectively on my players. I feel that if you're going to use them, they should be about something the players are already somewhat familiar with rather than something they know nothing about. It's much easier to make sense of things and the "hook" does what it needs to do, draw the players into the story. |
Edited by - Mystery_Man on 22 Jan 2006 15:31:09 |
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KnightErrantJR
Great Reader
USA
5402 Posts |
Posted - 22 Jan 2006 : 16:12:12
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| I guess I'm thinking of it more as a big flare telling them that this plotline that has been going on is going to be important, rather than just as a one more plot going on. I have a ton of subplots going on, so in a way its a means of flagging one that is going to take center stage. I know what you are saying though. |
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Mkhaiwati
Learned Scribe
USA
252 Posts |
Posted - 22 Jan 2006 : 19:01:14
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I also do this.
If you know, really know, that you want the party to do a certain thing or involve a particular plot WAYYY, way in advance, say a year in game time, start placing small hints early. For example, if you are using the Gruumsh adventure that just came out, start by having rumors of people seeing orcs or such traveling north. Perhaps an oral (if alive) or written clue from a dead (or alive) orc would also hint to it (something like, join us in Thar, just not that obvious, something really cryptic.)
Place several clues like that around,and build up a sense of mystery, even the PCs want to solve the mystery.
It gives them a sense of the world is bigger than they are, especially if they don't want that plot or adventure and they don't do it. Then it can remain an unsolved mystery that they will never understand and will really make them seem just a small part of the world.
In my campaign, I have another "rival" adventuring group that if the PCs don't finish something, they could just hear about the other group solving it. It gives them some heated rivals to play with.
Mkhaiwati |
"Behold the work of the old... let your heritage not be lost but bequeath it as a memory, treasure and blessing... Gather the lost and the hidden and preserve it for thy children."
"not nale. not-nale. thog help nail not-nale, not nale. and thog knot not-nale while nale nail not-nale. nale, not not-nale, now nail not-nale by leaving not-nale, not nale, in jail." OotS #367 |
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Snotlord
Senior Scribe
Norway
476 Posts |
Posted - 22 Jan 2006 : 19:49:18
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I am a huge fan of Clairmont's classic X-men, and I believe I see similar storytelling techniques in other favorites like Buffy and Sopranos. Clairmont created some of the first stories I really cared about, and my games echo his work even today.
In my current non-realms game I let the players choose the pacing whenever possible. The campaign is very open ended, where I have created a couple of political conflicts that will unfold even if the characters don't get involved in them. I have planned a couple of dungeons (little more that cool-sounding names really at the present) the characters can choose to explore. I have a bunch of heroes and villains that want to use the characters as pawns. I have a fresh new setting with lots of mysteries and secrets for the players to chew on.
As the campaing progresses I presents news and rumors involving political figures and mysterious locations as the conflict in the setting evolve, and the players can choose to participate in the manner they wish. They always participate in one way or another, everybody wants to have a good game after all, but they usually surprise me when choosing their approach (timing, allies and so on).
I generally shy away for prophecies, dreams and destinies, and let the characters create their own path. |
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Mystery_Man
Senior Scribe
USA
455 Posts |
Posted - 22 Jan 2006 : 20:35:39
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| I tend to do some foreshadowing as well, another thing I like to do is keep them in the dark as to what is really going on until the right moment when everything they have encountered and various events that at the time seemed random all come together and make perfect sense. Like right now, they've just discovered that Kanyr Vhok (whom they thought they killed) is back and pulling all the strings that are making their lives so hard right now. |
Edited by - Mystery_Man on 22 Jan 2006 20:36:12 |
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Campaign Method: How do you pace things?
