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Kroosada
Acolyte
3 Posts |
 Posted - 22 Sep 2006 : 02:16:38
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In my recent campaign that I was making/running, the 'plot' was that the Clerics of Talos were going around assimilating and/or killing clerics of Auril and Umberlee.
The collective PCs thought about the Realms without Auril and/or Umberlee. And they said "Good." and so they sat around in the 'local inn' eating and drinking. Campaign over.
It probably didn't help that the designated 'leader' of the party was a high WIS+CHR Fighter/Cleric of Talos  He decieded it was a great idea and wanted to start butchering/converting Aurilites. The other members of the party wanted to stay out of it. Messing with Auril/Umberlee would get them killed.
Another time, I had the PCs in a dungeon, and to progress through to the next room, they had to find a secret door. The party's rogue didn't have enough Ranks in search, and therefore couldn't find the door. Eventually, if I hadn't given up and said
"Alright, you find it. Hurry up and get moving."
It would've been campaign over.
Aside from PC deaths, has your campaign ever 'run out'?
- Kroosada
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KnightErrantJR
Great Reader
USA
5402 Posts |
Posted - 22 Sep 2006 : 02:28:13
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The biggest wall any of my campaigns hit was when my ex-wife joined my campaign. The guys were okay with her the first campaign we played through, but she started to push the boundaries a little more, and played the "the DM is my husband" card so that they would jump in and defend her when she did something stupid, and then she volunteered to be the party cleric, so that everyone had to ask her for healing.
This is where it hit the wall, as no one would ask her for healing. They would get hacked to bits and even let themselves get killed before they would ask her for anything. |
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Beirnadri Magranth
Senior Scribe
USA
720 Posts |
Posted - 22 Sep 2006 : 03:41:42
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this isn;t very realmsian but i had a campaign set in the midnight setting. basically in that world evil has won... and so its ahrd to even get basic items liek swords etc.
anyway part of our party was captured while brawling with orcs that had swords etc. and so it was me and another guy in this dungeon. he refused to try and break free with me... waiting for the rest of our partry to set us free or waiting for the dm to intercede.... the rest of party was too afraid to try and bust down the jailhouse and the DM just laughed when we were executed just how the prison guards had told us we were gunna be.
another campaign in forgotten realms ended, when in the jungles of chult we were entering some ruins and (being c. 5th lvl) we ran into a "demilich" after our DM basically made a fool oudda himself the game basically ended. we fought a magic casting skeleton basically not a real demilich. |
"You came here to be a martyr in a great big bang of glory... instead you will die with a whimper."
::moussaoui tries to interrupt::
"You will never get a chance to speak again and that's an appropriate ending."
-Judge Brinkema |
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Kentinal
Great Reader
4694 Posts |
Posted - 22 Sep 2006 : 04:35:04
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The campain does not have to end, there are other concerns. The main plot hook just needs to take a secondary posistion that starts to effect the PCs. Perhaps a lack of a wine supply might be the first hint. The longer the main problem is not dealt with the worst conditions become.
The fact you could not sell the plot is your problem, you should find a plot that appeals to the players. Actually you should have a few plots. Running a linier game works some of the time, but most often the DM has to be open to PCs seeking goals other then what the DM considered the main goal.
I have had campaigns fall apart, but only because of lost players, not because the players would not go where I thought they should go and have fun with.
Bad script , means low attendance, rewrite the scrpt. If you really want the PCs to save clerics of Auril and Umberlee they must have a reason to save them. Perhaps after that random dragon nearly killed them, cleris of either or both come to their aid. |
"Small beings can have small wisdom," the dragon said. "And small wise beings are better than small fools. Listen: Wisdom is caring for afterwards."
"Caring for afterwards ...? Ker repeated this without understanding.
"After action, afterwards," the dragon said. "Choose the afterwards first, then the action. Fools choose action first."
"Judgement" copyright 2003 by Elizabeth Moon |
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Kroosada
Acolyte
3 Posts |
Posted - 22 Sep 2006 : 08:13:15
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Well that's just it. The party's leader (Cleric of Talos) was sent north to stop a 'splinter' faction of the Talonite Church from butchering towns and villages with a temple dedicated to Auril. Since the Cleric decieded that it wasn't a good idea that Talos should get such a bad name, he decieded to go along.
The other party members (being good-alinged as they were) went along to save the villages. It was later revealed that the Talonites weren't actually attacking the villages, just the temples to Auril. Then, after they managed to capture one of the 'splinter-clerics' the party found out that the Talonite splinter group (The Hands of the Storm), were also getting ready to make moves on many of the ships already at sea, and some of the port cities with shrines dedicated to Umberlee.
So, by killing all of the clerics dedicated to Auril/Umberlee, Talos was setting himself up to really be the Stormlord. So, the party sat around and said;
"So, there'd be no more Ice Goddess and Bitch Queen? Okay. Go for it."
So, as said; the real plot wasn't mentioned until later. And the party decieded that 'the bad guys' in the campaign were actually doing a good thing. |
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Halidan
Senior Scribe
USA
470 Posts |
Posted - 22 Sep 2006 : 14:10:43
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The problem is not that the campaign has ended, it's just that the players have taken control of their characters and are roleplaying them properly as they concieved them. The players just don't want to follow along with the script that you (as the DM) wanted to play. In my opinion that's a good and healthy thing for both the players and the campaign.
What you are faced with is a decision about what to do next. Do you roll with the punches and provide them with different adventure possibilities that their characters may or may not take up? Or do you close the campaign simply because they palyers aren't following the original path you've outlined?
It's not an easy choice - it takes a lot of time and effort to develope a campaign arc and the adventures that go into one. In my games, the issue of who controls the campaign is not a cut and dried decision. Sometimes the DM controls the plot and sometimes the players do.
Personally, I'd let the players continue with the characters they've developed. In fact, I'd either talk with or e-mail the players to find out what they want to do next and see where those ideas lead your own thinking. Perhaps they'll spark a couple of ideas in your mind. |
"Over the Mountains
Of the Moon
Down the Valley of the Shadow,
Ride, boldly ride,"
The shade replied,
"If you seek for Eldorado!"
Edgar Allen Poe - 1849 |
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Calrond
Learned Scribe
USA
118 Posts |
Posted - 22 Sep 2006 : 19:27:04
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quote:
Another time, I had the PCs in a dungeon, and to progress through to the next room, they had to find a secret door. The party's rogue didn't have enough Ranks in search, and therefore couldn't find the door. Eventually, if I hadn't given up and said
"Alright, you find it. Hurry up and get moving."
It would've been campaign over.
Listen to Ed's interview by Sons of Kryos. He said that problems like that is the only reason he includes Elminster in a normal campaign, just to pop in and offer a little advice when the PCs are completely stuck. That way there's an IG reason for the characters to find the door and everybody is able to be the characters they made. |
Edited by - Calrond on 25 Sep 2006 18:36:21 |
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Asgetrion
Master of Realmslore
Finland
1564 Posts |
Posted - 22 Sep 2006 : 19:31:59
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quote:
Originally posted by Kroosada
In my recent campaign that I was making/running, the 'plot' was that the Clerics of Talos were going around assimilating and/or killing clerics of Auril and Umberlee.
The collective PCs thought about the Realms without Auril and/or Umberlee. And they said "Good." and so they sat around in the 'local inn' eating and drinking. Campaign over.
It probably didn't help that the designated 'leader' of the party was a high WIS+CHR Fighter/Cleric of Talos He decieded it was a great idea and wanted to start butchering/converting Aurilites. The other members of the party wanted to stay out of it. Messing with Auril/Umberlee would get them killed.
Another time, I had the PCs in a dungeon, and to progress through to the next room, they had to find a secret door. The party's rogue didn't have enough Ranks in search, and therefore couldn't find the door. Eventually, if I hadn't given up and said
"Alright, you find it. Hurry up and get moving."
It would've been campaign over.
Aside from PC deaths, has your campaign ever 'run out'?
- Kroosada
I thought Talos was served by Umberlee and Auril, and their clergies would be allies or servants to the followers of Talos? Was there any particular reason why Talos (and his worshippers) would want them assimilated or killed in your campaign? |
"What am I doing today? Ask me tomorrow - I can be sure of giving you the right answer then."
-- Askarran of Selgaunt, Master Sage, speaking to a curious merchant, Year of the Helm |
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Jorkens
Great Reader
Norway
2950 Posts |
Posted - 22 Sep 2006 : 20:45:34
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| Well, Talos has tried to subvert power from the other two deities to himself for a long time, and with the gods penchant for chaos he could be tired of waiting. Even so I would think fighting both the goddesses would be a little to much even for Talos. I imagine this would also lead to widespread destruction throughout the Sword coast and the North as the deities tried to bolster their power. |
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Raelan
Acolyte
USA
49 Posts |
Posted - 22 Sep 2006 : 20:50:24
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| My campaigns generally hit a wall when the players all make chaotic selfish PCs. In such instances, the never do anything out of the goodness of their heart and refuse to act at all without the certainty of a fat reward; needless to say, this runs directly counter to my gaming style. |
"I am convinced that one of these days I will be able to run a regular game that doesn't fall apart due to scheduling conflicts. I am also convinced that, on this day, hell will freeze over." |
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Chataro
Learned Scribe
Singapore
114 Posts |
Posted - 25 Sep 2006 : 03:04:15
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| Well, I once had a game that ended because the player insisted that he wanted to live in reclusion after he reaches the 10000gp point. Basically all his PC reaches lvl 7 at the most before he rolls up a new character. He said that his ultimate goal is to have a village of adventurers of each class. |
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Ergdusch
Master of Realmslore
Germany
1720 Posts |
Posted - 25 Sep 2006 : 10:10:20
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Other than PC death - no never!!!
Maybe that is cause the DM was too soft on the players or the other way around  !!! |
"Das Gras weht im Wind, wenn der Wind weht." |
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Iliphar1
Learned Scribe
Austria
133 Posts |
Posted - 27 Sep 2006 : 23:17:13
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We had that problem once in a Ravenloft campaign (I was player not DM), when half the party played LG, and the other half the party consisted of undead creatures.
The DM thought, it would be a good idea to bring some strive into the play. He eventually was too successful...
The campaign ended up in war, both "parties" tried to kill the others. After some such sessions of crusades and sensless killing, we stopped the campaign, as it made so sense or fun anymore...
since then I make sure, that in my campaigns all PC have similar alignements!
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'You see dead bones? ... I see an army!' Ezechiel 37 |
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Ergdusch
Master of Realmslore
Germany
1720 Posts |
Posted - 28 Sep 2006 : 09:04:07
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quote:
Originally posted by Iliphar1
since then I make sure, that in my campaigns all PC have similar alignements!
Wise choice! However, in my games (the ones I dm I mean) I keep the alignment sercret, for only the DM to know. Than the players are forced to show their alignment by actions. And what fun it is once the LG cleric casts detect ervil and suddenly notices evil creature lurking very, VERY close by. Just think of the moments following, in awkward silence! |
"Das Gras weht im Wind, wenn der Wind weht." |
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Did you campaign ever hit a wall?
