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Daniel of the North
Acolyte
Norway
30 Posts |
 Posted - 28 Aug 2007 : 17:28:37
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Greetings fellow adventurers!
This is yet another thread about a newbie needing help for his campaign. (You never seem to get tired of these threads, to my surprise)
I am as good as new to the realm and my experience is rather limited. Been playing BG I&II to death and read a couple of novels. I must say that the Forgotten Realms universe has put quite a charm on me.
Living on the west-coast of Norway in a smaller town, the gaming community is pretty small. My goal is to change this. The only problem is that I would have to arrange a campaign to get some action around here. I am more than willing to do so, but I need you`re help.
First of all: I have only played some simple Norwegian role-playing games. (They are rather simple) So I know there is a lot of reading to do. I`ve purchased Players Handbook and will lend the Dungeon Masters Guide book from a friend.
For my first campaign I am making things simple. I have done some searching around the forum and read that a caravan escorting campaign would be a good place to start. I think this would be a nice way to include some combat elements (against thugs etc.) and basic roleplaying elements.
Here is where I need you guys:
I want this first game to capture the best Faerûn has to offer, inspiring the players to taking it to the next level and looking forward to the next session. I know these players will focus mainly on the roleplaying part, but I`m a totally fresh DM and need some serious help on this issue. It seems “easy” planning good combat sequences, but designing an inspiring story and interesting plot is much worse!
I want the game to be located in the north, more specifically around the spine of the world, Luskan and Mirabar. Our two players, young of age live alongside river Mirhar with there father, a fisherman. These two boys love tales of adventure and danger. One day a captain and caravan from the ten towns come riding along. The captains notice the two boys practicing swordfight along the road. The captain knows this is going to be a challenging journey; he needs every guy he can get, since he lost two guys to a band of thugs outside Luskan. The two farmboys is his best alternative. Ofcourse they boys are thrilled with the suggestion and not hard to ask. They will accompany a captain from the ten towns and earn a thousand gold pieces each. The father has a hard time letting them go, but he realizes his boys can take care of themselves.
This is where it stops. This is going to be a rather straight-forward campaign, but I still need some plot elements and I`m having a hard time doing this.
Two smaller ideas I have been wondering about:
The caravan`s luggage is not what it appears to be.
Did the two guards really die from the blade of thugs?
I need some plot-helping here
If you help me develop this campaign into something truly spellbinding, you may have recruited another band of roleplayers in the realm of Faeurn. Thanks in advance.
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THE ART OF ESCAPING REALITY |
Edited by - Daniel of the North on 30 Aug 2007 13:55:09
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Kentinal
Great Reader
4687 Posts |
Posted - 28 Aug 2007 : 18:36:45
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Are you talking only two players, both fighters?
A perfect game clearly is hard to design, but the game should design around the characters best skills. Sword weilders can be many classes however Fighter type should most impress a captain of a caravan's Captain, it there again depends on how desperate the Captain is.
In RW and likely in the plot the new recuits would tend to draw guard duty for the worst hours of the night. This of course also can be the best time for raiders to try to infiltrate the camp (hoping the guards fell to sleep) and also a good time to explore for secerets based on rumors. I do not see the two new guards being the only ones on duty, there would be an officer or at least more long term guard keeping an eye on the camp and the new recuits. This NPC must have some supision of cargo or death of the other two and allow the PCs to do some exploring, perhaps even when protecting the camp.
At least a start of ideas. |
"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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Daniel of the North
Acolyte
Norway
30 Posts |
Posted - 28 Aug 2007 : 21:06:46
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quote:
Originally posted by Kentinal
Are you talking only two players, both fighters?
A perfect game clearly is hard to design, but the game should design around the characters best skills. Sword weilders can be many classes however Fighter type should most impress a captain of a caravan's Captain, it there again depends on how desperate the Captain is.
In RW and likely in the plot the new recuits would tend to draw guard duty for the worst hours of the night. This of course also can be the best time for raiders to try to infiltrate the camp (hoping the guards fell to sleep) and also a good time to explore for secerets based on rumors. I do not see the two new guards being the only ones on duty, there would be an officer or at least more long term guard keeping an eye on the camp and the new recuits. This NPC must have some supision of cargo or death of the other two and allow the PCs to do some exploring, perhaps even when protecting the camp.
At least a start of ideas.
The two players will be fighters, at least in the beginning of the game. I will be open for both multiclassing and change of class as the game progress.
The captain is probably desperate because he lost his two men outside of Luskan, the caravan will be expected in Mirabar in a certain amount of time. That way the captain had no time to recruit new guards from Luskan, if he went back he wouldn’t reach Mirabar in time.
Giving my two players all the dirty work is a great idea and a realistic one. I could use one NPC and the PCs on a nightwatch and make the NPC spreading some rumors to them, about the cargo and the death of the two guards.
Kentinal, you’re thoughts are much appreciated. Now I`m thinking that the two guards lost there life`s because they found out to much about the cargo. Perhaps this is all a coverup? The so called noble captain is not transporting fish to Mirabar, but some dangerous item/weapon/message.
Please continue you`re input guys, I need some more thoughts around the cargo and the captains motive.
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Kentinal
Great Reader
4687 Posts |
Posted - 28 Aug 2007 : 21:59:35
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| Better to have Captain transporting perhaps 2,000 pounds of fish, this however does not prevent an additional 200 pounds of other goods that should not be part of the transport. Stolen treasure, Zent messages, etc., it would not to be that large as 200, but perhaps large enough the two dead might have found signs of it, perhaps even saw it (whatever you decide it is) before dying. |
"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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KnightErrantJR
Great Reader
USA
5402 Posts |
Posted - 28 Aug 2007 : 22:44:40
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Because you are really interested in the roleplaying aspects of the Realms (which is great), if you check out this link (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/dnd/downloads), you can find some older edition products that can really help with the "flavor" of the North.
Of particular interest should be Volo's Guide to the North: http://www.wizards.com/dnd/files/2/fr_downloads/tsr9393.zip
and the North boxed set:
http://www.wizards.com/forgottenrealms/thenorth.asp
What I would recommend as far as the actual game goes is to play up the legends and what people in the North are likely to "gossip" about. Have the PCs run into some goblins to fend off, describe them as nasty, evil things, but not so intimidating that they marvel at their ability to dispatch them.
Have other caravan guards talk about some of the other dangers of the North, like the Frost Giants from the Spine of the World, or the hordes of Orcs that can seemingly roll down upon caravans and cities from nowhere . . . old legends about the fell creatures that once roamed Hellgate Keep, and the savage tribes of unpredictable Uthgardt barbarians. That way, the player's feel like there is more going on than what is directly presented to them.
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Daniel of the North
Acolyte
Norway
30 Posts |
Posted - 29 Aug 2007 : 07:20:41
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quote:
Originally posted by Kentinal
Better to have Captain transporting perhaps 2,000 pounds of fish, this however does not prevent an additional 200 pounds of other goods that should not be part of the transport. Stolen treasure, Zent messages, etc., it would not to be that large as 200, but perhaps large enough the two dead might have found signs of it, perhaps even saw it (whatever you decide it is) before dying.
Indeed, you got a point there. Anyone got some idea on how I could tie the stolen goods/or other things (I haven`t decided) to Mirabar?
Thanks for you`re input KnightErrantJR and the links! I have been scrolling through Volos Guide to the north and I will check out the other links. |
THE ART OF ESCAPING REALITY |
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Marquant Volker
Learned Scribe
Greece
273 Posts |
Posted - 29 Aug 2007 : 20:26:07
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hmmm an idea just came to me: Well, it looks like THAT caravan captain has a habit of recruiting farmboys for guards? perhaps hes planning to have poeple looking like guards, but those guards lack the experience to be any good in a fight.
It looks like he has other plans for the caravan, maybe he has arranged an attack to steal the goods from it? or perhaps he want to kidnap (speliing?) the beatyfull daughter of the caravan master in order to extort him for something (perhaps our captain is a Zentarim agent)
Its quite typical, bandits steal the caravan at first, who are equiped and organized by Zents, those things happen in the Realms (well not every day :-) )
In order to make your players have a 'feel' of the Realms, bombard them them with additional (no-plot) information in game, like the Inn's Bard singing a ballad about the Fall of Netheril, or see a old painting of the long lost Myth Drannor, or a Tethyrian mercenary who survived the "Black Days Of Eleint", a Noble Lady who is missing the luxury shops in Waterdeep. Small stuff like that will feed your players with small information and it will tease them to discover it further. They more they learn about Faerun the more they will love Faerun (works for me :-) )
If you need any further info just ask :-)
PS:You made a really good choice for a setting, but you know that already. |
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Daniel of the North
Acolyte
Norway
30 Posts |
Posted - 29 Aug 2007 : 23:33:55
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quote:
Originally posted by Marquant Volker
hmmm an idea just came to me: Well, it looks like THAT caravan captain has a habit of recruiting farmboys for guards? perhaps hes planning to have poeple looking like guards, but those guards lack the experience to be any good in a fight.
It looks like he has other plans for the caravan, maybe he has arranged an attack to steal the goods from it? or perhaps he want to kidnap (speliing?) the beatyfull daughter of the caravan master in order to extort him for something (perhaps our captain is a Zentarim agent)
Its quite typical, bandits steal the caravan at first, who are equiped and organized by Zents, those things happen in the Realms (well not every day :-) )
In order to make your players have a 'feel' of the Realms, bombard them them with additional (no-plot) information in game, like the Inn's Bard singing a ballad about the Fall of Netheril, or see a old painting of the long lost Myth Drannor, or a Tethyrian mercenary who survived the "Black Days Of Eleint", a Noble Lady who is missing the luxury shops in Waterdeep. Small stuff like that will feed your players with small information and it will tease them to discover it further. They more they learn about Faerun the more they will love Faerun (works for me :-) )
If you need any further info just ask :-)
PS:You made a really good choice for a setting, but you know that already.
Aye! The whole farmrecruiting captain idea is splendid! Early in the campain I will involve some dialoge concerning the fact that all the guards are farmboys, I could create some alliance amongst them.
Could you give me some more info on the Zents?
Also I need to find out what the cargo is 
Thanks alot all of you this far! Keep pushing out ideas  |
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maglaurus
Acolyte
Canada
10 Posts |
Posted - 01 Sep 2007 : 20:34:16
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A Couple of Thoughts:
Consider the fact that these fighters, if they're living in "the North" they're more than typical farmboys. They're pioneers, living off the land alongside their father--hunting and fishing as much as they are growing crops. These boys will likely have experience setting traps, following game trails, and surviving off the fruits of the land (i.e. knowing to eat the black berries, but not the purple ones).
That said, perhaps these aren't the simple pioneer children everyone (including they themselves) thing they are. Perhaps they have a legacy, something that might even tie them to the Zentarim. Dear old dad or mom might have had an adventuring career and left behind a physical legacy; a couple of weapons or some armor, or maybe a map to a secret cache of goods acquired over a lifetime of dungeon raids. And yet, perhaps dear old dad isn't their true father, but a caregiver who offered to provide for the children of an adventurer being hunted by the Zentarim.
Finally, perhaps the caravan itself can serve as a tour of the Realms for the sake adding role-playing substance. Apart from the supplies going to Mirabar (which are probably tools, food, and some simple luxuries for the mine workers), there might be a couple of passenger coaches along with the carts and wagons. The passengers are likely rich enough to afford the protection of the caravan and have their own camp apart from the guards and drivers--but not too far of course. Caravans also attract a variety of followers who keep close for mutual protection. Herders, peddlers, and religious pilgrims might be among the hangers-on. |
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