Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Khaelieth 01-08-08, 06:08 PM	I'm wondering how everyone does it. I start off with asking my players what they want as a theme, examples being knights (rescuing damsels in distress, charging a dragon and that sort of stuff), specific organisations or events (Tchazzar crashing in Cimbar, Syphillisian Empire, Knights of the Shield etc), horror or areas (Tethyr, High Forest etc). Then I ask them what they want to play, asking them specifically to not go for a "what does the group need" approach (honestly, DPS, tank, spellcaster and healer grows WEARISOME) and write up a brief background. Then I ask them what they want to achieve, IC and OOC. Then I get to work. I sketch out the plot, make encounter tables, try to incorporate their wishes and make some NPC's and towns. Then kick them off with escorting the ranger who's mapping the goblin-infested hills, looking for traces of gold or such before having them start with the plot. Anyone else got tips for DMing in the Realms?
Lord Karsus 01-09-08, 12:31 AM	-One of the times I ran a campaign in the Realms, I had it pretty easy. I was ready to introduce the stereotypical 'tavern meeting', when one player mentioned that he was getting hopelessly drunk. The other player (there were only two) mentioned that he wanted to do the same thing. Had to do with their backstories, I believe (it's been quite a few years now). I began the adventure saying that they both awoke on the back of a cart. While drunk, they had been shang-haied by a local villager, and had agreed to help him rid the nearby mines of Kobolds. Heh. -What I did at the beginning of my current (Non-FR) campaign was have the players fill out a brief biography sheet- it included things like likes, dislikes, hometown, future goals, personality quirks, history, things like that. I based my beginning campaign from all of that, and I still reference it. For example, one of my characters is a orphan. I recently included an arc where she met the ghost of her father, who had been murdered, and cannot rest in peace until the murderer is found. -What you've included sounds like a pretty good way to start a campaign. :)
Ody_Saraph_of_Karsus 01-09-08, 12:47 AM	Every time I DM is in the Realms, They usually come tome with a bacground story in hand and they already have their classes/PrC already planned (they are "well oiled" they complement eacother really well) and they know nothing of the realms besides the places they have been in other campains. So the only thing for me to do is look for a place where all their background stories can make sense (or sometimes two places and they met along the way...) I consider myself lucky with my group..:)
Khaelieth 01-09-08, 07:18 AM	Hehehe... At least they weren't shaghai'd by kobolds! Far worse things have happened to me when I've been drunk!
Rinonalyrna Fathomlin 01-09-08, 12:37 PM	One thing: it's Sythillisian, not Syphillisian. :rofl:
msatran 01-09-08, 01:02 PM	Actually, it's worse. It's Sothilissan now, because of VD jokes. Check Power of Faerun if you don't believe me. I'm running a game where the PC's fight the Sothilissan Empire now, only it's run into a terrible snag, and it's going to start sucking wind in two adventures because of the plot I designed versus events in history, so this is no longer my problem.
Rinonalyrna Fathomlin 01-09-08, 01:12 PM	Actually, it's worse. It's Sothilissan now, because of VD jokes. Check Power of Faerun if you don't believe me. I knew that, I just ignore the new name.;)
MarkusTay63 01-09-08, 02:01 PM	Couldn't they just be Syphillis-encrusted Sothilissan? :P
18DELTA 01-09-08, 02:26 PM	Couldn't they just be Syphillis-encrusted Sothilissan? :P -:eek: :noway: :yuck: :blush: :uh-huh: :nonono: :bigeyes: :twitch: :blink: :gah: :doh: :looloo: LORD DELTA :fight!:
Bonzai 01-09-08, 04:06 PM	For me, I generally start with an antagonist. I develope his plots, scemes, motivations, background, etc... Then I pick a setting. Once I pick a setting, I research it, and figure out how the antagonists actions would affect the setting, how the locals would react, and figure out the characters place in the campaign. At this point I tell the players the area it will be taking place in, and ask them to come up with their own reasons for being there. Once the players have given me their backstories, I fine tune the campaign to suit thier needs. Take the last campaign for example. I started out with an idea for the antagonists; an order of Cyracists called the ebon dawn. They were a new cult, and thier goal was to expand their powerbase and strike hard at the followers of Cyric's enemies, (namely Kelvemor and Mystra). Next I picked a setting, and settled on Northern Impiltur. From there I fine tuned the story. The ebon Dawn was actually based in Southern Narfell, and was using a secret mountain pass to invade impilter, using hordes of lost and some of the hobgoblin tribes of the giantspire Mt's. For impilter's part, thier forces were already stretched thin. Between the year of rogue dragons, the rain of fire, and Zhent incursions, thier forces were taxed. This allows the ebon dawn to make inroads they otherwise wouldn't have had. I made up a town in Northern Impiltur called Desmond's dale, and had it located on the major trade road to Dammara. So I asked the players to come up with thier own reasons for being there. From there I set up the first encounter to draw the players into the plot, and it took off from there.
Khaelieth 01-09-08, 06:51 PM	One thing: it's Sythillisian, not Syphillisian. :rofl: I know, but as you know, they can't make their mind up about the spelling=P