campaign reset? [Archive] - Wizards Community

campaign reset? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
invisble1
12-29-05, 02:19 AM my game has started getting a wee bit random due to the players actions and my dice's reactions. question is - i need a way to take the existing players and drop them into a new campaign ((ideas for the campaign would be helpful as well)) with out it seeming like a cheasy write-off. i like the characters and want them to continue but the original campaign obviously wasn't panning out. ideas at all?

=-=
DM!
Pandaemoni
12-29-05, 02:43 AM A little more inofrmation regarding (i) where your players actually are (or whatever state they are in that is causing your consternation) and (ii) where or in what state you want them to be would help me formulate advice. Unless your players are expressly trying to thwart you, there have to hundreds of ways to convince them to go from "point A" to "point B", so I assume that your issue must be something generally irreversible.
James Wildspell
12-29-05, 02:44 AM Have you ever heard of Roger Zelazny or the Amber series of books? If so, go with the aftermath of the Patternfall War and spin your PCs into whatever world you like. Getting back to where they came from should be a good start for a renewed campaign. :cool:
Pandaemoni
12-29-05, 02:47 AM Have you ever heard of Roger Zelazny or the Amber series of books? If so, go with the aftermath of the Patternfall War and spin your PCs into whatever world you like. Getting back to where they came from should be a good start for a renewed campaign. :cool:

Less drastically that using Amber (and its associated metaphysical baggage of multiple "parallel" universes, not to mention the problem of getting your players into another universe), you could always use simple time travel to "reset" many conditions back to what they were at the start.
James Wildspell
12-29-05, 02:57 AM Less drastically that using Amber (and its associated metaphysical baggage of multiple "parallel" universes, not to mention the problem of getting your players into another universe), you could always use simple time travel to "reset" many conditions back to what they were at the start.

What you call "baggage", I call "flavor", so we don't have a problem on that score. {The Patternfall can easily account for either a time reset or a broader reset, so it still could apply as a mechanic either way}
AngelDust Anderson
12-29-05, 04:06 AM You PC's are walking down the road and all of a sudden a strange mist rises around them, when it clears they are somewhere they do not recognise. Ravenloft anyone?

-Anderson
Joe Khol
12-29-05, 05:28 AM I had a similar problem with a long-running campaign getting too samey so I sent the party on an exploration of a new land - very roughly based on the early European exploration of America.

I let me introduce a whole new set of creatures and races (and use some which didn't fit in their homeland - dinosaurs mostly) and forced the players adjust their tactics to surviving without the safety net of the nearest town, tavern or guild-house. Generally a breath of frsh air for us all.

Having them try to communicate with the natives with no common language was fun too.
invisble1
12-29-05, 12:33 PM all excellent ideas; and i thank you.

basically; the main issue is; i thought it would be clever to have the LBEG feign as thier friend and warn them of an oncomming attack that was to be directed to the point of killing the PCs, because of who they are and what they can become... ((divine insight))... so i had this LBEG warn them and tell them of a cave of prophets where more info could be learned. LBEG also gave some magical items to the party. turns out all the items did what they said they would but ultimatly were cursed for example. the wand of cure light wounds did 1d3 non leathel dmg to the one who used it while i cured the reciever. anyway one item in perticular; was a luck blade +1; however the curse on this item is a) the wish charges don't disappear b) the wielder becomes overly possesive about the blade c) upon a wish being cast ((which i scruitinize over)) the sword randomly teleports them to a new place.

this sword has been my bane. though my worlds are set up to go anywhere at any time ((with a little adjusting of course)) these guys are wishing like its going outta style. my dwarfen warrior is now at 6ft tall female gnomeish mage. so its getting pretty random. i think ultimatly i need to get rid of the sword; but how do i do it with out killing the PC or making it seem uber lame.
jagraham
12-29-05, 12:48 PM Time to chuck that sword into Mt. Doom. Make something up like the wishes were unlimited because they were only illusionary or not actually permanent. At this point, any way out, no matter how cheap, is better than continuing. After the party is free of distractions, they can focus on getting even with the LBEG, which I think is the point of the set-up.
friedmad
12-29-05, 01:17 PM It was all a dream and one day you wake up to find your husband in the shower under the pretense of doing a soap commercial...
celtredleg
12-29-05, 01:18 PM Definately get rid of the blade. The wishes it has cast may be a bit harder, but you could have a condition that when they lose the blade, everything they wished for becomes untrue.

They BBEG had to have some limit on that thing, or it will get him also.
DMK69
12-29-05, 05:35 PM Time to chuck that sword into Mt. Doom.

Speaking of which.....the ring in LOTR seemed to have a quality about it that made the wielder a tad bit possessive like this Luck Sword that seems to be troubling you. Seems to me, that there was someone who initially had the ring named Gollum that would do anything to retrieve it. I'd sure wouldn't want to be the owner of said 'Luck Sword' when the original owner finally found the current owner. :)
deafbymetal
12-29-05, 05:49 PM Speaking of which.....the ring in LOTR seemed to have a quality about it that made the wielder a tad bit possessive like this Luck Sword that seems to be troubling you. Seems to me, that there was someone who initially had the ring named Gollum that would do anything to retrieve it. I'd sure wouldn't want to be the owner of said 'Luck Sword' when the original owner finally found the current owner. :)
To add to this, perhaps the previous owner steals the sword, and while the party pusues him the follow him through a portal to another world- one way of course :devil:
The possibilities at that point are endless- the could end up in FR, Eberron, etc.
invisble1
12-30-05, 01:57 PM OMG i didnt even thing of the whole gollum-esqu play - thanks guys! i think it will work out awesome!

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
invisble1 12-29-05, 02:19 AM	my game has started getting a wee bit random due to the players actions and my dice's reactions. question is - i need a way to take the existing players and drop them into a new campaign ((ideas for the campaign would be helpful as well)) with out it seeming like a cheasy write-off. i like the characters and want them to continue but the original campaign obviously wasn't panning out. ideas at all? =-= DM!
Pandaemoni 12-29-05, 02:43 AM	A little more inofrmation regarding (i) where your players actually are (or whatever state they are in that is causing your consternation) and (ii) where or in what state you want them to be would help me formulate advice. Unless your players are expressly trying to thwart you, there have to hundreds of ways to convince them to go from "point A" to "point B", so I assume that your issue must be something generally irreversible.
James Wildspell 12-29-05, 02:44 AM	Have you ever heard of Roger Zelazny or the Amber series of books? If so, go with the aftermath of the Patternfall War and spin your PCs into whatever world you like. Getting back to where they came from should be a good start for a renewed campaign. :cool:
Pandaemoni 12-29-05, 02:47 AM	Have you ever heard of Roger Zelazny or the Amber series of books? If so, go with the aftermath of the Patternfall War and spin your PCs into whatever world you like. Getting back to where they came from should be a good start for a renewed campaign. :cool: Less drastically that using Amber (and its associated metaphysical baggage of multiple "parallel" universes, not to mention the problem of getting your players into another universe), you could always use simple time travel to "reset" many conditions back to what they were at the start.
James Wildspell 12-29-05, 02:57 AM	Less drastically that using Amber (and its associated metaphysical baggage of multiple "parallel" universes, not to mention the problem of getting your players into another universe), you could always use simple time travel to "reset" many conditions back to what they were at the start. What you call "baggage", I call "flavor", so we don't have a problem on that score. {The Patternfall can easily account for either a time reset or a broader reset, so it still could apply as a mechanic either way}
AngelDust Anderson 12-29-05, 04:06 AM	You PC's are walking down the road and all of a sudden a strange mist rises around them, when it clears they are somewhere they do not recognise. Ravenloft anyone? -Anderson
Joe Khol 12-29-05, 05:28 AM	I had a similar problem with a long-running campaign getting too samey so I sent the party on an exploration of a new land - very roughly based on the early European exploration of America. I let me introduce a whole new set of creatures and races (and use some which didn't fit in their homeland - dinosaurs mostly) and forced the players adjust their tactics to surviving without the safety net of the nearest town, tavern or guild-house. Generally a breath of frsh air for us all. Having them try to communicate with the natives with no common language was fun too.
invisble1 12-29-05, 12:33 PM	all excellent ideas; and i thank you. basically; the main issue is; i thought it would be clever to have the LBEG feign as thier friend and warn them of an oncomming attack that was to be directed to the point of killing the PCs, because of who they are and what they can become... ((divine insight))... so i had this LBEG warn them and tell them of a cave of prophets where more info could be learned. LBEG also gave some magical items to the party. turns out all the items did what they said they would but ultimatly were cursed for example. the wand of cure light wounds did 1d3 non leathel dmg to the one who used it while i cured the reciever. anyway one item in perticular; was a luck blade +1; however the curse on this item is a) the wish charges don't disappear b) the wielder becomes overly possesive about the blade c) upon a wish being cast ((which i scruitinize over)) the sword randomly teleports them to a new place. this sword has been my bane. though my worlds are set up to go anywhere at any time ((with a little adjusting of course)) these guys are wishing like its going outta style. my dwarfen warrior is now at 6ft tall female gnomeish mage. so its getting pretty random. i think ultimatly i need to get rid of the sword; but how do i do it with out killing the PC or making it seem uber lame.
jagraham 12-29-05, 12:48 PM	Time to chuck that sword into Mt. Doom. Make something up like the wishes were unlimited because they were only illusionary or not actually permanent. At this point, any way out, no matter how cheap, is better than continuing. After the party is free of distractions, they can focus on getting even with the LBEG, which I think is the point of the set-up.
friedmad 12-29-05, 01:17 PM	It was all a dream and one day you wake up to find your husband in the shower under the pretense of doing a soap commercial...
celtredleg 12-29-05, 01:18 PM	Definately get rid of the blade. The wishes it has cast may be a bit harder, but you could have a condition that when they lose the blade, everything they wished for becomes untrue. They BBEG had to have some limit on that thing, or it will get him also.
DMK69 12-29-05, 05:35 PM	Time to chuck that sword into Mt. Doom. Speaking of which.....the ring in LOTR seemed to have a quality about it that made the wielder a tad bit possessive like this Luck Sword that seems to be troubling you. Seems to me, that there was someone who initially had the ring named Gollum that would do anything to retrieve it. I'd sure wouldn't want to be the owner of said 'Luck Sword' when the original owner finally found the current owner. :)
deafbymetal 12-29-05, 05:49 PM	Speaking of which.....the ring in LOTR seemed to have a quality about it that made the wielder a tad bit possessive like this Luck Sword that seems to be troubling you. Seems to me, that there was someone who initially had the ring named Gollum that would do anything to retrieve it. I'd sure wouldn't want to be the owner of said 'Luck Sword' when the original owner finally found the current owner. :) To add to this, perhaps the previous owner steals the sword, and while the party pusues him the follow him through a portal to another world- one way of course :devil: The possibilities at that point are endless- the could end up in FR, Eberron, etc.
invisble1 12-30-05, 01:57 PM	OMG i didnt even thing of the whole gollum-esqu play - thanks guys! i think it will work out awesome!