Campaign Idea-Final War (PEACH) - Downloaded from the Wizards Community, all coding removed by Solauren

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 semperbelliger May 15, 2009 16:09:17	Hello all, long time gamer first time poster. For most of my DMing days, I have usually done modules or episodic campaigns. These have been pretty successful with my fellow players, but now i'm looking for a change of pace. I want to create a long-term story arc that will engage my players on many levels. Here is my idea: My setting of Eberron has a homebrewed organization, the Millenium Syndicate. Crafted by the Treaty of Thronehold, the Syndicate's mission is to maintain the peace between the remaining nations as a truly nuetral entitity into the new millenium. However, as the treaty was poorly constructed, so was this group. As such, they do not have much pull politically (very few nations outside of the five will recognize their authority), and thier presence is required as a mere formality. Other martial organizations such as House Denieth are in strong competition with the Syndicate, making matters worse. However, the Syndicate has great leadership given the circumstances and is actually growing by recruiting adventurers in good standing with the law. This is how the PCs enter the game. Throughout the course of the game, the PCs will help the status ot the Syndicate, and eventually uncover a plot by the Dreaming Dark, which at this point has infiltrated most organizations of Khorvaire including the Syndicate. Since this is my first true story arc, I'm looking for feedback on how to keep players engaged in a setting they are relatively new too, and how strong my central plot is. Thanks in advance!
#2 Talae May 15, 2009 16:32:58	There are a few great links found in my Resources thread (in my sig and stickied to this forumn). Check out some of the intro's to Eberron. As for the plot. It isn't bad. I like it. It is hard to give you thoughts though, since you have just given a starting point and not really anything on the road the campaign will take. Is that a goal of this thread?
#3 semperbelliger May 15, 2009 16:52:10	I guess my intent was to get feedback on the initial premise and to find ways to keep a group interested in a long-term story (while my group is strong, these kinds of campaigns usually fall apart).
#4 AvonRekaes May 15, 2009 16:53:18	If you plan on using the Dreaming Dark as your main villians, you might try suggesting someone play a Kalashtar, or someone closely related to them (like immigrant monks from Adar). You can also try to play up the planar invasion aspect and get a gatekeeper druid interested. If you're more for the political intruige (which is always a weakness of mine. Just can't get myself to think like a politician.) You should probably encourage the PCs to pick their favorite nation and being pretty patriotic about it.
#5 rauric May 15, 2009 19:14:43	I guess my intent was to get feedback on the initial premise and to find ways to keep a group interested in a long-term story (while my group is strong, these kinds of campaigns usually fall apart). I like part of the group's name. I don't like Syndicate though because it sounds like a crime group. Make the group super, super, secret. Call it Millenium *something* or Millenial *something*. They were created to keep the peace but truthfully they are to counter the plots of the Dreaming Dark. The leaders of the group are a powerful kalshatar psion, a warforged with a docen (sp?) with the spirit of an old quori, and a very wealthy person from the 5 Nations that learned about the Dark's true goals and how they wish to disrupt peace so they can move in and conquer the continent. They are like S.H.I.E.L.D from Marvel but they are not government sponsored (more freedom that way) and the Dark is like Hydra. The cool thing in the comics is that Fury (SHIELDS leader) found out his group has been secretly working for Hydra the whole time! They were sent on missions to attack "Hydra" but those were all just a ruse to make Fury think he was winning. It was all an illusion.
#6 Gilo May 16, 2009 0:13:23	Didn't the Eberron novel: "Voyage of the Mourning Dawn" had a similar story plot? (I only read the sample chapter) Voyage of the Mourning Dawn sample chapter spoiler "The old artificer had committed himself to an impossible task. Peace. He had sworn to end the war that had consumed the Five Nations for the last century. Every three months his three crews would rendezvous to share their progress, as they did now."
#7 semperbelliger May 16, 2009 13:17:58	Thanks for the feedback, everyone! My main reason for using the Dark is that they are secretive, and could be anywhere or anyone. The players would have to use intuition and political manipulation to find the agents of the Dark, as well as intel of their operations. In my story, the Dark's agents in the Syndicate actually cause a major branch of the organization to go rogue. I haven't thought about what I would want my players to be. Usually they are very good in assimilating themselves into a world and making it their own.

Post/Author/DateTime

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semperbelliger

May 15, 2009 16:09:17

Hello all, long time gamer first time poster.

For most of my DMing days, I have usually done modules or episodic campaigns. These have been pretty successful with my fellow players, but now i'm looking for a change of pace. I want to create a long-term story arc that will engage my players on many levels. Here is my idea:
My setting of Eberron has a homebrewed organization, the Millenium Syndicate. Crafted by the Treaty of Thronehold, the Syndicate's mission is to maintain the peace between the remaining nations as a truly nuetral entitity into the new millenium. However, as the treaty was poorly constructed, so was this group. As such, they do not have much pull politically (very few nations outside of the five will recognize their authority), and thier presence is required as a mere formality. Other martial organizations such as House Denieth are in strong competition with the Syndicate, making matters worse.
However, the Syndicate has great leadership given the circumstances and is actually growing by recruiting adventurers in good standing with the law. This is how the PCs enter the game. Throughout the course of the game, the PCs will help the status ot the Syndicate, and eventually uncover a plot by the Dreaming Dark, which at this point has infiltrated most organizations of Khorvaire including the Syndicate.

Since this is my first true story arc, I'm looking for feedback on how to keep players engaged in a setting they are relatively new too, and how strong my central plot is. Thanks in advance!

Talae

May 15, 2009 16:32:58

There are a few great links found in my Resources thread (in my sig and stickied to this forumn). Check out some of the intro's to Eberron.

As for the plot. It isn't bad. I like it. It is hard to give you thoughts though, since you have just given a starting point and not really anything on the road the campaign will take. Is that a goal of this thread?

semperbelliger

May 15, 2009 16:52:10

I guess my intent was to get feedback on the initial premise and to find ways to keep a group interested in a long-term story (while my group is strong, these kinds of campaigns usually fall apart).

AvonRekaes

May 15, 2009 16:53:18

If you plan on using the Dreaming Dark as your main villians, you might try suggesting someone play a Kalashtar, or someone closely related to them (like immigrant monks from Adar).

You can also try to play up the planar invasion aspect and get a gatekeeper druid interested.

If you're more for the political intruige (which is always a weakness of mine. Just can't get myself to think like a politician.) You should probably encourage the PCs to pick their favorite nation and being pretty patriotic about it.

rauric

May 15, 2009 19:14:43

I guess my intent was to get feedback on the initial premise and to find ways to keep a group interested in a long-term story (while my group is strong, these kinds of campaigns usually fall apart).

I like part of the group's name. I don't like Syndicate though because it sounds like a crime group. Make the group super, super, secret. Call it Millenium ***something*** or Millenial ***something***. They were created to keep the peace but truthfully they are to counter the plots of the Dreaming Dark. The leaders of the group are a powerful kalshatar psion, a warforged with a docen (sp?) with the spirit of an old quori, and a very wealthy person from the 5 Nations that learned about the Dark's true goals and how they wish to disrupt peace so they can move in and conquer the continent. They are like S.H.I.E.L.D from Marvel but they are not government sponsored (more freedom that way) and the Dark is like Hydra. The cool thing in the comics is that Fury (SHIELDS leader) found out his group has been secretly working for Hydra the whole time! They were sent on missions to attack "Hydra" but those were all just a ruse to make Fury think he was winning. It was all an illusion.

Gilo

May 16, 2009 0:13:23

Didn't the Eberron novel: "Voyage of the Mourning Dawn" had a similar story plot? (I only read the sample chapter)

Voyage of the Mourning Dawn sample chapter spoiler

"The old artificer had committed himself to an impossible task. Peace. He had sworn to end the war that had consumed the Five Nations for the last century. Every three months his three crews would rendezvous to share their progress, as they did now."

semperbelliger

May 16, 2009 13:17:58

Thanks for the feedback, everyone!
My main reason for using the Dark is that they are secretive, and could be anywhere or anyone. The players would have to use intuition and political manipulation to find the agents of the Dark, as well as intel of their operations. In my story, the Dark's agents in the Syndicate actually cause a major branch of the organization to go rogue.
I haven't thought about what I would want my players to be. Usually they are very good in assimilating themselves into a world and making it their own.