Freeform - Downloaded from the Wizards Community, all coding removed by Solauren

Freeform

Post/Author/DateTime Post
#1
phenom_sbbt_1985
Apr 27, 2009 17:28:45 For my campaign I am intending a freeform game where the players basically get to explore the world and stumble upon their own adventures. The ultimate goal of the campaign is to prevent the Lich Lord Ka'Rashi from ressurrecting Orcus like he tried to do 100 years ago. At the beggining of the Campaign the PC's will start off in the area of a few small adventures. These will most likely be conflicts with orc tribes and bandits. These quests will give clues about the return of Ka'Rashi.

After the players discover that Ka'Rashi has returned they will hopefully look for clues about his past and then whereabouts. Before they will encounter the end of the campaign (a few adventures to thwart Ka'rashi's plans and then attack his stronghold) they will have to acomplish three things.

1. The whereabouts of Ka'rashi's stronghold
2. A way to bring down the magical barriers around it
3. A way to stop Ka'rashi (detailed in the characters fluff for my purposes)

When all these things are accomplished the players will be able to go get Ka'rashi.

My idea for this campaign is a totally free form series of adventures leading to the final battle. The players will be able to do any of the adventures in the campaign in any order. A lot of these will be dungeon crawls or small scale things that are easy to design.

Do you think it is possible to run a campaign that the players have complete control over the flow? I am attracted to the idea but also there is a possibility that once they have lowered Ka'rashi's defences they could stumble across his stronghold randomly and be in way over their head.

Any advice for me to allow the players to have the kind of freedom I'm talking about but at the same time ensure they don't get slaughtered for curiosity about a dungeon?
#2
AbdulAlhazred
Apr 27, 2009 18:07:03 Easy, #3 should be the way past the barriers. They simply cannot get into the level 30 dungeon until they are able to break its protective magic.
#3
phenom_sbbt_1985
Apr 27, 2009 18:24:46 Mmm the idea is that they can accomplish the tasks in any order. I suppose it is possible that I could make the barrier around the fortress only breakable by a ritual that the PC's can't master until they are of a higher level. Although this is kind of railroading it is an appropriate level of railroading...right?
#4
kao_unagi
Apr 27, 2009 21:45:45 In this situation, I wouldn't have the key to breaking the barriers be a ritual or artifact, since that can be cliche. I'd suggest having the players track down an NPC that can open the gate, and convince him/her to cooperate.
#5
gregt_314
Apr 27, 2009 23:04:03 Two quick notes:

(1) "Freeform" means different things to different players and is usually used to refer to a kind of rules-light roleplaying quite distinct from anything you'd recognise as D&D. What you're describing is typically described as a "sandbox" game.

(2) Sandbox games can be a heap of fun but they can also be a cop-out. Giving players lots of freedom and taking on the challenge of creating content on-the-fly can make for a great session, but remember that you still need to set clear goals at the short, medium and long-term levels, which players can then choose to pursue or not pursue. If they veer off your baseline plot, you will need to make a new plot, with new clear, accessible goals. Sandbox games are about freedom to explore the game structure from any angle, not freedom from structure.

If you take a computer game like GTA as an example, players can ignore the main story mode and get involved in sidequests (which have their own mission structure) or ignore the missions entirely and just race around and crash cars (where the fun comes from the fact that the game has clear and easy-to-understand rules of vehicle behaviour, law enforcement, and NPC response).

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 phenom_sbbt_1985 Apr 27, 2009 17:28:45	For my campaign I am intending a freeform game where the players basically get to explore the world and stumble upon their own adventures. The ultimate goal of the campaign is to prevent the Lich Lord Ka'Rashi from ressurrecting Orcus like he tried to do 100 years ago. At the beggining of the Campaign the PC's will start off in the area of a few small adventures. These will most likely be conflicts with orc tribes and bandits. These quests will give clues about the return of Ka'Rashi. After the players discover that Ka'Rashi has returned they will hopefully look for clues about his past and then whereabouts. Before they will encounter the end of the campaign (a few adventures to thwart Ka'rashi's plans and then attack his stronghold) they will have to acomplish three things. 1. The whereabouts of Ka'rashi's stronghold 2. A way to bring down the magical barriers around it 3. A way to stop Ka'rashi (detailed in the characters fluff for my purposes) When all these things are accomplished the players will be able to go get Ka'rashi. My idea for this campaign is a totally free form series of adventures leading to the final battle. The players will be able to do any of the adventures in the campaign in any order. A lot of these will be dungeon crawls or small scale things that are easy to design. Do you think it is possible to run a campaign that the players have complete control over the flow? I am attracted to the idea but also there is a possibility that once they have lowered Ka'rashi's defences they could stumble across his stronghold randomly and be in way over their head. Any advice for me to allow the players to have the kind of freedom I'm talking about but at the same time ensure they don't get slaughtered for curiosity about a dungeon?
#2 AbdulAlhazred Apr 27, 2009 18:07:03	Easy, #3 should be the way past the barriers. They simply cannot get into the level 30 dungeon until they are able to break its protective magic.
#3 phenom_sbbt_1985 Apr 27, 2009 18:24:46	Mmm the idea is that they can accomplish the tasks in any order. I suppose it is possible that I could make the barrier around the fortress only breakable by a ritual that the PC's can't master until they are of a higher level. Although this is kind of railroading it is an appropriate level of railroading...right?
#4 kao_unagi Apr 27, 2009 21:45:45	In this situation, I wouldn't have the key to breaking the barriers be a ritual or artifact, since that can be cliche. I'd suggest having the players track down an NPC that can open the gate, and convince him/her to cooperate.
#5 gregt_314 Apr 27, 2009 23:04:03	Two quick notes: (1) "Freeform" means different things to different players and is usually used to refer to a kind of rules-light roleplaying quite distinct from anything you'd recognise as D&D. What you're describing is typically described as a "sandbox" game. (2) Sandbox games can be a heap of fun but they can also be a cop-out. Giving players lots of freedom and taking on the challenge of creating content on-the-fly can make for a great session, but remember that you still need to set clear goals at the short, medium and long-term levels, which players can then choose to pursue or not pursue. If they veer off your baseline plot, you will need to make a new plot, with new clear, accessible goals. Sandbox games are about freedom to explore the game structure from any angle, not freedom from structure. If you take a computer game like GTA as an example, players can ignore the main story mode and get involved in sidequests (which have their own mission structure) or ignore the missions entirely and just race around and crash cars (where the fun comes from the fact that the game has clear and easy-to-understand rules of vehicle behaviour, law enforcement, and NPC response).