Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 zathina_mage Aug 26, 2008 14:42:21	Whats My Situation? Okay heres the situation. I'm taking a three month vacation somewhere outside of Perth, Australia. I'm not sure rather it's Kalamunda or Kwinana. I think it's Kalamunda. Amazingly, I've had a strange request from one of my aquantices there. She, wants to do two things. A Table Top Role Play, and a LARP. I got the LARP covered, if I can get the NPCs. That doesn't matter. What does is what I wanted to do anyways, and am more influenced to do now on my vacation. This small group of Once-if-at all players of Dungeons and Dragons have requested I run a game, and I wanted to anyways for one specific person whos made my trip very possable. So I got two confirmed players. Both New to 4.0, one completely new to Dungeons and Dragons all together. I may have a third player, and two of the players are females which may need to be taken into consideration (both are ones wanting to play). So whats my issue? I need help. I've constructed 3.5 campaigns, and dozens of campaigns in various systems, and have successfully ran many campaigns. I can run a campaign, and I can construct 3.5 rather simply. My issue is, that I am not to inspired at this very moment (two weeks before I go) to get this campaign down and written and I want to make this one of the best role play experiences of their lives. So I need help construciton a plot. So I need Plot. I also need help, with combat. I have yet to read it, and can tell there are some differences, that can someone simplify these for me? I learn best by doing but can't find anyone to test run a battle for me. Finally, if there are anyone living in that area, who wishes to join in the game, please PM me. I'd like another player or so. And I have 3 months, FREE to do this. So I also need a plot that can end within 3 months. Anyone want to help me develop plot ideas, and points, dungeons, weapons, monsters. Anything, I'm open to all ideas no matter how obscure or how simple they are. Some Plot Ideas I'm considering I only have one plot idea in mind, and the setting is a general fantasy world, were everything in the game exists in some place in some way. Plot Idea... The Opening Plot that brings the Party Together. Is based off one of the player's favorite books when they were younger. Though they don't remember much of it I just finished the book. The title is Contest, by Matthew Rielly. Essentially a contest is held every 1000 years between the represenatives of the major intelligent races. The contest is a fight to the death within an inclosed labrynth. Earth is unaware of the contest, this year it's on Earth, and this year, like all years Earth's Choosen Hero is selected by the people running the contest. Converted to Dungeons and Dragons, the party must protect an indivdual and survive along side each other as the nights terrors progress as teams of two monsters fight between each other, for the chapmionchip possestion. I beleive instead of worlds, I should use planes. Have an NPC whos a guide, as each creatures' secound monster is a guide, who is supposed to be there to confirm kills and to explain what is happening to those who are unaware. I think this'd be a good way to open a plot, leaving the party as well stranded in some unique place deep beyond their civilized world leaving them to travel less travelled lands, through unnkown cities, to find their way home. =3 So yeah, anyone wanna toss ideas at me, like what mosnters to use and such?
#2 doomsought Aug 26, 2008 20:16:34	You could drop them in the middle of my city. It will be an interesting session of role play as the find themselves surrounded by ten thousand LG and LN Kobalds. Lots of good RP. If they just start attacking randomly they get captured by the guard, if not killed. If they don't and use Diplomacy well they can get dozens of sorcerers in the tower of Sorcery to try to find their home plane and get them back. If they need to raise money, they can get a job at the Adventurer's guild. Much opportunity on a single plane alone. If you are looking for some other stops, try a formian hive.
#3 zathina_mage Aug 27, 2008 2:45:50	I actually had a few ideas overnight and I can easily fit your city in. I've desided tha thte contest, that brings them together, ends with them left, on anotehr material plane (Of sorts), were as in their world monsters were few to rare, in this world their are thousands more, and a long past dead intelligent civilzation scattered acrsos the glob holds the only key to get home. If they can find the key that is.
#4 gregwr Aug 27, 2008 5:45:18	I would advise making sure you get the players truly involved in wanting to get home. Its one thing to say ok the campaign is all about getting home, but as anyone who ever saw The Wizard of Oz will tell you, "who wants to live in B&W Kansas when OZ is in Technicolor?" So I would think about what might engage the players in wanting to get home. Perhaps the plane they end up on is coming apart in some way, so if the players dont work to get home they will find themselves doomed to a horrible death. The longer they dawdle in one place on this plane the more likely it is to fall to destruction. That might even set up a few good adventures. They could become trapped in a place with little time to leave before it is destroyed and there way is blocked by encounters and puzzles.
#5 zathina_mage Aug 27, 2008 17:39:34	Actually I gave that thought last night, Gregwr. I realized I had to give them a deffinite reason to not only want to go home, but to make sure the world felt alien to them. I LOVE your idea. I should be able to make dozens of adventures from it, as the plane falls apart while their stranded there. But I'm also going to do something else with the plane. The Material Plane the party comes form doesn't have monsters. No, they will have animals, and they will have the basic races. But this new Material Plane, is the ruins of a once grand civilizaiton, and even more to the plot is inhabited by the creatures of the Monster Maneual. It's almost like using the MM as a setting. XD But you know with an actual plot. Should be quite fun. If I can pull it off well. Does anyone have any other ideas, or know where I can get a good Dungeon Map Creator?
#6 sarlin Aug 27, 2008 18:25:33	I'd suggest that you look over all the combat stuff in the PHB and DMG before you go. It's so different from 3.5. IMO there is MORE stuff to keep track of, it isn't just HPs, Initiatives, and AC's anymore. There are a lot of effects and special attacks that do these.
#7 doomsought Aug 27, 2008 18:33:29	Graphing paper + Photoshop works best for the maps. Just go over your lines with black ink and you can use photoshop tools to fill in the walls
#8 gregwr Aug 27, 2008 19:06:34	I use Campaign Cartographer for all my mapping. http://www.profantasy.com/ The Dungeon Designer add-on is great and if you want opinions from end users they have a good forum. Below is a sample of a dungeon Im working on for my current campaign.
#9 zathina_mage Aug 27, 2008 19:54:26	Sarlin, I plan on actually going through the DMs guide with note pad open. Reading the entire thing. Then what I'll do is I'll make notes. Anytime it gives me something to consider for the game, I'll write down information likes it's Q and A. So hopefully the battle stuff isn't to much for me. Doomsought, thanks for the idea. Gregwr, thank you for the dungeon maker. Doesn't give me squares, but it'll give me more organization then I've had in the past, and I need that. This campaign has to be well done for them, I'm really going to put my all into it. Thank you all for your help so far, I think this'll come along fine.
#10 gregwr Aug 28, 2008 5:50:49	actually CC3 lets you make battlemaps with grid at any scale you like. I just didnt turn them on for that dungeon yet as I'm still in the design phase with it.
#11 zathina_mage Aug 28, 2008 8:03:36	Awsome. I'll have to deffinitly get a hold of a copy and get it working to see how it works out for me.