Opinions/Suggestions on campaign idea - Downloaded from the Wizards Community, all coding removed by Solauren

Opinions/Suggestions on campaign idea

Post/Author/DateTime Post
#1
new_fashion_guy
Dec 10, 2008 14:33:26 I have this new campaign idea that was inspired (loosely) by Sliders and Amber.

Essentially, the characters are thrown together into a sort of "Arena" spanning time and space, where they are forced to go through scenario after scenario. For example, one might be like the movie "Death Cube", where another might be a zombie survival game, a battle on an alien landscape, a murder mystery, etc.

The deus ex machina that allows this rampant setting shifting (as well as allowing the PCs to come from various different settings originally) is a universal constant across all realities similar to "The Pattern" in the Amber series. Essentially, a madman gains access to and a certain amount of control over this "Pattern", and has essentially chosen these individuals at random to play our an ultimate reality show.
#2
tema69
Dec 10, 2008 15:32:24 I can see this being a good way to handle "one-off" type of adventures like Zombie survival (which I fear would get boring fast). I haven't seen/read (?) any of the stuff you refer to, so I won't comment on that.
I think its interesting, but the PCs might get to feel a bit too led-along-by-the-GM. But that could be rectified...
#3
new_fashion_guy
Dec 11, 2008 8:12:17 While the start of each adventure will be in my control, certainly, how the PCs react to each setting will be up to them (of course, in cases like the Zombie game, the reaction is pretty obvious). Eventually, though, the PCs will have opportunities to try and find out what's really going on (why they're there, who put them there, etc) and that's when the real story will get rolling.

I did take the precaution of letting the players know ahead of time that the basics of the campaign would involve a certain amount of railroading, and they're okay with that. I tried this sort of thing (though not exactly) before, and had one player who loved it because it allowed for really unique role-playing, and one who hated it because he made his character based on a certain premise and then was pulled into a different one.
#4
new_fashion_guy
Dec 11, 2008 8:13:00 Seriously, you haven't seen Sliders? I'm getting old.
#5
tema69
Dec 11, 2008 11:30:23 All right, sounds good ^

No I haven't seen Sliders - I don't live in the states.
#6
new_fashion_guy
Dec 11, 2008 13:22:23 Look it up sometime. It's a sci-fi show from the 90's involving travel between parallel worlds.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 new_fashion_guy Dec 10, 2008 14:33:26	I have this new campaign idea that was inspired (loosely) by Sliders and Amber. Essentially, the characters are thrown together into a sort of "Arena" spanning time and space, where they are forced to go through scenario after scenario. For example, one might be like the movie "Death Cube", where another might be a zombie survival game, a battle on an alien landscape, a murder mystery, etc. The deus ex machina that allows this rampant setting shifting (as well as allowing the PCs to come from various different settings originally) is a universal constant across all realities similar to "The Pattern" in the Amber series. Essentially, a madman gains access to and a certain amount of control over this "Pattern", and has essentially chosen these individuals at random to play our an ultimate reality show.
#2 tema69 Dec 10, 2008 15:32:24	I can see this being a good way to handle "one-off" type of adventures like Zombie survival (which I fear would get boring fast). I haven't seen/read (?) any of the stuff you refer to, so I won't comment on that. I think its interesting, but the PCs might get to feel a bit too led-along-by-the-GM. But that could be rectified...
#3 new_fashion_guy Dec 11, 2008 8:12:17	While the start of each adventure will be in my control, certainly, how the PCs react to each setting will be up to them (of course, in cases like the Zombie game, the reaction is pretty obvious). Eventually, though, the PCs will have opportunities to try and find out what's really going on (why they're there, who put them there, etc) and that's when the real story will get rolling. I did take the precaution of letting the players know ahead of time that the basics of the campaign would involve a certain amount of railroading, and they're okay with that. I tried this sort of thing (though not exactly) before, and had one player who loved it because it allowed for really unique role-playing, and one who hated it because he made his character based on a certain premise and then was pulled into a different one.
#4 new_fashion_guy Dec 11, 2008 8:13:00	Seriously, you haven't seen Sliders? I'm getting old.
#5 tema69 Dec 11, 2008 11:30:23	All right, sounds good ^ No I haven't seen Sliders - I don't live in the states.
#6 new_fashion_guy Dec 11, 2008 13:22:23	Look it up sometime. It's a sci-fi show from the 90's involving travel between parallel worlds.