Thursday, May 20, 2010
Solicited some advice today...
From a gamer, Nathan. He likes my idea, but thinks I should leave out one of my planned plot devices, an intelligent item that would have served as the DM's voice into the campaign. In the meantime, I'm continuing to elaborate and expand my product by including more comprehensive description of the dungeon and coded hieroglyphic messages.
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Midnight update
From 2:12 AM, Wednesday, May 19:
I've statted out my advisory adventure up to the final battle with the Big Bad Evil Guy. I need to make the dungeon and have no characters, but otherwise I'm sitting pretty. Gonna sleep on whether or not to tell Ruth I'm ready...I don't want anybody thinking I didn't take my project seriously or work very hard on the product, and that means I'd prefer my product be a slam-dunk.
I've statted out my advisory adventure up to the final battle with the Big Bad Evil Guy. I need to make the dungeon and have no characters, but otherwise I'm sitting pretty. Gonna sleep on whether or not to tell Ruth I'm ready...I don't want anybody thinking I didn't take my project seriously or work very hard on the product, and that means I'd prefer my product be a slam-dunk.
Monday, May 17, 2010
Update May 17
Sorry for the irregularity, kinda crazy weekend....life.
So my product "II" is now fully outlined and treasure 90% fully planned. Now I need to draw the dungeon and maps, fully create the villains, and create sample PCs for my advisory/friends to play.
So my product "II" is now fully outlined and treasure 90% fully planned. Now I need to draw the dungeon and maps, fully create the villains, and create sample PCs for my advisory/friends to play.
Monday, May 10, 2010
The options and what they’d look like:
Option 2.3 from my last post is the current favorite, so I will start with it.
Option 2.3 would be a variant on a Bronze-Age themed D&D adventure. The rules and some or all of the items would belong to the standard Medieval D&D world, as would the characters. Therefore, the adventure would be something any DM could add to a standard campaign. The dungeon or quest would feature a Bronze-Age historical theme, however: riddles and puzzles about the Sea People, various myths from the Late Bronze Age, and fantasy themes that reflect (albeit in a distorted way) some common trends from the end of the late Bronze Age. The party would be focused on avoiding or averting the repetition of history, with the goal then being to solve the ‘riddle’ of the Sea People. Alternately, a large dungeon built around a Bronze Age or ancient Greek theme could be explored. The Dungeon Master would have a large amount of artistic license present and the Bronze Age would be felt as an influence, not as a dominating force.
The other options:
The Actual Bronze Age variant on the adventure would be tightly scripted and could either
A.) Be set in an actual Bronze Age nation
B.) Be set in a Bronze Age world in a fantasy nation whose culture and description are drawn primarily from one Bronze Age nation
The ‘Dream World’ could be some sort of fantastic Labyrinth where Bronze Age creatures, such as the Minotaur, face off against the party, who are magically dressed and armed appropriately for the Bronze Age
Changes to the Player’s Handbook to fully rework the D&D rules to Bronze Age setting would be difficult and complex but not impossible. This would be another large, dry manuscript but would make forward progress very easy for any DM armed with it and my initial product.
A General Campaign setting/overview would involve much more detailed description of a fantasy world, set presumably in a Bronze Age. Nations would again be influenced by real nations of the time and by D&D’s fantasy roots. This would also produce a (relatively) large tome, not ready to play unless the players and DM are willing to work with the traditional rules. Players should probably be experienced.
A series of magical items and artifacts might fit into a number of the other options, or could be a stand-alone supplement, leaving the DM to decide how to implement them in the game. Among the possibilities is an item that launches players into the “dream-world” or an item that is integral to the plot of an Option 2.3 style mystery.
Some combination of these: Frankly, looks like a headache.
Option 2.3 from my last post is the current favorite, so I will start with it.
Option 2.3 would be a variant on a Bronze-Age themed D&D adventure. The rules and some or all of the items would belong to the standard Medieval D&D world, as would the characters. Therefore, the adventure would be something any DM could add to a standard campaign. The dungeon or quest would feature a Bronze-Age historical theme, however: riddles and puzzles about the Sea People, various myths from the Late Bronze Age, and fantasy themes that reflect (albeit in a distorted way) some common trends from the end of the late Bronze Age. The party would be focused on avoiding or averting the repetition of history, with the goal then being to solve the ‘riddle’ of the Sea People. Alternately, a large dungeon built around a Bronze Age or ancient Greek theme could be explored. The Dungeon Master would have a large amount of artistic license present and the Bronze Age would be felt as an influence, not as a dominating force.
The other options:
The Actual Bronze Age variant on the adventure would be tightly scripted and could either
A.) Be set in an actual Bronze Age nation
B.) Be set in a Bronze Age world in a fantasy nation whose culture and description are drawn primarily from one Bronze Age nation
The ‘Dream World’ could be some sort of fantastic Labyrinth where Bronze Age creatures, such as the Minotaur, face off against the party, who are magically dressed and armed appropriately for the Bronze Age
Changes to the Player’s Handbook to fully rework the D&D rules to Bronze Age setting would be difficult and complex but not impossible. This would be another large, dry manuscript but would make forward progress very easy for any DM armed with it and my initial product.
A General Campaign setting/overview would involve much more detailed description of a fantasy world, set presumably in a Bronze Age. Nations would again be influenced by real nations of the time and by D&D’s fantasy roots. This would also produce a (relatively) large tome, not ready to play unless the players and DM are willing to work with the traditional rules. Players should probably be experienced.
A series of magical items and artifacts might fit into a number of the other options, or could be a stand-alone supplement, leaving the DM to decide how to implement them in the game. Among the possibilities is an item that launches players into the “dream-world” or an item that is integral to the plot of an Option 2.3 style mystery.
Some combination of these: Frankly, looks like a headache.
Where I go from here....
I am at the phase of my project that I am informally calling Product II. I've given my exhibition and done my initial product, which contained in it a significant amount of reflection on how to create a Bronze Age D&D campaign. Now, I'd like to go further along those lines.
I see myself doing one of the following:
- Attempted changes to PHB for Bronze Age
- Scripted, complete adventure or quest
- General Campaign setting/overview
- Create a series of magical items for the Bronze Age Campaign
- Some combination (try not to overdo it)
For # 2, the options are:
- 'Dream-world'
- Actual Bronze Age
- Bronze Age theme but Medieval time and tech: mysteries of the past
I'm currently toying with 2.3 as my option. More on what I see in each next post.
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