Post by LabRat on Sept 1, 2013 16:48:11 GMT -6
So I have been asking people as to what their plans are after Giger is done with his campaign. I have recently acquired a lot more time on my hands, so I wanted to pitch to you a campaign concept that has been stewing in my head for a while now.
Please know that I am not trying to step on Giger's toes with this campaign. This is going to be a large undertaking and so I need to start building my world now. I just need to know if this is going to be something that people are interested in the future.
Intro:
Few sights can ever stir up such devotion in a man than that of his homeland. For you, it is the isle of Elslayne. More specifically, the bright, bustling town of Tisdale. Tisdale is built on the shores of the Archaic Sea. A sea so beautiful, they say that it contains the tears of angels. It is what makes Elslayne so appealing and so prosperous. Like Elslayne, two other nearby isles also benefit from being in the bountiful waters. Their names are Dunmarr and Orlee. It is said that the leaders of yore formed a pact to have equal territories for fishing, commerce, and trading. For it would be criminal to contaminate such clear, lovely waters with the brackish blood of war. For the sake of peace, the rest of the waters shall be a Dark Zone, off limits to the Isles. How quickly the leaders thought that they could each prosper under such a pact, and sadly, how quickly they forgot. For it wasn’t long before rumors became conjecture, and conjecture became accusations, and well, that eventually lead to war for control over the Dark Zone.
You were certainly brave, when you were called to defend your land. You boarded a vessel that could very well have been your tomb. In time you got to know others who had a zeal for adventure and the unknown. They were your friends, your comrades at arms, and after a while, you were known to each other as brothers. And with your brothers you fought to take the Dark Zone in the name of Elslayne, and eventually, succeeded. Victory was sweet on your tongues as you cried out in joy. For once the treaty was signed, and Dunmarr and Orlee hung their heads in defeat, you knew there were worlds undiscovered in the vast azure waters of the Archaic Sea. It doesn’t matter who thought of the idea or when, but soon you all banded together and bought a bonny ship and a fine crew, hoping to continue your great adventure that you worked so hard to earn.
Now of course you know all of this, for you are living it. I merely speak of it in order to keep it in record. Who am I, you ask? No one of importance for now. Some refer to me as a Whim, you may even think of me as your Whim. But no matter. Just know that however you chose, your path to destiny is entirely up to you. Mayhap you feel a call to home, to rebuild the city that birthed you into glory. There is much to discover amid the cobbled streets, and busy lanes. Maybe the rumors of barkeeps or the mercenary posts at town hall will cause to venture forth to slake your thirst for adventure. Gold does indeed have its advantages. Has revenge settled cold in your veins, so that you may hoist black sails to make those that opposed you in war suffer in defeat? Or maybe it is the Sea herself, calling you to tread her virgin waters where none have gone, in search of The New. Whatever you decide, know that the choices are yours, and yours alone. For you, my brave adventurers, are the gilded threads that make up the tapestry of Tales On the Archaic Seas.
The Pitch-
That’s about it for me. Let me know if this is something you want to do, and I will get started on it. If there are suggestions or things that you would like to change, then please let me know.
Please know that I am not trying to step on Giger's toes with this campaign. This is going to be a large undertaking and so I need to start building my world now. I just need to know if this is going to be something that people are interested in the future.
Intro:
Few sights can ever stir up such devotion in a man than that of his homeland. For you, it is the isle of Elslayne. More specifically, the bright, bustling town of Tisdale. Tisdale is built on the shores of the Archaic Sea. A sea so beautiful, they say that it contains the tears of angels. It is what makes Elslayne so appealing and so prosperous. Like Elslayne, two other nearby isles also benefit from being in the bountiful waters. Their names are Dunmarr and Orlee. It is said that the leaders of yore formed a pact to have equal territories for fishing, commerce, and trading. For it would be criminal to contaminate such clear, lovely waters with the brackish blood of war. For the sake of peace, the rest of the waters shall be a Dark Zone, off limits to the Isles. How quickly the leaders thought that they could each prosper under such a pact, and sadly, how quickly they forgot. For it wasn’t long before rumors became conjecture, and conjecture became accusations, and well, that eventually lead to war for control over the Dark Zone.
You were certainly brave, when you were called to defend your land. You boarded a vessel that could very well have been your tomb. In time you got to know others who had a zeal for adventure and the unknown. They were your friends, your comrades at arms, and after a while, you were known to each other as brothers. And with your brothers you fought to take the Dark Zone in the name of Elslayne, and eventually, succeeded. Victory was sweet on your tongues as you cried out in joy. For once the treaty was signed, and Dunmarr and Orlee hung their heads in defeat, you knew there were worlds undiscovered in the vast azure waters of the Archaic Sea. It doesn’t matter who thought of the idea or when, but soon you all banded together and bought a bonny ship and a fine crew, hoping to continue your great adventure that you worked so hard to earn.
Now of course you know all of this, for you are living it. I merely speak of it in order to keep it in record. Who am I, you ask? No one of importance for now. Some refer to me as a Whim, you may even think of me as your Whim. But no matter. Just know that however you chose, your path to destiny is entirely up to you. Mayhap you feel a call to home, to rebuild the city that birthed you into glory. There is much to discover amid the cobbled streets, and busy lanes. Maybe the rumors of barkeeps or the mercenary posts at town hall will cause to venture forth to slake your thirst for adventure. Gold does indeed have its advantages. Has revenge settled cold in your veins, so that you may hoist black sails to make those that opposed you in war suffer in defeat? Or maybe it is the Sea herself, calling you to tread her virgin waters where none have gone, in search of The New. Whatever you decide, know that the choices are yours, and yours alone. For you, my brave adventurers, are the gilded threads that make up the tapestry of Tales On the Archaic Seas.
The Pitch-
- I plan on doing a semi-open world episodic adventure, where you and your comrades are looking for adventures on the high seas. Based on in game decisions, you will eventually pick up the threads to a story arc. These stories should be able to be completed in a single night. I plan on having 12 of these adventures so therefore, the run should be around 12 weeks long. Please note that I do understand that sometimes we are not able to finish everything in a single night, so I am fully expecting for my run to be longer than 12 weeks. We will play it by ear and see how it goes.
- Just because the story revolves around sailing the seas doesn’t mean that you are locked into being swashbucklers and rogues (unless you want to). Pick a character that you would be happy with, and we can always make it work.
- The tone is going to be a little bit more lighthearted. I think of this as more of a book of fairy tales. Each chapter is its own adventure. It doesn’t mean that there won’t be more adult themes. Don’t worry. I fully plan on making this more in a Princess Bride/Stardust type of fairy tale instead of Three Little Pigs. It is just going to have more whimsy than grit when compared to the stuff we have been playing recently.
- Characters will start around levels 2-4. I’ll make a poll to see where you want to start. I am doing a lower level because I am still rather new to GM-ing, so it is easier for me to manage lower level encounters so that I may grow with you.
- Since this is episodic, I do not plan on having one big story arc that ties everything together. That doesn’t mean that we can’t have common themes, ideas, or people between episodes. It doesn’t mean you can’t revisit places, or that your actions will be forgotten during the next episode. It just means that I need to write the story as you go along, as it depends on what your characters do. For example, I would write stories completely differently if you were to stay in Tisdale for a while vs. going out to charter an unknown island. I am at the mercy of your decisions, so it is difficult for me to write one big adventure.
- You will have a ship, and you will have a crew. Each of your characters has equal shares in that ship. How you came to afford a share is really up to you. Having a crew frees up the logistics a bit when having to take care of a ship. It doesn’t mean that you can’t fill a role that one would normally find on a ship (such as to be the ship’s cook), I am just providing you with a way so that you don’t have to deal with the day to day running. Since you have equal shares, most disputes can be solved with a simple vote. You may have two very intriguing options in front of you that you want to pursue. In this case, majority rules.
- Since it is still an unresolved issue, I think it safest to veto the Leadership feat. However, I will provide you with an alternative that everyone can take part in. I just need to know your basic character concepts. Who knows, you might actually like this better.
- This is going to be a bit…unconventional from a traditional run. I am not using a particular world mechanic, as most of these things will be pulled from my own head. I have plans to change things up a bit, so expect some things out of the box. It’s okay though, I will take care of you.
- Regarding characters: I would suggest that you keep highly focused on your character’s short term goals instead of the long ones. Of course it is natural to want to plan your character out to 20th level, but please know that there is a very good chance that he will never get there. I designed this campaign so that each episode could be a logical conclusion, much like an anthology. That way, when the time does come for me to hang this one up for a while, we aren’t sitting on a cliff hanger like we are on with Crimson City or Forgottongreylancerron.
- Regarding leveling: I’ll be honest. Calculating XP for me is a pain, and it really is the least thing I like doing. If you are willing, I would love it if we could adopt the leveling system that we did during round-robin GM-ing. Four weeks of play = one level. This will help in case you spend time in a more diplomatic setting instead of killing things. I would just throw out XP requirements for spellcasters when it comes to their spells, etc.
- I was hoping that I could keep all of the bookkeeping on Obsidian portal, like we have done in the past. I just need to see if Rigil is willing to help me set up
That’s about it for me. Let me know if this is something you want to do, and I will get started on it. If there are suggestions or things that you would like to change, then please let me know.