4th & Dragon : Dungeons and Dragons...and stuff

DMs - you will love this.  I asked a question at my last session that went something like this.  “With the advent of 4th edition coming in a few weeks, rules are going to change.  With that in mind stories and arcs won’t.  Since I’m in the process of laying the groundwork for a full fledged (1-30) campaign, what would you like to see or accomplish?”

QUE CRICKETS AND BLANK STARES, then the proverbial “I dunno man - you’re a solid DM, whatever you wish.”

C’MON!!!

So here’s an idea I’m toying with.  Property ownership.  Farms, homes, etc.  Nothing like entirely like Birthright of course, but some of the ideas. 

Any thoughts?  Have others tried this, have home rules?

I completely understand the lack of feedback from your players. My specific group seems to lack advice/suggestions/etc. before I DM and during me DMing, but has more to say after I DM. I guess the constructive criticism aspect can be touchy for some and therefore they avoid it...I for one welcome it.

As for the property ownership thing. Will this be a main point of the campaign or just another aspect? I ask because D&D was meant primarily to do adventuring and if that isn’t being done interest could be lost.

If this is the route you go, I would play the landlord card a lot and use it as a catalyst for mini adventures. In the low levels, you could be forced to clear vermin from basements, working your way up to bandits harassing farmers/tradesmen. There could be turmoil with some of the property worth more than the housing on it (like some expensive ore or other material in the land) and other property owners wanting it. This could lead to subtle attacks, etc and the later revealed unknown leader villain with deep pockets...looking to make them deeper.

Don’t forget to throw in things like the occasional hurricane, earthquake, pillage, rock slide, tidal wave, waring towns, etc. (dependent on location of course).

land owning can be good or be a chore.  I set up a system where the party in my game must hold down frontier keep for an entire year before they can call it their own and be recognized as barons.  They did the smart thing and hired a manager to run the place while they are off adventuring and defending the lands. It has given me plenty of plot hooks while keep the players close to an area I can develope.

The only time I placed land ownership with any success was when it 100% player driven.

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To get ideas out of players, or just to get them interested enought ocreate good well fitted characters I always lay out a few options for campaigns whenever I start a new one.

I will have cue cards or poster paper and I will lay out the possibles I have and let them choose.  This cuts down on blank stares because it lets them choose between ideas they know you will get behind (and therefore do a good job on).  Plus they honestly don’t know what material you are into for inspiration.

I even posted some here once to prelim them before running the game. My usual players know this about me and don’t bother having any sort of character wishes before the selection because they know it works better to see the story/arc/theme first.

I am prepping the next session with my current group for the exact same switch over to 4e in Eberron

So for example I am going to present them with a quick abstract and let them vote after we talk about the character possibilities, motivations, all the stuff to get us starting on the same page.

The options I’ll give them will be.

1.  Remote Field Study Club - Professors/academics from Morgrave University looking to find artifacts and historical pieces around the world.  An Indiana Jones type of adventure where puzzles, traps, cryptic maps all go hand in hand while being chases by some sort of special arm of a secret society bent on stealing the artifacts for themselves.

2.  Aundarian Diplomatic Corps - Spy and assassins working to keep Aundair at peace in a world on the brink.  Stopping the forces that are looking to push it back into war.  A long and twisty arc story that takes its cues from the Alias series.

3.  Slaved Prophesy - Set in the ancient empire of the Giants the players are a thread in a prophesy that will lead them to fleeing slavery and escaping the nation of giants to rally the dragons to war with them. High epic game.

I am still collecting some more possibilities (so if you have any let me know) and then I will let thier collective mood gel around one of them so that it runs the way they want.

Not the answer you were looking for but if you want to try again soliciting them, this will blow them away too.

SPQR

SPQR, I would greatly appreciate you spilling all of the creative ideas you use in a typical game onto the forums here. I have seen you post some really good stuff in the past (handouts, npc info, this concept of campaign ideas, etc.). I would love to see those resources (read as brief descriptions of the resources you use) in a compilation. This compilation could be in the form of a post that others can post ideas in as well.

As for putting this post on topic, I think that SPQR Anarchy and Papa_Thief have a point. You should lay out the options for the players in advance and see what would drive them to be interested in the campaign...this way everyone gets the most out of it that they can.

I would also say that the ideas of land ownership might benefit from BP’s Population Demographics...this is something of a worry as far as 4e goes and BP has done a good kob of fixing the 3.x mistakes.

Well as luck would have it.  Okay, I re-prompted them with an email and got some feedback.

So, here’s some of what they had to say.

Something involving guilds.
A feeling of impending doom, like Sauron laying waste to the land, for instance.
Classic revenge campaign - Conan style. (boring in my opinion).
Big bad antagonist. 
Dark and gritty - a harsh world. 

I thought about having their world turned upside down.  Surviving villagers flee this “impending doom” to make a new life elsewhere in the wilderness. 

I tend to run FRCS, does anyone know much more information about the assassination of Mystra and the death of magic?  Or is this all speculation so far?

I have The Grand History and have read The Orc King and am working on Swordmage, so I know a little bit, but what do you want to know?

A whole lot of powerful guilds (thieves, merchants, assasins, mercenaries...) allying with certain like minded gods’ clergies who band into a megaguild bent on total world domination? Headed by worldly incarnation of some demon prince with a portfolio of greed/corruption?

Cameron - I’ve read nuggets of info here there suggesting that the 4th edition FRCS magic is for the most part dead due to the assassination Mystra.  I think by Cyric’s hand no less.  Also heard rumblings that the Red Wizards of Thay no longer have a “home.” Great powerful wizards wondering the land? 

I’m excited to see what’s going to come for the Forgotten Realms, but I want to know what truth there is to what I’ve been hearing.

CnSvnc - I like where you’re going with that.  Perhaps if there’s any truth to what’s mentioned above a conglomerate (sp?) of people with in those powerful guilds (The Power Pentad, Star Chamber, Illuminati, Masons) had a hand in funding or whatever. 

Dude… I’m onto this, I like this, just in writing this my mind just went off the charts.  OMG cool..

Take those groups I mentioned, make them racial based. 
The Power Pentad - Dragonborn
Star Chamber - Elves
Illuminati - Not sure ??? ideas anyone
Masons - Dwarves

This group weilds unbelievable power. 

Quick setting idea - Footsteps and clanging plate echo down the long cavernous chamber.  “Who dares disturb the slumber of Drago Necroflame (near god like undead red dragon)?” Approaching with his posse of epic level bodyguards, “I - Lord Blazebeard of the Masons decree your cavern now property of ACME Mining, you have 1 month to move your hoard and leave.  As usual leave the mandatory 10%.”

No - magic is fine and around.  Really, only the fluff changed and the mechanics shifted to the current daily/encounter/at-will mechanic.  The fluff changes you read are correct.  Also - the Shades of Netheril have returned.