Pika...
2009-08-30, 01:01 AM
Pik,
So I was reading the Technology Level section of alternate world building in my DMG (p.144), since the Orcs, goblins, and Gnolls in my homebrewed setting are not capable of producing metal items.
It got my imagination turning. It made me wonder if it was possible to actually run a Stone Age campaign, and if anyone here had done it before (either players or DMs).
Basic mental scene I got:
1a. PCs/Players are part of a small tribe living in a cave. I introduce it as they live a simple life, though a happy one. However, midway through the description something(s) barge in and slaughter everything. A mini-combat takes place, but the PCs are quickly taken down with subdual damage.
1b. The above, but instead it happens when they were away, and things start off with them coming back with a dead dear (it is winter time) to the cave after the aftermath.
2a. Their family/tribe/people/whatever are all dead. Everything useful or worth of value has been taken. Due to the flame the tribe kept at the center of the cave having spread/escaped during the conflict has weakened the structure of the cave to the point it is no longer safe, and in fact there are still flames dying out around the PCs as they stare sadly at the aftermath.
2b. Same as above, but some/most/all of their family/tribe/people/whatever were taken. By now thanks to the time lapse, and the heavy snow fall, the tracks are long gone (especially for the Lv.1 they would start off at).
3. Basically, the whole point is that the PCs are left with nothing but the bare minimum aside from the clothes on their back, the few days ration they were just carrying, and perhaps the weapons they used to kill the beast. I am imagining this would be a "clean slate" for them to start with, and head anyway they want to with things, while forcing a reason for them to explore this unusual setting for a D&D campaign (aka the Stone Age)?.
From the above I am not quite sure where to go. I keep getting a scene with them having an epic fight with a mastodon (cliche I know...), and traveling through the forests and frozen planes of the planet.
I imagine survival and crafting would become better/bigger parts of such a game? Not sure about this, but the idea appeals to me.
p.s. Oh! And I just realized that in the Spelljammer spear my "home" world/setting is on there is at the very edge of the sphere (very close to the shell) is an ice world. I had not yet put much thought into it, but I had imagined it to be very low populated due to the conditions, with much distance between settlements. The residents of this sphere (aka the players) have not yet "unlocked" spelljamming, so would this justify the residents/races of this planet being so low-tech compared to the ones of my "base" world?
Many thankies and huggies in advance.
So I was reading the Technology Level section of alternate world building in my DMG (p.144), since the Orcs, goblins, and Gnolls in my homebrewed setting are not capable of producing metal items.
It got my imagination turning. It made me wonder if it was possible to actually run a Stone Age campaign, and if anyone here had done it before (either players or DMs).
Basic mental scene I got:
1a. PCs/Players are part of a small tribe living in a cave. I introduce it as they live a simple life, though a happy one. However, midway through the description something(s) barge in and slaughter everything. A mini-combat takes place, but the PCs are quickly taken down with subdual damage.
1b. The above, but instead it happens when they were away, and things start off with them coming back with a dead dear (it is winter time) to the cave after the aftermath.
2a. Their family/tribe/people/whatever are all dead. Everything useful or worth of value has been taken. Due to the flame the tribe kept at the center of the cave having spread/escaped during the conflict has weakened the structure of the cave to the point it is no longer safe, and in fact there are still flames dying out around the PCs as they stare sadly at the aftermath.
2b. Same as above, but some/most/all of their family/tribe/people/whatever were taken. By now thanks to the time lapse, and the heavy snow fall, the tracks are long gone (especially for the Lv.1 they would start off at).
3. Basically, the whole point is that the PCs are left with nothing but the bare minimum aside from the clothes on their back, the few days ration they were just carrying, and perhaps the weapons they used to kill the beast. I am imagining this would be a "clean slate" for them to start with, and head anyway they want to with things, while forcing a reason for them to explore this unusual setting for a D&D campaign (aka the Stone Age)?.
From the above I am not quite sure where to go. I keep getting a scene with them having an epic fight with a mastodon (cliche I know...), and traveling through the forests and frozen planes of the planet.
I imagine survival and crafting would become better/bigger parts of such a game? Not sure about this, but the idea appeals to me.
p.s. Oh! And I just realized that in the Spelljammer spear my "home" world/setting is on there is at the very edge of the sphere (very close to the shell) is an ice world. I had not yet put much thought into it, but I had imagined it to be very low populated due to the conditions, with much distance between settlements. The residents of this sphere (aka the players) have not yet "unlocked" spelljamming, so would this justify the residents/races of this planet being so low-tech compared to the ones of my "base" world?
Many thankies and huggies in advance.