An OotS Campaign - Thoughts?

[Gorgon_Heap]

I've been running a Dragonlance campaign for more than a year and though it's enjoyable, it's not a classic adventury kind of game.

Pondering what normal D&D game with dungeons and critters would be fun, and having recently started crafting OotS images of existing characters, I said to myself, "Self, why not run an actual OotS adventure game with OotS characters, OotS wackiness, and set in Rich Burlew's actual OotS setting?"

The answer, of course, was , "WTF not?"

So last night I floated the idea to my pals and we'll be lifting off in a week or so. So my questions really are; What do y'all think if the idea? Anybody ever tried this? Any ideas how to make it more OotS-ish?

Below, I'll post some things I've come up with and things about a character or two that sets it in the world properly - which is easy enough since there's so much unexplored world to go around.

Questions and comments wanted!

Thanks,

GH

[Ignition]

I'm sure Rich is kicking himself over not just releasing an OOTS D&D splatbook, even a parody one :smallwink: (which I think would be awesome, by the way).

Frankly I think most D&D games ultimately turn into OOTS, even ones that start out serious-business style. Are you planning on actually running the OOTS story, with OOTS characters, or is it all original and you're basically going to lampoon the 'default setting' in the way OOTS would? Maybe run it as an elseworlds game where Xykon, rather than go after the gates, decided to just conquer things by force and fear, and succeeded; the players would be having to move under the thumb of an ever-present malevolent force to unhinge him from his seat of power, and maybe it is they who are trying to use the gates as leverage - while unknowingly coming closer and closer to destroying the world in an effort to defeat what may or may not be a lesser evil.

That's how I would run it at least.

[Mongoose87]

I'm sure Rich is kicking himself over not just releasing an OOTS D&D splatbook, even a parody one :smallwink: (which I think would be awesome, by the way).

He could still make a "D20 System" book, if he wanted, couldn't he?

[Ignition]

He could still make a "D20 System" book, if he wanted, couldn't he?

Well, he hasn't, and something tells me he would by now if he was planning on it. But no, he could make OOTSd20 using the SRD in much the same way Paizo made Pathfinder, perfectly legally, and I can guarentee you it would sell like hotcakes.

Whether he would/will, I have no idea. It'd be a pretty significant undertaking, and I wouldn't want to be presumptuous with his health concerns; relatedly, I would prefer an OOTSd20 supplement/game come directly from Rich if at all possible.

[Maxios]

You have to ask yourself a few questions before starting the campaign:
1. Are the players controlling the Order of the Stick?
2. Will the campaign be the webcomic's with some differences?
3. If the players control the Order, will they use the stats from the thread for it on these fourms, or will they look at the comics and come up with it on their own?
3.5 If so, will player's start at Level 1, or the level the Order is at the beginning?

[The Big Dice]

Well, he hasn't, and something tells me he would by now if he was planning on it. But no, he could make OOTSd20 using the SRD in much the same way Paizo made Pathfinder, perfectly legally, and I can guarentee you it would sell like hotcakes.
I'd buy it. Without even seeing what was inside it first, just on the basis of it being an OotS sourcebook by The Giant.

I've thought about taking the concept of OotS and turning it into a campaign myself. Even without the humour, the basis of a bunch of adventures dungeon crawling, then gradually getting involved in bigger and bigger events is pretty much the way most D&D campaigns go. And there's so much material that you'd probably struggle to get it all into a campaign anyway.

Plus I have a feeling most players with internet access might recognise where the plot was coming from...

[Gorgon_Heap]

I'm making it an independant game set around the same time (1181-ish I think). They have nothing to do with the Order; they are their own adventuring group. I'm just loving the idea of being completely silly with a semi-serious plot and some crazy characters and lots of fourth wall breakage.

They're going to start on the coast and after a few adventures make their way north to Cliffport, probably shortly after the Linear Guild murdered all those people and the central park lost all its trees. Hmm, I smell an adventure hook there ...

[Gorgon_Heap]

Thus far I have some background info for two characters: A cleric of the southern gods and a ranger.

The cleric will be from the as-yet-unnamed southern nation as seen in OotS #501 panel 8. He is named Rotfl-Mao and is on a mission to build his own kingdom (and whenever dramatically on a hill or some such he will use Vaarsuvious-like speeches combined with Enthrall to preach his own greatness).

The ranger is from the great white north (which I assumed was there before seeing maps and threads in which everyone else also assumed it was there!) The info on that location, though not character background, is here:


Fisher Redpoll, CG Female Human Ranger


The Redpoll family is named after a small, arctic-dwelling bird with a red patch on its head. This is fitting, as the family has forever lived in the frigid northern climes and have, for the most part, red hair. Though they – like many other northern nomad peoples of the Endless White tribe – have wandered from place to place over the years, for three generations they have lived in the small village of Gatherfire. The village has a population of about 200 but in times of celebration, prayer, or more often bleakness, nomads flood in and swell that number to more than double. Daily life was much like that of most other nomad humans of the north. Days are spent fishing and hunting, and nights are spent crafting while sharing strong beer and oral histories. And staying close to a fire to keep from freezing to death.
Many southern peoples have wondered over the centuries why the nomads went so far north to begin with, and it turns out there were two reasons. First: They wanted nothing to do with paying taxes. Second: When they first arrived, they discovered they were atop a number of underground dwarven settlements and sought fair trade. They traded beer recipes, and the dwarves have not trusted humans ever since. To avoid once again being near unpleasant neighbors, or maybe even war, the nomads did what they had grown used to and just kept going north.

[Maxios]

Perhaps the players could partake in the Battle of Azure City, or encounter the Order later on. Maybe they'd fight the linear guild later on.

[The Glyphstone]

It wouldn't make sense for them to fight the Linear Guild, they're the OotS's antagonists. Having their own group of thematic opposites to vie against would make sense though.

[Maxios]

Good point Glyphstone. There should be evil oopsites. Perhaps one PC has an evil twin brother/sister.
But though, having them fight in the Battle for Azure city could lead to a lot of sessions for that massive battle, leading to at least a super-adventure for the PCs.

[Gorgon_Heap]

Actually, Maxios, one player said he wants to play halfling evil Monk and Rogue brother/sister combo. Which should be ... interesting.

And I think I'll avoid the battle of Azure City in general but some of the fallout will be noticed.

And really, I think Rich created a wonderful world of mischief and fun that I can do a lot with thematically without doing everything he's already done.

[Maxios]

Ah. At one point though, the PCs should at least encounter a member of the Order of the Stick, or at least an important character from the webcomic. Perhaps you could have the PCs encounter an area from the webcomic, like Red Mountain Hills, or Cliffport, or Graysky City.

[Gorgon_Heap]

I addressed that in my second post.

[Maxios]

Good idea, playing a OOTs campaign.

[Kaje]

I'm not sure about an OOTS campaign, but I think it would be really fun to play in a similar world in which the characters have metagame knowledge of the rules, feats, classes, ability scores and so on.

[Balain]

There has to be some plot with Nowhere, Somewhere, Anywhere and Someplace.

[mobdrazhar]

get them to meet the Kobold Oracle

[Lord Raziere]

There has to be some plot with Nowhere, Somewhere, Anywhere and Someplace.

Be sure to include Emperor Who and What City :smallcool:

[Gorgon_Heap]

get them to meet the Kobold Oracle

Holy smokes! I hadn't thought of that!

:smallbiggrin:

[mobdrazhar]

Holy smokes! I hadn't thought of that!

:smallbiggrin:

Hell you could even get him to be a central figure of the campaign... use him as a quest giver

[Kaje]

You'd probably have to have the player's choose what question to ask right before they meet the oracle, and then just give them the answers, skipping over the whole time with him.

[Maxios]

Yeah, it would same time, and getting annoyed with the oracle!

[Tyndmyr]

If Rich published an OoTS campaign setting, I would buy it in a heartbeat. Screw reviews, forum talk, waiting for sales, or any of that. The sheer awesomeness would be enough.

It'd make an awesome world to play in.

[Gorgon_Heap]

I do agree, and I'm a HUGE fan of fluff - I bought FR and Eberron setting books just because I liked all the info in them even I didn't give a rat's patoot about the game material.

But, you have to wonder how much he really has created. It's a big open map to leave things, well, big and open for the future. His story is so good I really don't mind.

Though, that said, I did open the thread hoping for any other reader ideas about locations and such, but I'm not desperate or anything.

[Maxios]

Hmmmm...perhaps the players at somepoint would visit the Western Continent? The sailing to it alone could be an adventure with pirates and sea monsters at every turn. Then at the western continent, the players could help topple an evil tyrant, or join a large group who hunt Purple Worms.
They could later visit the Empire of Blood, commit a transgression so minor no one knows about it, and fight in the arena and escape in a brilliant example of teamwork and ingenuity.