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BRC
2010-09-22, 11:43 PM
If you're one of my players, you know who you are, stop here.
alright, let's get started.

The Gods are dead, and we killed them. We burned their temples and forgot their names. Well, We didn’t do anything, the Mage Kings did it.
The Mage Kings, one hundred and twenty three of them, each with a nation of servants and a chorus of lesser mages to feed them power. They conquered Death, and then had no need for afterlife. In their immortal lives they developed magics to replace those of the Clerics. Gradually, they replaced the god’s, then they sought to destroy them.
It was a terrible war, we can tell by the Craters, by the vast wastes and burned cities. The Gods sought to punish the mage kings for their hubris, the mages sought to usurp the gods of their power. Neither side won, but the world lost. Without the protection of the gods or the might of the god-kings, those that survived the war were at the mercy of terrible beasts. Driven from the mainland we fled. The Dwarves fled below the mountains, the elves attempted a stand, and were shattered, surviving only as nomads. The rest of us fled to the coast, abandoning most of the land, squeezing into what land we could secure, leaving the world to savages and beasts.
That was some time ago, things are different now. Beasts that laughed at our swords fall to our bullets. Vast wastes that once presented an impenetrable barrier we fly across with steel and steam.
Out there in the Lost Lands there is gold to be found, relics to be uncovered, land to be claimed. You can carve out a new life, a new future. Or you can die, you know, either way.

So yeah, an overly poetic description of the setting I’m going to use for my western campaign.
The PC’s, a gunslinger (Modifed Ranger) A Beguiler, and occasionally a Druid, I’m planning to start them out with some standard Mercenary type stuff, but eventually bring them into a conflict between a surviving, but depowered Mage-King who runs either a Bank or a Railroad company, haven’t decided yet, and a group trying to resurrect the gods, or at least one god.
I’m pretty sure the First adventure is going to involve the PC’s being hired by said Bank or Railroad guy (or maybe one of his employees, I havn’t decided yet). He had a Box (Possibly a pre-war artifact?) on the way to a nearby town via carriage so they could put it on the train back to the city, some bandits stop the carriage, take the Box, the PC’s need to hunt them down ect ect.
I’m wondering where to go from there. Do I just have the PC’s wander around being mercenaries for awhile; do I drop a plot hook somewhere that leads them on a trail to more adventure? Do I burn down a town or three? How soon do I bring in the whole “Mage King vs Cult trying to bring back the gods” thing. Is that even a good plotline? Do people have any ideas for adventures in this setting?

JonestheSpy
2010-09-23, 12:31 AM
Well, your background seems to indicate that the odds are currently stacked in favor of the ones with guns and steam engines. Are there still older powers that can seriously threaten the technological types, or are the real struggles between 'civilized' types with the magical beasts just nuisance value? And is there a real benefit to the world if the gods are somehow brought back, some spiritual aspect returning now absent in a tech-dominated world, or would they just be old masters trying to reassert power over now-independent former subjects? Is the last mage-king trying to defend the new independence of the sentient races, or does he want to be a tyrant - or just protect his own business interests without giving a fig for anyone else?

Those all seem like questions that should be addressed when deciding the shape of the campaign. It all seems to point to a series of adventures that are connected to an overall plot instead of random mercenary jobs, though maybe it seems random at first. But I'm predisposed to overarching plots, so maybe that's just me.

dsmiles
2010-09-23, 04:49 AM
Oooo...this setting practically begs to use the Iron Kingdoms books. The Gunslinger, the Gun Mage, the Arcane Mechanick, the Bodger, Steam power, guns, magitech, and more awesomesauce can be yours...all in one book! I found it in a torrent on piratebay, but I haven't seen it for purchase except at ourtageous prices (since it's out of print). Completely 3.x compatible steampunk awesomeness which can be easily converted into a Western atmosphere.

Sorry for the unashamed advert for Iron Kingdoms, but it's a great resource for a mix of magic and technology, IMO.

The Rose Dragon
2010-09-23, 04:54 AM
Sorry for the unashamed advert for Iron Kingdoms, but it's a great resource for a mix of magic and technology, IMO.

And, according to popular opinion, horrible mechanics.

It can be found on RPGNow.com, by the way.

dsmiles
2010-09-23, 05:26 AM
And, according to popular opinion, horrible mechanics.

It can be found on RPGNow.com, by the way.

I tend not to listen to popular opinion when I have first-hand experience. I never thought the mechanics were any worse than standard 3.0 systems (as IK came before 3.5, but could easily be converted). The 4e conversion (http://bodgedtogether.com/) is pretty decent, but incomplete as of this posting.

The Rose Dragon
2010-09-23, 05:37 AM
I never thought the mechanics were any worse than standard 3.0 systems (as IK came before 3.5, but could easily be converted).

That's not saying much. 3rd Edition has widely reviled mechanics, after all.

dsmiles
2010-09-23, 05:47 AM
That's not saying much. 3rd Edition has widely reviled mechanics, after all.

I can't disagree with that. I just can't.

I did use the converted 3.5 mechanics in IK, though, because by the time I found out about IK, I was already playing 3.5 (whose mechanics better, but not by much, IMO).

EDIT: Is the RPGNow selling it in hard copy, because that's what I really want is a book. I seriously dislike the 4e online character builder and crap like that. (I don't want a bunch of laptops on my gaming table, unless it's a LAN party, of course.)

Dsurion
2010-09-23, 08:28 AM
This sounds like an awesome mesh between Dark Sun and Deadlands.

If you absolutely have no idea what to do for early adventure hooks, though, using your Bank/Rail baron employer idea would work fine for a while, especially if you want to build up trust for any particular reason - be that to betray them or continue to supply adventures.

BRC
2010-09-23, 09:43 AM
Well, your background seems to indicate that the odds are currently stacked in favor of the ones with guns and steam engines. Are there still older powers that can seriously threaten the technological types, or are the real struggles between 'civilized' types with the magical beasts just nuisance value? And is there a real benefit to the world if the gods are somehow brought back, some spiritual aspect returning now absent in a tech-dominated world, or would they just be old masters trying to reassert power over now-independent former subjects? Is the last mage-king trying to defend the new independence of the sentient races, or does he want to be a tyrant - or just protect his own business interests without giving a fig for anyone else?

Those all seem like questions that should be addressed when deciding the shape of the campaign. It all seems to point to a series of adventures that are connected to an overall plot instead of random mercenary jobs, though maybe it seems random at first. But I'm predisposed to overarching plots, so maybe that's just me.

Alright
Magical Beasts: Still a big problem. People arn't going into the lostlands in an organized push, this is a wild west campaign. You've got bands of prospectors, settlers, farmers, ranchers, bandits, and the like are streaming out and grabbing up land, shooting anything big and nasty that gets in their way. Sometimes they run afoul of something too big and nasty for them to handle, and they die. Sometimes they run afoul of each other.
Now, the really big and nasty stuff, tribes of Giants, big Dragons, hydras, areas positively infested with monsters. Those areas exist, and are targeted by military divisions who wage bloody wars to clear them out. Generally, as a reward for service, soldiers are allowed to stay in and colonize areas they helped liberate, so you have alot of veterans out there trying to make a life. And if it turns out they can't make it as a Farmer or a miner, or a rancher or whatever, they turn to banditry.

Bringing the Gods Back: Would have the benefit of bringing reliable Divine magic back into use. I had the rough idea for the setting some time ago, and home brewed the Doctor and the Preacher (See Sig) for use in them. It would certainly make reclaiming the land easier. However, there is a good chance whichever gods are brought back, having been killed by mortals before, will use their power to enslave the world.

The Mage King: He certainly says his goal is to protect the people from the Gods and to use his powers to make life better/help reclaim the Land. However, if he was restored to anywhere NEAR full power, he could easily conquer whats left of the world. So, it really depends on whether or not the PC's trust him.

Iron Kingdoms: Tempting, but this is more a Western campaign than Steampunk.
So yeah, there are still plenty of dangers out there

ErrantX
2010-09-23, 11:57 AM
Very cool setting idea. I see a frontier town that is all ghost-town like, set near a mountain with a mine in it. The townsfolk have all become ghouls and deep down in the mine is the creature that has done this to them. Just a random idea that popped up into my head.

Very awesome setting.

-X

BRC
2010-09-23, 01:48 PM
Very cool setting idea. I see a frontier town that is all ghost-town like, set near a mountain with a mine in it. The townsfolk have all become ghouls and deep down in the mine is the creature that has done this to them. Just a random idea that popped up into my head.

Very awesome setting.

-X
Ooh, now that's a fun idea. Maybe the mine uncovered some sort of relic from the war. Maybe some sort of super-ghoul created by one side or another that got sealed away during the war and has been waiting ever since.

I'd like to work with the idea that this a highly unstable setting. Many fantasy worlds are what I like to call "Stable", things have been a certain way for quite some time, anything of importance happened centuries ago. Something is happening now, and usually the good guys are trying to maintain the status quo.

With this setting, I'm trying to work with a world in flux. People are retaking the Lostlands, railroads are pushing out. Things haven't been the way they are for very long, and they won't be this way for much longer. This is not the status quo,.


Also, concerning the whole "Fighting Monsters" thing. The new technologies are not allowing people to sweep the monsters aside, it's just giving them a fighting chance. More than anything, overcrowding in the "Safe" zones is the primary reason for this expansion. Settlers and Soldiers are paying for every acre they make safe. I kind of want to have, at least one adventure take place in an active warzone. Maybe a highly fertile valley, where soldiers armed with cannons and rifles are trying to drive out or pacify a tribe of Trolls or Giants or something.

Something else I might want to look into is the nature of "Back Home". Most of the Frontier is pretty much running itself. Maybe one of the old nations is trying to take more direct control of a region, and is meeting resistance from the local frontiersmen.
I'm hoping to give the PC's a choice. Helping the Cult bring back the gods, or the Mage-King regain his power could greatly benefit everybody. A little Epic-level spell casting or divine intervention could go a long way towards helping secure the Lostlands. However, either one could lead to the world ruled by an all powerful tyrant. I also want to make it clear that they could take a third option, stop both the Mage King and the Cult, leave the world as-is, with people relying on their own effort and ingenuity rather than the support of a god or the whims of an immortal supermage.

So yeah, More Ideas! How would the Mage-King be trying to regain his power? What is the Cult doing to bring the gods back?


Edit: Oh, something I feel like exploring. I mentioned that the Dwarves (And Gnomes maybe) fled from the monsters by moving underground. Most probably lived underneath the Barrier Mountains that most people fled behind (I should make a Map), but I could imagine a few Dwarven strongholds in the middle of the Lostlands that basically sealed themselves away from the surface. Any ideas for what happens when the Frontier encounters these strongholds.