I think players are trying to play joke on me, I'm thinking of turning it back.

[Akisa]

So I sent out an e-mail to saying I might run a game but wasn't sure what setting. Then I got a bunch e-mail from the players stating they want to make characters like a ranger who owns an apple farm with her brother and baby sister who happens to named Ashley "Apple" Jack. Another making a wizard who trained under the wizard ruler and had a nicknamed "Twlight" or "Sparkle". The list goes on such as "Pinkie" or "Pie" as a bard or a Tomboy Monk who dyed her hair and named Rainbow Dash.

While I have never seen MLP how should I go about making a scenario for the campaign. I only know the basics of the shows like the character's name and basic summary of their personalities. Or should I just laugh it up, and say be serious?

[BlueEyes]

http://friendshipisdragons.thecomicseries.com/comics/first/

[Waker]

Accept the challenge that they have put forth, but don't go in the direction that they expect. Instead of learning about how friendship is magic, the party has for whatever reason decided to topple the cruel Magocracy that has ruled over the land for millenia. The wizard was an unwilling student to her dark master, the ranger's farm was burned and salted for harboring dissident factions and so on.

Going into more detail, the ruler of this land is a power mad Mage (wizard, cleric, whatever) who demands the adoration of all. Draw inspiration from Lord of the Rings my friend, "And now at last it comes. You will give me the Ring freely! In place of the Dark Lord you will set up a Queen. And I shall not be dark, but beautiful and terrible as the Morning and the Night! Fair as the Sea and the Sun and the Snow upon the Mountain! Dreadful as the Storm and the Lightning! Stronger than the foundations of the earth. All shall love me and despair!"

[Arbane]

You could play it completely straight.

"The Solar God-Queen has vanished, and her sister the mad Goddess of Darkness has plunged the world into eternal night. Someone has to stop her, or the sun will never rise again."

[Doktor Per]

Tell your players to get serious.

Alternatively play your campaign world straight, like a good Nicholas Cage flick. Have them run into some other jerks who value "friendship" just like on the show, they bully, single out, manipulate and torment people/monsters/each other but it's okay because they always smile and/or laugh about it. Have them be the other adventuring party. Make popularity be the objective way to determine good/evil on the alignment chart (at least for NPCs) chaos and law are merely determined by whether you are the straight or the odd man.

No one likes orcs, so they're bad, everyone likes elves and dwarves so they're good. Halflings are okay, but slightly mischievous so they are neutral. Do not make their societies per se more or less mean based on this, if anything invert it. Have orcs be strong but with thin skin so they'll react badly when mocked, made fun of or called evil. (They are evil, but only because they're not popular)

[Keld Denar]

Your game setting. I has it. (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=210605)

Note: Don't post in linked thread. That's necromancy!

[Hiro Protagonest]

"In the beginning, there were two sisters. Luna, and Celest. Celest was a tyrant, and her hobby was trolling, so Luna banished her. She now controls both the sun and the moon. But rumor has it, that on the one thousandth solstice, Sol will return to try and take over the world."

Then, tell them to make serious characters.

[Waker]

Keld, I found that post to be amusing and eerily close to what I posted. Good to know that even though I only watched a season of the show with my niece, I came to some of the same conclusions.

[Ceric]

I'm guessing they know quite well that you haven't watched the show, and don't expect you to make a scenario about it. Just make an ordinary, non-MLP campaign and let them play whoever they want to play, if the only part of the game this affects is the characters' names and build decisions.

This advice is assuming the rest of your gaming group is bronies. If they're just trolling you, laugh and tell them to be serious.

[Doktor Per]

I take my first statement back, don't tell them to get serious. Use this as an opportunity to really explore morality.

[Akisa]

This advice is assuming the rest of your gaming group is bronies. If they're just trolling you, laugh and tell them to be serious.

Actually they're mostly Pegasis with a couple Bronies. I guess I can make the ruler evil, like some of the thread here.

[blackspeeker]

This is all I could think of, surely someone can work with this:

http://i.imgur.com/701nA.jpg

[Waker]

I do sympathize with your plight Akisa. I wake up in a cold sweat at night, haunted by nightmares that I've been tasked with running a Ponyfinder Game. Thankfully that has not happened yet. But in honor of this thread, I've thought of a potential storyline that you can use.
"Hearken to me everypony and I shall tell you how we came to be in this plight.
Long ago, before the sun and moon and stars danced in the Heavens, there was a great herd of ponies who raced through the cosmos. Their manes burned with the ferocity of the sun, their hooves crushed mountains, their breath stirred up storms that raged for centuries. These ponies were of the God Tribe were led by four great leaders; Eous, Aethiops, Bronte and Sterope. Of particular note were the daughters of Eous and Bronte, whom were named Celestia and Luna.
The herd roamed the endless void for eons but grew distraught by it's emptiness. It was decided that they should pool together their efforts and create a home in which to reside. Aethiops laid out the great plains to range across, while Sterope planted to mountains to hold up the sky. Eous kicked up a spark with his hooves which became the sun while Bronte placed her most precious jewel in the sky to be the moon.
The daughters however had contributed nothing to this endeavor. They saw such labors as beneath them and railed against any entreaties to work. Eventually these arguments became so heated that blood was spilled and the great Aethiops lay dead. Enraged at this atrocity, the God Tribe struck down the daughters and took from them their divine spark. In shame and sorrow, the God Tribe left the world to found anew.
Bereft of much of their power the daughters were now faced with mortality. In panic they sought to craft servitor races to exalt them. Though they created many, their three greatest successes were the pony tribes as we know them today. From stone and soil were the ponies of the Earth Tribe formed. Of rain and clouds were the Pegasi Tribe created. And the blood of the daughters themselves gave birth to the Unicorn Tribe.
Eventually however Celestia grew weary of dividing her followers with her sister. It should be obvious to all that truly she was the greatest goddess. Her sisters moon could not even give off it's own light, being wholly reliant on the sun to provide illumination. In a daring move, she imprisoned her sister and seized control of Luna's divine powers.
For a time Celestia was comfortable in her position. She was beloved by all, but even she could not forget the sting of mortality. Despite having tremendous power, she was no longer truly immortal and the fear of an assassin's blade worried her greatly. Had she not herself deprived a goddess of her powers? Could not another do so? To counter any threats of deicide, she formed an elite guard to protect her at all times. Still nothing occurred but her paranoia would not abate.
Celestia's forces hold all of Equestria. The sole vestige of freedom in the land is the Evergreen Forest, where Celestia's power could not reach. Some whisper that mighty Aethiops's final resting place lies at its heart and even in death he opposes her."
The party's mission, should they chose to accept it is to locate Luna, who is shackled deep underground and in her rage causes the earthquakes that plague the land. From her they can learn the method by which how to deprive a goddess of her powers.

[Ceric]

Actually they're mostly Pegasis with a couple Bronies. I guess I can make the ruler evil, like some of the thread here.

Well... I mean fans of the show, of either gender.

[TypoNinja]

It really depends on what kind of game you want. My most memorable game to date is still one that got started off as a joke.

We were sitting around trying to think of character ideas and somebody threw out 'let's all roll pallies!" Much laughing ensued, and the joke furthered, Everyone had Biblical names, Michael, Matthew, ect. We hammed up the stereotype. Blonde, blue eyed, chiseled chins, 6 foot 4, identical quadruplets! And of course, Shining Plate Mail.

And thus the brothers of Torm were born. Our signature move was linking arms and kicking in the door like a line of chorus girls doing a high kick.

We even played it mostly straight after character creation, we just defined the characters with a hammed up stereotype.

Which was really fun, That much laughter around a table was rarely ever seen again, it was a blast and a half. So the question is, if your players are playing a joke on you, what's going to be more fun? Calling them out, or running with it?

[Ninjadeadbeard]

Ponyhammer 40k.

In the 41st Millennium, there is only Friendship.

[Cespenar]

Ponyhammer 40k.

In the 41st Millennium, there is only Friendship.

And friends tell hard truths.

[Morph Bark]

Accept the challenge that they have put forth, but don't go in the direction that they expect. Instead of learning about how friendship is magic, the party has for whatever reason decided to topple the cruel Magocracy that has ruled over the land for millenia. The wizard was an unwilling student to her dark master, the ranger's farm was burned and salted for harboring dissident factions and so on.

Going into more detail, the ruler of this land is a power mad Mage (wizard, cleric, whatever) who demands the adoration of all. Draw inspiration from Lord of the Rings my friend, "And now at last it comes. You will give me the Ring freely! In place of the Dark Lord you will set up a Queen. And I shall not be dark, but beautiful and terrible as the Morning and the Night! Fair as the Sea and the Sun and the Snow upon the Mountain! Dreadful as the Storm and the Lightning! Stronger than the foundations of the earth. All shall love me and despair!"

This, as Ninjadeadbeard emphasized, made me think "in the grimdark world of Equestria, there is only magic."

Or friendship. Take your pick. Either could be necessary for survival.


"In the beginning, there were two sisters. Luna, and Celest. Celest was a tyrant, and her hobby was trolling, so Luna banished her. She now controls both the sun and the moon. But rumor has it, that on the one thousandth solstice, Sol will return to try and take over the world."

Then, tell them to make serious characters.

Rather than forcing them to make serious characters (I mean hey, they all worked together on this obviously, so they must be liking that set-up), you could expand on that. Heck, if the sun-goddess (pony or not) would be a tyrant and the current ruler, you could have a setting similar to Dark Sun. If the moon-goddess would be the current ruler and the tyrant, instead you've got Ravenloft.

[Golden Ladybug]

I'd just run it; even if they are playing a joke, does it really matter? The aim of the game is to have fun, right? And if you don't mind running it, and they're going to have fun playing in it, then everybody wins!

I would subvert the hell out of it, and go with one of the many awesome dystopian/grimdark/totalitarian MLP ideas.

I once contemplated running an MLP game set in gritty, detective noir manehatten, as our group of intrepid adventurers must solve the crime of who killed the Streetwalker Scarlet Hart, only to find clues leading them to a much more far-reaching and horrible crime...

Damnit, now I want to run that game again :smallbiggrin:

[Dairuga]

See. You sent out an E-mail, and you got replies. Check; done.
Now, imagine: Look, how much fun! They present so many characters. Twilight; Jack, Dash and.. Some other guy. We'll get to those later. Grrrreat; that gives you something to work with!

Let's take a look at the world they want. Fine, they want ponies?
Give them ponies.
For additional fun? Why don't you put it up -all- the way? Oh yes, these people want ponies. Have they seen the show? Most absolutely.

Do not laugh it up as a joke. Don't tell them to get serious. This is all kinds of seriousness, oh yes.
This is the seriousness of your normal D&D world. And as well all know, the world of D&D is not your kiddy-friendly place. There is a reason why the world is not flooded with adventurers, after all. If everyone decided to pick up a wizard hat and go into training, there'd be wizards all around. But there is not. Care to guess why?

Death.

Adventuring is the most dangerous profession there is. Fighting monsters, exploring dungeons, walking among traps on a daily basis. The mortality rate is -high-.

The fun Thing about the show is that it is guided by prinicples of happiness and that all will work out in the end. A game ruled by dice? Not so much.

Oh, they want to play My little Pony? Hohoho, then why don't you give them my little pony? Meeting with a manticore at level 1. And an enraged dragon, of who knows what CR. A magical forest with fear-inducing illusions, and an evil party made from shadow conjuration, seeking to either convert the hero or kill them off.

Hell, once one character starts dying, they might start to be slightly more grim, and grow into the game as the seriousness it is. Of course, you aren't going to go out of your ways to -kill- them. They'll manage that quite well enough themselves, if you follow the plot (Speaking of which, do give the earlier links a read. The comic where someone D&D'ized the first episodes is quite the good read, if you follow along those lines.

So let the games begin, tell your party that you find their characters interesting, and roll along as they bumble trough something they may or may not expect to be an auto-pass road to success. Keep that grin along your face as you lead them towards the monsters. Oh... Did they just approach a wounded, pained manticore at level 1? Hoping they could pacify it?

Attack of Opportunity. With Flat-footed advantage. Let us hope the level 1 characters have a good Armor class.

[Marlowe]

Spoilered for imageriness:http://www.somethingpositive.net/arch/sp05282008.jpg

[Hiro Protagonest]

Rather than forcing them to make serious characters (I mean hey, they all worked together on this obviously, so they must be liking that set-up), you could expand on that. Heck, if the sun-goddess (pony or not) would be a tyrant and the current ruler, you could have a setting similar to Dark Sun. If the moon-goddess would be the current ruler and the tyrant, instead you've got Ravenloft.

I should've made it more clear, Luna currently holds control. But she's not a tyrant.

And I said Sol when I should've said Celest. That was the original name I had for the sun goddess.

[Asheram]

http://friendshipisdragons.thecomicseries.com/comics/first/

... Alright, you just stole a few hours of my life there, and it's Awesome! :smallbiggrin:

[Morph Bark]

I should've made it more clear, Luna currently holds control. But she's not a tyrant.

Oh, I know. But the OP could always go for a double subversion and make Luna the tyrant. :smalltongue:

Or go for a triple subversion and have it seem like the world is ruled by a tyrannical leader, but this is actually a ploy by someone else who wants to be a tyrannical leader themselves.

...although that might actually be the original premise of MLP:FiM. I dunno.

[BlueEyes]

Oh, I know. But the OP could always go for a double subversion and make Luna the tyrant. :smalltongue:

Or go for a triple subversion and have it seem like the world is ruled by a tyrannical leader, but this is actually a ploy by someone else who wants to be a tyrannical leader themselves.

...although that might actually be the original premise of MLP:FiM. I dunno.
It was the changelings all along!

[Asheram]

It was the changelings all along!

Changelings? No no, Illithids! Mindcontroling Everyone!

[Morph Bark]

Clearly, the illithids were controlling the changelings, while vampires controlled the illithids and clerics of the Burning Hate controlled the vampires. He was behind it all along! Or rather, she, for she has donned a triple disguise as well!


...does this sound like a Scooby-Doo episode disguised as an Equilibrium-like plot to anyone else?

[Waker]

Changelings? No no, Illithids! Mindcontroling Everyone!
You don't mean...the Illithiati do you? That secret organization of mindflayers who actually control everything from behind the scenes.

[Asheram]

Clearly, the illithids were controlling the changelings, while vampires controlled the illithids and clerics of the Burning Hate controlled the vampires. He was behind it all along! Or rather, she, for she has donned a triple disguise as well!


...does this sound like a Scooby-Doo episode disguised as an Equilibrium-like plot to anyone else?

A little bit, yes.

And remember that the same person can be placed at multiple positions in this chain in order to hide who is Really controlling it all.

[The Glyphstone]

You don't mean...the Illithiati do you? That secret organization of mindflayers who actually control everything from behind the scenes.

The Tentacalli crime family? But they're in disarray after Chresti and Mimic stole their Magic Missile...

[Drakoun]

Well, first of all i'd suggest that if you haven't seen the show yet, you should give it a shot at least.
Second i guess the easiest way of resolving this ... problem? is by simply asking your players if they really want to play in a MLP setting and if yes, to what extend. I, for example, would love to play a game set in Equestria, even if it were a little darker.
If they really like the show it might not be a good idea to twist the universe to much (dunno how much humorous your players are...)
Lastly i'd suggest that you really should just watch the show :P
if you aren't patient enough to watch at least the first few, start off with season 2 ep 3: "lesson zero"

[Acanous]

Really, what it seems the players are expecting here are MLP-based characters in a D&D World. They know you don't watch the show, so they expect a standard D&D adventure out of you, not a MLP setting.

Imagine the MLP cast playing a game of D&D in their free time. Your game is that game.

So really, don't change your world. Don't worry about the poniness. Just run a game of D&D, and let your players worry about the roleplay.

Trolling them back on purpose will deprive you of your DM hat.

[Malachei]

Or should I just laugh it up, and say be serious?

This. Unless you're convinced your players (and you) will actually have fun. If you have enough spare time at your hands, you might want to give it a try. But before you delve into sources and create a setting and an adventure just because your players have played an April Fool's Day thing on you, you could speak to one of them and ask him/her if the group really wants to play ponies. It's not like having a one-shot is bad, and perhaps this really caters to your players' interests, and who knows, you might see a years-long pony campaign, but still: It would not be my cup of tea.

[Leon]

Let them play what characters they want. In Ravenloft.

[Acanous]

Let them play what characters they want. In Ravenloft.

This is a perfectly acceptable solution.

[Malachei]

Let them play what characters they want. In Ravenloft.

Or in Tomb of Horrors.

[Asheram]

So I sent out an e-mail to saying I might run a game but wasn't sure what setting. Then I got a bunch e-mail from the players stating they want to make characters like a ranger who owns an apple farm with her brother and baby sister who happens to named Ashley "Apple" Jack. Another making a wizard who trained under the wizard ruler and had a nicknamed "Twlight" or "Sparkle". The list goes on such as "Pinkie" or "Pie" as a bard or a Tomboy Monk who dyed her hair and named Rainbow Dash.

While I have never seen MLP how should I go about making a scenario for the campaign. I only know the basics of the shows like the character's name and basic summary of their personalities. Or should I just laugh it up, and say be serious?

Naw, but in all seriousness, I suggest you play it straight and make it a one-shot adventure in Equestria... Spiced up D&D style ofcourse.

[Telonius]

Would these gamers be old enough to remember the 80s cartoons? You could set it up as a plot by the older ponies (maybe the one with the jewel-eyes?) to re-assert power. Bonus plot point: iirc, there was a pony named Rainbow Dash in the original. Is the monk a sleeper agent?

Ready-made villains: a trio of bumbling witches, a bunch of evil bee-folk...

[BlueEyes]

Bonus plot point: iirc, there was a pony named Rainbow Dash in the original. Is the monk a sleeper agent?
There is a Rainbow Dash in the new version too. She's one of the mane six characters.

[Telonius]

There is a Rainbow Dash in the new version too. She's one of the mane six characters.

That's the point - plot hook being that the "Rainbow Dash" monk might know something about their enemies, or even be working for them.

[Keld Denar]

The Tentacalli crime family? But they're in disarray after Chresti and Mimic stole their Magic Missile...

I approve of your reference! Well played sir! I think it was Presti, though...

[The Glyphstone]

I approve of your reference! Well played sir! I think it was Presti, though...

You are correct, I am ashamed.

[CTrees]

Or in Tomb of Horrors.

My Little Tomb of Horrors: Friendship is Trapped was my first thought, too.

[Hiro Protagonest]

I approve of your reference! Well played sir! I think it was Presti, though...

Actually, I think it was Prestige Perkins.

...

Practiced practitioner of practical Prestidigitation.

[Akisa]

Well I'm off to gm ponyfinder. I took everyone's advise and watch the show, I seen it from Nightmare moon to some doploganer pretending to be a princess for a wedding to feed on love.

[Drakoun]

weeell, does that mean you like the show now? (you watched all 52 episodes Oo?)
Anyways, please tell us how it went with your players.
would love to read more about your game and if you could pull it off successively. (or rather how you actually play 'ponyfinder' )

[moritheil]

Going into more detail, the ruler of this land is a power mad Mage (wizard, cleric, whatever) who demands the adoration of all. Draw inspiration from Lord of the Rings my friend, "And now at last it comes. You will give me the Ring freely! In place of the Dark Lord you will set up a Queen. And I shall not be dark, but beautiful and terrible as the Morning and the Night! Fair as the Sea and the Sun and the Snow upon the Mountain! Dreadful as the Storm and the Lightning! Stronger than the foundations of the earth. All shall love me and despair!"

Waker, you are the man. :smallbiggrin:

[Waker]

I love that part of the book/movie. Something doesn't have to be covered in horns or dripping ichor in order to be scary, comparing herself to sheer elemental power was enough for me. My absolute favorite line in the entire series though is "All shall love me and despair!"

[Akisa]

It turned out they were joking and weren't expecting to play those characters. So I managed to convince the group to play in the world using their real characters, but tweaked them to be ponies from Pony Finder. The session was ok, I wasn't prepared as I would like as I spent most of the time doing research of the show.

But I played it off as Celestia is manipulative in her goals and is sort of a tyrant. Has agents in other kingdoms to subvert their control and in the past to gain control like she did to Pegasopolis, Unicornia and Earth. Celestia is trying to conqueror through manipulative take control the country of Trotterlot. The PC managed to find that local mayor and police chief a city was replaced by some Celestia's minion using disguise spells. Among the plot they discovered part of the ritual summoning of Windigoes (although they weren't named as such) and with plans of starting of infighting so they could be fed.

I mostly had to improvise the last portion of the scenario, as I needed a plan how would Celestia gain control of a nation, aside for impersonation. The group wants to continue to see where it leads.