Idea for a campaign (Groundhog's Day?)

[dascarletm]

So here is an idea I had while reading some forums. I don't remember the exact chain of powers, if anyone can link the set-up that'd be nice, but it involves a psion setting up a reset button every day.

As I understand it you start the day, and if you die the world resets a day.

The campaign would be this:
The world is resetting every day (high level psions fighting using this trick) and the PC's are just level one. First day everything seems normal but when they wake up everything is as it was... you see where I am going with this.

So it's kinda like majora's mask in a way, and I'd probably say you keep XP and levels from previous days.

I ask this: is there anything I'm missing that would make this complicated? I know the issues with no items transferring, but I'd think it would be kinda cool. Maybe down the line I can create a pocket space where Items are unchanged within it like the size of a bag of holding or something.

Also do you all have any suggestions to make this more of just an idea, and more of an awesome campaign?

Thanks!:smallbiggrin:

[Tokiko Mima]

So here is an idea I had while reading some forums. I don't remember the exact chain of powers, if anyone can link the set-up that'd be nice, but it involves a psion setting up a reset button every day.

It's listed on this thread under 'The Save Game Trick.' (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=177889)

[Malimar]

I enjoy this idea.

The thing I think you'd need to be most wary of is PC frustration and boredom. The most rewarding thing to many players is to feel like they're having an effect on the world (hence why railroading and taking away player agency is so bad) -- and the very premise of this campaign is predicated on an inability to make any long-term changes on the world.

I have no idea how you would go about mitigating this problem. :smallfrown:

[dascarletm]

I enjoy this idea.

The thing I think you'd need to be most wary of is PC frustration and boredom. The most rewarding thing to many players is to feel like they're having an effect on the world (hence why railroading and taking away player agency is so bad) -- and the very premise of this campaign is predicated on an inability to make any long-term changes on the world.

I have no idea how you would go about mitigating this problem. :smallfrown:

good point... I suppose they would be working to rectify the problem, also they can always influence people since they'd remember everything...
that brings me to another Idea, should the quick-save be glitched to a way where only the players are aware of what is going on?

My players are also pretty veteran so that's a plus.

[Tokiko Mima]

Presumably, you don't want to make this time extension infinite, though. Part of the Majora's Mask mystique is the Doomsday Prophesy. Let them figure out early on that this day that is repeating is the last day before the apocalypse, and they have a limited number of retries before they run out of attempts and have to face the End of the World. It's more permissible to allow things like bags of holding to retain gear here, because the focus is on the events that will occur after the loop closes.

Alternately, let them know them figure out that they are trapped in this loop into the past, perhaps by a villain who is rampaging in the future. The goal would be to discover a way to return to the normal cycle of time. This is probably closer to a Groundhog Day scenario, since the loop is apparently infinite and having nothing change each day is the penalty for failing to escape. You would probably not want gear to be retained here; the players need to figure out the correct steps to escape.

Or there is the Madoka loop scenario, where the loop is infinite but each time through makes the problem itself worse. The players are given a straightforward way to end the loop, and also an easy way to judge their dwindling chances. Perhaps a huge battle will break out at the end of the day, that will be a TPK?

[dascarletm]

Presumably, you don't want to make this time extension infinite, though. Part of the Majora's Mask mystique is the Doomsday Prophesy. Let them figure out early on that this day that is repeating is the last day before the apocalypse, and they have a limited number of retries before they run out of attempts and have to face the End of the World. It's more permissible to allow things like bags of holding to retain gear here, because the focus is on the events that will occur after the loop closes.

Alternately, let them know them figure out that they are trapped in this loop into the past, perhaps by a villain who is rampaging in the future. The goal would be to discover a way to return to the normal cycle of time. This is probably closer to a Groundhog Day scenario, since the loop is apparently infinite and having nothing change each day is the penalty for failing to escape. You would probably not want gear to be retained here; the players need to figure out the correct steps to escape.

Or there is the Madoka loop scenario, where the loop is infinite but each time through makes the problem itself worse. The players are given a straightforward way to end the loop, and also an easy way to judge their dwindling chances. Perhaps a huge battle will break out at the end of the day, that will be a TPK?

I like the idea for a doomsday sort of senario at the end in which they need to prepare for. Do you think they should be the only ones (or one of the few) to know the loop is happening?

[Amidus Drexel]

I might have to borrow this idea for the next campaign I run.

Yeah, let them be the only one's that have any clue what's going on. That would be hilarious! :smallbiggrin:

[Tokiko Mima]

I like the idea for a doomsday sort of senario at the end in which they need to prepare for. Do you think they should be the only ones (or one of the few) to know the loop is happening?


I might have to borrow this idea for the next campaign I run.

Yeah, let them be the only one's that have any clue what's going on. That would be hilarious! :smallbiggrin:

Agreed. They would need to be the only ones that remember the time loop, or you would have everyone panicking and fleeing as soon as the loop begins.

Actually, that might be an interesting way to sort of 'tick down' the time loop; as you have fewer and fewer loops remaining, more and more people start to retain their memories from the previous day. It gives you an excuse to not have to repeat absolutely everything each day. For example on the first several loops the players would have to obtain a lot of money and buy decent weapons and armor from the general store, but later on the shopkeeper flees in panic at the start of the day, letting them walk in and take stuff. You could use it to move the story forward, removing obstacles and giving hints. You'd probably want to timeline out the events for the day, and include the loop number where they change, and how they change.

[Palanan]

Great idea for a campaign, or maybe one chapter of a longer storyline. I would second (third?) the notion of only the PCs having any memory of prior Days, at least to start out with.

Does anyone else remember the episode of ST:TNG that dealt with exactly this idea? It was called "Cause and Effect," somewhere around fifth season, and tends to show up as a fan favorite. It starts with the Enterprise-D exploding (always fun) and traps the crew in a loop of the events leading up to it. You could start your campaign with a real bang. :smallbiggrin: