War Campaign Ideas

[prufock]

Hi folks, I'm finishing up leg #3 of my ongoing campaign at the moment. The fourth leg of the campaign will most likely see the PCs involved in a three-way war between their kingdom and two neighbouring kingdoms.

This is a long-term campaign running from level 1 to 21; the characters are currently level 13. The gist of the campaign theme is that planar rifts (one to each plane in the standard cosmology) have been rent in time and space, causing havoc on the Prime Material. The PCs were the first to discover this, and have been finding and fixing these rifts. The two leaders of the other kingdoms are under compulsion from intelligent items from the planes of Ysgard and Acheron respectively. Ysgard will probably have a battle dragon at its disposal, while the leader of the Acheron kingdom will be replaced by a Rakshasa.

However I'm having trouble coming up with specific adventure hooks for the ongoing war. I'm good for the first few sessions, as they'll be either defending or taking back (depending on how things go at the end of part 3) one of their cities.

I plan on using the PCs as a special (high-powered, after all) task force with specific goals. I know this is a bit generalized, but what sorts of objectives would a level 15-ish party have in a large-scale war?

Open to ideas and suggestions, thanks!

[Vogonjeltz]

Lead a guerilla war to cut enemy supplies. This can progress to evading trackers, and fending off task forces specifically going after the PCs.

Take out a command structure.

Sabotage a major holding, or some impressive war machine (a magical battering ram for example).

Lead a wing of the army, engage in battle planning, etc...

[Feint's End]

This pretty much depends on how optimised your party is. At level 15ish they could theoretically destroy entire kindgoms (and certainly armies) on their own.

[Troacctid]

Chapter 4 of Complete Warrior has a lot of stuff about military campaigns, including some sample quest hooks. There's even a table for randomly generating a mission to assign the PCs, and another table to randomly generate complications in the mission (like faulty intelligence or a sudden thunderstorm).

[prufock]

Lead a guerilla war to cut enemy supplies. This can progress to evading trackers, and fending off task forces specifically going after the PCs.

Take out a command structure.

Sabotage a major holding, or some impressive war machine (a magical battering ram for example).

Lead a wing of the army, engage in battle planning, etc...
I like these ideas, thanks. Taking out supply lines might be a bit too easy for a 13+ level group, but still a good way to use your big guns.


This pretty much depends on how optimised your party is. At level 15ish they could theoretically destroy entire kindgoms (and certainly armies) on their own.
Low - to mid-op, I would say, though they have a history of taking out threats a few cr above level. Knight, warblade, druid, eldritch theurge, and a new one yet undecided.


Chapter 4 of Complete Warrior has a lot of stuff about military campaigns, including some sample quest hooks. There's even a table for randomly generating a mission to assign the PCs, and another table to randomly generate complications in the mission (like faulty intelligence or a sudden thunderstorm).
Thanks, I will defintely check that out.

[Curbstomp]

Use Heroes of Battle. It has ten or so adventures that can be scaled up or down, soldier stats, and a bunch of info on how to conduct a war campaign. I found it very helpful.

[Sir Garanok]

+1 to heroes of battle.It has a nice point system for large scale wars and missions,besides other things.

Guerilla stuff like hitting transport,
communications,
food/water supply,
headquarters destruction,
sensitive information gathering,
assasination of opposing army leaders.

[Kol Korran]

Another vote for heroes of battle.

The role of 15ish level characters in such a conflict very much depend on how rare are such characters in your campaign. In Eberron for example the leaders of countries are about 10-12th level, while in FR 15th level characters are known, but far from unique.

At these levels the powers of the casters usually have a massive effect on the outcome of a battle, so be warned. They could easily wipe out armies unless their is a suitably leveled opponent on the other side.

But you asked for ideas, here are some:
- Eliminate a great threat, such as a great wizard, monster, war machine and the like.
- Contact and make alliance with a powerful force that prefers to not interfere (Perhaps with some celestials? Dragons? And so on...)
- Gain some info fro ma highly secure facility (Such as top research, or maybe rescue an ally, or such)
- Command a battle? Why not? Let them feel like kick ass characters! Let them command a battle which is unlikely to be won unless high level characters are there (Battle of Deep Helm kind of scenario?) Read Heroes of Battle on how this can be done.
- Hold off an enemy army on their own while the allied armies regroup/ get ready/ summon reinforcements. a band of PCs, against a few thousand enemies (Similar ot a 300 scenarios, with a change of numbers).
- Something of important (Item, person, or such) was lost beyond enemy lines. The party is called to get to it, secure it, and keep it safe till the army/ some sort of a safe handler can get to it. (Make the thing unteleportable, and have enemies on all sides).

I hope this helps. If you can tell us a bit about the players (NOT just the characters, but them as well) the situation, and so on, maybe we can help you customize the scenarios more.

[Extra Anchovies]

Heroes of Battle does have some really great stuff; I'd also recommend taking a look at chapter 4 of Complete Warrior. It's got some pretty good general tips for running a military campaign, and some percentile tables for rolling up random military objectives (complete with available support and mid-mission complications).

[prufock]

Thanks everyone, I will definitely check out more of HoB. Chapter 4 of CW was sparse, but useful.


At these levels the powers of the casters usually have a massive effect on the outcome of a battle, so be warned. They could easily wipe out armies unless their is a suitably leveled opponent on the other side.
The casters in the party will certainly make an impact, but I'm going to make sure they have suitable opposition, up to and including the generals. There is an opposing NPC adventuring group of equal level playing for the other side, and the party is aware of them. There are definitely militaristic wizards on both sides, though anything over level 10 is rare - there may be a couple wizards of such power on each side, including the PCs.

The wizards are tasked with neutralizing the other wizards, which will often be taking the form of counterspelling/dispelling. It's like a wizard cold war - yes, each side could let its wizards loose to wreak havoc, but they'll sustain similar losses when the other side lets its wizards loose. So they are used more like countermeasures.


- Eliminate a great threat, such as a great wizard, monster, war machine and the like.
The big gun for the invading army is going to be a battle dragon, from the Planar Handbook (or is it Manual of the Planes? I always confuse those two). So yes, the PCs will be directly involved in taking it down, once it has become a menace. It won't be broken out for several sessions, and at first it will just be a story related by survivors of a decimated town. Eventually the PCs will see it, but not at a point when they can reasonably do much about it. I haven't decided on how to do that reveal yet, but it could, for example, fly overhead when they are low on resources.


- Contact and make alliance with a powerful force that prefers to not interfere (Perhaps with some celestials? Dragons? And so on...)
The two next kingdoms are either a) also preparing an invasion, but being more subtle and biding their time or b) elves that are none to predisposed towards the PCs.


- Gain some info fro ma highly secure facility (Such as top research, or maybe rescue an ally, or such)
An infiltration scene is a good idea. I'll likely use this.


- Command a battle? Why not? Let them feel like kick ass characters! Let them command a battle which is unlikely to be won unless high level characters are there (Battle of Deep Helm kind of scenario?) Read Heroes of Battle on how this can be done.
Yeah, I definitely want them to be given a squad or platoon. Two of the PCs are knights (the social class) of the realm, and command of a small group should be their responsibility.


- Hold off an enemy army on their own while the allied armies regroup/ get ready/ summon reinforcements. a band of PCs, against a few thousand enemies (Similar ot a 300 scenarios, with a change of numbers).
I love this idea, and just watched 300 last night, so I'm even more inclined to agree.


- Something of important (Item, person, or such) was lost beyond enemy lines. The party is called to get to it, secure it, and keep it safe till the army/ some sort of a safe handler can get to it. (Make the thing unteleportable, and have enemies on all sides).
This is an interesting one that I'll work in if I can figure out how.


If you can tell us a bit about the players (NOT just the characters, but them as well) the situation, and so on, maybe we can help you customize the scenarios more.
Leon, LG knight 13, played as a little naive but overcoming that. Has Leadership, with a handful of followers, so it makes sense for him to eventually get command of a squad, and he's very loyal. The player is probably the most rules- and genre-savvy of them, since he's the group's other DM. Played as a tank, he takes a crapton of damage on purpose, using Test of Mettle to control the battlefield. Also has Wild Cohort for a special warhorse mount (who will be getting some DM fiat templates eventually). I think the player would love the opportunity to command.
Maleera, CG warlock 3/wizard 3/eldritch theurge 7, also a "knight" in the game. A bit of a loose cannon, played as a mostly straight blaster with a few backup tricks. She was made a knight by a drunk lord for kicks, mostly because he wanted to see the prince get some hard knocks (bits of that story stolen from The Hedge Knight by George RR Martin. She has a tendency to go off half-cocked and get in over her head, such as wading into melee for no good reason. Not sure if she'd like a command position.
Nom, TN? warblade 13. In it for the glory and to prove himself. Competitive in everything he does. The player has had issues with the game in the past due to unaligned expectations - its more combat based than he expected, and was originally playing a fairly low powered rogue. The player would probably like a command position, but I don't know if it would be in line with his character.
Whitebranch, TN druid 13. Focuses on dinosaurs, with a preferred WS form right now of cave t-rex and a fleshraker companion. He's more a shapeshifter than caster, but still has the powerful spells he can bust out when the situation calls for it. A bit of a joker, I'm not sure if he wants a command post.
Mark, player was in the game before but left due to work demands and is coming back with a new character that is TBD. A bit of a joker, characters are slightly one-dimensional, he will probably come with a concept that would be disastrous in a command position.

[Kol Korran]

Though yuo havetold me a bit on the players, you've told me mostly abouttheir characters. Trust me- the key for a godo game is to focus on the players' personalities. What sort of challenges do they like? Group dynamics? Preffered style of play? and all that stuff.

Some comments:
1) Do NOT have them command small units! First of all, it feels demeaning, at their level, that they command say... a platoon, and some other guy not nearly as "bad ass" (For a given amount of bad ass) as they do commands a legion or a division. People at these levels and stages like to command large forces, make big decisions, not be the subordinates of others. They are level 15! Let them act as such!

Also, once you have them command small units, you need to deal with small battles with 20+ units in them, which is a total hassle. Large scale battles are oddly easier to deal with, if you got a half reasonable mass combat system (HoB has a decent approach if I remember correctly)

2) If you are worried about who would like to take a command post and who wouldn't- ask them! And grant anyone who likes it the chance. At worst- they'll botch up the job, but it will be their doing, not you saying "Ah ah! You can't!" If someone doesn't want to command, ask him (in character or out of character) what sort of a role would they like. I am running a mass combat Scenario, and the wizard in my group decided he prefers to be a support caster, not burdened with command, so he could sling spells. Find something cool for the non-commanders to do.

3) I hope you realize how much more open ended a war scenario is than a regular "follow the quest line" scenario is. Arrange a big enough setting, and then... well... the party is going to go wild. If your players are even half proactive, they will have tons of ideas, routes, schemes and so on to try. Let them. Even if you're not fully prepared. This is the major fun here. For example- the battlefield is not like a dungeon with set walls and corridors who define choices. Instead the party can travel in any direction (Including to the air or underground, teleport or through the planes) And be practically ANYWHERE. Wars are more defined by EVENTS and PRIORITIES then they do by distance and space.

And the Big fun about wars? Tough choices... Three places are in dire need of the heroes help at the same time- a captured ally will be interrogated and killed unless they save him, an outpost will fall unless they save it, but there is a chance to gain a secret weapon if they seize the chance. What to do?

4) About the dragon: I suggest to NOT keep it in the background, but rather put it upfront, and a lethal threat from the out start. Consider the following: The party are on some mission/ battle, they are expending many resources but on the whole things seem to be going well, when suddenly- the dragon appears. Make it seriously tougher then they are, but with an agenda and missions of it's own other than just "Kill the PCs". As they try to fight it, it proves possibly too powerful to beat right now, and the party end up retreating (They do know how to retreat, right? You didn't have them succeed at everything, right?) and fail their mission.

From that point on, the dragon is a constant threat, that can be on the missions they are in, or on other missions of strategic importance. It becomes clear that it is a menace to deal with. When they have to confront it though, they need to block it from succeeding in it's mission, which may be easier than killing it outright. (Save the crown prince/ Destroy the super crystal of doom before it can claim it, and so on). Once they gain power, learn of it, and maybe prepare for it, then set up the final battle. Far more pleasing this way. (Though they might get smart/ lucky and find a way to stop it before that)

Good luck to you!

[prufock]

Trust me- the key for a godo game is to focus on the players' personalities. What sort of challenges do they like? Group dynamics? Preffered style of play? and all that stuff.
I'll use character names for convenience. None are powergamers, though they like higher-powered characters. They like to be the big damn heroes (or big damn villains, as the case may be). Their playstyle can change drastically based on the character, though (ie Nom's player can be kick-in-the-door-and-smash-face, which he currently is, or a careful plotter). Some generalities.
Leon: Rules and genre savvy, but still willing to go with whatever strange twists and turns I throw in. Helps direct the party's actions both in and out of character, though the party is a quasi-democracy. Not so much a leader as a nudger. He has expressed the desire to push the campaign towards more of a militaristic, war-based game (which I intended to do anyway, but I know he'll be happy with the turn of events). Likes combat scenes, and likes to display his character's badassness.
Maleera: Likes 3 types of characters - dark and brooding, sexually charged, and special snowflake. This character is mosty the third. She likes personal, directed plotlines for her character. She's a bit of an attention-seeker, but not in a really bad way, she just likes to have face time for her characters (though she does like to brag when she gets a cool ability for her character, whether it's powerful or not).
Nom: Hates low-level, low-powered games. Is currently dealing high damage and prefers it that way. He got very frustrated previously as he was playing a build that wasn't very focused and ended up being ineffective in what is a fairly high-combat game (one to two combat scenes per session). I think he's happy with the current build, and would be fine with heavy combat scenarios. He likes to play morally grey or evil characters.
Whitebranch: Doesn't get as invested in-character as the others, and a bit of a joker OOC (well, they all are, but probably him most of all). He's a reliable player, and usually rational, but not a deep RPer. I have a carrot that can lead him to be part of the war campaign, and, while a bit of a newbie as far as building characters and such, he learns quickly and often pulls out a surprisingly effective solution to combat and out-of-combat encounters.
Mark: Also a slightly less experienced player (though, really, after a couple years of play, not a newbie any more). He's learning, and does some research from handbooks and stuff when building characters. He too is slightly less character-invested than the others, but he enjoys roleplaying offbeat types - gnome illusionist brothelmaster, racist swift hunter, etc.


1) Do NOT have them command small units! First of all, it feels demeaning, at their level, that they command say... a platoon, and some other guy not nearly as "bad ass" (For a given amount of bad ass) as they do commands a legion or a division. People at these levels and stages like to command large forces, make big decisions, not be the subordinates of others. They are level 15! Let them act as such!
Any small teams they command will be specialized strike forces that act away from the front lines, but really, they make up a team for that purpose (there are 5 PCs, one Cohort, and 4 followers). I think that's in keeping with their abilities. Once they engage on a grand scale, they'll be leading companies or battalions of 100+ men. I have some character rewards in mind for them further down the road (land, titles, etc).


2) If you are worried about who would like to take a command post and who wouldn't- ask them!
Yeah, this is valid, and what I would probably do.


3) I hope you realize how much more open ended a war scenario is than a regular "follow the quest line" scenario is. Arrange a big enough setting, and then... well... the party is going to go wild. If your players are even half proactive, they will have tons of ideas, routes, schemes and so on to try. Let them. Even if you're not fully prepared. This is the major fun here. For example- the battlefield is not like a dungeon with set walls and corridors who define choices. Instead the party can travel in any direction (Including to the air or underground, teleport or through the planes) And be practically ANYWHERE. Wars are more defined by EVENTS and PRIORITIES then they do by distance and space.
Yeah, and I expect them to be, but keeping in mind that the other side is going to have countermeasures. I want them to take command and make the tough decisions. Each success or failure will have consequences for the total war, and I'll probably use something like Victory Points to decide how well their army fares as a whole.


4) About the dragon: I suggest to NOT keep it in the background, but rather put it upfront, and a lethal threat from the out start. Consider the following: The party are on some mission/ battle, they are expending many resources but on the whole things seem to be going well, when suddenly- the dragon appears. Make it seriously tougher then they are, but with an agenda and missions of it's own other than just "Kill the PCs". As they try to fight it, it proves possibly too powerful to beat right now, and the party end up retreating (They do know how to retreat, right? You didn't have them succeed at everything, right?) and fail their mission.
They haven't succeeded at everything, and have even had a couple of character deaths in the process. All the same, they aren't exactly the "retreat" type, particularly the knight and warblade. It would be more realistic to make the dragon an unreachable target (they have flight, but not nearly as fast as a wyrm battle dragon).
I do want to eventually have it be an in-your-face threat, but don't want it to be introduced immediately. I'll give it a few sessions before they finally see the thing (unless they're really proactive!).

Thanks for the comments.