Eldan
2016-06-27, 06:28 AM
So, me and a few friends are in the vaguest possible stages of maybe starting a campaign at some point, with me probabl yrunning it. Half of them aren't even familiar with the system we'll be using (or, in one case, roleplaying in general). It's also setting independent and quite flexible in power level and magic content, but will be fantasy. So, to get things rolling a bit, I've wanted to make a short list of possible campaign types to get an idea of what the players actually want from this. I'd like people to look this over. Maybe tell me if I missed something. Later, I'll have a few more questions as to world and character types.
Campaign Types
Which of these campaign types interest you, and how much? Please order them from most interested to least interested.
Dungeon Crawling
In this very classic type of campaign, the players are treasure hunters in the vein of old sword and sorcery novels. Characters descend into dangerous locations full of traps and monsters in order to find gold and valuable artefacts, then try to escape with them in more or less one piece. More focus on challenge, less focus on story, especially coherent story between adventures.
Travelling problem solvers
Similar to the above, but the characters are some kind of mercenaries, agents, religious inquisition, etc. They arrive in a new location and find themselves involved in strange things going on, sometimes for money, sometimes due to being ordered to solve them. Similar to above, this is more of a string of shorter stories than anything long and connected, but with more of a focus on exploration and investigation, as well as alternate solutions. The exact situation can vary a lot based on what kind of characters are actually played.
Explorers
Again, similar to the first, but the characdters are going out into undiscovered wilderness, as scientists, conquistadores, traders or similar. The focus here is on the unknown and exotic, with a lot of the challenge coming from the land itself. Compared to the dungeon crawler, there will be more overland travelling here, and the players have more control over where they want to go next.
Epic
You are here to save the world. Very explicitely. In essence, the characters will be some kind of chosen ones, and, over a long campaign, seal away or defeat some kind of world-threatening evil. The traditional structure of many computer RPGs.
Political intrigue
The characters, as part of an organization or simply due to being in the wrong place, are involved in shadoy intrigue between two or more organizations. Expect to be caught in the middle of a larger conflict and trying to work out what is actually going on. A lot of focus on investigation and diplomacy, and much less on combat. Long-term story.
Sandbox City
Similar to political intrigue, but the players set their own goals. You are let loose in a city with existing characters, organizations and politics and try to make it big. Whether newly minted noble family, rising political party, organized crime or long-lost royal scion, you will maneuver around until you are at the very top.
Note: almost all of these can be combined, or they can alternate in the same campaign. A group of mercenaries finds divine inspiration and goes on to save the world. Your money from looting a dungeon funds your takeover of city politics. Don't focus too much on one type, but give me a general idea which of these interest you.
So. Did I forget anything big?
Campaign Types
Which of these campaign types interest you, and how much? Please order them from most interested to least interested.
Dungeon Crawling
In this very classic type of campaign, the players are treasure hunters in the vein of old sword and sorcery novels. Characters descend into dangerous locations full of traps and monsters in order to find gold and valuable artefacts, then try to escape with them in more or less one piece. More focus on challenge, less focus on story, especially coherent story between adventures.
Travelling problem solvers
Similar to the above, but the characters are some kind of mercenaries, agents, religious inquisition, etc. They arrive in a new location and find themselves involved in strange things going on, sometimes for money, sometimes due to being ordered to solve them. Similar to above, this is more of a string of shorter stories than anything long and connected, but with more of a focus on exploration and investigation, as well as alternate solutions. The exact situation can vary a lot based on what kind of characters are actually played.
Explorers
Again, similar to the first, but the characdters are going out into undiscovered wilderness, as scientists, conquistadores, traders or similar. The focus here is on the unknown and exotic, with a lot of the challenge coming from the land itself. Compared to the dungeon crawler, there will be more overland travelling here, and the players have more control over where they want to go next.
Epic
You are here to save the world. Very explicitely. In essence, the characters will be some kind of chosen ones, and, over a long campaign, seal away or defeat some kind of world-threatening evil. The traditional structure of many computer RPGs.
Political intrigue
The characters, as part of an organization or simply due to being in the wrong place, are involved in shadoy intrigue between two or more organizations. Expect to be caught in the middle of a larger conflict and trying to work out what is actually going on. A lot of focus on investigation and diplomacy, and much less on combat. Long-term story.
Sandbox City
Similar to political intrigue, but the players set their own goals. You are let loose in a city with existing characters, organizations and politics and try to make it big. Whether newly minted noble family, rising political party, organized crime or long-lost royal scion, you will maneuver around until you are at the very top.
Note: almost all of these can be combined, or they can alternate in the same campaign. A group of mercenaries finds divine inspiration and goes on to save the world. Your money from looting a dungeon funds your takeover of city politics. Don't focus too much on one type, but give me a general idea which of these interest you.
So. Did I forget anything big?