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View Full Version : DM Help Campaign Concept - Memory Wipe



CrazyCrab
2016-07-21, 06:44 PM
Hi everyone,
me and my friends have a 4-months per DM rotation and I'm planning my future game in advance, I have a concept in mind and I would love to hear some feedback.

So, for the 1st session all I tell people is: ''Get a clean character sheet, choose a race and stats (point buy). Have a class and a background in mind, but don't fill anything out. Only write down your stats, proficiency bonus +2, racial abilities. Come up with a personality, not a build or a gimmick, but rely more on what the character does and behaves rather than who they were or what they have.'' No world background, no story, just tell them it's a fantasy setting. As soon as we start a game, I have everyone roll a d8, re-rolling duplicates, assigning 'deadly sins' to each character in secret.

The game starts with everyone dead, lying deep underground in a pile of bones. A random player then opens their eyes, sees a number of cloaked figures accompanied by people in rags. The player can see their body slowly form in front of them, muscles and bones reassembling one by one, so that they cannot interrupt the process. The figures kill the ragged folk, spraying their blood all over the bones, casting powerful magic and the other players are slowly starting to reassemble as well. The figures then portal away. They leave a piece of parchment behind: ''Quyosh was wrong''.

That's all they know to start with. No names, not even their own names. No items. No idea where they are or who they were, or even why they have been brought back.

Now, onto the game mechanics:
-System D&D 5e.
-Players start at lv 0, (4 HP, no proficiencies) and then gain a level at the end of each session. (= We have very regular meetups, meaning that this will translate to app. one level every 6-7 hours) At lv 11 they switch back to usual leveling as before that point they are merely regaining their memories. They get some stuff (like background bonuses) whenever thing trigger their memories to snap back in place. Every time they level up they get to write down one sentence of their backstory, with my verifying if it fits.
- Gear is rare and hard to come by, think Fallout in terms of coming across actual usable gear. Getting a proper great-sword will take a while, so we will focus on things like crafting and improvised weapons quite a bit. NPCs are rare and few apart too.
- Combat id deadly, with reduced hitpoints, gruesome injuries and nerfed magical healing. If you can talk your way past someone you probably should.

I don't want to spoil too much, as I think that some of my friends use the site, but the general idea is that the players are in a massive mausoleum, they were ancient heroes once but each one of them committed a terrible crime and was executed. They are needed now, but because of [Spoiler] they cannot be officially brought back. Those sins will play a role, but, once again, [Spoilers].

So, what do you think? Could this be fun? I'm hoping for a fun, evolving story where we make all the stories intertwined and slowly building the characters from nothing will hopefully make them more relatable when it actually hits them who they were once, the theme being focused around forgiveness, change and not letting your past define your future. Thematically I'm going for a strong mystery vibe, think Twin Peaks, Gravity Falls and perhaps some Breaking Bad (psychological thriller) for good measure. You're not running into 'goblins', you're running into 'shifty green shapes starting at you from the darkness.'

Rodimal
2016-07-22, 01:53 PM
I wouldn't play. Honestly, the best thing about playing a game is designing the character, their background, who they were/are, what they want and where they'd like to go. This take that all away and railroad the players into a specific, unchanging path. That and half the point of D&D is items and treasure. If I want to start with a fracking greatsword, I can, in your world they are almost impossible to just find! Maybe your players will enjoy something like this, I don't know, don't know them, but I most certainly wouldn't.

Kosj
2016-07-22, 01:59 PM
I might play, though I'd be more likely to do so if you told me ahead of time that I'd be playing a character with amnesia/no memories as part of the premise.
That said, low gear and high grit/lethality (in my mind base D&D is a little on the rocket tag side for me) are things I don't generally enjoy in games but that doesn't seem to be the part you're worried about so I assume your players are okay with that.

Jay R
2016-07-22, 02:12 PM
Wow. Not only are the other races mysteries, as they are when you start a new game system without reading the monster descriptions, but even our own identities are part of the mystery we are out to solve.

Equipment has never been a crucial aspect for me. If the character and game are fun, then they are fun even without a greatsword.

It sounds like a great story of slowly developing knowledge and understanding. I would jump at a chance to play such a game, if I trusted the story-telling and philosophical approach of the DM.

But as you see above, some people won't. If your players feel a need to define every aspect of their own characters, then they probably won't go for this.

Geddy2112
2016-07-22, 02:23 PM
Questions-when they level up to level 1, will they get to choose a class/background? Can they choose this class/background freely? And are they free to multiclass or choose class levels as they level up?

Low equipment/high lethal is fine if everyone is fine with it. 5e is kind of rocket tag anyways and equipment is not the be all end all best thing like previous editions. Just let the players know this going in.

I don't mind the memory wipe and starting amnesia, or rebuilding your character's identity as you go along. This satisfies players that want to bring their own backstory, as they can just have that be the things they start to remember. What concerns me is that their backstory/memories is contingent on your approval. It seems to be a gotcha-obviously you can deny a sci fi backstory to a fantasy campaign or obvious things that don't fit, but the players don't know the universe as players. I would explain the universe and setting enough so they don't bring ideas for characters that don't fit it. This way, backstories/memories will just naturally fit. I will say I like the fact it lets them have lots of character development as they play, instead of bringing a full story to the table and just running around with it.

Another concern is the background bonuses when they remember stuff? How is this going to work? Is there any objective way this will be measured or just handed out as you see fit?

Rusvul
2016-07-22, 03:35 PM
It's an unusual idea, but I'd be open to trying it as a player if I knew what it was from the beginning. DO NOT spring this on your players a little ways in. Another interesting idea would to give each character a single haunting memory.