Building a Fantasy Pioneer setting.

[SangoProduction]

So, I had an idea for having a Pioneer-esque D&D game. I'm not entirely sure why. I also feel a little out of my league. Is there more to the "pioneer" theme than the "wild west"?

I must admit, I am kinda using the Open Legends ...."theme", of being a group set out through a portal to help colonize the weird and crazy new world (literally...as in the world itself is mad).

What sources of inspiration should I look in to? Is "pioneer" even a genre?

[Ruethgar]

Well my very first thought was to read up on the Potterverse and how life was for the wizards coming over to the "new world" as a potential source of inspiration. Do note that the pilgrims and their plights is another sort of theme that isn't just wild west. Similarly the Chinese trading with America and just exploring rather than colonizing the world before the Europeans even got to Cape Hope is another way to look at the pioneer theme. Or Vikings if you wanted a bit more of a violent pioneer theme.

[Palanan]

I would recommend reading about the early years of Jamestown in Virginia, since that was very much a pioneering struggle in a new world--both with the landscape and the climate as well as the native people, who had been abused enough by earlier contacts to be extremely suspicious of the new settlement.

You might also read about the early years of the Plymouth Colony, since there's a lot of struggle, exploration and first contact with the natives of that region as well. Each of these settlements had a charismatic, volatile man who took on a leadership role--John Smith and Miles Standish respectively--and there's a wealth of inspiration in both their stories.

[Telonius]

Personally I'd try to decide early on if the campaign is going to be primarily about exploration, or primarily about establishing and defending a colony. Either way, a lot would depend on how advanced, established, and able to retaliate the current inhabitants are; and how many settlers/how much support you have available. Are we talking Marco Polo in China, Cortes in South America, or Romans in Gaul?

[Pleh]

The Wild West was a bit more of a subset or a natural evolution of the Pioneer story. You can't tell the story of American Pioneers without talking about the contention between puritan zealotry (clerics and paladins) and the "savage" natives who revere nature and spirits (druids and shamans). Ironically, many of the Puritans came to America to escape religious persecution from other sects of their own faith.

There is a strange mix of being proud of their heritage in the face of the strange natives while being rebellious and divisive in the face of their homelands. The further into the west they push, the more they seek freedom from the old world.

There was also a taboo of the arcane. Witch hunts are the other big name genre to come out of the time period outside of the wild west. Technology at the time was just about to explode, too. Early America was born almost simultaneously with the industrial revolution.

[Vogie]

I could see you creating some sort of derivation of the Caravan game style - Pioneering is mostly just going into the unknown, then staying there until it becomes known. Since most adventurers don't want to multiclass in lumberjack and hang around the local watering hole, have your PCs be part of a huge group of settlers that slowly dwindles as you play. I know Pathfinder has a Caravan book, but everything I've heard about it is very negative.

Every so often, the caravan will stop, some settlers will do their thing, then the rest of the caravan continues moving.

This gives the PCs a very solid direction, a lot of unknowns, and diminishing "free" resources. They'll start off being Caravan defenders, then rotate also being scouts. The caravan will start out slow, then get faster as people peel off to settle. Once you get to Mt. McGuffin (or wherever the last settlement would be) you can also move back and forth throughout the discovered lands and also into the unexplored lands.

While Not explicitly "wild west", but you could also follow a Marco Polo-style trade route thing, or a kind of Coalpunk thing, like the Railroad expansion across the US (so there are already some settlements out there, but they're usually threadbare).

You can also dig into the Warcraft universe for some material, as one of the schticks is that the Orcs came from another plane into the base plane through a big portal.

[Ruethgar]

I could see you creating some sort of derivation of the Caravan game style...

http://www.openlettersmonthly.com/issue/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/dysentery.jpeg
I'm sorry, I just had to.

[SangoProduction]

what do you guys think of this intro for the campaign and/or campaign hook?

For many a decade now, the quality of life those on the planet of Casteron has grown exponentially with the latest advances of magical techniques. Though, of recent times, it's been noted that such decadent life styles and reckless use of the arcane and divine alike have been corrupting the very veins of magic itself. The world itself has begun to strike back, with massive Mana Storms becoming a frequent occurance. Efforts are ongoing to cleanse the corruption, and optimize magical use, but to continue as they've been for years, a new plan has been devised - create a portal to another plane of existance, establish colonies, and import resources so desperately needed. Of course, great rewards are there for those who undertake this journey.

You have chosen to take on this journey, whether in your current life you were poor or rich, weak or powerful, for freedom, gold or glory, you're to officially start your new life the next day. Though there's a catch. Magic doesn't work here as it did back on Casteron. Long-held healing techniques must be made again for the New World's ley lines. Even bottled magic was less effective.

Oh well. Enjoy your stay, and bring great profits.

[Palanan]

Originally Posted by SangoProduction
what do you guys think of this intro for the campaign and/or campaign hook?

This is an interesting seed of a concept, and it has a lot of potential--but as a player I'd want to know more.

In particular, I'd like more of a sense of what Casteron is like. I have the impression it's at peace, but is this a fat, complacent peace, or a tenuous coexistence between many competing nations or factions? Is the entire world under these conditions, or just one prosperous continent or region?

I'd also like to know more about the quality of life that the prospective colonists will be leaving. Is the economy stable, is healthcare effective, is there justice and equality for all? Or has this society begun to fracture and crumble as the magical taint slowly spreads?

And I'd like to know more about that taint--just how the corruption is affecting both daily life and the stability of this society as a whole. Is healing no longer as reliable? Are there aspects of magical infrastructure which are starting to fail? Are there random incidents of magical backlash when ordinary spells or effects suddenly go wrong?

Most of all, I'd like to know more about this other plane. Naturally most of this will be unknown to the characters, but they should have some basic information. Is it essentially the same as Casteron, or are there immediately obvious differences which would prevent easy access, and which might give many people some serious second thoughts? Have there been other explorers who traveled to this plane and brought back tempting reports? Is this new plane being promoted as a glorious garden of wealth for the taking? Are there rumors it's not as idyllic as it seems? Is information being suppressed, or even distributed via underground channels just ahead of government censors? Is there an active resistance from some groups in Casteron who don't want this new plane to be accessed, for any number of reasons?

And perhaps most importantly for a character--if you leave for this new plane, are you allowed to return? Or are you somehow committed for life? Are you allowed to travel back and forth as you please, or are you restricted in some way? Who makes these decisions, and who controls the access route?

It's an intriguing idea, but as a player I'd want to know more about the existing setting, and why my character would be willing to leave everything he knows to venture a new land about which he's entirely ignorant. If life in Casteron isn't what it used to be, but still generally safe and comfortable, there might not be many people willing to risk the unknown, and as a player I'd want more details and a more compelling rationale to explore.

[Inevitability]

Dwarf Fortress is much like this in the game's early stages. You've got food and water booze issues, predators, perhaps a ravenous werebeast or kobold attack, all in a fantasy setting.

[Ruethgar]

For lower level, I would suggest trying to find the book Legeands & Lairs: Wildscape. It has a variety of environmental hazzards that could spice up your alien world and present extra challenges. Gem deserts come to mind specifically, the minor versions require a Ref DC 10 every 2hr or get shot by a lightning bolt for 2d4. Metal armor and casting magic within an hour of the hazard cause you to suffer a -4 to the save. Could be part of the quest chain to try and harness that raw energy and either export it or use it to try and power traditional magic on the world.

[SangoProduction]

This is an interesting seed of a concept, and it has a lot of potential--but as a player I'd want to know more.

In particular, I'd like more of a sense of what Casteron is like. I have the impression it's at peace, but is this a fat, complacent peace, or a tenuous coexistence between many competing nations or factions? Is the entire world under these conditions, or just one prosperous continent or region?

I'd also like to know more about the quality of life that the prospective colonists will be leaving. Is the economy stable, is healthcare effective, is there justice and equality for all? Or has this society begun to fracture and crumble as the magical taint slowly spreads?

And I'd like to know more about that taint--just how the corruption is affecting both daily life and the stability of this society as a whole. Is healing no longer as reliable? Are there aspects of magical infrastructure which are starting to fail? Are there random incidents of magical backlash when ordinary spells or effects suddenly go wrong?

Most of all, I'd like to know more about this other plane. Naturally most of this will be unknown to the characters, but they should have some basic information. Is it essentially the same as Casteron, or are there immediately obvious differences which would prevent easy access, and which might give many people some serious second thoughts? Have there been other explorers who traveled to this plane and brought back tempting reports? Is this new plane being promoted as a glorious garden of wealth for the taking? Are there rumors it's not as idyllic as it seems? Is information being suppressed, or even distributed via underground channels just ahead of government censors? Is there an active resistance from some groups in Casteron who don't want this new plane to be accessed, for any number of reasons?

And perhaps most importantly for a character--if you leave for this new plane, are you allowed to return? Or are you somehow committed for life? Are you allowed to travel back and forth as you please, or are you restricted in some way? Who makes these decisions, and who controls the access route?

It's an intriguing idea, but as a player I'd want to know more about the existing setting, and why my character would be willing to leave everything he knows to venture a new land about which he's entirely ignorant. If life in Casteron isn't what it used to be, but still generally safe and comfortable, there might not be many people willing to risk the unknown, and as a player I'd want more details and a more compelling rationale to explore.

Very interesting questions to think about indeed. I'd definitely venture to say that it's a fat, complacent peace (on the whole; minor insurgencies might be a thing) - so complacent that they really don't react to the corruption, until recently, when "the world itself has begun to strike back".

Prospective colonists are likely to be the destitute, who were most affected by the mana storms whipped up by the corruption, though there are financial rewards for colonists, and potential to stake your claim on lands, making it a possible choice for a middle-income earner. There's also the healers who believe they would be of most impact on the colonies, magical researchers and even the patriots who'd want to help their country. Basically, they come from many walks of life.

Casteron is slightly...unstable, I might say. It's still like the "early onset" of the destabilization, and it's mostly livable, and even comfy, especially for those with a prominent amount of power (whether magical, or political). Though you might want to picture early, laissez faire America for the economic situation in Casteron. Of course, anachronisms exist, but that's a good general idea.

The corruption...That's left intentionally vague. All that's really known is that extensive magic use is causing it, though there've been a few innovations in reducing the harm of the techniques.

I'm thinking the calls for colonization are a mix between "save the world" rhetoric and something akin to the "Manifest Destiny" thing America had going, perhaps with a little "pull yourself up by the bootstraps" going on as well. Everyone knows it's risky and many conveniences that quite a few enjoy won't be there.

It's much, much more difficult to go back through to Casteron, if not nearly impossible (in one piece), because of the interaction with old and new magic. Small packages intermittently are their primary means of transporting things back. And portals can only open at certain points, where the planes are coterminal for a time. (Thus explaining away the massive power of their origin plane not coming in to play.) I would probably make planar travel spells either a couple spell levels higher, if not banned.

[SangoProduction]

For lower level, I would suggest trying to find the book Legends & Lairs: Wildscape. It has a variety of environmental hazzards that could spice up your alien world and present extra challenges. Gem deserts come to mind specifically, the minor versions require a Ref DC 10 every 2hr or get shot by a lightning bolt for 2d4. Metal armor and casting magic within an hour of the hazard cause you to suffer a -4 to the save. Could be part of the quest chain to try and harness that raw energy and either export it or use it to try and power traditional magic on the world.

Oooo. That's...interesting. I'll try and get my hands on that..

[gr8artist]

I made some plans for a campaign where the players each rolled up a small group of people, including one adventurer and up to 5 other individuals. They had to spend their WBL on survival equipment, tools, and other resources, as well as the gear for their adventurer. Then I wrote up 70 or 80 NPC's to fill out the landing party. They were one boat-load of pioneers from an expedition of 3 ships. The plan was for all three to settle together and re-colonize a long-lost continent. The ships would depart after dropping off the colonists, and then would return in a year's time. The three ships got lost in a storm, so each would become its own colony. The players would gather support and interest from other colonists to influence the up-and-coming politics and laws of the fledgeling colony, and could eventually work on diplomatic relations to the original country and two the colonies of the two other ships (one chaotic, one lawful, or something similar).
The players would be managing an adventuring party and the family or friends that supported them. They'd plan out weekly tasks for the players in their "home base" (ie plow, plant, harvest, build, hunt, scout, etc.) and would also go on fact-finding expeditions with their "adventurers." Scouts from the colony would report back the points of interest they come across ("some ruins", "a cave", "an abnormal plant or grove", etc.) and the players would decide which newly discovered location of interest they would investigate in the upcoming week. They'd uncover hints of primitive or ancient cultures, discover new creatures or magical forces, or find unfamiliar resources like "Orichalcum" or "Wyrwood".
A large part of the sub-plot would be discovering ancient rituals, such as appealing to the land gods for a bountiful harvest, or appeasing the sky gods to bring rain or sun. Clerics and Druids would struggle with their magics, and Wizards would have to learn new reagents.