Quote Originally Posted by Master Pavo View Post
I have a couple different ideas for a war campaign; they're fairly different in theme, but each one has the PCs caught in the middle of multiple factions vying for control over a region. Thing is, with such a largeish scale plot, I'm not sure how to make it into a campaign in which the PCs actually take actions and have adventures and matter. My campaigns in the past have all been very standard "find the MacGuffin" games, so I want to try something different. Have any of you done something like this, and if so how did it go? What did you do to make it interesting for the players?
Well, that very much sounds like my longest running campaign so I will try to help you in some way.

You can start them off with a little adventure of the standard variety. They kill some orcs that are raiding a town, or some sort of standard fare.

Then, they are caught between the schemes of one or more factions, you can throw them a hook to see if they buy into the politics or you can get them caught in the crossfire of two rivalities and make them collateral damage.

After you introduce them to the warring states, you offer them options for them to move up the food chain. By lettimg them join a faction or giving them ways to create a faction of their own if they choose to involve themselves directly into the game of thrones.

Then, once they are part of the politics, is just a matter of pacing the challenges.

I my campaign, four kingdoms in a huge land mass wanted control of the center of the continent that was mostly untamed and divided between small warring state-cities.

I started the players in a big city in the center of the continent, at the time when the western kingdom declared itself an Empire and started an expansionist campaign across the continent.

They got caught in the crossfire between their men at arms and a local militia. After surviving the attack, they got in contact with this resistance and joined them against the empire.

What kind of power level are you expecting them to start and to reach at end game?

Do you plan on having them fight skirmishes and raid holds and fortifications? Or more diplomacy or court intrigue?