[3.5] How do you restart your sandbox world?

[celestialkin]

OK, so to my surprise two days ago I learned the DM for our group will need some time to take care of a few things. This has left me as default DM.

I still have all my notes, binders, locations, NPCs, dungeon concepts, a dungeon or two, etc from my sandbox world/campaign that ended around six months ago. Since my sandbox world ended I have worked on and off in my free time continuing to add to my world and map it. I just spent much of last night trying to finish the souther part of my "home" continent (been working on it for months...), and trying to update the current plots and plothooks left behind by my last group (I jumped forward the in-game calender 15 years).

Anyway, I am not sure how to "restart" this o be honest. I was just thinking of palcing them at my "home" city, but from there I ahve no clue. Any ro sendbox DMs/players can please give me advice? If so, thank you. I have about five hours to coutndown.

[Tempest Fennac]

Put them in a situation where they are going to find out about at least 2 of the plot-hooks you have in mind, after you've told them of the most important developments since the end of the last campaign. Make sure you have an idea of where you want the plot hooks you use to go before you decide which ones to use so that you aren't struggling for ideas dueing the session.

[Navigator]

Whenever I'm in doubt, I usually like to have everyone meet in the middle of a combat in a town, then have an official come and ask them all questions. This takes care of a lot of game starting hurdles; names, introductions, a quick combat to test drive the characters, gives the PCs some excuse to hang around with each other, and even a plot hook freebie.

If you're looking for plot hooks, I think DMG2 has a chart of 100 plot ideas that are at the very least viable.

If the game lasts beyond character creation, introductions, combat, and plot hook exposure... just have them figure where they're going and either cook up another excuse for them to roleplay, or just throw another combat at them.

Edit:
Are they keeping the same characters in the cross-over or are they making new ones? Your post wasn't clear about that, and it is important to know that stuff to give good advice.

[KillianHawkeye]

Hit the reset button?

But seriously, the next easiest thing would be to feature a different part of your "world", thus making the new adventure entirely unrelated to previous events. Use this as an opportunity to expand the parts of your world that didn't get the proper exposure the last time you ran an adventure there. Are there any unresolved villains or plot points that could resurface in a new adventure? Do you have any new villains or adventure ideas on standby? (I guess not, or you wouldn't be asking for help.)

Or else, assuming that there are going to be all new characters involved, you can still use the same parts of your world with a new plot, and the old characters can even make cameo appearances in whatever roles they have adopted since the last adventure. For example, the veteran Fighter opened a tavern that happens to be frequented by one of the new PCs, maybe?

[jmbrown]

Do what Wizards did to Forgotten Realms in 4th edition.

Blow it up.

[Thrawn183]

Meteor impact.

[celestialkin]

Edit:
Are they keeping the same characters in the cross-over or are they making new ones? Your post wasn't clear about that, and it is important to know that stuff to give good advice.

My apologize!

This is a 100% new group of players. This is mere "my world", which I hope to eventually run many players and groups through as I age, mature as a DM, and add to this cosmology of mine.

[celestialkin]

Hit the reset button?

Well, I desire to make it a continuing, evolving world. Not a reusable module.

But seriously, the next easiest thing would be to feature a different part of your "world", thus making the new adventure entirely unrelated to previous events. Use this as an opportunity to expand the parts of your world that didn't get the proper exposure the last time you ran an adventure there.

Again, I forgot to mention that these are all new players.

Are there any unresolved villains or plot points that could resurface in a new adventure? Do you have any new villains or adventure ideas on standby? (I guess not, or you wouldn't be asking for help.)

For the unresolved ones, oh yes. Many. The last group basically dropped off at the middle of everything.

As for new ones, yes, but mostly only stuff I spent time daydreaming off, and not yet on paper.

Or else, assuming that there are going to be all new characters involved, you can still use the same parts of your world with a new plot, and the old characters can even make cameo appearances in whatever roles they have adopted since the last adventure. For example, the veteran Fighter opened a tavern that happens to be frequented by one of the new PCs, maybe?

Wow. I actually thought of something useful myself!

I had already set the past PCs as NPCs scattered across the "home" city/kingdom, which they actually helped found (one is the king, the other his wild elf/dragon mount...)

[celestialkin]

Do what Wizards did to Forgotten Realms in 4th edition.

Blow it up.

Not a blinking chance...

Been working on this world and cosmology for a year or so now.

[Another_Poet]

Here is what I would do. It's a little different but I think it would be fun.

I assume you have a bunch of henchman, villains, warlords and other nefarious types left over in your world from "last time," right?

I'm not talking BBEG's here (hopefully the PCs defeated the BBEG in your last campaign). But when the forces of good triumphed over the forces of evil, where did all the lieutenants and underlings go? Run for their lives? Hide out? Switch sides? Honourable suicide?

Pick a handful of evldoers. Let's say 10 of them or so. The orc infantry captain, the necromancer's apprentice, the spy who infiltrated the king's court, the seductress who gave the bard syphillis, etc. Maybe even the second-on-command to the old BBEG. 10-12 evil characters of varying provenance. Some the players might remember, others theymight never have heard of.

Now for the first session, let each of your players choose 1 of the evil characters. That session, they will decide what that evil character does in the wake of the BBEG's defeat. Maybe the orc captain becomes a mercenary, the apprentice sets up a humble alchemical shop under a false name, the spy loots the king's treasury and makes a run across the sea, the seductress is cut down by the toyal guard as she tries to flee the city... whatever. Let the PC's decide what these villains did without a leader. How they survived, or died. Where they went.

Now you have 4 new villains that the players actually care about and have fond memories of. If one died, maybe he/she sticks around as a ghost. If one switched sides, maybe they become a helpful NPC. But I'm guessing you get at least one really cool villain out of this, designed for you by your own PC's.

When the second session starts, the PCs roll up their new heroes and start in the same region as one (or more) of the villains from the first session. They're back on the side of good where they belong, with new enemies they know are out there. And they will probably be excited to jump into the story that they helped create.

ap

edit:

This is a 100% new group of players.

Ah, I didn't see this. You could still start off with the flight of the villains but it may not be quite as cool since the players don't have a history with them.

[celestialkin]

Here is what I would do. It's a little different but I think it would be fun.

I assume you have a bunch of henchman, villains, warlords and other nefarious types left over in your world from "last time," right?

I'm not talking BBEG's here (hopefully the PCs defeated the BBEG in your last campaign). But when the forces of good triumphed over the forces of evil, where did all the lieutenants and underlings go? Run for their lives? Hide out? Switch sides? Honourable suicide?

Pick a handful of evldoers. Let's say 10 of them or so. The orc infantry captain, the necromancer's apprentice, the spy who infiltrated the king's court, the seductress who gave the bard syphillis, etc. Maybe even the second-on-command to the old BBEG. 10-12 evil characters of varying provenance. Some the players might remember, others theymight never have heard of.

Now for the first session, let each of your players choose 1 of the evil characters. That session, they will decide what that evil character does in the wake of the BBEG's defeat. Maybe the orc captain becomes a mercenary, the apprentice sets up a humble alchemical shop under a false name, the spy loots the king's treasury and makes a run across the sea, the seductress is cut down by the toyal guard as she tries to flee the city... whatever. Let the PC's decide what these villains did without a leader. How they survived, or died. Where they went.

Now you have 4 new villains that the players actually care about and have fond memories of. If one died, maybe he/she sticks around as a ghost. If one switched sides, maybe they become a helpful NPC. But I'm guessing you get at least one really cool villain out of this, designed for you by your own PC's.

When the second session starts, the PCs roll up their new heroes and start in the same region as one (or more) of the villains from the first session. They're back on the side of good where they belong, with new enemies they know are out there. And they will probably be excited to jump into the story that they helped create.

ap

edit:


Ah, I didn't see this. You could still start off with the flight of the villains but it may not be quite as cool since the players don't have a history with them.

Dude, I really like this idea. I mean really. So much so that I will probably use it if I ever get to DM for a group twice.

However, again I forgot to mention this is a 100% new group.

[valadil]

I vote for running them parallel to your previous group.

[woodenbandman]

Try this:

http://brilliantgameologists.com/boa...p?topic=4470.0

Skip the part about worldgen, you have that already. This is an experiment I did similar to what Another_Poet said.

[TheCountAlucard]

Any ro sendbox DMs/players can please give me advice? If so, thank you. I have about five hours to coutndown.

Sorry I didn't see this thread sooner. I jumped my campaign setting about 500 years forward. Only one player from the old game is part of the new group, and he's pretty good about not metagaming about the old stuff. All the evil PCs from the old game became villains for this one. I talked with each of the old players about what their characters would do.

Since your PCs weren't evil, you'll have to decide this for your own villains, although having an idea of what they did during that fifteen-year skip would still probably be cool.

I'll have more to say when my brain isn't so tired.

[bosssmiley]

Mu. Sandbox settings, by their very nature, need no reboots.

Drop the PCs in wherever seems like fun and let them decide what to do next.

[RagnaroksChosen]

Do you have a map of the world... Tell them as a group to point to a place they would like to start... you can give them a little description of any of the places if you would like.

I usually get the goals of my characters and try to find a place appropriate for my characters and kinda drop them in there and let the improvisation go from there.

But i highly sugest the map thing.

[Moriato]

Be caueful about using the old PCs in the new game. They could easily turn into annoyingly overpowered DMPCs. I would say it's fine to use them information givers, or tavern owners or just background events, but I wouldn't have them get directly involved in the new PC's quest, whatever it may be.