(Any) Local Matters Only

[Gralamin]

So, I was considering something I've heard mentioned somewhere before: There is amazing amount of potential that is wasted in the idea of a local threat. An event that doesn't change the world, beyond one small local. On a global scale, its insignificant, on a personal scale, it might be immense.

Taking this to a logical extreme, if one was to make a full-length campaign (1 to level cap: 20 in 3.5, 30 in 4e, etc.) focusing on a local threat that would not be noticed by most of the world, how would you do so?

My initial idea was a three part story line. The Local kingdom once had a ruler known as the Midnight Prince, who was sealed away. If he was ever unsealed, he would have the right to take the throne again. The Prince wasn't known for being imperialistic, but he was evil, causing a great amount of suffering in his own lands. In addition, it was the Prince who originally overthrew the neighboring nations, allowing the formation of the kingdom (And giving a reason to distrust neighbors).

In part 1, the PCs would have to try to stop the Prince from being unsealed. Cultists of various kinds are the likely ones to try and resurrect the prince.

In part 2, the PCs would be somehow sent back in time to the Prince's original rule - to find out how he was sealed, his weaknesses, etc. Though, the PCs would have to find their own way back. This time travel need not actually cause PCs to jump back in time: They may need to find a book that allows one to go into the past, but any changes cause a fictional timeline that only exists in the book.

In part 3, PCs would launch into a full scale war against the prince, intending to seal or destroy him. This may include gathering allies and raising an army.

If done right, it seems it would give just enough room to get a full campaign, and by including a lot of detail and connections to the local area, the PCs would have motivation to see it through.

[Swordgleam]

I think it's a great idea. The one real concern is how to make things feel "epic" at epic level, when they're still in one small area, not plane-hopping and consorting with high kings as the game assumes they'll be by that point.

[Tyndmyr]

Depth of background matters immensely for this. Consider things like secret societies, or a political scene filled with intrigue.

Basically, if you're going to adventure from 1-20 in a single area, you have to really, really flesh out every detail of that area, and positively stuff it with potential conflict, plot hooks, and interesting stuff. Otherwise, it's terribly easy for players to get bored with it, or simply run out of stuff to do.

[LibraryOgre]

I would take the classic boxed set "Night Below" and run the heck out of it.

Night Below's first book takes place in an out-of-the-way county. There's some local issues, but they're nothing that anyone would take note of outside the county.

Then you dive into the Underdark.

[FoE]

You have a party of adventurers. They live together in a house that used to be owned by a mad wizard. His ghost still resides there but is unable to interact with material objects.

The house has a magical portal in it. The exit of the portal switches locations throughout the house at random, but the portal never leaves the house. The entrance of the portal changes randomly, switching locations from the natural world to the Feywild to the Underdark to the Abyss and beyond.

Monsters periodically wander through the portal, compelled by its magic. The monsters increase in strength and danger as the PCs do. The monsters are magically restrained from leaving the house but some magic runes on the wall (which shine through anything that cover them and cannot be dispelled) instruct the monsters that they can escape if they destroy the house.

If the monsters succeed in destroying the house, the portal will collapse, and the monsters will be instantly transported back to where they came from. But the PCs will no longer have a house, which is a really fabulous home and full of treasure that the mad wizard hid in various secret rooms and closets. The PCs receive tips as to the location of the treasure from the ghost of the wizard as they defend the house. If the house is destroyed, the treasure goes with it, disappearing from this plane through magic to be lost forever.

The campaign culminates with a battle against a Demon Prince or some other godly being, which results in the destruction of the house. At this point, however, the PCs have enough money to do whatever they want.

It wouldn't be a particularly novel or even a very fun campaign, but it fits your concept.

[Fishy]

You know, I bet you could run Lost as a 1-20 D&D campaign.

A bunch of level 1 commoners get in a shipwreck and end up on an island- they have to spend the first few weeks just putting together a camp, dealing with petty squabbles, taking care of mundane tasks. There's a bear.

As they start to get more powerful, they incidentally pick up magic that makes lots of those mundane tasks easier, and they can start exploring. They find the weird ruins of some sort of arcane research facility, and a whole bunch of miscellaneous inexplicable things. When they get powerful enough to normally justify them just escaping, they notice that divination and teleportation magic just plain doesn't work right. There's a weird smoke thing.

Then, they discover that the island is infested with Tucker's Kobolds, and it has been from day 1, and they never noticed.

It turns out the Kobolds are there worshiping a Blue Dragon. He's there to study the peculiar arcane qualities of the place- and when the PCs start to vaguely understand things, it ticks him off.

Then, time paradoxes.

[FoE]

But see, you just pre-planned the campaign. To be an actual Lost-themed campaign, the DM has to make up the plot as he goes along.

[Belobog]

Planescape:

The Lady of Blades and her servants disappear. Sigil begins to deteriorate without her presence, as buildings and districts fall into disrepair, long outcast factions and religions re-enter to vie for supremacy, and outsiders begin to wage war in an effort to make Sigil slide over to 'their side'. Has a lot of potential for a player-driven game, where they would set the goals and how they approach them (do you back a faction or not? Try to oust the outsiders? Try to find the Lady of Blades?). Start in a slum or an abandoned, now fenced in section of the city, and work your way from there.

Unless, you mean, smaller than a planar city. Then that could get complicated.

[Gralamin]

Good comments so far. Two that I think need to be addressed:

I think it's a great idea. The one real concern is how to make things feel "epic" at epic level, when they're still in one small area, not plane-hopping and consorting with high kings as the game assumes they'll be by that point.

This is a good point, handling the tone of such a game would be very challenging, and will require a lot of forethought so that any epic level threat doesn't seem forced.

Depth of background matters immensely for this. Consider things like secret societies, or a political scene filled with intrigue.

Basically, if you're going to adventure from 1-20 in a single area, you have to really, really flesh out every detail of that area, and positively stuff it with potential conflict, plot hooks, and interesting stuff. Otherwise, it's terribly easy for players to get bored with it, or simply run out of stuff to do.

A very good point. So the main problem with such a game seems to be the setup time involved: It'd require a lot of work and fleshing out of one area.

[PairO'Dice Lost]

Planescape:

The Lady of Blades[...]

*cringe*

Lady of Pain. Don't get Her Serenity's name wrong; the dabus don't like that.


I second the notion that you take a look at Night Below, and in general consider Underdark-related adventures; thinking vertically lets you pack a lot more in one area.

[hamlet]

When did this forum start channeling Old School?

[Thelas]

*cringe*

Lady of Pain. Don't get Her Serenity's name wrong; the dabus don't like that.

Why do I not recognize dabus?
Can someone remind me what they are?

[kamikasei]

Why do I not recognize dabus?
Can someone remind me what they are?

They're on the internet, is what they are.

[dsmiles]

@OP: I think this is a great idea. Keep up the good work.

[hewhosaysfish]

What do you do when the PCs declare "Whoa! Things will really go to the dogs if this Midnight Prince takes over. Let's gather our families and jump on the next boat to Nextkingdomoverland!"?

[Fishy]

You make it their home. Too many adventurers are wandering vagabonds: give your PCs a place to set up as their home turf. Neighbors who have personality and throw them parties when they save the day, bosses who give them jobs.

[Gralamin]

What do you do when the PCs declare "Whoa! Things will really go to the dogs if this Midnight Prince takes over. Let's gather our families and jump on the next boat to Nextkingdomoverland!"?

You make it their home. Too many adventurers are wandering vagabonds: give your PCs a place to set up as their home turf. Neighbors who have personality and throw them parties when they save the day, bosses who give them jobs.

Exactly. Part of the point of the first third of the adventure is to get players connected to the area. "Defending your home" is very powerful motivation. Sure, you might be able to escape with your family, but what about the rest of the village? If you start massing to move an entire village, do you really think neighboring kingdoms would just accept you? Can you even protect an entire village of people on such a journey?


Thanks for the suggestions, I'll look into them.

[bosssmiley]

Depth of background matters immensely for this. Consider things like secret societies, or a political scene filled with intrigue.

Basically, if you're going to adventure from 1-20 in a single area, you have to really, really flesh out every detail of that area, and positively stuff it with potential conflict, plot hooks, and interesting stuff. Otherwise, it's terribly easy for players to get bored with it, or simply run out of stuff to do.

And all your effort goes for naught when the PCs become sufficiently confident in their power to enact meaningful and permanent change in the status quo (Masters Level in BECMI, fabricate + wish come online around 10-12th level in 3E, errr...clue me please in 4E).

Over-prepping is a snark hunt that sucks up mental resources better used elsewhere (i.e: in play). You cannot meaningfully predict the actions of PCs over multiple sessions and levels of character power, and you must retain the ability to improvise solutions to unexpected complications.

Take a leaf from computer programmers: use fog of war/distance haze to your advantage and only render (for which read "detail to a level necessary for play") in the current active locale/intended direction of travel. Rough notes can be expanded, modified or scrapped quickly and easily; while extensive notes you have to throw out are wasted effort (a cardinal DMing sin).

@OP: Part two (the pocket universe/divergent timeline) is interesting. Will their adventures in this storyverse count as 'real' adventure for the purposes of lewts and XP?

[Shardan]

General ideas for local only games:
the entire local area slips into Ravenloft!

Or is stolen into a bottle world by a grand genie who decides to play games with the inhabitants

or is sealed in a Crystal dome by the BBEG.

Or an idea for a plot that would fit

Spoiler

Show

Low level, I'd stick with some normal local thing. orc/goblin tribe, then some 'minor BBEG' shows. The minor BBEG is abov the characters level obviously enough that they know not to charge him. They hear a legend of an 'Ancient Savior' sealed away. The adventurers brave the cave/dungeon/mountain to seek out the savior.

It turns out the savior is the ancient BBEG. his lackey has spent a thousand years spreading lies and altering the legend to make the people want to free his master. The BBEG and Lackey leave the heroes there, considering them unimportant and goes to conquer the town.

The heroes are left to fight the midling BBEG (which was the lackey's pet) The fight collapses the cave/tower but reveals another cave that leads to the magic source that enabled the BBEG to be sealed in the first place.. a temporal rift.. the rift reacts when the heroes get close and drops them into the past... the era of when the ancient BBEG was up and running.. and in the past they have to be the ones to seal him away to return to their proper time

Back to the current time, the BBEG has cemented his power and the heroes have to try and defeat him... again...

(btw.. when that is done, the lackey is actually an earthly representitive of an evil god. The BBEGwas his favored pet, grooming him to become a world dominator. the lackey/evilgod drops the whole countryside into hell to punish the heroes for stopping them. after wading through armies of hell they must defeat the evil god to return the world to the earthly realm)

[Deme]

I'm doing something like this, actually (but only to mid-paragon in 4E). Basically, the place is one big city of adventure with several huge adventuring features. Sure, for a while they'll be doing things like taking down the crooks who are spiking prices at the underground arena hidden in the labrynth-y underground. But then that underground threatens their city's structure and requires day-saving. And then the city is invaded and needs saving. Then there are all manner of political plots. And fey plots to take over the city. And all the while there are hints at the endgame: the climb up the massive, perpetually-glowing tower that serves as artifact and protector of the city. Basically, the locality would need to be one that inherently supports dimension-hopping challenges and epic rulers and so on.

[jiriku]

Or an idea for a plot that would fit

Yoink! Consider it stolen. Muahahahaha!