How "crazy" do you like your campagins?

**randomhero00** · 2010-02-14, 03:18 PM (ISO 8601)

I may be DMing in several months and I wanted to do a really long arc/campaign based around the idea of "Lost" (the tv show) where they're shipwrecked on an island and all sorts of mysterious things happen. Things go into the island, but they almost never leave. Other than that though the similarities with the show would end. The island would be a lot bigger, and there'd be several small cities to explore, once they find them. This would be a less combat centric, and more roleplay-intrigue (what they asked for) game.

Would forcing the players to stay on the island be DM railroading? Obviously I'd use creative ways, but none of them would be in the DMG so to speak... for instance I'd have to think of creative solutions to planeshifting and portals. Like, portals you arrive somewhere else on the island, and planeshifting, you arrive in the same spot, but at a different point in time.

Would making mysteries based on non dnd stuff be ok? -I know that one is more up to my group, but I thought I'd hear your opinion too. For instance, I was thinking of making one or two mysterious steampunk era machines that controlled something on the island. i.e. something the players could never roll a knowledge check for (well, never fully understand anyway,) nor never replicate.

Common pitfalls? Is it smart to limit myself to a mysterious island and a lot of non core material? I personally like to be able to be fully creative, so I think *I* would like it, but do you think the players might get frustrated? I mean, we're still playing DnD, not world of darkness.

Thoughts? Tips?

Thanks

edit, its 3.x

**Foeofthelance** · 2010-02-14, 04:16 PM (ISO 8601)

If you do go for the "locked door" approach to leaving the island, try to keep it as simple as possible. The idea of different drawbacks is nice, but it is also possible that the players will start looking for ways around this.

Best bet is to pre-emptively cut off the cries of railroading by asking the players if they don't mind being so isolated, while at the same time making it known the island is really going to be a fair sized continent.

**Harperfan7** · 2010-02-14, 04:36 PM (ISO 8601)

Is the whole campaign going to be on this island? It wouldn't be railroading if you had a preplanned way for them to get off, if only they could reach it. Food for thought.

**randomhero00** · 2010-02-14, 05:06 PM (ISO 8601)

Yeah, the whole thing would be on the island. I'd let them know that ahead of time.

Getting off would involve uncovering the big mystery, killing the big evil bad guy, which would end the campaign.

**valadil** · 2010-02-14, 05:16 PM (ISO 8601)

Originally Posted by randomhero00

Would forcing the players to stay on the island be DM railroading?

Not really. If they make an escape attempt, don't just say no to it. Keep them on the island, but give them more information about how it functions in the process. ie, if they try to teleport home it doesn't work. That should indicate that the island is on another plane. Or something.

Would making mysteries based on non dnd stuff be ok? -I know that one is more up to my group, but I thought I'd hear your opinion too.

It works sometimes. Where this kind of mystery falls apart in my experience is when the players immediately recognize what's in front of them but their characters don't. ie, if you put a car in your game the players will poke at each and every button until someone happens to turn the key. I find this kind of gameplay frustrating because it takes so much effort to keep from metagaming that I can't really play my character anymore. Steampunk tech or semi-future tech should be fine though.

Common pitfalls? Is it smart to limit myself to a mysterious island and a lot of non core material? I personally like to be able to be fully creative, so I think *I* would like it, but do you think the players might get frustrated? I mean, we're still playing DnD, not world of darkness.

This depends entirely on you and your players. I don't think that being stuck on the island is a problem. As Lost has shown us, there's a variety of ways to add more stuff to the island. As far as the players go, some PCs aren't able to deal with things they haven't seen in a game before. This game might take them too far out of their comfort zones. Does your group usually make their own material or just pull challenges out of books? Do they experiment with different systems or only play D&D? However they play, they should definitely enter this game knowing that it will be about discovering new things that won't come from any rule book.

**Godskook** · 2010-02-14, 05:24 PM (ISO 8601)

Originally Posted by randomhero00

Would forcing the players to stay on the island be DM railroading?

No, it wouldn't. Or at least, it wouldn't be 'wrong' of you. Consider things like banning all relevant spells, such as plane-shift and greater teleport, making sure that no one knows how to build a boat, and adding many vicious dragon-sized serpents to the local ocean. Also, make clear that the intent of your campaign is to "explore the island", so that players aren't surprised when there's roadblocks against getting off the island.

**Thrawn183** · 2010-02-14, 05:32 PM (ISO 8601)

Yeah, as long as you're up front about it, I don't see why your players would complain.

**randomhero00** · 2010-02-14, 06:32 PM (ISO 8601)

Ok, cool, thanks for the replies.

Originally Posted by Godskook

No, it wouldn't. Or at least, it wouldn't be 'wrong' of you. Consider things like banning all relevant spells, such as plane-shift and greater teleport, making sure that no one knows how to build a boat, and adding many vicious dragon-sized serpents to the local ocean. Also, make clear that the intent of your campaign is to "explore the island", so that players aren't surprised when there's roadblocks against getting off the island.

I was thinking more along the lines of, "you sail out for several days, but you find the island on the horizon again. Your compass spins in circles and the stars seem alien and new each night." Or something like that. I haven't worked out the details yet.There'd of course be an NPC to warn them first that it'd be a fool attempt. Boats would still be useful for traveling around the edge of the island though, so I figure I don't want to outright ban them. They might want to open a trade route between two of the towns for all I know.

The travel spells: I was thinking of having them have random results to fizzling, to blowing up, to putting them back at a random part of the island (or perhaps a very specific spot, to make it a clue and part of the mystery), etc. But that might be changing the game too much? Perhaps it'd be better just to ban them?

**Tyndmyr** · 2010-02-14, 10:57 PM (ISO 8601)

Originally Posted by randomhero00

Ok, cool, thanks for the replies.

I was thinking more along the lines of, "you sail out for several days, but you find the island on the horizon again. Your compass spins in circles and the stars seem alien and new each night." Or something like that. I haven't worked out the details yet.There'd of course be an NPC to warn them first that it'd be a fool attempt. Boats would still be useful for traveling around the edge of the island though, so I figure I don't want to outright ban them. They might want to open a trade route between two of the towns for all I know.

One idea, born of a sci-fi book I read. They find the same island, at a different point in time. Going one way results in going backward in time, the other way, forward. The journey is long enough to be extremely dangerous, and likely to deplete all their supplies.

Have fun.

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