Looking for ideas for an 'exodus' campaign

[Saintheart]

By 'exodus', I'm referring to a narrative similar to that expressed in the Biblical book of that name: one where a group of people are forced (or voluntarily) up and leave for some other place in a large, single group.

In terms of popular examples - Battlestar Galactica in TV, Watership Down in novels, Homeworld, Metro Exodus in videogames are the sorts of stories I had in mind. These are nice stories and all, but the question is - if you were doing a campaign along these lines, what sort of encounters, narratives, themes would you put into it? What sort of big setpieces would you look at, what sort of story elements would you bring into a RPG along these lines?


At the moment the sketch of the adventure I had in mind one where the surface world of the campaign setting is inhospitable because of [Insert Magical War or Disaster Here]. Life survives in the 'shallow' underground, i.e. not set in an Underdark, but mainly at the sort of subterranean depths that surface dwarves tolerate (and therefore thrived in after the disaster, becoming the dominant race for once.) Journeys have to be undertaken by using extensive underground passageways interspersed with short surface forays where the passages have been cut off. And for [Reason], a group of exiles/people now have to leave the comparative safety of their underground refuge and head travel, sometimes underground, sometimes over the surface, to a new/different place.

Scale is a big question. Is it just the party that's setting off into the unknown, or are they leaders of a larger group of civilians? Or are they scouts for a large group of civilians? How would your campaign change between these different types of travel? Are they going because of impending disaster (Watership Down), or invaders who are pursuing them (Battlestar Galactica) or in a quest partially for discovery of a forgotten place (Homeworld)?

Looking for any plot bunnies, ideas for encounters, story arcs, anything you might feel inclined to contribute...

[brian 333]

The reshaping of the world by the gods at the end of an age has made the surface largely uninhabitable, with the arable lands dominated by powerful remnant beings or groups which are jealous of their territories. With so little, they cannot share. Beneath the barren hellscapes and wastelands, the dwarves and their allies seek to survive, as do other denizens of the underground realms.

But their own ecologies derived sustenance from the upper world, and these resources dwindled. Gathering all that they could, a great migration began. The search for a new home. Sometimes the gods watching over them or their seers take the migrants through abandoned kingdoms filled with forgotten treasures now jealously guarded by pittiful remnants of ancient societies or the monsters which took their places. Sometimes their path leads through territories controlled by more powerful enemies. Sometimes their path leads through barren wastes where only direct divine intervention permits survival.

Adventure:
The PCs must secure passage through the territory of a dragon which will bargain: if 1/10th of the migrants remain to be used as sheep, the dragon will allow the remainder to pass. The whole band probably cannot defeat the dragon, and resources are running low.

Adventure:
Another migrant band wishes to join, but the leadership of it wishes to retain the power and privilege of their station.

Adventure:
A potential way station is filled with undead which guard a garden and supply cache that the more intelligent use as bait to attract desperate migrants.

[the_david]

You could just use the plot of Terra Nova. You escaped from the calamity through a portal and now you find yourself on a new world full of life and magic and monsters. You can alternate between scouting missions, defending the colony and politics. It's a bit more sandboxy and colonial, though.

Paizo has published an Adventure Path for Starfinder that's all about colonizing an uninhabited world. That seems a great way to do the colony thing without actually doing all the bad stuff.

[Olffandad]

I saw the documentary of the Chilean boys who were rescued by caving experts - that really struck me as a great story of heroism and bravery, but also that caves aren't made of nice neat 10-ft corridors like in a D&D module.

I also experienced Howe Cavern in New York State, which is a vast place that was made civilized by a lot of work with lighted paths and handrails now, but would have been a dark wet wilderness before it was explored.

Caves can be filled with water, dead ends, narrow squeezes, empty voids, etc. Escaping whatever shelter the home community has could be a slog through brutal deadly caves, for instance.

[sktarq]

Well for larger groups.

The party can act as scouts for the main column

The party can be diplomats for the group negotiating safe passage over owned territory. Some of the locals may want a task done for compensation.

The main group could be seen as source of loot/slaves by landed groups it passes recovery, retribution raids, and rescues may well be in order.

The main group needs to have some ability to eat. To some extent they may be able to provide for themselves if they are going slow (milk and blood food sources may be able to keep up...or in a longer scale of looking for new lands the main group may settle for a few months raise some quick growing spring crops and then move again over summer and early fall planting in mid-late fall) This will be harder for underground areas but figuring out what underground farmers grow always is. Or maybe the party is assigned to hunt wild creatures to provide steaks and jerky for trail rations.

Disease, poisoning due to not knowing local plants, etc are all major threats. Cures may need to be found.

If they are spending a lot of time underground, lighting will be an issue. Torches or something may be an issue and they can be a pain to carry if you are trying to carry everything else in your life at the same time.

The leadership of the main convoy is at odds on which way to go. Can the PC's influence the leadership to make the better choice? Perhaps give a ticking clock somehow.

Oh no the party has only a couple weeks to figure out how the main convoy will cross this large river!..Now maybe they have a work crew to help or maybe not. Part puzzle and part defense as they start to set up options they will attract attention.

Traveling is hard on the feet and footwear. The party is tasked with solving the great shoe shortage of 23 PA (post apocalypse)

Why they are traveling is going to be the biggest effect on tone for your game. Traveling because of hope vs traveling from fear being the biggest choice. Could the group settle at any point? if so then why don't they when things get rough? (and if they are not rough you loose story options) If they are traveling due to fear then why don't don't they settle as soon as they are out of the danger zone? Either way you need to figure out how to gauge when large parts of the traveling group will call it a success and will settle down. This of course doesn't have to be the end of the game. Setting up a new outpost of civilization is rife with new challenges well suited for adventurer types and being able to shape a new society is often appealing for may players. What defines the territory the main group is looking to move into?

if the move is religious in nature seeking out lost holy places of the favored deity would be useful places to hit up. Gain relics, commune with said deity to get guidance on where to go next, etc.

[brian 333]

If the party scouts for a larger traveling group, it may be their job to find and clear the way to the next 'safe' spot. While the civilians rest and secure rations, the adventurers explore.

This allows several scouting parties to venture in several directions, and in case of fatalities, the additional groups can provide extra PCs or replace them in the event of TPK, and the new characters can begin within a few levels of where the old one left off, but with a "don't go thataway!" incentive.

It can also provide a cadre of seasoned NPC adventurers to help the PCs against more powerful adversaries.

Adventure: Just Beyond The Tombs Of The Rachu'ul

The Rachu'ul were once a thriving dwarf clan, but before the apocalypse they stopped communicating with everyone. A few adventurers tried to find out what happened, but either reported a deserted city stripped of valuables, or never reported back at all.

But there was once an underground highway system which ran for hundreds of miles, linking five other clans in a trade network with the six clan holds as trade hubs in smaller local networks. From where the PCs are now, access to these highways, (and the possibility of future easy traveling with traders along the way,) can be found just beyond an extensive catacomb maze.

DM Info:
1) the Rachu'ul became victims of a cambion, born of the daughter of the clan chief whose Advisory Council had been infiltrated by a demon-worshipper.
2) the Rachu'ul never spoke of the illegitimate heir to their chieftainship out of embarrassment, but they didn't know just how illegitimate the their truly was until it was too late.
3) when it came of age, the cambion bound a cohort of corrupted youths and soldiers to it and when they were strong enough, they murdered the chieftain.
4) replacing the chieftain, the cambion arrested, convicted, and murdered any who spoke against him, accusing them in the plot to murder his grandfather, and using their confiscated goods to reward his loyal minions.
5) by the time it was too late to stop him, the cambion had secured all the exits and all the food stores. Starvation killed many, and more came to pledge fealty to the cambion to gain access to meagre rations.
6) just as the consolidation of power was completed, there was a plague. It killed almost everyone it touched. A population of thousands was halved, first by starvation, then halved by martial force, then halved yet again by disease.
7) with many of his loyal minions dead, the cambion raised an army of undead to replace them. He created greater undead to lead the army. This was an unfortunate choice, because they chose to rebel and replace the camion.
8) the cambion was bound and imprisoned, and then the undead began to fight over control of the 600 or so dwarves who remained alive. Most were used as food and discarded, the rest were turned into undead.
9) growing ever more insane, six greater undead, four vampires, a wight priest, and a ghoul sorcerer, secured enclaves in the tombs while their minions fought and destroyed each other.
10) one of the vampires has custody of the still bound camion, who supplies her with blood. Early in their war, the other undead decimated her forces while trying to capture the camion for themselves.
11) for the last generation, the undead have focused on each other, forgetting the outside world as their own resources dwindle. New blood entering their territory would be a prize worth having, and worth preventing enemies from getting.