Basing a campaign of a book... good or bad?

[loves_to_laugh]

Ok so I just read a series of books that would make an awesome campaign. I would have to tweak it to DnD rules but it could work.

Anyways, if I know that none of my players would have read any of the books would it still be a good idea?

If anyone has read it the books are the Heralds of Valdemar series by Mercedes Lackey. The campaign would be coming from the mage storms books mainly.

Good? Bad? Any ideas to help the campaign even?

[Geneticist]

It's good. If your players haven't read it, then it's great to pull in an outside source of some kind. I'm basing an entire civilization in my game on the prince of persia games for the Ps2.

[Arbitrarity]

Try, however, not to rehash the book plot. If you're going to make use of the setting, fine, but too close to the book plot, and it's very easy to railroad to a great extent. Base the setting/ideas, but don't recreate.

[TheOOB]

The real trick is to base your campaign off of a couple books, so it has a bunch of proven good ideas, but it also something new at the same time.

[Iku Rex]

Take heed.

http://www.shamusyoung.com/twentysidedtale/?p=612

[dragonseth]

I've tried basing worlds off of things like books. I've had bad experience with it, but maybe that's my lack of skill/luck.

[Hawriel]

Nothing wrong with it. Use the books setting or basic plot lines for ideas and change them around to make them your own. The more experience you get with world building and story telling the less you will need to lean on books movies or what ever. However pritty much every GM has read a book or wached a movie and thought to himself that would be a cool story idea for gaming.

[Nerd-o-rama]

Better than basing a book off your campaign.

*casts Protection Against Dragonlance Fans*
*...and " against Lodoss War Fans while he's at it.

But seriously, there's nothing wrong with taking a setting from a published book. Now, don't expect your campaign's plot to be the same as the books; even if you plan it that way, things will turn out differently, because you'll have different characters and different authors (your players). You can even use the same setup and jumping-off point for your plot, but the players will do things differently, so be prepared and don't just railroad them through the script. No different from any other campaign, really.

Have any of your players read the applicable books?

[Draz74]

I find the variant "E6" D&D rules match most fantasy literature much better than standard D&D does. You might want to look into that.

[daggaz]

Heh yeah, Iku Rex is right. Shamus Young did it, and it was awesome, but then again, all of that awesomness is just us laughing at the poor DM as the entire plotline is consistantly and utterly destroyed by his players. Take heed, indeed.

[hewhosaysfish]

But seriously, there's nothing wrong with taking a setting from a published book. Now, don't expect your campaign's plot to be the same as the books; even if you plan it that way, things will turn out differently, because you'll have different characters and different authors (your players). You can even use the same setup and jumping-off point for your plot, but the players will do things differently, so be prepared and don't just railroad them through the script. No different from any other campaign, really.

I'll agree with this. Feel free to take the villains and villaninous plots from the books, but not the heroes reactions.

[Triaxx]

I've never had severe problems. I've run Mercedes Lackey Campaigns, using psionics though, and they worked out well. Magic has to be messed around with though. Sorcerors are more useful and believable.

[Xuincherguixe]

Depends on the book. Some settings, even good ones wouldn't make sense for a campaign setting.

A Dr. Seuss Campaign for instance probably isn't going to work. (Though if it could that would have much potential for awesome. Or insanity. Like there's a difference.)

You're the best judge of that though.

[Chronos]

A Dr. Seuss Campaign for instance probably isn't going to work. (Though if it could that would have much potential for awesome. Or insanity. Like there's a difference.)

I would not eat them with a wererat, I would not eat them in a dungeon. I would not eat them in a Forcecage, I would not eat them with an animal companion. I will not eat Prestidigitationed Eggs and Ham. I do not like them, DM-I-am!

[RTGoodman]

A game based on Ursula LeGuin's Earthsea setting? Yep, that could work. One based on Upton Sinclair's The Jungle? Not so much. (Well, the theme might work in Eberron, but I'm not really a fan of that setting anyway).


In all seriousness, basing a campaign off of a book can be fine, as long as you remember one thing - base it on the setting, and not the exact plot, because your player's will find some way to screw your plans up.


(Of course, now I sort of want to do an Earthsea game, provided I can find a good truename magic system.)