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RPGs / Re: A tad bit of help with my Campaign please.
« on: March 24, 2009, 07:34:57 PM »
Well, reading this and the original thread, I see a few possible problems:
So far it seems more like a puzzle-based video game plot than a D&D plot. The whole sacrificing slaves by the hundreds that are in room if the players pass instead of solving the puzzle is kind of non-nonsensical since... well, what's the whole point of building that? They would probably be starved by the time any adventurer comes along anyway.
If the campaign is going to be based around the dungeon, not only are you going to want to map it out, but you might also want to consider why it's built. I understand the evil boss is crazy and all but dungeons are usually built to protect something. If it's just a trap for the slaves, then there's no reason anyone in its right mind would want to go to the lower levels.
I'm not saying your puzzle idea is bad, it's just that if it's badly implemented the game won't last very long. Here's what I suggest:
1) Make sure you know what the players want by talking to them. If they're more puzzle oriented, then puzzles it is. If they want to fight monsters, puzzles will bore them, make the dungeon into some sort of monster zoo. If they're not into politics and you give them the reins to building a new society, they won't do anything with them.
2) Make the other slaves actually act like humans, not one-liner guys who stand in a corner and give them their single line of dialogue about how pressing X on a crystal to save their game. You probably know that, but some GMs don't know how to do proper NPCs. They have to do what real people would do in their situation, not just be like lemmings walking off cliffs. Why save them if they're mindless non-sentient pieces of meat? The players might still help them because of their "alignment", but as the example of the frog people in Ross' new world campaign, it'll be much more interesting if there's an actual investment in their well-being.
3) Don't over plan. Players will do what you didn't expect anyway. If the players didn't find a way around a third of the things you had in store for them, you're doing something wrong.
That's basically it. Personally, I would make the players start as slaves building a fairly huge labyrinth with big chambers containing tricks and oddities when the entrance collapses. The players would be stuck inside having to gather and organize the other slaves to dig their way out. Each session, they would head out to look for magical items the mage has kept in separate chambers that might help them get out. They know that something huge is in the treasure chamber at the bottom but as the traps are insane, they wouldn't risk it yet. When they finally get out, a group of bloodthirsty mercenaries would try to raid the dungeon so they have to fend them off. They can either start setting up new traps or head for the bottom of the dungeon to find the item which will give them the edge they need. But that's my kind of games.
So far it seems more like a puzzle-based video game plot than a D&D plot. The whole sacrificing slaves by the hundreds that are in room if the players pass instead of solving the puzzle is kind of non-nonsensical since... well, what's the whole point of building that? They would probably be starved by the time any adventurer comes along anyway.
If the campaign is going to be based around the dungeon, not only are you going to want to map it out, but you might also want to consider why it's built. I understand the evil boss is crazy and all but dungeons are usually built to protect something. If it's just a trap for the slaves, then there's no reason anyone in its right mind would want to go to the lower levels.
I'm not saying your puzzle idea is bad, it's just that if it's badly implemented the game won't last very long. Here's what I suggest:
1) Make sure you know what the players want by talking to them. If they're more puzzle oriented, then puzzles it is. If they want to fight monsters, puzzles will bore them, make the dungeon into some sort of monster zoo. If they're not into politics and you give them the reins to building a new society, they won't do anything with them.
2) Make the other slaves actually act like humans, not one-liner guys who stand in a corner and give them their single line of dialogue about how pressing X on a crystal to save their game. You probably know that, but some GMs don't know how to do proper NPCs. They have to do what real people would do in their situation, not just be like lemmings walking off cliffs. Why save them if they're mindless non-sentient pieces of meat? The players might still help them because of their "alignment", but as the example of the frog people in Ross' new world campaign, it'll be much more interesting if there's an actual investment in their well-being.
3) Don't over plan. Players will do what you didn't expect anyway. If the players didn't find a way around a third of the things you had in store for them, you're doing something wrong.
That's basically it. Personally, I would make the players start as slaves building a fairly huge labyrinth with big chambers containing tricks and oddities when the entrance collapses. The players would be stuck inside having to gather and organize the other slaves to dig their way out. Each session, they would head out to look for magical items the mage has kept in separate chambers that might help them get out. They know that something huge is in the treasure chamber at the bottom but as the traps are insane, they wouldn't risk it yet. When they finally get out, a group of bloodthirsty mercenaries would try to raid the dungeon so they have to fend them off. They can either start setting up new traps or head for the bottom of the dungeon to find the item which will give them the edge they need. But that's my kind of games.
