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Intent
Feb 2, 2017 18:00:32 GMT
Post by logan9a on Feb 2, 2017 18:00:32 GMT
In the old HC campaign, I would work on making the 'cases of the week'.
In this one, there may be some of that but I also want to make more of an 'open sandbox' exploration type of campaign.
It is pretty hard to do so. I'm making stuff that should happen at certain times, random encounters for the players to come across and also certain locations that are interesting when/if found.
In the section of the map I'm working on (there will be several different maps/areas/thingees), it is about half the size of Australia. My biggest challenge is having enough interesting stuff that it does not become:
Anything interesting in this hex? No. Next? No. Next? Little bit - there is a neat plant. We kill it. Next?
But that takes hella time. So far I have eight major areas/biomes within the area.
Populating all of that with stuff (and weather, and resources, and interesting encounters, and a timeline, etc) is a lot of work.
From everything I've read on the 'open sandbox' type of GM'ing, it is quite a bit player driven. While I will have other groups doing other things, parts of the campaign will be all about 'what do you want to have happen? What do you - the group - want to do?'
Reminds me a bit of Travis' campaign there. Hope mine goes as well.
Edit: If Matt's plans (or Logan's attempts to make a little cash doing this as to perpetuate it) work, then the game would be something like 10-12 sessions long, then three months off, then another 10-12 sessions, etc. Repeat till Logan finally succumbs to death.
Having off time (forcibly interjected) might help in writing up new stuff, consequences and such from the old actions, etc.
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Intent
Feb 2, 2017 18:53:50 GMT
Post by bentpaperclip on Feb 2, 2017 18:53:50 GMT
Sand box campaigns certainly are player driven and are easiest when you start small and work outward. It's also less work for the GM. In my campaign, I started you in your village, then expanded to other villages downriver, then some new races were discovered, etc. If I had tried to start big and work inward, it would have been much more work (and much wasted work as the PCs couldn't have done every story line). Each week, I'd have a slightly large circle for you guys to explore - and based on what you did, I would know which circle to expand towards. No point in prepping X,Y, & Z in advance - just wait for the PCs to point themselves towards one of them. In my previous three campaigns in that world, I averaged 2 hours of prep for every 6-8 hours of gaming. Compare that to a more episodic game I just wrapped up (more like HC in that I had a "monster/case of the week) - it took me 4-6 hours for every 8 hours of gaming.
What do we want to do? I have no idea. If we amnesiacs, then find out what happened? Maybe make it back to Earth? At a minimum, find a realm with indoor plumbing and hot water. I'd need more info on the campaign to be able to answer that. What types of PCs are you looking for? Are we explorers? Warriors? Sometimes campaign guidelines helps creativity rather than stifles it. I've seen many GMs say, "In this campaign, you can make anything you want! It's completely open!" In my experience, it is much harder to come up with an idea for a PC, much harder to know what goals are reasonable, and much harder to be on the same page as the other players (and GM). You end up with a Renaissance Fair reject, a Space Pirate, and a Soccer Mom (who's secretly a SPY!) and they have no way to connect or reason to get along.
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Intent
Feb 2, 2017 19:30:33 GMT
Post by logan9a on Feb 2, 2017 19:30:33 GMT
I agree on the campaign part - you did it the right way. I am working with what I've got so later I will be able to prepare more 'directed' things.
As to the players fitting in and getting along, I'm putting all that responsibility onto the players. Make someone who will fit in with the party. Give your character reasons to want to hang out with the other PC's.
If I was dealing with shitty gamers then yes - I'd have a reason to be concerned. But I figure we're going to have a core group of some number (less than 10?) and bunches of cameos. If someone doesn't fit in with the group it's not like they are driving Bill and if they stop showing up we lose Bill.
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Intent
Feb 2, 2017 19:46:25 GMT
Post by bentpaperclip on Feb 2, 2017 19:46:25 GMT
You had good players in Amazingly Lost and none of us knew what to do or what we were supposed to be doing. We got along fine - but the campaign crashed and burned because we didn't understand what story we were supposed to be telling and everyone got frustrated.
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Intent
Feb 2, 2017 19:56:02 GMT
Post by logan9a on Feb 2, 2017 19:56:02 GMT
Personally, I'm thinking most of the bad stuff that happened during that campaign may have had a lot to do with me going through a major bout of depression and such.
I'm thinking the story in this campaign will start off with "Find out what is going on" followed by "Let's explore the world and maybe make friends/allies as well as set up supplies and such" followed by "What should we do about things?"
That's a very 'big picture' kind of thing. If the characters come up with goals in the meantime (end the green skin menace, set up a brothel, etc) that's great too. So long as it is interesting, it's all good.
Also, getting back to campaign planning and such, I'm also wanting to do something that isn't usually possible with more of an 'impromptu' sort of campaign. I want to layer shit. Something in scene one - maybe it is important by scene 132. That sort of thing. People trying to figure out 'what is going on' only really works if the person telling the story has an idea of what is going on.
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Intent
Feb 2, 2017 19:59:24 GMT
Post by logan9a on Feb 2, 2017 19:59:24 GMT
As was just in a book I was reading (a couple ago) survive - escape - payback. That was their mantra. I thought it was an excellent one and would work well for this campaign as well, upon reflection.
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Intent
Feb 2, 2017 20:25:04 GMT
Post by bentpaperclip on Feb 2, 2017 20:25:04 GMT
I agree. "Survive - Escape - Payback" gives a pretty clear idea of what to expect from a campaign. "Make characters and do stuff" - not so much. I'm sure, however, we'll start to get a better idea over the next 6-8 months before you begin.
So the campaign is likely to follow a 3 months on, 3 months off schedule?
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Intent
Feb 2, 2017 20:34:32 GMT
Post by logan9a on Feb 2, 2017 20:34:32 GMT
Honestly, that depends a lot on what Matt works out. He has volunteered to be the great Patron of the Arts in this case. And it is only possible for me to stay in the UK (even with the maybe Brexit upcoming) for a max of three months.
As that is the only patron we have thus far, everything rides on him as to when and even if this campaign makes a comeback.
Not sure if I mentioned it elsewhere but if not, here is the Evil Logan portion of the plan:
Since I would have a Patron (patrons get a capital P if they are for me) then I will use my money to buy recording equipment and such. Make a recording studio. Get everyone on camera and voice. Make it a nice game. Sure, we're not yet up to 3d holo (five more years?) but if I can get four players' faces on the monitor at the same time (with HC cards and dice) I will be a happy monkey. It will make it more like we're all in the same fucking room.
Record. Publish. Try to get paid for publishing by the fans. Several people have submitted ideas on this. Don't know if it will work but if the money can at least cover the cost of the equipment and storage it would be a great step. If it can make Logan more independent, what would I like to do?
Hell, travel around and game with various people, record, publish, get paid. It would be grand. Hey Travis - you know where I can have this mobile home parked for a couple months? It's gaming time near your house! Hell yes that would rock. I'd need a driver though because I suck.
Gods help the players if I get too damned much money.
"Welcome to Heroic Cthulhu - we're currently playing in Sicily!" Travis: "How the fuck did I let you talk me into coming out here?" Logan: "Free plane tickets and accommodation probably helped." Travis: "And who is this?" Logan: "Local Don. Wanted to sit in." Pete: "You have very colorful friends, Logan."
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Intent
Feb 3, 2017 17:04:18 GMT
Post by logan9a on Feb 3, 2017 17:04:18 GMT
A bit more on 'Survive - Escape - Payback'.
Just an FYI, I am attempting to design this as a very long running campaign. The 'survive' portion may take a long time as in 'years'. That's rather optimistic of me (clever players - boon and bane) but just wanted to bring it up.
I'm thinking players bringing characters who are interested in exploring as well as 'trouble shooting' (aka solving problems - not just the 'Doyle Method') are probably good ones to bring in. People who want to stay put are fine for awhile but if shit starts to drag (ie you've run all the adventures you can in the area and notice that the campaign is becoming more of a soap opera) then it might be time to move on within the world(s).
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Intent
Feb 3, 2017 17:50:40 GMT
Post by bentpaperclip on Feb 3, 2017 17:50:40 GMT
If the "Survive" portion could take years of gameplay, then there is no "Escape - Payback" portion. That is fine. It just means it's a Survival campaign.
P.S. You say "Doyle Method" like its a bad thing. Some things need a good Doyling!
P.P.S. Some people like soap operas. (And in this campaign, people really DO come back to life or have evil twins! Perfect!)
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Intent
Feb 3, 2017 18:15:44 GMT
Post by logan9a on Feb 3, 2017 18:15:44 GMT
If the "Survive" portion could take years of gameplay, then there is no "Escape - Payback" portion. That is fine. It just means it's a Survival campaign. That depends on the players. They may figure out the escape - payback portions and decide 'nah'. P.S. You say "Doyle Method" like its a bad thing. Some things need a good Doyling! Not a bad thing - just a very 'final' one. Well, usually. P.P.S. Some people like soap operas. (And in this campaign, people really DO come back to life or have evil twins! Perfect!) True dat.
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Intent
Feb 3, 2017 18:27:49 GMT
Post by logan9a on Feb 3, 2017 18:27:49 GMT
Also, different...er...slices of the world will not only obey different rules but have different shit the players will be doing.
For example -
One slice will be 'open sandbox' (fucking hard for Logan but I'm making a hard go of it) One slice might be 'railroaded' - possibly literally. Go from A to B on a defined mission. One slice might be 'We need to figure a way out of here just as fast as possible'.
And so on.
This will be a bit of problem solving for the players. Rather than 'here's your case, get to work', the PC's first have to
Figure out what the rules of the world are Figure out what the mission is - if there is one Do some exploring to figure out what resources they can get Do stuff they want to do Move on to the next ...slice.
Is that defined enough?
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Post by bentpaperclip on Feb 3, 2017 19:53:55 GMT
Yes.
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Intent
Feb 3, 2017 21:11:45 GMT
Post by logan9a on Feb 3, 2017 21:11:45 GMT
Any thoughts on it Travis?
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Intent
Feb 6, 2017 17:41:53 GMT
Post by bentpaperclip on Feb 6, 2017 17:41:53 GMT
The PC's first have to Figure out what the rules of the world are Figure out what the mission is - if there is one Do some exploring to figure out what resources they can get Do stuff they want to do Move on to the next ...slice. I do. I'm very happy that you're excited about getting back in the GM chair, but I'm not excited about this campaign. The more I learn about it, the less excited I am. I'm not really interested in questioning dozens of NPCs about the rules of physics or local laws/culture before we have enough information to act (and certainly not multiple times as we enter new "zones"), and I'm not interested in exploring a jungle/dungeon/swamp just because it's there. I don't see a unifying theme or premise that makes the PCs cool or cohesive. I'm not sold on the "death is temporary" thing; it functionally ceases to be a threat and bad guys will need repeated killing. I understand that all of this is by design, but it me it sounds like it would be frustrating. I don't mean to be a downer. I'm sure that many people will be thrilled by the campaign, but it may not be my cup of tea.
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