tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4353391426294254427.post6786939572617844196..comments2024-03-25T22:48:31.750-04:00Comments on Dreams in the Lich House: Beedo's Hierarchy of Campaign NeedsJohnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18031181424520125213noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4353391426294254427.post-74760290205055168062011-07-11T15:37:34.507-04:002011-07-11T15:37:34.507-04:00As a player and a DM, I actually find barony-build...As a player and a DM, I actually find barony-building and large scale economics rather boring. I don't balance my real checkbook for fun, why should I balance my PCs for fun? I'd rather be killing princesses and rescuing orcs. Or something like that.<br /><br />I'm less interested in what the PCs do than in why they do it. You're adventuring to become rich and powerful? Why? What do you want the wealth and power for? What compels you to risk life and limb, day in and day out?<br /><br />So when I run games, I focus on story and setting, because that answers those questions. Rules are for how they interact with the setting. Without setting and story, the rules are like having a car, but nowhere to drive it.Uncle Darkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15153259977898899885noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4353391426294254427.post-18252185120927095162011-07-11T11:44:07.983-04:002011-07-11T11:44:07.983-04:00I suppose with the Dark Country I really started w...I suppose with the Dark Country I really started with Nightwick Abbey. I even ran half-formed versions of it a couple of times before I started developing the Dark Country and "the World." So maybe that counts as adventures. Of course the rules I was using for the early versions of it were OD&D with a whole new monster list, now I'm using LL/AD&D with three point alignment and LotFP thieves.Mirandahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10745062840676790649noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4353391426294254427.post-82832392445572980552011-07-11T11:00:11.952-04:002011-07-11T11:00:11.952-04:00I'd think your a rules/adventures/campaign per...I'd think your a rules/adventures/campaign person - economic rules and mass combat seem low on the priority list.<br /><br />Part of it goes to whether one's approach is bottom up or top down - top down folks tend to start with big ideas (like campaign settings) and figure out how the world works before developing specific adventures.Johnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18031181424520125213noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4353391426294254427.post-90869543668129047782011-07-11T09:59:32.313-04:002011-07-11T09:59:32.313-04:00I suppose we just have different hierarchies. My ...I suppose we just have different hierarchies. My settings (or at least misty, ill-defined versions of them) come first, then rules, then "adventures" and then the rest follows pretty much what you have.<br /><br />Not sure what to click on the poll.Mirandahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10745062840676790649noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4353391426294254427.post-69865560889680701382011-07-11T09:51:27.524-04:002011-07-11T09:51:27.524-04:00Adventures could be modules or home brew - for ins...Adventures could be modules or home brew - for instance, is it most important to have a dark ages South France campaign setting, and then trying to figure out what kind of adventures to run there, or say - "we're going to do Pirate-style island hopping in a lost world island chain with ancient ruins" and then figure out later the details for the larger campaign setting.<br /><br />I tend to lay out my adventure ideas first, then figure out the campaign setting, and detail the setting even later.Johnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18031181424520125213noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4353391426294254427.post-7503645467614912942011-07-11T09:39:26.275-04:002011-07-11T09:39:26.275-04:00What's your definition of "Adventures?&qu...What's your definition of "Adventures?" I tend not to use modules -- though there are a couple in the Dark Country. Most of the time I start with the campaign setting then pick which version of D&D best suits it. After that I stock a hex map for it and come up with how certain areas interact with each other. Then I pick one of those to flesh out and drop the players into it. I only really develop the other "adventures" as I think they'll bump into them. The rest of the work is handled by various random tables.Mirandahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10745062840676790649noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4353391426294254427.post-24287204195825830912011-07-11T07:36:12.734-04:002011-07-11T07:36:12.734-04:00I think your observation on the general direction ...I think your observation on the general direction at the moment is sound.<br /><br />Re the upper levels of the pyramid, and economics say, it seems to me possible to bind these things up as part of a rules-light modular system, in which the various levels interact simply, with changes cascading down and passing up.<br /><br />The way Alexis does things certainly gets me thinking, and that rigour is very useful in keeping those who want it grounded in the factual.<br /><br />I also find Talysman has an interesting way of looking at things, a way that might work well the higher up the pyramid we go, into less explored territory.Porkyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00604351052444947490noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4353391426294254427.post-28266191791673475552011-07-11T07:26:23.878-04:002011-07-11T07:26:23.878-04:00Even ignoring the trade goods side of thing, you&#...Even ignoring the trade goods side of thing, you'll find economics keeps popping up once the group builds castles. When the land is tamed, do peasants come and live there? What kind of taxes can the PC's collect, and what is the land's upkeep? How much can they spend on troops? And just how unbalancing is it that their treasury is fueled by raiding dragon hoards and carting off wagon loads of loot, and the next barony over only gets his money from taxation?<br /><br />Good times, good times.Johnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18031181424520125213noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4353391426294254427.post-87096319671108448192011-07-11T07:19:04.909-04:002011-07-11T07:19:04.909-04:00Well, as you've seen, I'm aiming to create...Well, as you've seen, I'm aiming to create a campaign that will take characters up to level 9, with a keep and stuff to look after from Level 1 onwards. Not sure if I can handle too much economics though, sounds like a lot of hard work. But maybe I'll give it a go, when the other stuff is out of the way :)Simon Forsterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01243845335993440168noreply@blogger.com