Campaign Idea - Suggestions Gratefully Welcome

[MisterVimes]

Vimes: Hi guys... miss me.
Vimes' brain: Half these people don't know you.
Vimes: Then let the begging commence.

Well it's been a while and I made a foolish error. I went somewhere else for opinion... What I got was (a) Not what I wanted, (b) Not what I asked for, (c) tangental conversations. So, I complained to Mrs. Vimes and she said: Shut your hole and grow up! and then she said Why don't you ask those nice people over at the hero boards?

Hey, when she's right, she's right.

So, forgive my rambling on this post as I am trying to work through my creative process

I am ending a nearly 2 year fantasy game in about 4-5 months and have approached my players with a new campaign I'm very interested in running.

The Campaign is, essentially, near-future urban horror-fantasy. My inspirations come from Jim Butcher's Dresden Files, Buffy, Angel, a very small dash of Charmed. I will admit to being influenced (more than a little bit) by Shadow Run and Dark Conspiracy.

There is an additional hook that is the lynchpin of the campaign. It is an event I plan to trigger at the end of the first quarter of the game (end of season one). This event is very big and will be a "Wow" moment for my players if I do it correctly. I hesitate to detail it here in case one of my players might be reading.

My campaign idea has been met with varying degrees of excitement, from overwhelming (my son) to guarded skepticism (my wife).

My wife has issues with Modern games as she likes her gaming to give her more leeway in 'killing the bad guys' and less moral questions.

My tent-peg player will play to my strengths and I will be relying heavily on him to help guide the group.

My newest player is very green but has all the enthusiasm to be a natural gamer.

If you've read this far, hopefully you've seen some of the creative process/challenges that we all face in designing a game.

Here's where you come in: I plan to do traditional story arcs of 3 chapters on the major story elements (those that further the bigger story and those that introduce us to the world around us) broken up by one-off adventures that may or may not tie into something bigger.

The Heroes are intended to be the light in dark places, true heroes in a world of poverty, corporate control of public services and corrupt governments. At the outset of the campaign I want top introduce the world showing the darkness to them without any overt fantasy elements. I also want to keep ultra-tech to a minimum early on. Essentially I want to gradually peel away the weirdness of this world as I approach my "End of Season One" reveal.

1) What I need/want/desire/hope-for is some short form plot ideas that would make good story-arcs or one-shots for this campaign.

Example: Seven Street Samurai - A small neighborhood that lies between corporate public safety agencies finds itself beset by street gangs. The neighborhood risks it all by hiring our heroes to make the gang leave them alone and to teach them to fight back.

2) Just some recommendations on what you would do with a campaign like this to ensure excitement, broad appeal and just a little terror.

Thanks for reading

[csyphrett]

A returning villain might be of some use. After all there has to be someone that knows everything and can use it better than the players.

Maybe give him a lackey, that shows up when things are about to hit the fan.

There could also be a MIB agency in competetion with the players, like the Smoking Man in the X-Files.
CES

[Lord Liaden]

Hey, Vimes, welcome back! I've been wondering where you went to - glad you're all right.

Hmm... how about evil children?

Young children have been disappearing in the PCs neighborhood, and concerned parents ask them to investigate and try to find them. What the heroes discover is gangs of children, but not the kind you'd normally expect. These children have had all their conscience and compassion removed from them, and become total sociopaths; commiting vandalism, sabotage, murder in creative fashions, purely for kicks.

The PCs have to discover the source of the corruption of these youngsters, which may be an evil corporation kidnapping them for an experiment in behavior modification; or a supernatural agency that is stealing their "innocence." (The concept is actually lifted from Mr. Rapentap from the 4E Champs supplement, Normals Unbound.) Of course the heroes will find themselves opposed by swarms of homicidal children, which may make fighting back rather problematic.

[Lethosos]

Been thinking about this for a bit... how about som eccentric philantrophist (with appropriately odd past, but further investigation is fruitless,) asks the group to retrieve a considerably priceless artifact that was shipped overseas but hasn't yet arrived to his home for safekeeping. Now toss in some cult-members who desire the artifact for some nebulous purpose, and you've got the hints of wierdness while making it seem like a mundane 'extradition' job.

[TheQuestionMan]

Some Campaign/Adventure Resources

Near Future
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Future

Urban Fantasy
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urban_fantasy
http://neverwhered6.tripod.com/

Horror Fantasy
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superna..._in_Literature
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horror_fiction

The Dresden Files Hero - Jim Butcher’s Dresden Chronicles
http://www.naturaltwenty.com/dresdenfiles/
http://www.dresdenfilesrpg.com/

Buffy The Vampire Slayer - Eden Studios Discussion Boards
http://p205.ezboard.com/bedenstudiosdiscussionboards
http://buffyd6.tripod.com/
http://surbrook.devermore.net/adapti...har.html#buffy
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buffy_the_Vampire_Slayer

Angel - Eden Studios Discussion Boards
http://p205.ezboard.com/bedenstudiosdiscussionboards
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angel_%28TV_series%29

Charmed - Eden Studios Discussion Boards
http://p205.ezboard.com/fedenstudios...icID=103.topic
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charmed

Dark Conspiracy - (Surprisingly difficult to track down any good resources for it)
http://www.42north.org/mjm/rpg/dc/

Shadowrun Hero -
http://www.starherofandom.com/h_shadowrun/index.php
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shadowrun

Wasteland Hero & Gamma World Hero
http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Park/3440/rpgs.html

Cheers

QM

[TheQuestionMan]

The Heroes are intended to be the light in dark places, true heroes in a world of poverty, corporate control of public services and corrupt governments. At the outset of the campaign I want top introduce the world showing the darkness to them without any overt fantasy elements. I also want to keep ultra-tech to a minimum early on. Essentially I want to gradually peel away the weirdness of this world as I approach my "End of Season One" reveal.

As much as I hate to admit it you could probably steal the Introduction to "Mage: The Ascension" from White Wolf Games. With a bare minimum of modification and tailored to your campaign's setting.

1) What I need/want/desire/hope-for is some short form plot ideas that would make good story-arcs or one-shots for this campaign.

I prefer to put the players chatacter's Meta Plots front stage. Once the characters are completed then the hard work is done. Check out the Resources. Also check out the TV Tomes Episode Lists and Guides for stealling Plots.

Example: Seven Street Samurai - A small neighbourhood that lies between corporate public safety agencies finds itself beset by street gangs. The neighbourhood risks it all by hiring our heroes to make the gang leave them alone and to teach them to fight back.

Wierd, that is exactly the Plot out GM used when he started the Shadowrun Camapaign. Hmmm... Talk about creative combats.

2) Just some recommendations on what you would do with a campaign like this to ensure excitement, broad appeal and just a little terror.

Unfortunately this isn't my bailwick, so I'll pass it onto a better member.

Cheers

QM

P.S.: Cue the music "Welcome Back Mister Vimes"

[MisterVimes]

A returning villain might be of some use. After all there has to be someone that knows everything and can use it better than the players.

Maybe give him a lackey, that shows up when things are about to hit the fan.

There could also be a MIB agency in competetion with the players, like the Smoking Man in the X-Files.
CES

And of course cloning can make for an annoying returning villain.

[MisterVimes]

Hey, Vimes, welcome back! I've been wondering where you went to - glad you're all right.

Good to be back and to see that some of the old timers are around.

Hmm... how about evil children?

That's a good one. My wife HATES evil children. *G*

[MisterVimes]

Been thinking about this for a bit... how about som eccentric philantrophist (with appropriately odd past, but further investigation is fruitless,) asks the group to retrieve a considerably priceless artifact that was shipped overseas but hasn't yet arrived to his home for safekeeping. Now toss in some cult-members who desire the artifact for some nebulous purpose, and you've got the hints of wierdness while making it seem like a mundane 'extradition' job.

And can provide seeds for the future, good thinking.

[MisterVimes]

Some Campaign/Adventure Resources

Cheers

QM

Wow... thanks

[Enforcer84]

Perhaps a man with a cool widget persued by corporate creeps.
help the guy, he give you the widget and says "it's your problem now."

[MisterVimes]

Perhaps a man with a cool widget persued by corporate creeps.
help the guy, he give you the widget and says "it's your problem now."

That fits my cruel sense of humor.

[Enforcer84]

That fits my cruel sense of humor.

Well, I remembered...

[MisterVimes]

Well, I remembered...

That's what I missed... da love.

[TheQuestionMan]

I can actualy see you chomping on that cigar when I read your posts.

Jeeze Un- PC much

QM