This goes back a bit but the story ideas Im toying with are good, I promise.
A year ago I ran a campaign weekly for 6 months. It was my first serious time GMing. I tried out some mission ideas from the forums, cut and paste. Trying to find a style/mission framework that clicked. Originally, I based my game mechanic knowledge from when I played in a couple campaigns a few years back. SO when I got the Boxed Set a couple months after my previous campaign ended in a trickle (player time restraints, returning to school and work) I read started seriously reading through the rpg book and constructing an initial mission etc. It took some time to adjust to the idea of hosting the campaign in the same ‘timeline’ as the previous campaign, which has the same players with new characters (just burned up the characters the other day).
The main reason I wanted to stay within the timeline was i didn’t want to throw away some story ideas I had, that never got played through or really even touched on.
But most of the players wanted to have new characters, we started quickly last campaign and they didnt consider backstory for their characters, just simple architypes. and one character didn’t mesh well with the group. A main thing that happened in the campaign (which i posted in another thread) was Maple Harbor was run by a Hamurabbi Law “Mayor”(jolly, fat, charismatic), so this peaceful town goes savage when a starving mouse is caught stealing by the Patrol in the market square. The town demands his hand by cut off, the patrol clearly tries to step in, eventually an argument conflict twists into a riot, where fearing for their lives… the patrol literally cuts their way through the crowd, loosing the thief, killing 20+ angry villagers and eventually taken down by the local guards sheer numbers. Not playing with death the session ended there. They awoke on a boat, bound and gearless, and the tenderpaw who in the riot, killed the ‘mayor’ was missing a hand (YES, i know, its was essentially like raping the character, again new to GMing) The direction I started to go with was the patrol would pick themselves up, dust off, make their way back to Lockhaven and gear up for Round 2. Dealing with Maple Harbor never came to fruition, other campaign story events pulled them away to the west. SO, even if I returned the same world with new characters. This dark town is situated right near Lockhaven, and one of the players despite his best efforts I fear would be compelled to ensure the downfall of the town, even in the new campaign. So jump ahead 3 years in game, create a group within the Guard, called Legion (a secret society, if you will. for missions where the Guard cannot be directly linked, off the books etc)
So there problem dealt with, but the idea of espionage and higher plans and bigger villians or even whole groups pulling strings and getting what they want, wouldnt drop from my mind.
As you can see I can go off on tangents easily, SO I’m reeling back in.
The scale of what I want to do is big. Not Game of Thrones big. But idea of different groups fighting for power/influence is great story. So I jumped in the forums, personally I see forums as another resource, I want to THANK a lot of contributors to the forums for what you post cause, even tiny ideas you had I have toyed with and considered and most likely found a place in this ‘epic’. I say epic cause that’s how i want this to be, and i recognize i didn’t come up with every part by myself and i don’t think I can finish this without input.
So i have two years in mind for the campaign (material/ideas for more)
The idea is the first year is small scale,
Frostic will be reopened in a years time, (I have no intention of them actually being sent there)
Gwendolyn needs a smooth new patrol,
lead by a NPC Patrol Leader, (ensure that the right mindset is approached for patrol members, not everymouse has the mentality to be in the Guard)
save a grain/harvest crisis in Port Sumac, (set up characters/relationships for Raise your Glass mission in the following year)
simple Guard business in the eastern side of the Territories, (Lonepine, Wolfepointe, Grasslake)
NPC leader dies as part of compromise in some conflict, likely inbetween Wolfepointe and Grasslake, (by this point the patrol will have been a success, reminder that it is a dangerous world, ALSO give mission to Patrol Guard(Leader) to bring up the Legion group with the Guard. If they bite, and the players go with that idea, which knowing them. They will.)
Return to Lockhaven as ordered, trial mission for Legion regarding new town appearing overnight in the marshlands situated directly between Ironwood and Burl, the town requested no aid whatsoever in initial start up from the Guard, suspicious of anti-Guard settlement situated near Burl (Guard Eastern Outpost) Mission: Act as first contact with new settlement and Guard (undercover guard member already in Underhill), aid in forging new path connecting Underhill and Sandmason, to avoid direct route to Burl. Move onward to Burl, where further instruction will be given. (This should be early/mid summer)
The results of that will affect how Underhill acts in the following year certainly, but after that, their direct mission from Burl will be delivering ink shipment to Birchflow. (While intended to take just a season more events will delay and delay until late Fall, including rebuild bridge between Sandmason and Maple Harbor, Escort daughter of MapleHarbor Mayor to Lillygrove for end of summer wedding between large political families, both her and the ink are stolen by bandits (Lillygrove, has large blackmarket trade) Hopefully they do end up in Birchflow with INK.
Likely by then Journey conflict to get back before Winter to Lockhaven. Where things will have developed.
Second Year, the world gets bigger
Shaleburrow Brotherhood (actually bandits, base idea right from forums)
- previous campaign has first mission in Shaleburrow where the patrol scared the town with the idea of weasel threats to the point where most of the town people ran, the local mouse guard stationed there quit due to stress and being simply guard mice. Dark secret of Guard (known by select Legion members, the Brotherhood,which developed after the fall of Shaleburrow, is run by those two Guard mice who splintered off. Shaleburrow now has allianced with nearby Elmoss and Whitepine, primarily threw fear (after burning down Elmwood in the previous campaign, again something not fully realized by patrol (they thought it was weasels)). Big Ideas for these guys. Based on a protection racket they spread their influence in the territory. Read Shaleburrow Bandits to understand their interaction with Guard. i like the idea of turning the leader Garrow to be insanely evil. Im talking big picture, over the two years of campaign he has his bandits doing their regular stealing, but key items - master carving kit from Burl, - ancient loremouse books from Blackrock, - Birchflow paper, - books from lockhaven/legion library. All with the intent of building a number of horns that when played in unison would ‘summon’ a moose across the scent border. Whether used as a threat to control the Territories, or as a weapon of mass destruction. I havent thought his entire motivation out. But those items will be dissappearing while the patrol is in those towns OR just before they arrived. Or heck, even catching a bandit in the territory with one of them. at some point throughout the two years.
Temperance Legion (from Raise your Glass mission)
- the idea of mice supporting prohibition, not nearly as connected and cooridinated as SB Brotherhood. Found in both Port Sumac, and atleast Sprucetuck (sprucetuck as reference to a drinking challenge that got way out of hand in previous campaign and resulted in a number of alcohol poisoning related deaths, including scientists etc etc) One of the characters in the patrol is an alcoholic. Not so much a rebellion as more a social change.
WhiteWhiskers
- Pirate Captain, and selfproclaimed Mayor of Dawnrock.
I know, PiRATS, har har. But I like it. He can be small scale villian, havent thought out his whole deal. Roughly, i liked the idea of Dawnrock being a LARGE coast settlement created in this split Limestone? One side slowly sinks year by year, the rougher side of the tracks so to speak. A couple years ago the people demanded change after the previous Guard supported Mayor couldnt stop the town from sinking. White Whiskers hasnt been able to stop the sinking either but remains in power, possibly trying to find a new town to take over for his people. Whitepine seems fitting. So again, multiple parties fighting for power and influence. The Guard kinda stuck in the middle.
More ideas, but I have to go to work. So something to chew on while you eat your morning cereal.