Post by Kristian on Jun 2, 2017 0:25:44 GMT
This is an idea I've mentioned to Steve ...so I thought I'd share it here too...
Since we often have folks missing, and/or have to run filler games from time to time, I was thinking... what if we created a shared-world setting (mainly for 5e) that anyone could run one-shots in (so we always had something to play ...and a familiar setting for our adventures)
So, the idea is to set a game in a place called Tropes-Town (other names are available) ...a large settlement within the Kingdom of Generica (which is ruled over by King Ubiquitous the Thirteenth).
The town itself is cut in half by a (seemingly bottomless) canyon (sometimes simply referred to as 'the crack') - which is spanned by several huge bridges (some big enough to have a number of small buildings upon them), and treadmill-style medieval cranes/lifts (some on the bridges, but most on the edges of the canyon) that can lower people down into 'The Crack'.
The reason for this is because the town's economy is almost entirely based on 'adventurers' ...as there are hundreds (if not thousands) of caves, cracks, and portals in the sides of the canyons ...all of which lead to dungeons, adventures, and riches (with dungeoneering being a kind of sport and/or profession of sorts).
Obviously, the setting will not be super serious (if you'd not already guessed ) - but geared towards all the cheezy tropes and stereotypes of good ole D&D.
So for example...
One week I could say that I was going to run a Lvl 1 adventure ...and so the three players that can make it that week would each make a Lvl 1 character. They'd then start off getting a job from the notice board in the 'Cliché Tavern' before being lowered down to the relevant cave opening (perhaps nothing more than a simple tomb filled with a few puzzles and several undead) ...and anyone who survives the adventure advances their PC to lvl 2.
The next time we play, Steve might say that he's going to run a Lvl 4 adventure ...and so those that can make it that week would each roll up a lvl 4 character. Steve also chooses to start things off in the 'Cliché Tavern' (so I'd hand him the map I obviously made for it ) ...but he adds to the setting by making us go visit the Wizard Dumbledalf in his crumbling tower (where we are given the job of retrieving the maguffin) before we are lowered down to a different cave opening (which happens to be a real death-trap dungeon ...with added miasma). Similarly, anyone that survives the session may level up their character.
Another time we play, James might opt to run a lvl 2 game ...so the folks that played in my game could continue to use that character, and everyone else would roll up a new one. However, James decides that he's a bit tired of 'the dungeon' as a setting, and instead runs an adventure where the players go up against the thieves guild in town (and introduces 'The Crack's Snatchers' ...a new band of ruffians to deal with).
Next, Dave decides to run a 10th level dungeon ...and so we roll up 10th level PCs (or use pre-gens that he provides) - who are then sent into a much lower cave (perhaps by the Wizard Dumbledalf's nemesis ...the Sorcerer Gandledore) ...but this time the cave is home to a portal to another plane - resulting in some real high-powered antics.
And so on.
Obviously we'd end up with a bunch of different characters each ...but we'd probably get to reuse them from time to time. Plus, if the DM also makes a couple of pre-gens, new folks (or folks without a game that week) could jump in and join the madness without having to know a ton of backstory. Furthermore, we don't even need to be tied to D&D 5e ...so someone might want to run a Savage worlds game in Tropes-Town (or a 1st edition D&D game, or whatever) - and that could work just as well
So yeah, nothing really has to make sense, and the whole thing could be as serious or as silly as you want it to be (though being super-stereotypical D&D gets bonus points ) ...and we could all share each other's creations - thus playing one-shots in a familiar (if somewhat gonzo) setting.
So, do you guys think that something like this could work and/or (more importantly) be fun?
Since we often have folks missing, and/or have to run filler games from time to time, I was thinking... what if we created a shared-world setting (mainly for 5e) that anyone could run one-shots in (so we always had something to play ...and a familiar setting for our adventures)
So, the idea is to set a game in a place called Tropes-Town (other names are available) ...a large settlement within the Kingdom of Generica (which is ruled over by King Ubiquitous the Thirteenth).
The town itself is cut in half by a (seemingly bottomless) canyon (sometimes simply referred to as 'the crack') - which is spanned by several huge bridges (some big enough to have a number of small buildings upon them), and treadmill-style medieval cranes/lifts (some on the bridges, but most on the edges of the canyon) that can lower people down into 'The Crack'.
The reason for this is because the town's economy is almost entirely based on 'adventurers' ...as there are hundreds (if not thousands) of caves, cracks, and portals in the sides of the canyons ...all of which lead to dungeons, adventures, and riches (with dungeoneering being a kind of sport and/or profession of sorts).
Obviously, the setting will not be super serious (if you'd not already guessed ) - but geared towards all the cheezy tropes and stereotypes of good ole D&D.
So for example...
One week I could say that I was going to run a Lvl 1 adventure ...and so the three players that can make it that week would each make a Lvl 1 character. They'd then start off getting a job from the notice board in the 'Cliché Tavern' before being lowered down to the relevant cave opening (perhaps nothing more than a simple tomb filled with a few puzzles and several undead) ...and anyone who survives the adventure advances their PC to lvl 2.
The next time we play, Steve might say that he's going to run a Lvl 4 adventure ...and so those that can make it that week would each roll up a lvl 4 character. Steve also chooses to start things off in the 'Cliché Tavern' (so I'd hand him the map I obviously made for it ) ...but he adds to the setting by making us go visit the Wizard Dumbledalf in his crumbling tower (where we are given the job of retrieving the maguffin) before we are lowered down to a different cave opening (which happens to be a real death-trap dungeon ...with added miasma). Similarly, anyone that survives the session may level up their character.
Another time we play, James might opt to run a lvl 2 game ...so the folks that played in my game could continue to use that character, and everyone else would roll up a new one. However, James decides that he's a bit tired of 'the dungeon' as a setting, and instead runs an adventure where the players go up against the thieves guild in town (and introduces 'The Crack's Snatchers' ...a new band of ruffians to deal with).
Next, Dave decides to run a 10th level dungeon ...and so we roll up 10th level PCs (or use pre-gens that he provides) - who are then sent into a much lower cave (perhaps by the Wizard Dumbledalf's nemesis ...the Sorcerer Gandledore) ...but this time the cave is home to a portal to another plane - resulting in some real high-powered antics.
And so on.
Obviously we'd end up with a bunch of different characters each ...but we'd probably get to reuse them from time to time. Plus, if the DM also makes a couple of pre-gens, new folks (or folks without a game that week) could jump in and join the madness without having to know a ton of backstory. Furthermore, we don't even need to be tied to D&D 5e ...so someone might want to run a Savage worlds game in Tropes-Town (or a 1st edition D&D game, or whatever) - and that could work just as well
So yeah, nothing really has to make sense, and the whole thing could be as serious or as silly as you want it to be (though being super-stereotypical D&D gets bonus points ) ...and we could all share each other's creations - thus playing one-shots in a familiar (if somewhat gonzo) setting.
So, do you guys think that something like this could work and/or (more importantly) be fun?