I am about to finally start my Waterdeep Campaign. I have a rough draft of the arc I want to take the characters on. Lots of seed planting in the lower level part with some basic adventuring thrown in too.
What I am looking for is tips. Has anyone done a long city based campaign? Other then Monte Cook of course. I know I am going to have to make each inn and tavern unique. I also realize that any NPC shop keeper or tavern worker could be there next best friend. So any fun tricks or words of experience would be great.
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This is probably good advice for any campaign, but especially for one based in a single city: keep a list / record of every NPC the characters meet, and every place they go.
When they return to the same locations, sometimes they should meet the same NPCs (who will often remember the last interaction) and the businesses etc that they frequent should be consistant in the details from one visit to the next (or if they're not, there should be a good in game reason for it).
The Campaign Workbook section of Dungeon magazine over the past year or three has had some good lists of businesses, taverns etc, (The City) and also some interesting NPC ideas (The Cast).
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I know I am going to have to make each inn and tavern unique.
You only need to make each inn (tavern, NPC, whatever), that the players interact with unique. Create some unique stuff and only place it where the players go when they get there. Then add new stuff to the list of things to be placed at the appropriate time.
Now, if your players try for "100 Taverns in 100 Nights" or something, you're still looking at lots of work, but at least you don't have to do it all in advance.
The trick, as Mothman said, is to keep really good notes.
One additional trick is that you can do NPCs that aren't tied to a location by making a note at some other location about an interaction at the current location. For instance, let's say that the PCs run into a beggar at an inn that they frequent, but that he isn't there all the time. When they run into him (the first, or fifth, or nth time), make a note in some other building's description that he is now begging outside of that place. When they encounter him there, after a time make a note at a third location.
I'd recommend keeping the interaction notes for such characters with the character, rather than just with the individual building descriptions, to make it easier to find the PCs' histories with that character.
You can use a similar trick with plot points that are only triggered when the PCs come across them.
I think it was in one of Monte's articles that he mentioned having a list of NPCs with names, professions, and personalities that you can throw out, and then mark them on the list when you use one. You have them made up ahead of time, but once you "anchor" them, you note how you used them.
One thing that is really important is that cities have a personality. Waterdeep is a great place, in that its a very open adventuring city with lots of oppourtunity. That having been said, develop the local quirks so the PCs know what its like to be a Waterdhavian.
For example, people from Luskan are fine to deal with, but they are more "brutish" in the minds of most folk from Waterdeep. If someone in town talks about a Luskanite, have them say things like "he was pretty bright, for someone hailing from Luskan." Similarly, Amnians are scheemers and "uppity" and probably associated with the Shadow Theives (as far as most common folk are concerned, at least).
Make sure to let the PCs know that if they travel from North Ward to Sea Ward that they don't just travel there. During the day the streets are busy, and describe who is on the streets. In North Ward you have a lot of "working wealthy," who actually pay attention to their business, so you might see some well off merchants or lesser nobles with bodyguards about. In Sea Ward, they'll see the nobles so far removed from their wealth that they travel in gilded coaches with tons of servants running to and fro in livery of various houses.
In other words, have some description of the street scenes that reinforces how the city, and the wards of the city, work.
Drop names like crazy, and let them hear gossip. They don't have to run into every important NPC, especially not a low levels, but moreso in a city than in a rural campaign, the important NPCs will be celebrities. Let them hear stories about how X is up to his shoulders in debt to Mirt the Moneylender, and how Y has always been a shady character, but lately he has been seen with Elaith Craulnobur. If they follow up, you can use these as adventure hooks, but in a city moreso in the country, there are tons of rumors and hooks floating around that may or may not be the "main story."
well, I have; here is what I recommend; give each of the streets a bit of individual personality.
Like for instance, One street might have an official name, but another name by those that use that street; they might call it unofficially something more likely like; Leech street; which has 35% of anyone spending time on the street picking up some small blood leaches that drop from overhangs and bushes and the like; their particular characteristics make them unnoticable until the victim gets a bit weak from blood loss or does a visual check. Street might also have a vendor that removes leaches for a small gift. The alleys would have a few dead bodies maybe; this is not a good place to fall down drunk after a night of bindging.
Have another street, say, near the butcher that animals get loose once in a while and goes rampaging down the street fleeing the smell of death of the slaughterhouse; also this street might be closed now and again as herds are moved from outside the city in to the stockyard or slaughterhouse.
Another street might be a favorite highway for pages who carry the letters of nobles on horseback and scream through at excessive speed knocking peeps over and upsetting whatever lies in their path; as nobles they dont care a hoot about any peasant that gets killed or property destroyed.
Do you get the idea; it is important for areas of the city to have personality as well as people and stuff; it is always cool to have a few vendors and stuff that you play out; but try to get people to experience the stink of a city, with all the caughing; sick people; scam artists, thieves, merchants moving about with mercanariy guards; the whole shabang.
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Another point to remember is that everyone else in the city is somebody.
That means the local weapon smith is not always standing by his forge. The party might run into him at a tavern some night, or end up standing next to him in a milling crowd when something happens in the street.
Also, the party will always make more of nothing than you planned, so don't put anything in that isn't thought through a bit.
For example, if the local armorer comes to them and says that the 4 chain shirts they just sold him the day before have already sold, and asks if they have (or could get) any more, the party will almost certainly assume that someone is arming a private army, and begin an investigation.
May be true, may not, but be ready for it.
Thanks alot everyone. I start tomarrow night. Been on 8 month break from Dming and I got a full boat of players (6). I will make sure to take notes of NPCs as well as the taverns. As for the gossip I have been looking at all the garbage that are at your local store checkstands and just trying to put a FR spin on it. "Lord X's son was seen with new woman." My group won't be too interested in that stuf but, they might end up picking up a broadsheet or two.
Great advice on the NPCs guys! Now for taverns and inns...
Taverns and inns need to have at least one thing that makes them memorable, whether it's the proprietor, a food dish, a drink, architecture or otherwise. Wulfgar Dwarf-friend runs the Bear's Den, a great place because he can get dwarven brandy when no one else can. Saalish d'Morveau runs the Angel Wing, an establishment so called because it's coterminous with the plane of Celestia and all the drinks act as holy water. Bor runs the Patched Sail down by the docks, the first ale-house that sailors see getting off their ships.
Things like that. :P Keep a list with notes - it'll be a life-saver. :D
Thanks alot everyone. I start tomarrow night. Been on 8 month break from Dming and I got a full boat of players (6). I will make sure to take notes of NPCs as well as the taverns. As for the gossip I have been looking at all the garbage that are at your local store checkstands and just trying to put a FR spin on it. "Lord X's son was seen with new woman." My group won't be too interested in that stuf but, they might end up picking up a broadsheet or two.
The fun is when the PCs dismiss the gossip of "Lady Gralhund is scandalized by her son being see with an elven woman from Silverymoon," as idle chatter, then they get hired to follow her son to make sure that he doesn't "fall in with the wrong kind of people," at which point, the PCs end up following him and finding out that he's a member of the Red Sashes, that the "elven hussy" is a member of the Harpers, and the two groups have been working together to find out about the Shadow Thieves planning a the theft of an artifact from the Wands family.
Thank you KnightErrant. I will definently make note of that. Alas we were unable to play tonight. My wife had to have gallblader surgury, she is doing fine. Gives me more time to draw out my maps and to do the little write up I was promising my player about the various factions that are in the city. Anymore advice is welcome thank you.
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Thank you KnightErrant. I will definently make note of that. Alas we were unable to play tonight. My wife had to have gallblader surgury, she is doing fine. Gives me more time to draw out my maps and to do the little write up I was promising my player about the various factions that are in the city. Anymore advice is welcome thank you.
Hope your wife is ok!
As for taverns, inns, etc, I often have published adventures that I will be unlikely to use as whole cloth, but you can often pick interesting locales out of them.
Just about every adventure that features a settlement will have at least an inn detailed to some degree - salvage those for your campaign.
Thank you KnightErrant. I will definently make note of that. Alas we were unable to play tonight. My wife had to have gallblader surgury, she is doing fine. Gives me more time to draw out my maps and to do the little write up I was promising my player about the various factions that are in the city. Anymore advice is welcome thank you.
My best wishes and prayers go out to your wife. My own wife has just recovered from some trying health issues, but thankfully she is almost completely recovered now.
hey im wondering if any1 is still on this messageboard, im new to paizo and isnt there text campaigns you can make/play? i also need some starting tips
hey im wondering if any1 is still on this messageboard, im new to paizo and isnt there text campaigns you can make/play? i also need some starting tips
Hey Jadebeast. This isn't really the right thread, this thread is about a Waterdeep campaign. You could post a 'hello' thread here. The 'text' campaigns are called 'Play by Posts'. The place to get in a game is the Gamer Connection forum, and once you've joined one then eventually someone will make a link to the discussion thread, and from there a link eventually to the in character thread. You might want to try watching a PbP just to see how people do it. make sure you have the books, although you can use the SRD if you have to. Make sure the PbP isn't already full, too.
If you have any other questions let me know.