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A few weeks ago I started a new campaign. The way I drew the party together was that they had all started out as captives on a slaver ship. Thus, they started out with no gold, no weapons, and had to escape with nothing but their wits and whatever abilities they had inherent.
It turned out really well, and gave the party some really good starting cohesion. My question to my fellow GMs is have any of the rest of you started your players out in a situation similar to this?
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A few weeks ago I started a new campaign. The way I drew the party together was that they had all started out as captives on a slaver ship. Thus, they started out with no gold, no weapons, and had to escape with nothing but their wits and whatever abilities they had inherent.
It turned out really well, and gave the party some really good starting cohesion. My question to my fellow GMs is have any of the rest of you started your players out in a situation similar to this?
I've started a group with a level in commoner each, and a randomly rolled career/profession. Their commoner level was replaced by a PC level shortly afterwards by divine intervention to do with the main plot, but they kept some small aspect of their commoner career, i.e. the stablemaster got a small bonus to handle animal.
As commoners, they had almost nothing to start with. It was probably the favourite campaign that my players ever played, they still want to restart it at some point.
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i did this with 10th level characters. slave captured by interstellar drow and crash landed on a "dark sun"-esque planet.
the group had a character who thought they were being clever by being a LG werebear with vow of poverty. till i explained he was impaled with silver spikes which wouldnt let him be transform AND counted as items owned so they got no VOP benefits (only kept them in for like 3 sessions, but still I'm not letting you spit in the face of DM's rulings/plot points)
I did the escaped slave bit once with a new group of people. IIRC, I'd DMed for one or two of them, but the bulk of the group was new to me. It was the first and last time I ran/played any game for/with that group. The whining was only slightly less irritating than a dozen dental drills running at once. One player actually threw dice in a mini-tantrum. Another apparently was trying to figure out ELs vs. party level in order to "prove" that I didn't know what I was doing.
I'd've been able to get more cooperation and maturity out of a group of nine-year-olds.
It was a shame. I used my old B1 module as the setting deep beneath the slave pits. I'd carefully placed a full array of starting equipment, magic items, et cetera, throughout the complex. Most of the dungeon's denizens were unintelligent undead, the remnants of the place's original inhabitants.
Would've worked great with a better group of players.
Mark L. Chance | Spes Magna Games
i did this with 10th level characters. slave captured by interstellar drow and crash landed on a "dark sun"-esque planet.
the group had a character who thought they were being clever by being a LG werebear with vow of poverty. till i explained he was impaled with silver spikes which wouldnt let him be transform AND counted as items owned so they got no VOP benefits (only kept them in for like 3 sessions, but still I'm not letting you spit in the face of DM's rulings/plot points)
I hate it when people do that. How do you think you're going to try to "outsmart" the DM when he controls the fabric of reality itself?
A few weeks ago I started a new campaign. The way I drew the party together was that they had all started out as captives on a slaver ship. Thus, they started out with no gold, no weapons, and had to escape with nothing but their wits and whatever abilities they had inherent.
It turned out really well, and gave the party some really good starting cohesion. My question to my fellow GMs is have any of the rest of you started your players out in a situation similar to this?
I've done that in the ollllld 1e adventure Treasure Hunt(J1?). It was fun for all involved. Another one that does the same is/was A4-Escape from the Dungeons of the Slave Lords.
DM:"okay, you find...a large bone that can work as a club!"
Party "wooohooo!"
Player-A: "can i use my loincloth to improvise a sling?"
DM: "yes, i have rules for that here in the adventure.."
good times...
Played a prison campaign that worked this way once, it was fun for a while, but one suggestion. My dm didn't really plan for our lack of equipment at times, so either plan a few good ways to get out of tight spots or be comfortable with the kind of improvisation that comes with having nothing. A more recent dm did a slave escape type scenario early in a campaign with great results because he plans well and let us get creative with what constitutes a lock pick or a weapon...
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I did the escaped slave bit once with a new group of people. IIRC, I'd DMed for one or two of them, but the bulk of the group was new to me. It was the first and last time I ran/played any game for/with that group. The whining was only slightly less irritating than a dozen dental drills running at once. One player actually threw dice in a mini-tantrum. Another apparently was trying to figure out ELs vs. party level in order to "prove" that I didn't know what I was doing.
I'd've been able to get more cooperation and maturity out of a group of nine-year-olds.
It was a shame. I used my old B1 module as the setting deep beneath the slave pits. I'd carefully placed a full array of starting equipment, magic items, et cetera, throughout the complex. Most of the dungeon's denizens were unintelligent undead, the remnants of the place's original inhabitants.
Would've worked great with a better group of players.
Mark L. Chance | Spes Magna Games
Heh. Yeah, I've run into groups like that too. Thankfully, I have no trouble walking away.
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Played a prison campaign that worked this way once, it was fun for a while, but one suggestion. My dm didn't really plan for our lack of equipment at times, so either plan a few good ways to get out of tight spots or be comfortable with the kind of improvisation that comes with having nothing. A more recent dm did a slave escape type scenario early in a campaign with great results because he plans well and let us get creative with what constitutes a lock pick or a weapon...
Well, something like this demands that you let your players be creative. The monk (my wife's character) really was the one who shone in that session.
I played in a party once we pretty much all were peasant heroes escaping from a village that was butchered and mercilesly by a large band of goblin raiders.
We all started as an npc class, the warrior became a paladin(me), expert became a rogue, aristocrat became a bard, adept became a cleric soon after our first adventure.
This is one of my favourite ways to start off a new campaign. I've also found that it really works well when dealing with a group of players new to the system or new to roleplaying, as it lets you work through basic concepts such as skill checks, roleplaying, and rudimentary combat before adding in the necessary equipment to cast spells, fight a ranged combat, etc. It's also a really good way to justify why a group of PC who are strangers to each other would band together. Survival's a powerful motivator.
The downside of this is that certain types of characters are affected far less by a lack of equipment than others (I'm looking at you, monk). It can be frustrating to roll up a wizard and then spend a session or more hoping that you'll get your spellbook back ... someday. I usually give them some scrolls early on to give them some firepower. Does anyone have any other tips on how to even out the ability of different classes to contribute when stripped of equipment?
This is one of my favourite ways to start off a new campaign. I've also found that it really works well when dealing with a group of players new to the system or new to roleplaying, as it lets you work through basic concepts such as skill checks, roleplaying, and rudimentary combat before adding in the necessary equipment to cast spells, fight a ranged combat, etc. It's also a really good way to justify why a group of PC who are strangers to each other would band together. Survival's a powerful motivator.
The downside of this is that certain types of characters are affected far less by a lack of equipment than others (I'm looking at you, monk). It can be frustrating to roll up a wizard and then spend a session or more hoping that you'll get your spellbook back ... someday. I usually give them some scrolls early on to give them some firepower. Does anyone have any other tips on how to even out the ability of different classes to contribute when stripped of equipment?
Allow the wizard to keep a small bonded item or let him regain it during escape for example, or plant a minor magical item somewhere.. like a wand he can use. I a inclined to give the wizard spellmastery as a bonus feat in such cases. A fighter will quickly get a sword and a shield from one of his captors or find it on a corpse, rogue gets his hands on a dagger and he is good to go.. doesnt seem to be a huge problem, even a wizard isn't helpless, he still has cantrips memorized I reckon and has a class ability he can use.
Allow the wizard to keep a small bonded item or let him regain it during escape for example, or plant a minor magical item somewhere.. like a wand he can use. I a inclined to give the wizard spellmastery as a bonus feat in such cases. A fighter will quickly get a sword and a shield from one of his captors or find it on a corpse, rogue gets his hands on a dagger and he is good to go.. doesnt seem to be a huge problem, even a wizard isn't helpless, he still has cantrips memorized I reckon and has a class ability he can use.This is one of my favourite ways to start off a new campaign. I've also found that it really works well when dealing with a group of players new to the system or new to roleplaying, as it lets you work through basic concepts such as skill checks, roleplaying, and rudimentary combat before adding in the necessary equipment to cast spells, fight a ranged combat, etc. It's also a really good way to justify why a group of PC who are strangers to each other would band together. Survival's a powerful motivator.
The downside of this is that certain types of characters are affected far less by a lack of equipment than others (I'm looking at you, monk). It can be frustrating to roll up a wizard and then spend a session or more hoping that you'll get your spellbook back ... someday. I usually give them some scrolls early on to give them some firepower. Does anyone have any other tips on how to even out the ability of different classes to contribute when stripped of equipment?
Good points. I guess I'm also thinking of the other way I've used to separate the PCs from their equipment, which is shipwrecking them on an unexplored coast. This would require more in the way of salvage and improvised tools and weapons (although you avoid the difficulties in taking weapons and armour away from their current owners).
I started Rise of the Runelords with Shipwreck Start.
Basicly, each character was allowed to keep one item, essential to their character. Theives tools for a rogue, spellbook for a wizard, ect. The monk elected to have only the clothes on their back. The female Dwarf insisted on plate mail, so I played up exclaimations of "It's a miracle!"
Anyway, the cleaning of the beach was a great opportunity for introducing starknives, klars, special scarves, and other campaign specific items.
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I've played in an Eberron campaign where one PC woke up injured and without memory, discovered and repaired the Warforged and then revived the rest of the party scattered across an island on another plane. It became apparent we had crashed there aboard an Airship. We managed to scavenge equipment and supplies from the crash site and then had to work out who we all were and how got there. It also appeared we were of much greater power when we crashed but had forgotten a lot of our abilities. This is a classic fantasy troupe which works well in making the PCs rapid rise in power a lot more believable. All said, it was probably the most memorable starts to a campaign I had with a lot of mystery surrounded the players' fellow PCs. Much better than meeting in a tavern...
I’ve only run a couple of campaigns since 1990 (both long-running), but I started both of them this way with the previously-mentioned AD&D Module N4, Treasure Hunt, by Aaron Allston. It’s still one of my all-time favorite adventures.
For the 3e version, I remember that I gave players the choice of being a commoner or an “apprentice” in a class. (I can’t remember if I used some 3e apprentice rules or home-brewed rules, but the apprentice choice was more powerful, so I gave the 1 player who chose to be a commoner some bonus XP.) I’d say the commoner option works well because it gets around the issue of monks being better prepared than spellcasters. Also, I tweaked the module to make sure everybody got the chance to grab a club or crossbow fairly quickly, so everybody could be somewhat effective.
I really like how this way to start a campaign gives the players a reason to bond right away, and lets almost any character background work. (“Just tell me why your character is near the coast.”)
I also tied in the Scourge of the Slave Lords series (A1-A4).
For module A4, In the Dungeons of the Slave Lords, I added a scene with the Earth Dragon nearly being freed, and he cursed the adventurers to bring them (temporarily) back to 1st level. The “escape from the labyrinth” scenario worked pretty well with everybody at 1st level until they escaped. Yeah, it was heavy-handed, but the party was OK with it because the scenario was fun.
I recommend throwing in a few potions of cure light wounds or other healing, since character healing ability will be very limited.
In both campaigns, I was lucky enough to have players who loved the challenge of getting out of a tough situation with minimal equipment. One player really let his “inner MacGuyver” loose... Great stuff!
Doug
A few weeks ago I started a new campaign. The way I drew the party together was that they had all started out as captives on a slaver ship. Thus, they started out with no gold, no weapons, and had to escape with nothing but their wits and whatever abilities they had inherent.
It turned out really well, and gave the party some really good starting cohesion. My question to my fellow GMs is have any of the rest of you started your players out in a situation similar to this?
I started a group out as convicted prisoners to be set off on an Island to fend for themselves. We had to use pieces of wood as clubs or staves to survive against the other prisoners and the undead that seemed to inhabit this island too. My wizard NPC had a real hard time until he found a wizard book.
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If you can't regularly batter the party unconscious, strip them naked and throw them into a dank dark dungeon then..
..what's the point of being a GM? *-*
//
Aye, we're started off this way more than a few times - as you mention it helps to create party cohesion at the very least and is typically a riot at best! :)
It actually sounds like a lot of fun to me. Back in 3.5, we had a 3rd level group captured (which wasn't part of the story line) and of course had our stuff taken from us. We were 2 dwarves (I think fighters) a warlock and a monk. Having the warlock and the monk of course helps. But it still wound up being far more fun than the actual story line.
I do have a question about the wizard though. Do you let him have all of his spells memorized in the beginning or does he have none? (I guess I should say 1st level spells since 0 level are endless)
How do ya'll handle that?
Played a prison campaign that worked this way once, it was fun for a while, but one suggestion. My dm didn't really plan for our lack of equipment at times, so either plan a few good ways to get out of tight spots or be comfortable with the kind of improvisation that comes with having nothing. A more recent dm did a slave escape type scenario early in a campaign with great results because he plans well and let us get creative with what constitutes a lock pick or a weapon...Well, something like this demands that you let your players be creative. The monk (my wife's character) really was the one who shone in that session.
I've played in something like this before and there was one huge problem. Untill the players got a certain amount of equipement, a couple characters were awesome, and the rest were near useless. A sorceror or monk are barely affected with not starting equipment. The fighter and wizard on the other hand were fairly well crippled. And while from a storytelling perspective it can be an interesting start, the disparaging impact it can have on different kinds of characters makes it a big no-no in my book.
A few weeks ago I started a new campaign. The way I drew the party together was that they had all started out as captives on a slaver ship. Thus, they started out with no gold, no weapons, and had to escape with nothing but their wits and whatever abilities they had inherent.
Sounds like a challenge, and fun!
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Yep, sparingly.
Dark Sun (2nd edition) began a campaign as slaves in a caravan. Scrounging for your spell components or make-shift weapons can be a challenge.
Other times, if I want to get them to know a town that is central to a campaign, I won't allow players to "start" with equipment. Rather, they have to go role-play around town to get what they need, meeting NPCs and/or possibly other PCs.
However, haven't tried a true no-equipment beginning in Pathfinder due to inherent abilities that everyone has. In 1st/2nd edition, one needed gear to get by, even if it's a makeshift sling. But a monk, specialist wizard, or sorcerer may need to scrounge little, if anything, to get by.
I've done this before, and it worked out pretty well. one note regarding equipment dependencies- it would seem to me to make more sense from a slavers point of view to ONLY keep alive what we would consider "equipment dependent" characters, and whack or sell for a higher price the non-dependents characters.
IE, I'd sell a spell book-less wizard for a far lower price than a Sorc, and prolly sell the sorc to someone who could either dominate them to wanted to use them for experiments. Like wise with fighters and monks- If you have a prisoner that is as difficult to tie down as a monk, why keep him around if he causes trouble? Once you realize he is one of those "punch everything" types, just put a crossbow bolt int he back of his head, maybe even using it as an example for the rest of your captives. "This si what happens if you try to escape!!!" etc.
And this is one campaign "start" I'd never EVER pre-warn my players about. They may whine, but tell 'em to suck it up.
I've done this before, and it worked out pretty well. one note regarding equipment dependencies- it would seem to me to make more sense from a slavers point of view to ONLY keep alive what we would consider "equipment dependent" characters, and whack or sell for a higher price the non-dependents characters.
IE, I'd sell a spell book-less wizard for a far lower price than a Sorc, and prolly sell the sorc to someone who could either dominate them to wanted to use them for experiments. Like wise with fighters and monks- If you have a prisoner that is as difficult to tie down as a monk, why keep him around if he causes trouble? Once you realize he is one of those "punch everything" types, just put a crossbow bolt int he back of his head, maybe even using it as an example for the rest of your captives. "This si what happens if you try to escape!!!" etc.
And this is one campaign "start" I'd never EVER pre-warn my players about. They may whine, but tell 'em to suck it up.
So in other words, in order make this concept work you need to ban players from playing, monk, sorceror, druid, cleric, and probably a summoner from the apg as well? And this to you seems like a good idea for a campaign start?
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I’ve only run a couple of campaigns since 1990 (both long-running), but I started both of them this way with the previously-mentioned AD&D Module N4, Treasure Hunt, by Aaron Allston. It’s still one of my all-time favorite adventures.
I recently started a campaign with a pathfinderized version of the first part of this which I wrote a few years ago, where the characters 'awake' within the Well of Rebirth with some basic clothing and amnesia. In the expanded cave complex they would come across sets of clothing and equitment and 'memorials' to the people they once belonged to. Once they left the cave complex they find sets of equitment, some of which were standard some of which were not.
Two of the non-standard ones included--
A uniform and a 'standard book of spells, year 5' with a Tutshell Tornados pin on and a crest that said "Ravenclaw".
A Japanese High School Uniform, a bag with CD's that could be traded with interdimensional scholars for GPs, a fantasy novel (set in the campaign world) CD Player (-2 perception checks, but w/ 'charged' bardic singing ability, personal until the batteries run out).
The latter was taken by the party half elven sorceress.
Players would pick a set of equitment and 'recognize' it from their former lives and soon learn that they were in a campaign world that none of them were native to and had scant knowledge of. addition some of them were no longer quite who they had once been.
Character backgrounds were made up on the fly right their based on what packets of equitment they had chosen.
For example,
"Why do I have pointy ears!" said the half elf Japanese schoolgirl sorceress.
The dwarf decided he'd just been reincarnated from an orc and he decided that he was suffering from some severe confusion.
Basically, the party then had to figure out where they were, who they were, and what they wanted to do about it. In addition, there were natives who wanted to capture and put the party members through a magical 'adoption' ceremony.
All the Best,
Kerney
Fabesminis ran a great game starting from a shipwreck. The PCs started with very little, just what they could scavenge.
So in other words, in order make this concept work you need to ban players from playing, monk, sorceror, druid, cleric, and probably a summoner from the apg as well? And this to you seems like a good idea for a campaign start?
Ha, no :) I was just thinking out loud, putting myself in a Slaver's shoes. The time I started a campaign like this I just let them make characters as normal, then took all their stuff and kicked them into the wilds. That way they couldn't meta-game the PCs like the above mentioned Werebear.
Cleric is an interesting case, because while they could prep spells, can they cast sans holy symbol? Similar with the Druid- Do they still need Holly?
It depends on which spells, never-the-less, they couldn't channel energy without holy symbols.
So in other words, in order make this concept work you need to ban players from playing, monk, sorceror, druid, cleric, and probably a summoner from the apg as well? And this to you seems like a good idea for a campaign start?Ha, no :) I was just thinking out loud, putting myself in a Slaver's shoes. The time I started a campaign like this I just let them make characters as normal, then took all their stuff and kicked them into the wilds. That way they couldn't meta-game the PCs like the above mentioned Werebear.
Cleric is an interesting case, because while they could prep spells, can they cast sans holy symbol? Similar with the Druid- Do they still need Holly?
Even if they need a holy symbol, a wooden symbol of a god is far easier to scrounge up (and more inconspicuous for a slave) then a spell book, or a magic (bonded) ring.
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So in other words, in order make this concept work you need to ban players from playing, monk, sorceror, druid, cleric, and probably a summoner from the apg as well? And this to you seems like a good idea for a campaign start?Ha, no :) I was just thinking out loud, putting myself in a Slaver's shoes. The time I started a campaign like this I just let them make characters as normal, then took all their stuff and kicked them into the wilds. That way they couldn't meta-game the PCs like the above mentioned Werebear.
Cleric is an interesting case, because while they could prep spells, can they cast sans holy symbol? Similar with the Druid- Do they still need Holly?
yeah they can cast without symbols and holly
now locking the druid in some metal armor cuts off their power. similar issue with the monk, and sorcs. just weld them into some shackled full plate, and put a bucket on their head so they dont have line of sight to anything. or lock the monk in a box/crate (unless they have admantine strike)
now fighters and characters good with improvised weapons are a different issue, but as long as you keep them bound and gagged you're fine
Even if they need a holy symbol, a wooden symbol of a god is far easier to scrounge up (and more inconspicuous for a slave) then a spell book, or a magic (bonded) ring.
"For 5 years I kept this uncomfortable hunk of metal shoved up my...."
:)
I do agree with you, but I think I may have a new tack, as it were- What i going to earn a slavetrader more money- A skinny old beardy dude who is useless as a field hand, or a spell caster than can be broken to his new master's every whim? I mean we ARE dealing in FANTASY here. I (in the guise of a Gnoll Slaver, call it a CR9 spell cater w/ 5-10 barbarian mooks) come across a party of low level adventurers int he woods. Within secodns, I know THAT one is a warrior, that one is quick as an eel, THAT one prays for power, and that last one has book magic. Assuming I could capture them all, I am sure as heck gonna sell them to the proper people, and in the meantime, probably keep the priest and mage bound and gagged. Sell the priest to a rival temple, the mage to a Mind Flayer I know, and the other two as field hands or eunuchised mamluks to the local Evil Overlord.
IF I were the slaver taker :)
Even if they need a holy symbol, a wooden symbol of a god is far easier to scrounge up (and more inconspicuous for a slave) then a spell book, or a magic (bonded) ring."For 5 years I kept this uncomfortable hunk of metal shoved up my...."
:)
I do agree with you, but I think I may have a new tack, as it were- What i going to earn a slavetrader more money- A skinny old beardy dude who is useless as a field hand, or a spell caster than can be broken to his new master's every whim? I mean we ARE dealing in FANTASY here. I (in the guise of a Gnoll Slaver, call it a CR9 spell cater w/ 5-10 barbarian mooks) come across a party of low level adventurers int he woods. Within secodns, I know THAT one is a warrior, that one is quick as an eel, THAT one prays for power, and that last one has book magic. Assuming I could capture them all, I am sure as heck gonna sell them to the proper people, and in the meantime, probably keep the priest and mage bound and gagged. Sell the priest to a rival temple, the mage to a Mind Flayer I know, and the other two as field hands or eunuchised mamluks to the local Evil Overlord.
IF I were the slaver taker :)
Right, but how is 'the slavers successfully keep you in chains, you dont escape and your will is broken, a good start for a campaign? That is what we are talking about, starting a game. I doubt many players who want to play the big tough barbarian would be particularly pleased if their characters were made into eunuchs or if the party mage spent the first 3 sessions bound and gagged. I really cant imagine that going over well with even the most understanding group of players.
I've done this a couple of times and although it was successful both times my players definitely start to panic when they hear the words "no equipment".
The second time worked fairly successfully because it was part of a way to introduce a couple of new players to the game. I started everyone as 4th or 5th level characters with no memories and no equipment. Their characters woke up laying on alters in a massive cathedral/monastery complex and as they explored and found key pieces of their equipment (a sword, a spell book, a holy symbol, etc.) they discovered their abilities and a little of their past. That way I could introduce the new players to rules of the game in pieces without overwhelming them. I utilized a lot of puzzles, traps, and un-intelligent undead for that part.
After escaping the complex it because a game of staying alive long enough to get some better equipment and figure out who they were as everywhere they went they were met with hostility.
When they finally realized that their characters were some of the worst villains known in the world and that much of the evil and chaos that existed was because of their characters their jaws dropped. They had spent the entire campaign fixing the wrongs their characters had created. The looks on their faces and their reactions were priceless.
To quote the cleric, "You mean I sacrificed innocent children to my demon lord? Dude, I was a piece of shit!"
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This is how my World's Largest Dungeon campaign began. We got around the wizard's spellbook by deciding his mentor had the foresight to tattoo spell formulae directly onto the wizard's skin. I let the player pick out some 0-2nd level spells his character specifically chose to learn and then kept a secret list of spells he would discover as he gained levels. His bonded item (a ring IIRC) was simply smuggled into the dungeon. The party has come a long way since then and no longer has any trouble finding equipment.
I also just started playing in a game where the DM started us off at 1st level homeless, penniless and jobless, intending for us to live and adventure in a massive junkyard. A decent enough premise I guess but, after the first session, it seems everyone has found some incredibly valuable piece of equipment or magic item and one of the players has apparently bonded with a white dragon hatchling (ugh.) Since the city that uses the dump is just up the road, it wasn't any trouble to sell off the valuable stuff and outfit ourselves with standard gear. I kind of wonder what was the point of beginning destitute if we just wound up with better equipment and more money than most 1st level characters typically have. After my first experience in the Monty Hauliest of all scrapyards, I'm tempted to just have my character retire to a quiet life in a cheap apartment.
One way to try to get around the inherent imbalance of classes who are more or less handicapped by the lack of equipment is to shackle those classes at the beginning in some way.
The Wizard has no spell pouch and no spellbook, so he's not much more than a commoner. He is not shackled in any way because the slavers did not see him as a threat. He quickly finds a crossbow to help him contribute when the adventure begins.
The Sorcerer would be shackled (Spell Failure Penalty) and gagged (no verbal component). Once the adventure began, the Sorcerer would lose the gag, but not immediately the shackles. The Spell Failure would help balance the Sorcerer to the others. He's got some spells, but they don't work all the time.
A monk could also be shackled, but perhaps more thoroughly. The shackles would give the Monk a penalty to his/her attack rolls and slows him/her down a little. About the time the Fighter finds a club, the Monk can get some or all of the shackles removed.
And so on.
Quite a few cool ways to start a campaign in this thread...
Regarding certain classes being more or less effective: yes, that’s a problem. I think a decent way around that is to start everyone at “level zero” instead of first level (as was done in module N4). For example, have everyone start as a commoner, and either start with a certain amount of negative XP (and get your first level when you reach zero XP) or just have everyone go to first level at the end of the adventure.
Also, make sure everybody can get either a melee weapon or a ranged weapon relatively early, and then everybody who has either a good Strength or Dexterity score can do well enough in combat. For characters without either, hmm, I dunno, have them find a scroll that they discover they can read? (Maybe a magic item with the read magic spell on it?)
FabesMinis’ PBP campaign starting with a shipwreck was using module N4, by the way... I enjoyed reading it and thought he did a very good job.
Doug
If you ever had a chance to play Ultima Underworld: Stygian Abyss..
..well, firstly, let me shake your hand and promise you a window seat on the mother ship..
...and secondly - the game starts with you being thrown into a *huge* dungeon, dressed in rags and weaponless.
Was awesome..
..casters learn't a magic system unique to the dungeon that involved runes (you could try different combinations to suss out spells -- the manual had a few already mapped out - and you could even translate them (they were in LoTR Dwarven) to suss out others - epic!)
..that game rocked. It's engine was way ahead of anything else at the time - and the design is still the best rpg I've played to date.
Right, but how is 'the slavers successfully keep you in chains, you dont escape and your will is broken, a good start for a campaign? That is what we are talking about, starting a game. I doubt many players who want to play the big tough barbarian would be particularly pleased if their characters were made into eunuchs or if the party mage spent the first 3 sessions bound and gagged. I really cant imagine that going over well with even the most understanding group of players.
I was just "war gaming" the slavers mentality man, I wouldn't actually DO this to my players. Well, not at the START of a campaign :)
I've done this on a number of occasions, depending on the campaign, in one form or another. When I ran the Age of Wyrms campaign, the party started out with really cruddy equipment for the most part... the campaign premise starts out that the PCs are trying to find a way to leave the dirt-hole, flyspeck town of Diamond Lake behind them, and frankly if they had all started with even 10 gold pieces left to their names, they'd be able to hire a carriage to travel to a major city in style. So... they all started as either locals or down-on-their luck travelers who were stranded in Diamond Lake for whatever reason. I told them what they started with, and all armor was damaged - patched and/or torn(provided less AC than usual book rates), all martial weapons were nicked and less effective (penalties to hit and/or dmg), etc. PCs were able to start with very basic starting equipment, but nothing more glamorous than a tattered spellbook, a well-patched backpack, a thin blanket, cracked shields, etc. After all, if life were going well for the party financially, they could sell their equipment and make a fresh start elsewhere... this premise forced the party to take odd jobs locally to earn money and to investigate the nearby cairn to try to find a hidden cache of treasure! It wasn't long before the party was able to buy better equipment and their earlier penalties made them savor even simple finds like a polished oak tinderbox like it was a valuable treasure.
Another campaign I ran some years back had the party members as prisoners in an underground arena. Most of them were captive gladiators, and the less martial among them were slaves in other capacities in the Underdark prison. The players absolutely LOVED this campaign... in early battles, they were of course armed and armored during the scheduled arena battles, and then they got to plan a massive prison break over several weeks, squirreling away supplies over time and stealing weapons from the armory and armed guards during the final escape. Odd items weren't too hard to figure in... As I learned from watching Shawshank Redemption, in every prison there's a "guy who can get it for you." In this way, some 2nd-hand thieves tools and a spell component pouch was obtained, and the party cleric was allowed to painstakingly carve a wooden holy symbol over several weeks using a broken knifeblade and a wooden candlestick (smuggled in by the Get-It-for-You Guy). When the party made a break for it and set off into the Underdark/Darklands, they were well-stocked with stolen weapons and provisions, and the party wizard even had taken a spellbook from the arena magus's private rooms. It launched a great campaign, and I've been told many times over by my players that it was one of the best they'd ever experienced.
I think that the best way to set up something like this USUALLY is to just let the players know ahead of time, "Hey, for this campaign, you will have starting equipment restrictions." If they know ahead of time what they are getting into, you will be far more likely to enlist cooperation if they know it's to set a campaign theme, and you will probably cut down on table-flipping and tantrum-dice-chucking by at least 46%.
I have done this a few time, it is really a great way to start a game. We did this in dark sun a couple of times and it was always fun.
I did not roleplay how they got there. I enjoy reading some people agonizing unnecessarily.
"You wake up on a beach looking at the sunrise. Sounds great till you remember the horrible shipwreck!"
For a slavery scenario, They were on their way to work farms or illegal gladiator contests when the disaster happened.
One way to try to get around the inherent imbalance of classes who are more or less handicapped by the lack of equipment is to shackle those classes at the beginning in some way.
The Wizard has no spell pouch and no spellbook, so he's not much more than a commoner. He is not shackled in any way because the slavers did not see him as a threat. He quickly finds a crossbow to help him contribute when the adventure begins.
The Sorcerer would be shackled (Spell Failure Penalty) and gagged (no verbal component). Once the adventure began, the Sorcerer would lose the gag, but not immediately the shackles. The Spell Failure would help balance the Sorcerer to the others. He's got some spells, but they don't work all the time.
A monk could also be shackled, but perhaps more thoroughly. The shackles would give the Monk a penalty to his/her attack rolls and slows him/her down a little. About the time the Fighter finds a club, the Monk can get some or all of the shackles removed.
And so on.
You could deny the casters the period of clear thought required to cast their spells instead of binding and gagging them. (not too sure how they would know how a sorcerer is a sorcerer unless he cast a spell infront of them and the mage deciphered the class on the spot)
Starting from nothing can be an interesting lead in but, making a character inept because as a DM you are afraid they will use an ability to cheese out of a situation can make the game boring too.
Other hurdles could include holding pens and/or plenty of guards so the players need to wait for an ideal opportunity to make a break for freedom.
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A few weeks ago I started a new campaign. The way I drew the party together was that they had all started out as captives on a slaver ship. Thus, they started out with no gold, no weapons, and had to escape with nothing but their wits and whatever abilities they had inherent.
It turned out really well, and gave the party some really good starting cohesion. My question to my fellow GMs is have any of the rest of you started your players out in a situation similar to this?
I did a monster PC campaign that started in a similar way. Rather than level-appropriate starting gear, they were only allowed to have whatever was in the statblock and 1st level gold. As a balancing mechanism, it was 75% effective for monster PCs, but some monsters are just too difficult to hit when you combine natural armor with high dex. No gear is a fantastic equalizer, though.
I had so much fun doing this in prison with a fairly quick breakout. So much good RP over who could trust whom, because no one knew what anyone else was in for.
Still, though, I think I prefer unusual items but with amnesia start as my favorite. It often has much of the same flavor.
Amnesia is great for a PC. I started an elf ranger named John Doe in the Raven's Bluff restart. Pity they killed the campaign again. He didn't know where he got all his skills and equipment. He didn't even know how he felt about half orcs.
You could deny the casters the period of clear thought required to cast their spells instead of binding and gagging them. (not too sure how they would know how a sorcerer is a sorcerer unless he cast a spell infront of them and the mage deciphered the class on the spot)
Just remember that you'll need to keep the divine casters distracted. They need to pray at certain times of day; it's arcane casters who demand rest.
I also played in a Escape from the Dungeons of the Slave Lords campaign. 2nd Edition style. DM was again nice enough to grant access to a big ol' pile of bones that the party could use as makeshift weapons, but my character went a step further.
Since back in those days we had weapon and non-weapon slots, I hadn't taken proficiency with clubs. I was, however the proud owner of a broken set of manacles that had been recently been removed. So, I beat one of the cuff ends into bending around the end of a large thighbone and made myself a flail, which I could use. DM liked the creative thinking and allowed me to make a weaponsmithing roll. Got a natural 1, which for some reason in 2nd ed was a good thing when it came to skill rolls (thank goodness they changed that huh?), so he ruled that my makeshift flail was, for all intents and purposes a perfectly serviceable flail. I carried that thing with me throughout the rest of the campaign as my trusty backup weapon.
I started a game recently (self destructed when RL intervened) where the first game was everyone waking up on the beach of an island covered in sand, with dead bodies around them.
They had vague memories of their fishing fleet being attacked by doomwhales and destroyed. Their starting equipment was actually what they scrounged up from the wreckage and dead bodies (they started at 2nd level).