I am considering running a campaign set during the American Civil War. Although it is still just theory, and I've no real notes drawn up, I'd like to hear what others have to say on the subject.
Advice requested:
- How would you handle magic?
- What classes would you allow?
- Would you enforce a level cap?
- What story would you tell?
- What "monsters" would you use?
depends on what kind of campaign are you trying to run. are you trying to tell a story that happens during the war but doesnt affect it? or are you gonna tell a tale where something derails the war completley , like jefferson davis making a deal with a sucubus to kill grant. and to answer your classes question...
>Gunslinger, obviously
>druid, some kinda back woods hermit
>witch
>bard, most awesome drummer boy ever.
......actualy i could see every class fit in some way depending on the flavor.
are you trying to tell a story that happens during the war but doesnt affect it?
Not sure. Most likely the events of the campaign would not affect the history of the war (as we know it; perhaps some stories weren't told?).
It could also be set after the war, as I imagine playing a veteran would be very appealing.
I think in terms of the story, I'd like for it to be part Spaghetti Western, part Supernatural.
or are you gonna tell a tale where something derails the war completley , like jefferson davis making a deal with a sucubus to kill grant.
I'd rather not mess with the historic accuracy of the war. Though, I don't mind exploring a "behind the scenes" sort of story.
Speaking of demons, I'd like to see them in the campaign, though not sure what form they ought to take. Perhaps something akin to their portrayal in Ghost Rider; fallen angels trapped within the elements.
I have an idea for a villain I'd like to use. Basically, he's an outlaw that planned and led "the heist of the century." After stowing away their loot, he and his men decided to lay low in a nearby church until the morning. Claiming sanctuary from the priest, they held him hostage as they awaited the dawn. Though, [Insert Villain's Name] wouldn't survive to morning. Betrayed by his men (finally fed up with him, they conspired to take his share of the loot and be rid of him all in one go), he was left to die as they set fire to the church and rode off into night. The next night, just before sunrise our villain arose from the cinders, a burning desire for vengeance in his heart.
Mechanically speaking, he'd be a revenant with gunslinger levels. He'd possess power over fire, similar to graveknight. He would have immunity to fire and several spell-like abilities (such as burning hands, fireball, and fire shield). His fast healing would be upgraded to regeneration. In the event that he is slain, he would rise from the ashes and continue to his pursuit of his murderers by next sunrise.
Now, the players could simply roll up this guy's crew, playing as characters involved in the heist (and subsequent betrayal). Or perhaps law men who discover several burnt outlaws strung about and decide to pursue and uncover the mystery.
Not sure if this would be enough for an entire campaign. So, I'm looking for a way to tie this villain into a larger campaign.
I like that villain. I don't see him as a "main" villain for a campaign, though, simply because his motivation (vengeance) doesn't really work for ongoing antagonist (who is more typically motivated by power or other more "political" agendas).
What I *can* see is the campaign starting off with him as a villain (per your spaghetti western reference) and then, after the campaign introduction arc concludes, a larger evil becomes aware of the revenant, and manipulates his vengeance so that he becomes a tool in *their* arsenal - that is, he transitions from "main villain" to "recurring heavy" (almost a Darth Vader type).
As a revenant, he could even be redeemed later in the campaign, or whatever - give yourself some sandboxish flexibility.
As for the "greater evil", that can be a single villain or a shadowy organization (continuing your wild west tie-in, perhaps akin to the railroad conspirators in "Once Upon a Time in the West") which manages for a long time to elude confrontation (and even detection), exploiting other supernatural evils to do their dirty work.
I like that villain. I don't see him as a "main" villain for a campaign, though, simply because his motivation (vengeance) doesn't really work for ongoing antagonist (who is more typically motivated by power or other more "political" agendas).
Good point.
What I *can* see is the campaign starting off with him as a villain (per your spaghetti western reference) and then, after the campaign introduction arc concludes, a larger evil becomes aware of the revenant, and manipulates his vengeance so that he becomes a tool in *their* arsenal - that is, he transitions from "main villain" to "recurring heavy" (almost a Darth Vader type)...
...As for the "greater evil", that can be a single villain or a shadowy organization (continuing your wild west tie-in, perhaps akin to the railroad conspirators in "Once Upon a Time in the West") which manages for a long time to elude confrontation (and even detection), exploiting other supernatural evils to do their dirty work.
I think railroad tycoons would make for excellent bad-guys. Thanks.
I thought I posted this in the Advice forum. Perhaps I was mistaken...
Evil Tycoon you say?
:x
You know, it might be interesting to do a sort of mid-war conflict that gets covered up by the government and the tycoons. Like say they Tycoons have some plot, and they manipulate the Revenant as part of their plot.
The PCs uncover the plot and stop them, putting the Revenant to a permanent rest along the way. When they try and take down the Tycoons, they are just too well established to touch, politically, or socially, and they have the government on their side physically.
That would be part one and a time to allow the PCs to do some role-playing, start a family, build a farm, etc. If you wish, you could end the war in this time, and you might even have the PCs trigger the Battle of Gettysburg in some way, which is arguably the beginning of the end of the Civil War.
The Tycoons are concerned about the PCs strength and endeavor to bring them down. They stage an attack that forces the PCs to have no choice but confront the Tycoons themselves, and take them out.
To offset the history aspect, have the historical tycoons then step in and take their predecessors place. The historical tycoons would be the lesser of two evils, and leave the PCs alone as lone they leave the new Tycoons alone.
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I was working on a Revolutionary War idea once. It was to involve werewolves, ghosts and other things you might encounter in the dark woods of New England. I was trying not to let it devolve into a zombie thing, but I must admit I was tempted.
The idea was to engage two of the players as fighters, one an American, the other British, in one of those "must work together" situations.
Native Americans were to be allowed as druids and barbarians (I am part Native American, so don't yell at me), while ranger was going to be open to Natives or to white trappers, and the sort. They were going to find out that arcane magic existed the hard way, by being attacked with it.
I similarly was working on an Eastern European thing, with human fighters and rangers only, where the PCs were slowly introduced to magic after a bunch of undead appear. Was aiming to roleplay the gaining of magical items and class levels as a sort of "magic comes into the world" thing.
Alas, too many ideas, not enough time and players to engage them.
I don't know about campaigns, but UI have read some of a fantasy series set in a 17th/18th century type setting, with basic firearms.
One thing I would do at the outset is make firearms simple weapons. That was the whole point of them originally, that it was easy to train a squad of men to shoot in unison (a few days) than it was to train archers (about five years in the case of Longbowmen).
I think there is a lot of potential for colouring in this setting with the mixture of cultures you would have available...