|
Hi folks.
At the moment, I am just checking interest.
My idea is to run a sandbox campaign wherein player begin as a primitive tribe and build their civilization.
As major advancements occur, players will retire their primitive characters and the game will leap forward a few hundred years and player will become medieval type characters in a low magic, gritty kind of setting.
This trend will continue through to the golden age of magic, into the downfall of magic, the rise of gunpowder, and finally attempting to survive the apocalypse.
This would be a long campaign with a huge variance is style. The beginning would likely be tons of combat and surviving elements whereas the middle would be more intrigue and magic, perhaps some political machinations, and would end up in back where we started probably.
This campaign will take a very long time to run in PBP. I ran something similar at the table and it took 2.5 years so the PBP would likely be closer to 4 years.
I think it will keep players attention though since the setting and even the characters will change as we go.
Does it sound interesting? What questions would you want answered before playing this game?
Thanks for the input friends.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
I would see this being more interesting if it was less about controlling a PC and more a game focused on guiding civilizations through the ages.
I think it is a good idea. Mordred had some great ideas and points as well.
I don't think 4 years is impossible. I am in a PBP game now that is on its 7th or 8th year. That said, it is an outlier in that regard.
It's a fascinating idea. My feeling is that it's going to be a crazy amount of work, and you need a bunch of 'Builder' type players to do it.
This trend will continue through to the golden age of magic, into the downfall of magic, the rise of gunpowder, and finally attempting to survive the apocalypse.
Is this a series of scenes in a fixed timeline? Or is it something where the PCs can affect it?
I think it'd run great with a series of 'mini-apocalypses', like intermittent occasional winter, or the dead rising. In fact if you DID use the dead rising then you've got a great thing to do with the old PCs :)
I can also see the founders of a tribe might only be level 5 at the end.
The heroes of the medieval kingdom might start at level 5. If all they have are legends they might THINK the founders where bigger than level 5.
I can also see each generation of 'heroes' might become part of a pantheon of gods. That sounds neat, as your new PC can worship your old PC(s).
|
|
Cool thoughts Harakani!
The PCs control the timeline almost entirely and the level you are at a given time depends on the "point in time". For example, at the start of the stone age, players will be level one. If they dominate their area of the world and invent faster than surrounding tribes, they may be level 5 or higher in the "middle ages." If they get dominated they may be level one commoners, etc.
Or even changes to the race. If the race moves underground it might develop darkvision and stonecunning. If the PCs insist on training everyone as a warrior they get Orcish weapon familiarities...
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
I love the magic item idea.
The more I read, the more interested I get. I've never played Age of Empire, but Empire Earth was my childhood.
I like the idea of making a clan and playing a member of the clan through each age. Interestingly, you could decide what focuses your clan has through time. A clan of warriors might have better weaponry and strength. A clan of thieves might be more cunning and charisma, maybe having access to better adventuring equipment and skill related equipment.
Just spitballing. That's probably also really complicates to introduce unless you came up with soecifics. Which I'd be more than happy to help with.
Great point, I think the Race Guide would be your friend here. Play an adventure or so in each age, then roleplay the growth of your people from one age into the next, adding or subtracting 1 or 2 RP along the way. Stone age, everyone starts off with no stat adjustments or special abilities. Then it's all up from there. By the time you make it to the middle ages, you could have elves, dwarves, humans, etc.
I had an idea, what if the PCs from each generation were the same souls or spirits that reincarnate every few generations to guide their people, perhaps retaining some of what they have learned in previous lives. Starting with small things, like a free rank in one of their last PC's skills, to talents, feats, class skills and eventually entire levels.
It is very interesting indeed, all the options available to such a game. The interesting part will be to pick a proper combination, but it's good to see such interest in this(and from one of my GM's no less...hi Harakani).
Hello!
@Tenro: I just meant to say that I don't think 4 years is a realistic pbp estimate if IRL it took 2.5 years. I've seen stuff that would take an evening with a home group drag on for over a month in pbp, more often than not. Thats why I said it would probably need to get heavily streamlined. to speed things up for pbp, so that "a couple years" becomes a realistic option, over "a couple decades".
That's a very good point ModredofFairy. Seems to be about 3 months per session on average. Heavy combat speeds that up. Planning kills it - as we've proved. This would have planning. Man would this have planning.
So about 30 sessions, so about 90 months. 7 and a half years.Huh. I think I might've talked myself out of this. It's a brilliant idea. If this was tabletop I would get babysitting to play. Not sure I can commit to that long a game. If you trimmed it short, it's lose some of the charm.
That said, there are ways to speed PbPs up. If you could get down to 6 weeks per session, then you'd be on track. I know there are games that get 3-4 posts per day per player, and they move really fast.
It is very interesting indeed, all the options available to such a game. The interesting part will be to pick a proper combination, but it's good to see such interest in this(and from one of my GM's no less...hi Harakani).Hello!
@Tenro: I just meant to say that I don't think 4 years is a realistic pbp estimate if IRL it took 2.5 years. I've seen stuff that would take an evening with a home group drag on for over a month in pbp, more often than not. Thats why I said it would probably need to get heavily streamlined. to speed things up for pbp, so that "a couple years" becomes a realistic option, over "a couple decades".That's a very good point ModredofFairy. Seems to be about 3 months per session on average. Heavy combat speeds that up. Planning kills it - as we've proved. This would have planning. Man would this have planning.
So about 30 sessions, so about 90 months. 7 and a half years.
Huh. I think I might've talked myself out of this. It's a brilliant idea. If this was tabletop I would get babysitting to play. Not sure I can commit to that long a game. If you trimmed it short, it's lose some of the charm.That said, there are ways to speed PbPs up. If you could get down to 6 weeks per session, then you'd be on track. I know there are games that get 3-4 posts per day per player, and they move really fast.
Paizo's security upgrade at the start of the summer killed my ability to post from my phone and probably a lot of other people's. That will make it really hard to get a lot of people who can post throughout the day.
It did nothing to my ability to post on my phone. Have been most of the day. So I know some of us still can.
@Mordred: ah, i see, and i agree.
@Browman: dunno what kind of phone you have, but i had the same issue using my android phone (Samsung Note II)'s basic browser, i had to install firefox to the phone to make it work.
@Mordred: ah, i see, and i agree.
@Browman: dunno what kind of phone you have, but i had the same issue using my android phone (Samsung Note II)'s basic browser, i had to install firefox to the phone to make it work.
Galaxy III, I didn't know you could install firefox on a phone, I will try that and see if it works.
It's in the Play Store
Firefox works. So my posting issues for half the day are sorted now.
Sweet.
All excellent ideas folks. Thanks so much.
My biggest problem right now is that this WILL need so much planning and would bog down a play by post so much.
I'm not sure how to streamline that process without taking a slice out of player creativity and potential.
This campaign would require significant dedication from all participants, but if you have that you can probably make a go of it.
I'd play
GM DSP is there anything the rest of us can do to help you prep?
Nothing at the moment for prep. I am still writing out the different build rules for the potential "ages".
If there are any more thoughts or ideas specifically about how to keep this engaging to players and/or run it on the boards, I'd love to hear them.
Ok, just making sure there wasn't anything else you needed from us.
But given the speed most play by posts operate at, if you have the first age figured out you can probably get things rolling and easily have the rest sorted well before we get to them.