Yet again I need help with something, I was thinking you guys might like to help... I want to do a sandbox campaign. This would include all kind of things that're going on at the same time, of which the PCs can choose which ones to tackle first. The ones they chose not to go for might then have grown or something into a bigger problem. Idk
Here's the kicker though: I want to make the setting that of early colonized America. The PC's will probably be recent immigrants from various countries, though they can be really anything that catches their fancy. This will be right before the French/Indian war is about to start, but... Because it'll be more awesome this way... It'll also be high fantasy.
I'll get to the point. Making a fun sandbox adventure can be pretty daunting; Does anyone have any realistic-sounding side-quests that would be appropriate to the time and place? Any ideas are welcome. Thanks!
P.S. I already had some ideas where the PCs might be endentured servants when they start out. Kinda forcing them to protect the farmstead from the various dangers associated, and then we can work from there.
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Realistic? It depends what else is out there: are there old ruins and monsters, or is it colonial America as it was?
The problem with the realistic approach to colonization is the realistic thing is everybody is working on settlement infrastructure or food gathering. Building farms, figuring out cash crops, making the stuff they can't import, laying roads, that sort of thing. Not exactly exciting.
You might have some exploration and mapping going on, and limited trade and proselytizing going on with the natives (which often led to conflicts). Or you can raid nearby settlements (and/or foreign colonies) to try to drive them off, steal food or ruin them), but that definitely encourages reprisals that colonies generally can't handle.
Well ressources need to be secured, so that involves exploration, diplomacy, and possibly combat. Fending off raids. Getting colonial sponsors.
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I am will Voss, if you want truly historic and realistic campaign, there is not going to be much conflict, traditionally fights on coastal North America were through disease or small raids of settlers stealing the wealthy natives goods, or natives performing honour rituals against settlers.
Killings were small scale and relatively uncommon, natural deaths were far more common, or settlers wandering into the wilds and vanishing.
Disease, insect swarms, terraforming the lands, defections of settlers to native camps, wild animals, and prospecting/trade were the biggest events in the earliest days.
Alliance building could be a fun event, allowing their colony to survive the unfamiliar winters and crop seasons, surviving disasters and shortages, foraging for new sources of foods in the wilds, or negotiating material trade between colonies and natives (Money was of little value initially).
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-Solve a land dispute between a settlement and a nearby tribe. preferably in a more positive way than how it usually happened historically.
-Accompany FAMOUS EUROPEAN EXPLORER as he explores the rest of the country
-start the war of american independence several decades early (expect this one to happen no matter what you do)
- fight a dragon, just because.
Fist fight a grizzly bear to prove your strength to a local tribe. A rare artifact is promised as a reward to the victor.
Something is attacking and partially eating traders along a major river, and freshwater sahuagin are suspected.
A miner has gone missing in the hills, and the players are the only ones around formidable enough to find him in the wilderness.
More seriously though, this topic has a lot of ideas for non-violent scenarios. They're standard D&D in tone, but a little reflavoring should solve that.
The reason this comes to mind is that non violent scenarios should help with spicing up "boring" mundane colonial life.
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A pirate ship shows up and {demands tribute | needs lots of supplies for a raucous party | is being chased by a European warship | wants to hire crew | needs a safe place and wood for a week's repair | has been cursed by a mermaid | needs the PCs to open a mysterious gate on Bermuda for them }
A brave soldier who dumped Charisma needs someone to court a pretty girl for him.
Local tribal shamans are { causing people's cows to hallucinate | raising up elemental spirits against colonists' fields | want help fighting a rival tribe's forest spirits | wanting to trade something nobody can identify for tobacco or alcohol | looking for women | need someone to slay a terrible rabbit | want help fighting another tribe }
Europe is at war! Your homeland's army is launching an expedition against another nation's stronghold and needs local guides and advisors. (This could be on an island at some distance, or many miles away across wilderness.)
A wandering preacher comes into town and holds loud, long meetings.
A bunch of wandering Highlanders has been, um, resettled next to your land by a clueless royal governor. Get them to move somewhere FAR FAR AWAY, without getting them so angry they { burn down your houses | steal your sheep | steal your women | sing lots of drunken songs }
A natural scholar has uncovered lots of mammoth bones on his land. He wants you to go up into the mountains and retrieve a live one for him.
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I guess you could mix up eras a bit and have Vikings arrive to start raiding the northern reaches of the colonies (like Boston Tea Party + Vikings). Vikings in the North, pirates in the South, trouble all around...
Since you're in America I guess you could also think about stuff like "skinwalkers" and other native american mythology. I guess there could also be native Druids opposed to the colonies bringing "civilization". If you change some of the native tribes to less sympathetic creatures like orcs or drow it might help with setting them up as adversaries to be killed (if that's what you're aiming for)
If the adventures will eventually range further afield you could consider what fantastical horrors could wait for the adventurers in Alaska, Mexico, and even further south to the jungles of South America. The wendigo and a human sacrifice cult with step pyramids come to mind. The cult could have some were-jaguars or jaguar themed rakshasas or maybe be a bunch of ghouls and or vampires (I'm guessing you've seen From Dusk Til Dawn)
I'm thinking of a "Tour of America" or even "Tour of the Americas" for a group of Lewis & Clark adventurers. I guess you could end up in the Grand Canyon even, maybe searching for the 7 Cities of Gold (with theme music from the old C64 video game of the same name). I wonder if Fantasy Las Vegas might already be booming out in the desert, kind of a planar hub of debauchery.
In short, even if most colonists had a pretty mundane life, adding a bit of fantasy makes it pretty easy to create a need for dedicated adventurer types. ;)