I’ve been kicking around some ideas for the campaign I plan to start. I want all the characters to fit together. As a GM, there’s nothing that makes me scratch my head more than having characters like a wealthy noble dilettante, a struggling merchant captain and an ex-Marine combat monster all in the same party. I figure I’ll have all the players make similar, complimentary characters, based on the type of campaign we all agree to play. Here is a short list of the campaign options I’ll present to the players before they create their characters.
Classic Merchant – Fly around, buy and sell, get rich. This would be very “Character Dependent.” While I have enough ideas for a few adventures, after 6 or so sessions, it would be up to the goals of the party to drive the campaign. This works well with some player-groups, but often players just sort of show up and say, “Gosh GM, what’s my character supposed to do tonight?”
Pirate – The Anti-Merchant Campaign. The old saying goes. “All merchant campaigns become pirate campaigns after 6 months.” So, why wait? Purpose-built pirate characters with specialized equipment and a ship. The terror of the skies! Again, very “Character Dependent.” You can only role-play a boarding action so many times.
Skiptracers – The Anti-Pirate Campaign. This is a great option because the party doesn’t need a ship. If the party does have a ship, a combo Merchant/Skiptracer campaign is a great option and offers lots of flexibility. This combo campaign could be great fun and run a long time.
Classic Mercenary – Start small, get big, lots of fighting ,and MONEY! Frankly, this is what I’m ITCHING to run. Role-playing massed combat sucks, so I have all kinds of plans for adventures while the mercs are on weekend pass, while between contracts, etc. I just don’t know if the players would be open to the campaign.
Scout – Exploration/First Contact. Dust off my old copy of Leviathan and lead the players off into the unknown. Very “Star Trek”ish. Lots of options for game sessions. Lots of fun to be had here.
Noble Dilettantes - Go after the secret of the Ancients. With the right players, this would just be SO MUCH FUN! Wealthy nobles with too much time and money on their hands, hunter guides leading them off on adventure, absent-minded professors doing their field research, and don’t forget the professor’s beautiful niece! There is just so much potential for fun it makes my head swim!
Naval – Command small vessels, work up to Heavy Metal. Kind of “Honor Harrington” style. It would be set in the days just before the Fifth Frontier War. The only problem is I don’t know how to NOT make it a tabletop space combat game. The options for character interaction, character development and role-playing just don’t seem to be there.
Political/Espionage – Schemes within schemes. I have a few ideas for this. Sort of “Top Secret” but set during the Fifth Frontier War. While it might be fun for a while, I’m afraid the action would peter out after a few sessions.
I think my best options would be:
Merchant/Skiptracer
Noble Dilettantes
Scout
Mercenary
Any comments or suggestions?
Classic Merchant – Fly around, buy and sell, get rich. This would be very “Character Dependent.” While I have enough ideas for a few adventures, after 6 or so sessions, it would be up to the goals of the party to drive the campaign. This works well with some player-groups, but often players just sort of show up and say, “Gosh GM, what’s my character supposed to do tonight?”
Pirate – The Anti-Merchant Campaign. The old saying goes. “All merchant campaigns become pirate campaigns after 6 months.” So, why wait? Purpose-built pirate characters with specialized equipment and a ship. The terror of the skies! Again, very “Character Dependent.” You can only role-play a boarding action so many times.
Skiptracers – The Anti-Pirate Campaign. This is a great option because the party doesn’t need a ship. If the party does have a ship, a combo Merchant/Skiptracer campaign is a great option and offers lots of flexibility. This combo campaign could be great fun and run a long time.
Classic Mercenary – Start small, get big, lots of fighting ,and MONEY! Frankly, this is what I’m ITCHING to run. Role-playing massed combat sucks, so I have all kinds of plans for adventures while the mercs are on weekend pass, while between contracts, etc. I just don’t know if the players would be open to the campaign.
Scout – Exploration/First Contact. Dust off my old copy of Leviathan and lead the players off into the unknown. Very “Star Trek”ish. Lots of options for game sessions. Lots of fun to be had here.
Noble Dilettantes - Go after the secret of the Ancients. With the right players, this would just be SO MUCH FUN! Wealthy nobles with too much time and money on their hands, hunter guides leading them off on adventure, absent-minded professors doing their field research, and don’t forget the professor’s beautiful niece! There is just so much potential for fun it makes my head swim!
Naval – Command small vessels, work up to Heavy Metal. Kind of “Honor Harrington” style. It would be set in the days just before the Fifth Frontier War. The only problem is I don’t know how to NOT make it a tabletop space combat game. The options for character interaction, character development and role-playing just don’t seem to be there.
Political/Espionage – Schemes within schemes. I have a few ideas for this. Sort of “Top Secret” but set during the Fifth Frontier War. While it might be fun for a while, I’m afraid the action would peter out after a few sessions.
I think my best options would be:
Merchant/Skiptracer
Noble Dilettantes
Scout
Mercenary
Any comments or suggestions?
