building on bare bones campaigns

[Jakk9000]

So far this is my idea for a campaign.


A Sidereal (who's name has yet to be determined) that works for Jupiter (just her no particular faction) influences the party members to gather together by uniting them under a common cause. The cause is the fact that Foukf the Regent has been killed and the race for the throne has begun between the 2 leading groups Mnemon and Roseblack but they are both trying to fix the two problems they have the other and for Roseblack the fact that she can't get the throne and Mnemon who doesn't have enough support to keep the throne. The players will enter under the idea that Roseblack wants to (but can't say aloud) that she wants to end the wyld hunt on the solars and lunars or at least thats what the sidereal says. Along the path they find out the Mnemon might know how to end the curse (what keeps the solars from contesting the throne doesn't hurt her) and that when Roseblack obtains the throne she plans on going full out on the wyld hunt. At this point the Sidereal reveals that he sent them on this path so that they could find out the about the curse because part of the curse is that sidereals and the maidens can not directly reveal or do anything about it and that they had the highest chance percentage wise (0.056%) of succeeding of finding out and undoing the curse. Then he tells them that they will need the support of the Scarlet Throne's resources and they will need to assist the next worthy Emperor Cathak Cainan either by convincing him that he needs to and then defending him from would be assassins or by discreetly eliminating the competition as to not discourage him from assisting the party so that they can undo the curse.


That's about as far as I got though process wise for the campaign but what do you guys think?

 

[Jakk9000]

So no suggestions?


Also how should I plan adventures for the players?

 

[cyl]

Here's what I think.


You need to re think things here and there:


- if someone knows the cure to the Great Curse, it is certainly not some dragon blooded even a very powerful one, few people actually know there is a curse (and most are gods who kept their mouths shut- whatever the reason)


- think smaller for your campaign at first... this is a good meta plot but are you sure your players are going to stick to the game til the end ? I mean considering the setting, this is a 1-2 year campaign (considering standard chargen) minimum.

 

[Jakk9000]

I know this sounds bad but smaller how?


Also it might be this way because I haven't played exalted much and I just immediately thought big as heck plot because I figured players would run though it fast...

 

[cyl]

It doesn't sound bad at all... it's a good plot in the long run.


But for starters, well, a more regional scale can be cool, heroism doesn't have to involve whole nations to be epic.


There are many subtleties that can be used.


For example the comic opening the corebook is a good starter... a river kills people and plagues the land, filled with the tears of the river god whose sorrow is so great because the young girls taken captives by a bunch of bandits (who did that on purpose) don't come and sing to him anymore...


will take your players awhile to figure out the whole thing before rescuing the poor villagers.


From there you can start your second chapter: why the bandits did that ? How did they know, who sent there, what's their intentions etc etc ? and you go up to the food chain with each chapter, to the final, with some interludes sessions including exotic materials (elementals, barbarians and lunars, gods, demons, fair folk, ghosts and abyssals etc etc).

 

[Jakk9000]

So instead of droping them in that it might be better to say that an Earth Elemental has been attacking close by villages and then they find out that bandits have been stealing the offerings to him because they can't afford to live. After they find a few villages or when they ask why has it been so hard to live they find out the houses are gearing up for a war for who gets the throne after that and work from there?

 

[cyl]

Yup, might be a better start, and you can follow your meta plot.


You're players are solar right ?


Are you sure you want to involve them in the war for the Throne ? I mean it could be less interesting for them as solars than other plots.

 

[Jakk9000]

Well I figure solar and lunars because half the group says ohhh werewolves and if they want to play them their soul mate will show up and die at one point or another...


But what do you suggest for a campaign with solars and lunars I figure that if they can affect the wyld hunt they would but that was just the first idea that popped into my head.

 

[cyl]

Well that I can't answer for you.


Just look at the corebook and the playgrounds, and pick the one you find the most interesting. It's usually the Scavenger Lands, but all directions can provide very interesting adventures & settings for celestial exalts.

 

[Jakk9000]

Where is the information on the scavenger lands and also where do I find the rules for the underworld and thouse who live in it like MoW and FaFL?

 

[cyl]

Scavenger Lands: corebook + CoTD: the Scavenger Lands


Underworld and Deathlords : CoCD: the Underworld/MoEP: Abyssals/ RoGD II

 

[Jakk9000]

Ahh ok and sorry for all the questions but I have a few more.


What are some good solid ways to get good games running?


What seems to pull in players the most when playing exalted?


How much should I plan ahead and what to plan ahead about?


Also tips on building the path to the main goal? Because mine seem to be to short and fractured like when I ran M&M I had a really good idea for a meta game plot.


For the last question, Why would Lunars wander around because they seem to be at home in the wyld as far as I know not being bothered much by the Scarlet Empire because nobody wants to mutate.


Ohh I just found something what about the Green Lady as the person who knows the Curse and how to end it would that make sense?

 

[cyl]

What are some good solid ways to get good games running?

Wow, deep one, that depends on your group and their interests. Read the corebook chapter storytelling, there are some nice advices there.

What seems to pull in players the most when playing exalted?

Best way to know is to ask each and every one of them... this way you can mix their interests in your game.

How much should I plan ahead and what to plan ahead about?

Depends on your style (I mean you and the group). Some are freeformers, while other plan things like crazy. I usually think of cool things to do, events that could happen in a game, NPC casting, and a very fluid storyline.

Also tips on building the path to the main goal?

Read to know the universe and talk with your players about what they want to do, what they would like to achieve with their pcs.

Why would Lunars wander around

Because the wyld is not a good place for raising kids... every single lunar has a different reason for staying/not staying in the wyld. Reappearance of their old love, curiosity, care for mortals etc etc

 

[Jakk9000]

Ahhh thank ya thank ya I'll post more as I get more info.

 

[Jakk9000]

Ok here is what I have now for the over all campaign.


Starting out the players will be gathered together by a Sidereal who will be named later. They will start out by helping out some local towns from a series of bandits taking things from elemental and the towns. They start picking up the clues and then they will face the bandit leader. Who will reveal that she is actually a solar exalted trying to help out people who couldn't afford the new taxes then have been raised to insanely large amounts. when they go to Greyfalls to find out why they will learn that the Dragon-Blooded running the town has recently become more greedy. Once they start to dig around they find out the he was a kind ruler for that area (as kind as he could be following his house's orders). When they go to fight him they find an Abyssal who seems to have a spell on him that intensifies the curse and twists it to his needs. After the fight they find out that quite a few Abyssals have been doing this to spark civil wars and plunge areas in chaos. Hopefully the valiant heros will charge out to stop them to find out a way to put an end to this all. After a bit of combating them they find out that the Deathlord MoW has been instigating it and that the only way to stop it is at the source by killing MoW and destroying all copys of the spell.


Is this a better game for Solars and Luners seeing as they would be doing it to save the people and preserve the environment?


Also I think that might not work because its the Abyssals shouldn't have that much power but all they are doing is magnifying the curse not making or adding to it with out them sitting close by to maintain it or the spell breaks. But that is just my opinion.

 

[Jakk9000]

One of my problems that a friend brought up is why would the Exalted want to team up together? Are they all inherently good or is there some general motivation that can place them in the same town?

 

[cyl]

Because they are beings of power, drawn to each others either by long lost memories, interest, taste, or necessity. Could be all of them.


They are an endangered and still hunted specie, even in the Scavenger Lands the Wyld Hunt can get to them... What are your best chances of survival when facing a talon of mortals lead by 2-3 immaculates: alone or with your solar buddies ?


And no they don't have to be good, but it's part of your job to make connections between some of them at least before the game starts.

 

[Arthur]

That's also generally easier to figure out after their characters are made. You can ask them to create characters that fit some requisite (e.g. being in Gem at the time of an attack against the city).

 

[Jakk9000]

That might be what I need to do.


But I have an idea.


Well lets see lets bring the Sidereal back in because it is fun to have one and have them tell them that there is a city that is on the fringe of the Empire that should be safer and that there are many opportunities to be had there (insinuating about cash and artifacts). For the most part he wants to see if they will either die or become useful for later manipulation.

 

[Jakk9000]

I think I might have done something wrong because it seems like no one likes to reply. Sorry...


Also if I seem snippy I am sorry...

 

[cyl]

You apologize too much

The "send em to their deaths to see if they survive" is actually something a siddy would definitely do.


Judge Dredd said: Yours, *if* you graduate

 

[Jakk9000]

Ah thanks I was worried about that. Also here is the newest revision of the campaign.


Starting out the players will be gathered together by a Sidereal who will be named later. They will start out by helping out some local towns from a series of bandits taking things from elemental and the towns. During this the Sidereal will send them on minor side quests that are quite deadly but have some decent rewards. The Sidereal benefits from this because he is using them to clear out things so that he won't have to him self and if they die oh well next batch. They start picking up the clues and then they will face the bandit leader. Who will reveal that she is actually a solar exalted trying to help out people who couldn't afford the new taxes then have been raised to insanely large amounts.


When they go to Greyfalls to find out why they will learn that the Dragon-Blooded running the town has recently become more greedy. Once they start to dig around they find out the he was a kind ruler for that area (as kind as he could be following his house's orders). When they go to fight him they find an Abyssal who seems to have a spell on him that intensifies the curse and twists it to his needs. After the fight they find out that quite a few Abyssals have been doing this to spark civil wars and plunge areas in chaos.


After confronting the Abyssals the Sidereal will be pleased with them and a tempt to grant them a quick and painful death by his Dragon-blooded minions. At witch point the intrepid heroes will have a newer bigger target a semi major Sidereal from the Bronze Faction. At most the twists and turns he will try to use their anger against them to further his goals like throwing other trusting people against them.


But I seem to be realizing that I went from simple and small to larger and a bit more complex. Dogh I keep trying to scale back but ideas keep pouring from me, making me much more excited, and just keep being more and more cosmically bigger.

 

[cyl]

Don't hold back, you got the vibe now

 

[Jakk9000]

What is this vibe you are talking about?


If it is what I think you are talking about I like it. :twisted:


Thanks for all the tips it has helped me get into it.

 

[cyl]

That's why this section's called ST help :wink: