Lord of Chaos
Elder Member
As two of my recent games have just successfully ended, I have decided to run a new game, starting sometime in early-mid January. However, I have not yet decided which campaign concept I want to run, so I've decided to put it up for vote. So here are four campaign ideas, along with a brief description of the mechanics.
PREMISE
The Second Day of Thunders has passed. Fu Leng is defeated, but not fully killed. The Thunders lost their lives in the attack, and the Emperor is dead. The war-ravaged Clans of Rokugan return to their lands and lick their wounds, eying each other but unwilling to make the first move. As a result, the throne remains empty. With no Emperor, there is none left to honor the promise to Yoritomo to make the Mantis a great Clan, and the others refuse to acknowledge his claim. Furious, the Mantis clan launches the first attacks of the coming war, raiding the coast of Rokugan.
The Scorpion clan, still disbanded and banished with no Emperor to restore them, secretly re-enters Rokugan and reclaims their settlements and forts under the guise of various Minor Clans. This does not last long, as Crab and Lion forces make a bid for the seemingly-defenseless Scorpion lands. In the North, a still-weak Lying Darkness begins to slowly corrupt the Dragon Clan. Unable to claim them all in a single swoop, a fracture appears amongst the families of the Dragon Clan, and an air of paranoia suffuses their mountain strongholds.
GAME FORMAT
The PCs will belong to one of the various coalitions vying for control of Rokugan. At most one non-coalition clan may be represented as outcasts. The PCs will be charged with defending a small border settlement against rival clans and other threats. XP rate will be increased from normal, as the PCs quickly become swept up in the larger war.
Coalitions: Phoenix-Crane; Mantis-Crab; Lion; Unicorn. Dragon is neutral due to dealing with internal corruption. Scorpion lacks any standing armies. Dragon and Scorption PCs may fight for any faction.
SYSTEM OVERVIEW
Legend of the Five Rings uses a roll and keep system. Rolls are presented as XkY, meaning that you roll X d10s and keep the highest Y. Reroll any results of 10 and add them to the original pool.
The game focuses on samurai in a fictional nation called Rokugan. It is largely based on Japan, with pieces of other cultures. Honor is an extremely important concept and is worth more than life itself. Combat is very lethal, and social engagements only slightly less so.
PREMISE
It has been a devastating winter, and the scent border has nearly failed entirely. Faith in the Guard is waning, and many of the towns are becoming more isolationist. An aging Gwendolyn seeks to restore the unity of the Territories before she must retire, and sends out the full strength of the Guard on carefully chosen missions. The brave mice of the Guard must walk the razor's edge between unity and chaos, survival and death. The Towns must be strengthened, the Scent Border re-established and strength restored.
Time is running short, however. The weasels of Darkheather have not forgotten their dreams of conquest, and a weakened Territories may not be able to stop them a second time.
GAME FORMAT
The game will take place over the span of three years, as the Guard is rebuilt and the territories strengthened. Success is not guaranteed, and you may be the last generation of the Mouse Guard.
SYSTEM OVERVIEW
Mouse Guard uses a basic die pool system. You roll a number of d6s, and gain a success for every 4 or higher. If the number of successes meets or exceeds the difficulty, the action works. However, you are playing as small mice in a big world and it is VERY difficult to succeed on your own. Teamwork is crucial, as even a simple pool of mud or hungry fox can spell doom for an entire patrol.
PREMISE
The targaryens still hold the Iron Throne, and the seven kingdoms are largely at peace. Somewhere in westeros, a minor house begins its bid for power while the plots of the mighty circle around them like impossibly huge gears. The stability the land has enjoyed for so long will soon vanish, and chaos will descend. However, as the ambition know, chaos is a ladder.
GAME FORMAT
The premise for this game is deliberately more open-ended, as this game is a much more freeform beast. The PCs will create a noble House and lead it to glory or ruin, as their wits and fate decree.
SYSTEM OVERVIEW
This game uses a similar roll and keep system as Legend of the Five Rings. However, instead of d10s, d6s are used and max results are not rerolled. The game is focused on the noble members of a House and their notable servants and assistants. It lends itself well to all forms of combat: social, regular and army.
PREMISE
The Empire and the Rebellion battle for control of the galaxy. Slowly but surely, the Empire is winning the war. The completion of the Death Star and the destruction of Alderaan are being seen by many as the death knell of the Rebellion. The rebels need an advantage, some way to turn the tide of the war. They begin seeking out the scattered survivors of the Jedi Order, the bare handful to escape the betrayal of Senator Palpatine.
These few Jedi have established a new hideout, and are training padawans for the first time in a generation. Even so, the Rebellion will need heroes aplenty if it is going to free the galaxy from Imperial control.
GAME FORMAT
The game will be focused on fighting the Empire as members of the rebellion. One or two jedi trainees will be allowed, but there are still very few force users in the Rebellion. PCs will be an elite commando force that serves to turn the tide of the war. NOTE: I do not know the expanded universe, so only the movies and the game book are considered canon. Luke etc. exist, but will not be enough to win the war this time.
SYSTEM OVERVIEW
Star Wars is a d20 game, comparable to a midway point between 3.5 and 4e D&D. It has a wide array of races and classes to choose from, and does not (appear) to suffer from the same caster supremacy that D&D does. Combat is heroic and not particularly lethal.
The Second Day of Thunders has passed. Fu Leng is defeated, but not fully killed. The Thunders lost their lives in the attack, and the Emperor is dead. The war-ravaged Clans of Rokugan return to their lands and lick their wounds, eying each other but unwilling to make the first move. As a result, the throne remains empty. With no Emperor, there is none left to honor the promise to Yoritomo to make the Mantis a great Clan, and the others refuse to acknowledge his claim. Furious, the Mantis clan launches the first attacks of the coming war, raiding the coast of Rokugan.
The Scorpion clan, still disbanded and banished with no Emperor to restore them, secretly re-enters Rokugan and reclaims their settlements and forts under the guise of various Minor Clans. This does not last long, as Crab and Lion forces make a bid for the seemingly-defenseless Scorpion lands. In the North, a still-weak Lying Darkness begins to slowly corrupt the Dragon Clan. Unable to claim them all in a single swoop, a fracture appears amongst the families of the Dragon Clan, and an air of paranoia suffuses their mountain strongholds.
GAME FORMAT
The PCs will belong to one of the various coalitions vying for control of Rokugan. At most one non-coalition clan may be represented as outcasts. The PCs will be charged with defending a small border settlement against rival clans and other threats. XP rate will be increased from normal, as the PCs quickly become swept up in the larger war.
Coalitions: Phoenix-Crane; Mantis-Crab; Lion; Unicorn. Dragon is neutral due to dealing with internal corruption. Scorpion lacks any standing armies. Dragon and Scorption PCs may fight for any faction.
SYSTEM OVERVIEW
Legend of the Five Rings uses a roll and keep system. Rolls are presented as XkY, meaning that you roll X d10s and keep the highest Y. Reroll any results of 10 and add them to the original pool.
The game focuses on samurai in a fictional nation called Rokugan. It is largely based on Japan, with pieces of other cultures. Honor is an extremely important concept and is worth more than life itself. Combat is very lethal, and social engagements only slightly less so.
PREMISE
It has been a devastating winter, and the scent border has nearly failed entirely. Faith in the Guard is waning, and many of the towns are becoming more isolationist. An aging Gwendolyn seeks to restore the unity of the Territories before she must retire, and sends out the full strength of the Guard on carefully chosen missions. The brave mice of the Guard must walk the razor's edge between unity and chaos, survival and death. The Towns must be strengthened, the Scent Border re-established and strength restored.
Time is running short, however. The weasels of Darkheather have not forgotten their dreams of conquest, and a weakened Territories may not be able to stop them a second time.
GAME FORMAT
The game will take place over the span of three years, as the Guard is rebuilt and the territories strengthened. Success is not guaranteed, and you may be the last generation of the Mouse Guard.
SYSTEM OVERVIEW
Mouse Guard uses a basic die pool system. You roll a number of d6s, and gain a success for every 4 or higher. If the number of successes meets or exceeds the difficulty, the action works. However, you are playing as small mice in a big world and it is VERY difficult to succeed on your own. Teamwork is crucial, as even a simple pool of mud or hungry fox can spell doom for an entire patrol.
PREMISE
The targaryens still hold the Iron Throne, and the seven kingdoms are largely at peace. Somewhere in westeros, a minor house begins its bid for power while the plots of the mighty circle around them like impossibly huge gears. The stability the land has enjoyed for so long will soon vanish, and chaos will descend. However, as the ambition know, chaos is a ladder.
GAME FORMAT
The premise for this game is deliberately more open-ended, as this game is a much more freeform beast. The PCs will create a noble House and lead it to glory or ruin, as their wits and fate decree.
SYSTEM OVERVIEW
This game uses a similar roll and keep system as Legend of the Five Rings. However, instead of d10s, d6s are used and max results are not rerolled. The game is focused on the noble members of a House and their notable servants and assistants. It lends itself well to all forms of combat: social, regular and army.
PREMISE
The Empire and the Rebellion battle for control of the galaxy. Slowly but surely, the Empire is winning the war. The completion of the Death Star and the destruction of Alderaan are being seen by many as the death knell of the Rebellion. The rebels need an advantage, some way to turn the tide of the war. They begin seeking out the scattered survivors of the Jedi Order, the bare handful to escape the betrayal of Senator Palpatine.
These few Jedi have established a new hideout, and are training padawans for the first time in a generation. Even so, the Rebellion will need heroes aplenty if it is going to free the galaxy from Imperial control.
GAME FORMAT
The game will be focused on fighting the Empire as members of the rebellion. One or two jedi trainees will be allowed, but there are still very few force users in the Rebellion. PCs will be an elite commando force that serves to turn the tide of the war. NOTE: I do not know the expanded universe, so only the movies and the game book are considered canon. Luke etc. exist, but will not be enough to win the war this time.
SYSTEM OVERVIEW
Star Wars is a d20 game, comparable to a midway point between 3.5 and 4e D&D. It has a wide array of races and classes to choose from, and does not (appear) to suffer from the same caster supremacy that D&D does. Combat is heroic and not particularly lethal.
!
