So, with Terra Nullius' Heroic Tier Campaign wrapping up, I'm looking to run something else. I want to more or less put the power into your hands. You guys can talk it out, voice your opinion, or what have you regarding the options I'm listing below.
Here are my overall thoughts, just so you know where I stand. I am primarily interested in trying out a new gaming system (with maybe one or two exceptions to that). I've been playing and DMing 4th Edition D&D for over half a decade at this point, so I'm ready for something different. That's not to say that I wouldn't keep playing 4e, but I'm thinking something fresh might be good at this point. We can always go back to 4e down the road.
As a rule of thumb, I generally prefer running shorter campaigns (about 1 year in length). However, be aware that some of the options presented below (like Zeitgeist) could go longer than that, and if that is the case, I will take on that 'burden' if necessary. My Eberron game went from 2009 to 2013, so I've done it before.
In terms of other gaming systems I'm offering up, we have... Pathfinder, D&D 5e, 13th Age, and Numenera. I'm also willing to open myself up to other stuff like Savage Worlds, Shadowrun, etc. if people feel those are worth exploring. I don't know much about most of those. Whatever we play, I ultimately want you to be excited for it, rather than have you feel you settled for it. And also be aware that we're likely to revisit some of these after the next campaign is finished.
As a note, if you don't have access to these other gaming systems, we'll track down PDFs together and they'll be provided. A player will not be excluded because they don't have a PDF or something like that. And to be frank, I would be new to most of these new systems, so we'd be learning together.
With that said, these are what you might consider my "pitches". If you have your own pitch and want to add it, e-mail it to me. I'm open to anything!
...
*******TERRA NULLIUS: Discovery*******
-System: 4th Edition D&D (Paragon Level)
-Premise: You play your heroic tier characters from the first 4e Terra Nullius campaign, but at the paragon level. If you didn't play in Terra Nullius, congrats, you get to make a fresh character. It is a sequel campaign. Likely set years and years later. You've been brought back together by Dr. Klein, who is conducting research into WHY the earthshattering Upheaval occurred, as she believes her research points to another one happening soon. She wants to prevent that. So, your group is charged with exploring the world and trying to find out the root cause of the first Upheaval in order to prevent the second one. The campaign would likely involve a lot of travel; going from country to country to give you a taste of unexplored regions in Terra Nullius. Less of a focus on Babylon, more of an open world involving the other campaign elements.
-DM Note: Terra Nullius is a custom, homebrewed setting I've made up. It is sort of Science Fantasty, plenty of elements borrowed from Shadowrun as well. Guns, tech, etc. are involved. For my previous PCs, this is a chance for you get to explore your characters further if you played in my Terra Nullius campaign. It would not be so much about your character's backgrounds, but rather, what they've done with their lives since, and giving them the chance to uncover more about the world and get involved in it. Most of your background information was resolved in heroic tier, after all.
-DM's Opinion: I'm including this option because some PCs expressed interest in it, but I'm telling you now I have zero interest in running an epic tier 4e game again and only a slight interest in paragon tier. I'd likely only take it to level 16 or something like that. However, I don't mind exploring the characters and world more, so I'm open to it. It'd probably be as long as the first Terra Nullius campaign (roughly a year).
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TL;DR Pitch: "Explore ancient mysteries to prevent a worldwide tragedy in a homebrewed campaign setting with a mix of combat, delving, and intrigue."
*******ZEITGEIST: The Gears of Revolution*******
-System: Pathfinder or 4th Edition D&D
__Supposedly there is a D&D 5e version in the works as well, I could do a 'rough' conversion of it myself__
-Premise: ZEITGEIST is an adventure path for D&D 4th Edition and PATHFINDER RPG, taking a party of heroes from Level 1 to Level 30 (D&D 4E) or 1st-20th Level (PATHFINDER). In the ZEITGEIST campaign saga, your characters serve in the Homeland Constabulary of the nation of Risur, protecting the country and its citizens from foreign threats lurking within Risur’s borders. During missions of espionage and assassination, your duty will be to root out hostile spies and pursue international conspiracies. As you learn more of your homeland’s own secrets, however, your loyalties may be tested, may even be turned, and you may find that it is you whose hand controls the gears of the turning age.
-DM Note: Zeitgeist is a module made by the team at Enworld. I think they're working on converting it to 5e, but that would be a long ways off. Additionally, the module isn't finished, I think about half of it is, which would be enough to get started in hopes of it catching up to the rest by the time we got to that point in the story. I supported it via Kickstarter.
-DM's Opinion: I'm really interested in running this one and I will at some point. I'd almost prefer to try it in Pathfinder, though, just to change it up from 4e. I can go either way though. Its probably the only time I would be opening to taking a 4e campaign to Epic Tier again. This one would be a long haul campaign.
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TL;DR Pitch: "Be a team of elite spies and soldiers who get to unravel a far reaching conspiracy in a steampunk / fantasy setting."
*******Lazy DM Presents: Primeval Thule.*******
-System: Pathfinder, 4th Edition D&D, or 13th Age
-Premise: Inspired by the literary traditions of sword-and-sorcery adventure, lost worlds, and fantastic horror, the land of Primeval Thule is a savage, intense campaign setting. This is a world of barbarian freebooters and dark magic, star-spawned monstrosities and elder gods, fabulous treasures and mind-blasting terror. Hunt saber-tooth tigers in steaming jungles, explore ancient cities buried in the relentless ice, battle dark cults and bloody-handed tyrants in decadent city-states. A world of glory and riches is yours to seize! Thule’s influences are classic pulp fantasy stories such as Robert E. Howard’s Conan stories, H.P. Lovecraft’s Cthulhu mythos, and Edgar Rice Burrough’s tales of savage worlds. These lurid stories and images of brawling action and cosmic horror are the bones, blood, and sinews of the Primeval Thule campaign. It's fantasy adventure the way it was meant to be played.
-DM Note: So, in past campaigns, I've taken existing settings (Ravenloft, Eberron, etc) and run a "Lazy DM Presents" campaign within it. More or less, we play the setting straight, and I weave my own story in that existing world based off of what player characters I'm presented with and what inspiration I have. I couldn't tell you exactly what the theme of the campaign would be without first having that information. Maybe do something with pirates or a tribal setting?
-DM's Opinion: If we went with this one, I would prefer to use 13th Age for the system, but again, open to Pathfinder and 4e D&D. It looks like an interesting setting, but it is a vast departure from anything else we've played in before (or at least that I've played in before). I'm down for it if you guys are.
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TL;DR Pitch: "Run around in a Conan the Barbarian type setting fighting off fantastical monsters and dark old ones / cultists."
*******Lazy DM Presents: Numenera.*******
-System: Numenera
-Premise: Numenera is a science fantasy roleplaying game set in the far distant future. Humanity lives amid the remnants of eight great civilizations that have risen and fallen on Earth. These are the people of the Ninth World. This new world is filled with remnants of all the former worlds: bits of nanotechnology, the dataweb threaded among still-orbiting satellites, bio-engineered creatures, and myriad strange and wondrous devices. These remnants have become known as the numenera. Player characters explore this world of mystery and danger to find these leftover artifacts of the past, not to dwell upon the old ways, but to help forge their new destinies, utilizing the so-called “magic” of the past to create a promising future.
-DM Note: So, in past campaigns, I've taken existing settings (Ravenloft, Eberron, etc) and run a "Lazy DM Presents" campaign within it. More or less, we play the setting straight, and I weave my own story in that existing world based off of what player characters I'm presented with and what inspiration I have. I couldn't tell you exactly what the theme of the campaign would be without first having that information. Maybe something inspired by Guardians of the Galaxy or Firefly.
-DM's Opinion: So, I don't know much about the Numenera game system, but it was designed by Monte Cook and it has gotten great reviews. Really, I'm drawn to the fluff and flavor of it more than I am the mechanics which I haven't looked over too close... but I am down for this because I'm interested in trying out new systems.
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TL;DR Pitch: "Earth set approximately one billion years in the future where magic is tech and you hope to great a better tomorrow through the leftover wreckage of the past."
*******Lazy DM Presents: ... *******
-System: Pathfinder, D&D 5e, or D&D 4e
-Premise: Rather than write up a separate entry, here are other "Lazy DM Presents..." D&D campaign settings that I haven't covered in my past campaigns and would be willing to do with a little research. The settings include:
-Greyhawk
-Forgotten Realms
-Dark Sun
-Dragonlance
-Rokugan
-Planescape
-Birthright
-DM Note: So, in past campaigns, I've
taken existing settings (Ravenloft, Eberron, etc) and run a "Lazy DM
Presents" campaign within it. More or less, we play the setting
straight, and I weave my own story in that existing world based off of
what player characters I'm presented with and what inspiration I have. I
couldn't tell you exactly what the theme of the campaign would be
without first having that information.
-DM's Opinion: So, the good thing about this option, is that we're not limited to what system we use. I could technically run any of these with any setting as long as we captured the flavor of the setting. Some systems would likely be easier to run than others. In all honesty, I'd lean towards 5e with this option. If you'd like to see my take on one of these settings, I'm game. Looking at the options I presented, I'd probably be most interested in Dragonlance or Birthright with Dark Sun and Planescape being my runners up.
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TL;DR Pitch: "Pick out one of those settings and I'll figure out a story."
*******World's Largest Dungeon.*******
-System: Pathfinder or D&D 5e
-Premise: The World's Largest Dungeon is a Dungeons & Dragons adventure set entirely in an enormous dungeon. It is over 800 pages long and was produced by Alderac Entertainment Group
in 2004. It also includes 16 full-color poster maps, making its single
tome one of the largest campaign settings in one product.The players can't leave the dungeon the way they entered because the
entrance uses a one way wall of force effect. This means that all
supplies must be taken into the dungeon with them. The campaign is
designed to take four to six characters from first level to 20th or
above over the course of two real-time years and at least a year of game
time.
-DM Note: You want to dungeon crawl, eh? THEN CRAWL ALL THE DUNGEONS IN THE WORLD! I've ran World's Largest Dungeon twice before and both groups loved it. It has been long enough that I'd love to run it again. Think of a huge, expansive dungeon, and your goal is to get out of it. The World's Largest Dungeon exists in Terra Nullius, so I could even tie it into the last campaign.
-DM's Opinion: I love this module. I have no problem using it as is and allowing for you guys to use Pathfinder (WLD was originally a 3.5 module) or just winging it and using 5e to figure out how to accommodate for it all.
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TL;DR Pitch: "Super fun, hardcore dungeon delving."
*******MODULES!!!!!!!!!!!*******
-System: Varies.
-Premise: We pick from one of the modules I'll list here and we play in it. Just as a note, I'm pretty sure I could convert any 3.5 D&D or Pathfinder module to 5e pretty easily. 4e would be a little harder to convert, but not entirely out of the realm of possibility...
-DM Note: I've ran some of these modules; others I haven't. I own some of them; I don't own a lot of them. However, I have no issue purchasing or otherwise acquiring these modules. Keep in mind with a module, I have to take some time to read it over, digest it, and thoroughly understand it to accurately run it.
-DM's Opinion: As each module widely differs, you'd have to ask me my opinion regarding each one, which I don't want to type out right now. However, I wouldn't put a module on this list if I didn't think it was interesting...
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TL;DR Pitch: "Let's run a module, yaaaaaaaaaaaay!"
The Long List of Modules, And What They're About...
Rise of the Runelords [PATHFINDER]: "Goblin raids on the coastal town of Sandpoint presage a growing danger in the ruin-choked wilderness of Varisia. An ancient evil stirs to waking life in the distant mountains, drawing crazed murderers, inbred ogres, warlike stone giants, and creatures fueled by the power of sin into an epic conflict destined to create a new generation of heroes!"
Curse of the Crimson Throne [PATHFINDER]: "The city of Korvosa is perched on the edge of anarchy--the king is dead, and rumors whisper that his young queen might be responsible! This urban campaign of decadence and dark dealings casts the heroes against plagues, barbarians, riots, and worse!"
Second Darkness [PATHFINDER]: "A strange shadow lurks in the sky above the city of Riddleport, and the doomsayers take it as a sign of the approaching end of the world! The true menace comes not from the skies above but the benighted passages of the subterranean Darklands, leading the heroes on a sweeping quest that begins in a star-struck city, weaves through ancient elven ruins, and unmasks the terrible secret of the dark elves!"
Legacy of Fire [PATHFINDER]: "Long ago, two warring armies of genies fought on the slopes of Pale Mountain, and the world shook under the power of their wishcraft. Today, the armies are wakening, and one potent efreeti warlord is ready to pick up where he left off! This outrageous, inventive campaign takes the heroes to all corners of the desert land of Katapesh and beyond, with journeys to strange demi-planes and even the fabled City of Brass!"
Council of Thieves [PATHFINDER]: "Once the seat of mighty Imperial Cheliax, the decaying metropolis of Westcrown now stands wrecked and ruined, haunted by mysterious shadow beasts and besieged by the agents of the nation's new diabolical rulers. Amid this chaos, a growing schism in the city's influential Council of Thieves threatens to tear Westcrown apart unless a new group of heroes rises from the ashes of empire to chart a new destiny for the lost souls of the city."
Kingmaker [PATHFINDER]: "The wild and dangerous Stolen Lands lie in the northern reaches of the River Kingdoms, realms ripe for the taking! Yet those who would become rulers of these new lands will soon learn that claiming a kingdom and keeping it are two different beasts. Can the heroes protect their lands from jealous and deadly enemies?"
Serpent's Skull [PATHFINDER]: "A chance shipwreck in pirate-infested waters sets the heroes on a chase to discover a lost city in the jungles of the treacherous Mwangi Expanse! Factions like the Pathfinder Society and the Red Mantis assassin league are also on the hunt to discover the city's forgotten secrets, terrible revelations that could awaken a sleeping god and bring doom to the world of Golarion!"
Carrion Crown [PATHFINDER]: "The Cult of the Whispering Way weaves a wide-ranging conspiracy throughout the horror-tinged lands of Ustalav aimed at freeing the Lich King Tar-Baphon, better known as the Whispering Tyrant, from his eternal prison in the dungeon of Gallowspire. Their debased rites and malicious schemes set werewolf against vampire, ghost against terror from beyond time and space in a thrilling campaign that touches upon themes of classic horror and dark swords and sorcery!"
Jade Regent [PATHFINDER]: "When a decades-old secret is exposed, an unassuming local tavern-owner and a close friend of the PCs discovers her birthright is to rule one of the ancient Dragon Empires of Tian Xia--the empire of Minkai. Yet the current ruler of this empire, the mysterious and increasingly cruel Jade Regent, has no intention of giving up his hold over the throne. In order to save Minkai from a would-be tyrant, the PCs must not only escort their friend from Varisia to Tian Xia, braving the frozen horrors of the Crown of the World, but must aid her in gaining the trust and support of a nation on the edge of anarchy."
Skull & Shackles [PATHFINDER]: "There's adventure to be had on the high seas when a group of press-ganged strangers seizes a ship and becomes embroiled in the plots and politics of the Shackles—an infamous island chain dominated by pirate warlords. But as these new swashbucklers make names for themselves, rival scalawags, enemy navies, legendary sea monsters, and the infamous Hurricane King himself seek to see them walk the plank. Who will survive when there's glory to plunder?"
Shattered Star [PATHFINDER]: "The seven-pointed star known as the Sihedron is well known to scholars of ancient Thassilon, yet few know that the original Sihedron was itself a powerful artifact once owned by Emperor Xin himself. When the Emperor was betrayed by the Runelords, they shattered his Sihedron and hid the fragments in holdings throughout the land, where they would remain hidden for more than ten thousand years. But today, these fragments are surfacing, and it falls to Varisia's newest crop of heroes to gather the shards of the Shattered Star if they hope to be able to protect Varisia from a dangerous threat from the ancient past!"
Reign of Winter [PATHFINDER]: "It has been a century since the immortal witch Baba Yaga last visited the world, and the hour draws nigh for her return. But when she fails to appear in the frozen realm of Irrisen to usher in its newest ruler, pockets of winter begin to grow throughout the Inner Sea region. After 1,400 years of perpetual winter, the icy curse of Irrisen is spreading! What links do these strange blizzards and swaths of wintry landscapes have with Irrisen, and is there any truth to the growing rumors that the Witch Queen Elvanna has taken full control of the realm? Can her plans for the Inner Sea be thwarted, or will the Reign of Winter engulf the world?"
Wrath of the Righteous [PATHFINDER]: "The Worldwound tore reality apart at the dawn of the Age of Lost Omens, murdering the nation of Sarkoris and unleashing a ravenous demonic horde upon the world. Only the quick action of several other nations of knights, barbarians, and heroes stemmed the demon army and contained it within lost Sarkoris, and for the next century, crusade after crusade tried to defeat the demons only to fail time and time again. Their greatest success, the line of magical artifacts known as wardstones that stand sentinel along the Worldwound's border, barely manages to contain the demons. So when one of the wardstones is sabotaged, a city falls and the demons within surge out in a massive assault like none before. Even before the Fifth Crusade has begun a city has fallen and some of the crusaders' greatest defenders and heroes are slain. Can anyone rise up against the demon host to prevent the armies of Deskari, the demon lord of the Locust Host, from swallowing the world?"
Mummy's Mask [PATHFINDER]: "The ancient lands of Osirion are blanketed by the sands of time, and eldritch secrets and vast riches lay just beneath the sun-blistered surface. As modern Osirion opens its vaults and tombs to outsiders for the first time in centuries, many of these lost treasures and secrets are now emerging--some more troublesome than others. Hakotep I, a now-forgotten pharaoh, was robbed upon his burial. A secret sect took his heart and his funerary mask, both containing a portion of his soul. Betrayed the chance to pass on into the afterlife during his burial, Hakotep has existed in a state between life and death for millennia. The recent rediscovery of one of these lost soul fragments has allowed the trapped pharaoh to once again work in this world to redress the wrongs committed against him, and a cult worshipping him as a god-king grows in the heart of Osirion. Can a group of heroes brave terrible guardians, foul cults, and the burning sands of the desert to stop the rebirth of this ancient tyrant?"
Iron Gods [PATHFINDER]: "Numeria has a long history of mystery and wonder buried under its rugged landscape, for on that one fateful night thousands of years ago, the Rain of Stars scarred the land. The fragmented remnants of a ship from beyond the stars fell from the sky, scattering strange technological ruins and deadly perils across the land. Today, these sites are feared by the barbaric tribes and coveted by the sinister spellcasters of the Technic League. Yet something worse than brutish berserker or super-science wizard has risen to power in these hidden technological halls. The Iron Gods are ready to make their presence known, and if they are not opposed by the region’s newest heroes, a scourge unlike any the Inner Sea has seen will arise!"
The Red Hand of Doom [D&D 3.5]: "The plot of Red Hand of Doom follows a group of adventurers who have entered the Elsir Vale, a thinly populated frontier region. The party discovers a massive hobgoblin horde that is fanatically devoted to the dark goddess Tiamat and led by the charismatic half-dragon warlord Azarr Kul. To stop the horde, the players have to muster the inhabitants of the Vale, battle hobgoblins, giants, and dragons, and defeat an overwhelming enemy."
Expedition to Castle Ravenloft [D&D 3.5]: "The story involves a party of player characters (PCs) who travel to the land of Barovia, a small nation surrounded by a deadly magical fog. The master of nearby Castle Ravenloft, Count Strahd von Zarovich, tyrannically rules the country, and a prologue explains that the residents must barricade their doors each night to avoid attacks by Strahd and his minions. The Burgomaster's mansion is the focus of these attacks, and, for reasons that are not initially explained, Strahd is after the Burgomaster's adopted daughter, Ireena Kolyana."
War of the Burning Sky [D&D 3.5 or 4e]: "As the new year turns, the weather takes a sudden chill turn, and the sky darkens as the grip of winter intensifies. Worry rises as regular channels of communication between nations cease like a candle suddenly snuffed. Slowly, throughout the lands claimed by the Ragesian Empire, rumors spread between isolated villages, traveling by foot and horse and word of mouth -- rumors that Drakus Coaltongue, the immortal emperor whose armies conquered every land he set his gaze upon, has fallen in a distant land to the west. How the tyrant was defeated is unknown, but if it is true, everyone knows that a war is coming. The generals of Emperor Coaltongue will strike for control, oppressed peoples will rise up in rebellion, and dangers once held in check only by fear of the mighty warlord will bring doom to the world. Those in power are preparing for the coming conflict, readying fervent armies and powerful weapons and subtle, deceptive plots, but two questions burn in their minds: who killed the seemingly-immortal Emperor Coaltongue; and what has become of the artifact that would let a man rule the world? Who has the Torch of the Burning Sky?"
