I don't remember playing The Great Pendragon Campaign.
I played a few Pendragon campaigns decades ago, but I don't recall what they were about and I do not know if the Game Master used this book.
Anyway, this night I had a dream about a campaign which seemed to come from Pendragon or Game of Thrones (I ran a GoT campaign that ended horribly a few years ago).
I'll write the main ideas down so I don't forget... Adding some thoughts I had a while ago. If you know where I'm getting this from (maybe Pendragon, GoT, history or elsewhere), let me know in the comments!
[I'm sorry if you came here looking for an actual Pendragon campaign - I think it is a great system and setting but this is just a vague idea for now!]
I think this doesn't take place in Britain; I was thinking of a fantasy setting and not as island (when I woke up I though of Portugal and Spain).
However, using Britain or Westeros has a huge advantage: the players are familiar with some of the lands and characters.
Act I
The kingdom is a bit chaotic. The king is weak, but fortunately some of the local lords are strong enough to protect their lands. Still, there are bandits, barbarians (saxons/vikings/etc.) and robber barons to deal with. The PCs are low nobility at first, but with the turmoil they have significant chances of gaining glory and titles as many people perish in the struggles.
Maybe the kingdom is still to scattered and the roads are in a state of disrepair. Papers are not reliable enough to tell rightful owners from usurpers. And usurpers will occasionally be nicer to peasants! I imagine PCs going to abandoned castles and lands to put things in order as they can.
During this time, PCs must make allies and get to know all nobles. These alliances are not friendships, they are meaningful - PCs have brothers and sisters marrying NPCs (they could marry and have children in order to gain more titles, etc.). They might fight side by side with good and bad NPCs against obvious threats.
There could be fun tournaments and banquets as things get better.
Ideally, players would occasionally play some scenes as the NPCs so they can understand their perspectives a little.
There are no obvious "sides" yet, but there are some guys that seem decent, others that seem to be pricks.
Act II
The kingdom is pacified, the roads are repaired.
A new, strong king rises. I don't know how - maybe trough marriage, or by showing extreme valor against invaders. Eventually, the kingdom becomes divided, because the southern portion opposes the new king.
War is close - and the PCs allies are on both sides! The PCs themselves are right in the middle, and they must either choose a side or try to de-escalate the conflict somehow. Of course, they are those who are willing to fight regardless of consequences!
Again, there is no "right" versus "wrong". Both the king and the separatists have valid claims. Maybe lawyers should be consulted (and bribed, threatened, kidnapped, etc.).
Maybe the PCs are older now, and there are young knights that want to take advantage of the turmoil as the PCs did in the past. They want their glory too, and they won't find it in peace!
Act III
An uneasy truce is achieved somehow. Just then, the (now unified) invaders take the opportunity to make an attack. People who were enemies a few minutes ago must now unite or perish. Some will side with the enemy.
This is not about glory or even land anymore - it is about survival. The PCs are probably older now and will not "level up" anymore - on the contrary, they suffer the effects of aging, maybe death (so they play as heirs, etc.).
This is the "Excalibur" phase, or the Fall of Constantinople. Dark, heroic and tragic - especially because the players now care about the world and its characters.
---
Other loose ideas [will add as they come]:
- In tourneys, it is expect that opponents yield before serious injury. Some opponents will fight to the death. Sometimes, the PCs must choose if they'll spare an opponent. There WILL be accidents. There will be people looking for vengeance even when the rules were followed.
- These would need tracking dozens of NPCs, multiple fiefs, several years. Not sure me and my players are up to the task.
- Religion, family, friends, oaths, debts, can all add layers of "Mixed Allegiances".
- To keep PCs close, they might be all from a similar region that is specially ruined on act I, so they can grow and conquer it from usurpers etc.
- Castle of Dread: a haunted castle, created by a mad king/baron, mostly abandoned. The home of gothic horror, but not necessarily supernatural: could be a haunted, swampy land with no intrinsic value except as a "safe" haven in time of great need. think Harrenhal, Gormenghast, etc. gothic themes that do not involve monsters are: "cursed" families, oppressive nature, insanity, etc.
- I'm a bit tired of fantasy, but maybe I could check Cthulhu Dark Ages (currently on sale) for a twist on act III? These guys are the real invaders...
- I like House of the Dragon (even if I'm not a fan of the book), so maybe set Act III there would be nice. This is pretty good as all my players are fans of GoT and would immediately recognize names such as "Lannister", "Stark", etc. Of course, messing with "canon" has its own difficulties. Aeny's reign is interesting too. Let me know if you know other good settings/periods!
Anyway... could be fun.
Contains affiliate links. By purchasing stuff through affiliate links you're helping to support this blog.
No comments:
Post a Comment