Welcome to Newbieville
Greetings!
A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about the fact that soon I'll be starting up a new Dungeons and Dragons game specifically for new players. I'm hoping to put together the group sometime this week, so I've gotta get this thing put together. Time for some more thinking out loud!
Okay, like I said before, I'm running a homebrew game in which the PCs will all be fresh new adventurers moving to a small town where they hope to begin their adventuring careers. I've since decided that I'd like the campaign to have a little bit of a "finding a your place" theme. The town (which for now I'm nicknaming "Newbieville") is new and still trying to get established. The players are new to the town and new to adventuring, trying to find their place in life.
I figure this means that Newbieville is partially under construction: when the PCs arrive, there's a functioning tavern/inn and a bakery and lots of carpenters and whatnot, but maybe a few key NPCs haven't moved in yet. As new residents trickle in, that can give a sense of identity to the growing town, as well as make it feel like time is really passing.
For example, maybe there used to be a town here, and now it's being rebuilt after a period of having been abandoned. The forest has reclaimed part of the area, including the ruins of a smallish keep. A wizard wants to move to town and has purchased that spot to use as a wizard's tower, but it needs to be cleared of giant spiders and whatnot, thus providing a simple and clear initial quest for the PCs.
After a few days, perhaps the herbalist finally moves in and sets up shop, which is of interest to the PCs because they've probably learned the value of healing potions by now. This is an opportunity to make a connection with an NPC, who perhaps even has an additional quest for them, sending them deeper into the woods in search of rare herbs.
At this point, maybe they're starting to get used to the idea that they do errands for other people, but perhaps while they're in the woods they discover an entrance to a dungeon. Now they have something they can take the initiative to do for themselves, gaining a feeling of autonomy and self-direction.
Of course, while all this is happening, the calendar continues to advance. More and more buildings are completed, and more people move into Newbieville. For example, the blacksmith might arrive around the time they start having enough money to want to invest in better armor. Thus, I can pace out the introduction of new elements to the game, making the learning process digestible for the players while mirroring the process in the lives of the PCs.
Speaking of populating the town, here's a quick list of NPCs and their roles in Newbieville:
Basically, I created a list of relevant roles or points of interest, then rolled random names from a chart (curated slightly) and then filled in races. If you're interested, the chart on which I rolled names can be found HERE. I haven't decided yet if I want to include kids beyond those of the innkeeping couple.
I feel like this campaign is really starting to come together: I have a theme, a town, some content ideas, and some events. But there's a snag.
See, I want this campaign to finish at 5th level. That's a bit of a threshold level in 5th Edition D&D, where the PCs really become "serious" adventurers with some very significant capabilities. The goal would be to have them reach that threshold, then use their newfound might to overcome a significant problem, cementing their identities as competent adventurers who have fully come into their own (alongside the now fully established town, which has become their home).
But that means I need a villain for them to defeat, and I'm short on ideas. Is it a monster that shows up and threatens the town? That feels a little random, and might give the feeling that it could happen again any time, which could lessen the feeling of resolution. Is it a cultist of some sort, trying to do something pretty typical like summon a demon or an undead army? Is it a vengeful antagonist who has a grudge against the town (or select residents)? I'm really lost on this part, and I'm gonna need to have it settled pretty soon.
So what do you think? Have any ideas? Let me know! Until next time, take care of each other, okay?
A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about the fact that soon I'll be starting up a new Dungeons and Dragons game specifically for new players. I'm hoping to put together the group sometime this week, so I've gotta get this thing put together. Time for some more thinking out loud!
Okay, like I said before, I'm running a homebrew game in which the PCs will all be fresh new adventurers moving to a small town where they hope to begin their adventuring careers. I've since decided that I'd like the campaign to have a little bit of a "finding a your place" theme. The town (which for now I'm nicknaming "Newbieville") is new and still trying to get established. The players are new to the town and new to adventuring, trying to find their place in life.
I figure this means that Newbieville is partially under construction: when the PCs arrive, there's a functioning tavern/inn and a bakery and lots of carpenters and whatnot, but maybe a few key NPCs haven't moved in yet. As new residents trickle in, that can give a sense of identity to the growing town, as well as make it feel like time is really passing.
For example, maybe there used to be a town here, and now it's being rebuilt after a period of having been abandoned. The forest has reclaimed part of the area, including the ruins of a smallish keep. A wizard wants to move to town and has purchased that spot to use as a wizard's tower, but it needs to be cleared of giant spiders and whatnot, thus providing a simple and clear initial quest for the PCs.
After a few days, perhaps the herbalist finally moves in and sets up shop, which is of interest to the PCs because they've probably learned the value of healing potions by now. This is an opportunity to make a connection with an NPC, who perhaps even has an additional quest for them, sending them deeper into the woods in search of rare herbs.
At this point, maybe they're starting to get used to the idea that they do errands for other people, but perhaps while they're in the woods they discover an entrance to a dungeon. Now they have something they can take the initiative to do for themselves, gaining a feeling of autonomy and self-direction.
Of course, while all this is happening, the calendar continues to advance. More and more buildings are completed, and more people move into Newbieville. For example, the blacksmith might arrive around the time they start having enough money to want to invest in better armor. Thus, I can pace out the introduction of new elements to the game, making the learning process digestible for the players while mirroring the process in the lives of the PCs.
Speaking of populating the town, here's a quick list of NPCs and their roles in Newbieville:
Basically, I created a list of relevant roles or points of interest, then rolled random names from a chart (curated slightly) and then filled in races. If you're interested, the chart on which I rolled names can be found HERE. I haven't decided yet if I want to include kids beyond those of the innkeeping couple.
I feel like this campaign is really starting to come together: I have a theme, a town, some content ideas, and some events. But there's a snag.
See, I want this campaign to finish at 5th level. That's a bit of a threshold level in 5th Edition D&D, where the PCs really become "serious" adventurers with some very significant capabilities. The goal would be to have them reach that threshold, then use their newfound might to overcome a significant problem, cementing their identities as competent adventurers who have fully come into their own (alongside the now fully established town, which has become their home).
But that means I need a villain for them to defeat, and I'm short on ideas. Is it a monster that shows up and threatens the town? That feels a little random, and might give the feeling that it could happen again any time, which could lessen the feeling of resolution. Is it a cultist of some sort, trying to do something pretty typical like summon a demon or an undead army? Is it a vengeful antagonist who has a grudge against the town (or select residents)? I'm really lost on this part, and I'm gonna need to have it settled pretty soon.
So what do you think? Have any ideas? Let me know! Until next time, take care of each other, okay?
Tie the "master villain" into why the town is new!
ReplyDeletei.e. Land here is very fertile, but nobody's built here for centuries because of fears of _____. A few years, previous adventurers have scouted out the area and confirmed that _____ is no longer there, so that's why everyone is moving in. As your campaign does some errands, they awake the ____ which was only lying dormant! (Or they find it and need to defeat it to make sure it doesn't awaken ever.)
Or maybe people start moving in because this is an unusually special area (great weather, or fertile land, or a heat source in the winter, or something) and over the course of the adventure the heroes find that the REAL reason for that is some monster that they have to defeat to make the town safe for good.
Either way, that gives a nice reason why this particular monster is the end of the campaign, gives some more justification to the setting, and it gives you the opportunity to drop clues all along, even from the very first session, about how something's not quite right, and maybe the players will feel clever when they figure it out.
E.g. there used to be a beholder lair here, but the beholder was killed long ago in a fight with a dragon, scorching the land. But the dragon flew back to where it came from, the land has recovered over the last 20 years, and it's a great place for a new settlement.
Delete...but as it turns out, the remains of the beholder were never disposed of properly, are still buried underground, and are coming back... (Beholder Zombie, CR5, reasonable capstone fight for a level 5 party, add in extra undead minions as needed to adjust difficulty)
You could steal from Buffy. The town was founded by someone who intends to use it as a massive sacrifice. They act as a patron and benefactor for the heroes because they need powerful people to sacrifice. The heroes find out after a few levels, feeling horribly betrayed, and have to come up with a plan to take down their erstwhile mentor and save the town.
ReplyDelete