Adventure Style

[Raphael]

I am gearing up for my first Conan campaign--although, for reasons, outlined below I think the word "campaign" is too strong--and I wanted to get some feedback on adventure styles.

ISTM that the Conan RPG is stongly geared to an episodic kind of adventure as opposed to an epic campaign style where PCs pursue some great quest for a great part of their career. Conan RPG presents some great ways to enforce this episodic style (wealth rules, "downtime" rules).

Here is my question: How has this worked for you? How have your PCs adapted to this episodic style? Did they balk when, after wrapping an adventure wealthy in Zingara, their next adventure found them flat broke on board a galley in the Vilayet Sea being chased by the Red Brotherhood?

Thanks,
Raphael

 

[Belkregos]

Its worked great, we’ve been able to rotate DM’s, you know how you get burned after a while and you just want to play (or is it just me? :lol: )

Still even thought we’ve done kind of the chapter type adventure we had recurring antagonists, sometimes turned allies, some long allies have died along the way, and so even though they are different chapters there’s always something that ties them,
Their “epic” at a different level, come on, conan becoming king of aquilonia isn’t epic?

 

[Raven Blackwell]

I've worked with a more continous style blurring over periods of time that can be filled in with the occasional 'flashback' when we are short too many members for a quorum. I've learned that the players like to take the time to fill in on the more mundane details of the Hyborian world, either passing through wilderness and surviving it, or taking a day to participate in the Messantia open gladitor fights or making a simple smuggler run with a crew of Barachan pirates. Heck, even a shopping expidition in a bazaar can take an hour or two of enjoyable RP. ("How much for that kurki imported from the Far East?") 8)

Besides helping the players feel more part of a living world and see NPC more than cardboard cutouts it reintroduces the element of surprise. Since there are periods where there isn't an obvious plot running and I let peroids go by things without truly deep motives, if I suddenly interject a connection to adventure I can catch them unaware. Also, as NPCs become actual friends, defending/assisting them becomes more than just a matter of earning pay.

But of course, you then have to have periods of true adventures with an intense time-driven plot to counter-balance things. It's just the lighter stuff makes a good contrast.

Raven

 

[DasClay]

I like to run non-linear games... I give the PCs different rumors, hints, gossip and so on, and really let them pick what they want to do, I dont like hooking the PCs by the mouth and dragging them along and telling them that this is there fate in life, to chase down one guy and get a thingy from him.....and then what when its done??
If they want to spend 2 hrs in the city bartering over the price of lotus, im fine with it, if they want to adventure out into the wild, or like they are now, heading into the pictish lands, thats great too.
I just always like to give them options, it makes for a little more work, but sometimes, they do so much RPing with each other, that it makes the whole night fun, and full of laughs

 

[Raven Blackwell]

Hmm, since I still bear wounds from the times I fought Fate [and lost] I fear I see through the illusion of free will. Destiny will not be outdone, but the trick is to make the players want to 'go with the flow' and see what is around the next bend of the story. The trick- foreshadowing. If you know where the plot is going you can leave little clues about the end. writing backwards essentially, letting Fate cast its 'sinister shadow' and PCs [and even players] wonder about nature of their existence.

I also let Fate take a hand and the dice fall where they may. A simple encounter with a Zingaran pirate got the party shanghied(sp?) and taken about 1500 miles out of their way. However the pirates are planning an attack on a Pictish tribe it turns out is an ally to a tribe known to one PC, so the dance of life and death goes on. 8)

Raven, fatalistic and loving it

 

[Raphael]

Raven, I certainly use all the Fate tools at my disposal when running a DnD campaign. My point, or question is that the SnS feel of Conan is partially achieved, IMHO, by the "choppiness" of the stories. Most of the stories don't have a strong relationship to one another. It looks like the Mongeese have tried to replicate in the game.

I am really looking forward to this aspect of the game.

And yes, Hour of the Dragon was epic.

 

[Raven Blackwell]

Ah, but since Conan was king of Aquilonia at the very first story ["The Phoenix on the Sword"], there cerainly wasn't much doubt about his fate. now was there? Howard loved to foreshadow that every chance he had- in practically every Conan story he wrote.

Raven 8)

 

[urdinaran]

I may be running Conan soon, since our DM keeps canceling games for various reasons. This has finally bothered enough of us that I threw out the idea of plaing Conan. So far, there seems to be lots of enthusiasm. One of the selling points would be the episodic nature of the game. If someone doesn't show up one week, so what. You don't have to make up excuses for the character, or run them w/o the player present.
The one trouble would be to get my players over the 'campaign' style play they are used to. Also that spellcasters are not that powerful or common (except for NPCs of course).

 

[Raphael]

Ah, but since Conan was king of Aquilonia at the very first story ["The Phoenix on the Sword"], there cerainly wasn't much doubt about his fate. now was there? Howard loved to foreshadow that every chance he had- in practically every Conan story he wrote.

Raven 8)

Granted. And no one is really talking about FATE tm here. I am talking about a difference in Adventuring Style. One the one hand is the more traditional threaded campaign where the the level bosses work for the big boss. Each adventure involves killing a level boss, working your way up to the big boss. (I hope you realize I am being very flippant with that description). In this style PCs build relationships with the NPCs they interact with regularly. The innkeeper remembers what they order and the weaponsmith keeps a back-up of their gear on-hand.

On the other hand is a more episodic style. This is the style which Conan seems to foster. This style is almost like a string of one-offs with the same PCs. There is little relationship building from one adventure to the next. or better yet, that relationship building is not given the same focus. The time between adventures is just not given much focus.

One is not better than another. Conan, however, appears to favor the episodic style and I am looking forward to that.

Peace,
Raphael who strongly believes in Free-Will in real life, not so much in RPGs

 

[emirikol]

I am gearing up for my first Conan campaign--
Here is my question: How has this worked for you? How have your PCs adapted to this episodic style? Did they balk when, after wrapping an adventure wealthy in Zingara, their next adventure found them flat broke on board a galley in the Vilayet Sea being chased by the Red Brotherhood?

We've been doing it this way for years. It works great for one-shot adventures too between a longer campaign if your group plays something else.

I usually have the players keep a running total of their wealth, but I modify it for different sessions. For example: they were fleeing the dungeons of King Milo they had nothing except their daggers and some gems they stole (as well as a couple of harem girls of course). In the end, they ended up with their loot. The next session, they were in Stygia with chariots and a full set of gear (except that pesky armor).

jh

 

[Raven Blackwell]

Granted. And no one is really talking about FATE tm here. I am talking about a difference in Adventuring Style. One the one hand is the more traditional threaded campaign where the the level bosses work for the big boss. Each adventure involves killing a level boss, working your way up to the big boss.

I would say more that a problem is solved allowing the plot to move on, which may or may not involve killing someone. 8) For example rescuing a captive meant for sacrifice, discovering a new route needed for trade or military purposes, researching magic and alchemeical items, finally deciphering that strange book picked up in the pirate captain's quarters, etc., etc, etc. Killing a baddie is usually not the focus of my game, solving the mysteries inherent in the story are. Baddies just get in the way and need to be removed. 8)

Also, I run open ended games- where the end is not written in stone. Yes, the baddies want something to happen, but interaction with the PCs and other forces changes the possible results. For example, a PC was killed in my primary campaign without delivering a vital message. The results of that action now alter my other NPC's actions, making the coming story a bit different- and a little harder for the PCs.

On the other hand is a more episodic style.

[snip]

One is not better than another. Conan, however, appears to favor the episodic style and I am looking forward to that.

True. Truthfully, looking back at the campaign so far, I tend to have a large uber plot with episodic adventures to break the tension. I have foun though that without intending it, a lot of the 'unrelated' material I didn't intend to find it's way into the larger plot usually ends up doing so. Which reinforces my suspicion that writing is less in our control than we think. 8)

Also, I've had no problem with a campaign style with Conan. The Players tend to be world travellers and like the day to day flow of life. Messantia has become a home of sorts for them though.

Raphael who strongly believes in Free-Will in real life, not so much in RPGs

Raph, haven't you figured out you're a NPC in a large RPG being run by nearly insane higher beings yet? 8)

Raven, :lol:

 

[Raphael]

Also that spellcasters are not that powerful or common (except for NPCs of course).

But they are once they get good (or is that evil?)!
Vincent recently had a nice post on this topic.

 

[demongg]

Here is my question: How has this worked for you? How have your PCs adapted to this episodic style? Did they balk when, after wrapping an adventure wealthy in Zingara, their next adventure found them flat broke on board a galley in the Vilayet Sea being chased by the Red Brotherhood?

Thanks,
Raphael

My players have taken to it.
Some were leery at first but when I explained it as a "genre trope", something they just need to except and embrace to truly enjoy the flavor and feeling of the game - it was then that they started to shine.

I've managed to "win over" one of the skeptical players so much he's thinking about changing the rules of his long time D&D campaign he's running on another night to Conan rules.

That's the trick is getting the players to all understand and agree with the Conan style. In game I have the players saying "well this is a dumb way to do it, but it feels like what a Conan story would do so I go for it!" almost giving them permission to liberate themselves and do things that they'd never consider doing in a normal D&D game.

Superheroes wear capes, have silly names, fight for justice, and can pick up dumptrucks by the bumper without it falling apart.
THOSE are tropes of the superhero genre (4-color anyway). If you don't except them then you're making the game hard to enjoy for yourself.

Same goes with Conan.
My players have embraced the idea of the episodic style game. Also knowing that it's their background and history (history made in adventures) that are building to form the "campaign".


I added something different to my games that doesn't get mentioned a lot in the Conan GM material... I have done NON-Linear timeline game sessions. In fact one player couldn't make it one week when we were in the middle of a 3-part adventure so we put a hold on that story and played the story of the first meeting of the other players.
This was another hitch... the backstory was that one player picked a fight with their former Captain, but lost with honor. I gave the NPC stats to the other player and had them actually fight this fist fight. They asked "what if the wrong player wins??" I told them to trust "fate".
They worried "what if we die in the adventure?" or "I don't feel worried because I know I survive for later stories"
I told them to trust fate...

If any of those possibilities would have happened we'd explain it when we came to that bridge.

And "fate" proved me correct. the games turned out AWESOMELY and fit perfect with the backstory... Now more of a legend that really happened than a fakey background story.


One last thing.
I just recently tried something else that one of my players was quite impressed with... During the second part of a three part adventure I began the session in a tavern in Shadizar some 1000 miles away from the situation prior where they were being overrun on an island by 13-legged spiders...
They were confused at first (part of the point), then they realized through some dialogue and exposition that this was "the future", several monthes from the time on the island.
They were being confronted by a Shadizar Royal Guard looking to extort money from them for the tavern for "police protection"... a Tavern one of them now OWNED!!

The Guard made fun of them prodding them to "tell the story of how they escaped the spider island..."
and we cut scene back to the island.

long story short I cut back to that scene as it is exculating in the Tavern, and the NEXT adventure will be all about SHADIZAR.... starting off in that moment!

UNLESS I throw them a twist to add to the drama and do an adventure set in the future or past!!!

thoughts?
-kev-

 

[Arkobla Conn]

My group has been very linear, but I'm enjoying this reading and would consider working in a non-linear fashion. I wonder, now that they are 10th level and I have the 'end' planned ... (grin) ... if I could convince them to go back and do some fill in adventures with the same characters....

 

[Raphael]

My players have taken to it.
MUCHO SNIPPO
thoughts?
-kev-

-kev-,
Thanks for the great post and some slick ideas. I especially like the playing backstory idea.

 

[demongg]

Thanks for the great post and some slick ideas. I especially like the playing backstory idea.

Sure thing - I like having a place to ask GM questions or post your adventure ideas for thoughts.
Unfortunately (honestly) I haven't had much help in this forum when asking for help... so I like to think karma will help me out for the future.

The playing of the backstory was tricky - since it have a few things I'd need to consider...
- hopefully the fateful fistfight with their former leader would go well
- they'd need to have a reason to split off from the group (their history was as part of one of the Aquilonian Companies) so it could be managable with a short 1 session adventure.
- I wanted to hint at some of the stuff that had already happened (game-time continuity) Example: they got to "meet" the other Nordhemier that they ONLY "saw" dead from the opening story, as it happened our Barbarian used his sword after to pay respect to the dead, and NOW they actually got to talk to him... cool stuff.
- the leader had to come off stern but confident and cool... roleplaying military leaders (or any NPC) can be touchy on how the players "take them", one poorly chosen word turns their perception of the NPC.
- and they hopefully would survive the past adventure...

IF they had not survived I'd have figured out what to do... The stand-by is that it's a "Lotus-Dream" and they wake up having never done it - but I hate that one, it's sort of a cop out to me...
Other ideas we based on sorcery, dopplegangers, and necromancy.
THEN, when we would go back to the other "future" games they'd have to make a new character because their "dead" character would be revealed for the traitor or whatever they were....

My group has been very linear, but I'm enjoying this reading and would consider working in a non-linear fashion. I wonder, now that they are 10th level and I have the 'end' planned ... (grin) ... if I could convince them to go back and do some fill in adventures with the same characters....

Talk to them about it and see if it would be cool.
Then spring it on them.

I'm still new to my campaign (only 7 game sessions in) but here's some thoughts on what I did...

I've found I like MIXING the continuity... I wouldn't have fun doing linear-linear-linear adventure then go back in time and doing more linear-linear-linear adventures...

I perfer to build it like a timeline of their lives and the FIRST adventure the group had was the "BASE" time. The ZERO date.

From then I skipped some time (a few months) and they were on their next adventure mostly linear from the previous adventure... They were in the 2nd session of that story and a player couldn't make the session so I planned to jump to...

Back a year prior to that timeline, the PC's first meeting each other. Their adventures coming down from the north lands toward where they'd end up for the "great battle" that ended up sending them on their adventuring path. (ie. the backstory)

Now it's back to the last session of the previous story to finish with the other player could make it...

DURING that adventure I had interlude/cut scenes, that WILL be actual scenes in the "canon" of our story that will be the opening (or maybe the ending?!!) of the next story I run.

Then again I've just recently had the idea to do a story about one of the PC's childhood (an idea from the recent Conan comic issue), which would be surprising to the players since I hyped that the Shadizar story would be next...
A short 1-2 game story could be really cool. Wherein one PC plays a Level 0 commener version of himself as an 8 year old and the other PCs play friends, cousins or townfolk that are in the story with him.



what do you guys think?
-kev-

 

[Hyborian Apeman]

A short 1-2 game story could be really cool. Wherein one PC plays a Level 0 commener version of himself as an 8 year old and the other PCs play friends, cousins or townfolk that are in the story with him.



what do you guys think?
-kev-

I like the concept, but it depends on how much your players like playing very low powered commoners. What do you have in mind for the type of encounters they would face? Anything short of a wounded rabbit could easily result in a TPK.

For my players, the attractiveness of Conan (versus, Werewolf, a political low level D&D campaign, and Cthuhlu all of which we had been playing) was the freshness of Conan and the ability to advance their characters to be capable of feats of might, heroism, and let's just be honest, becoming killing machines. (Cue Drowning Pool's "Let the Bodies Hit the Floor"). They would have no interest going back to play lower levels, as there are still exciting adventures left in their future.

We play a very episodic style "campaign" with a few over arching villains and goals. At first the PCs were intent on filling in the gaps between adventures, which I had no problem with, but overall they have embraced the episodic style, but have still maintained a great continuity in the direction they want their characters to develop.

 

[demongg]

I like the concept, but it depends on how much your players like playing very low powered commoners. What do you have in mind for the type of encounters they would face? Anything short of a wounded rabbit could easily result in a TPK.
[zap]
They would have no interest going back to play lower levels, as there are still exciting adventures left in their future.
[zap]
but have still maintained a great continuity in the direction they want their characters to develop.

The funny thing is I feel (so far) our campaign with the non-linear story-telling has resulted in just as strong a continuity as any straight linear game I've had.

As far as my gang playing lower powered commoners, yeah - like any players would, I'm sure they'll whine a little bit about it. They've already hinted at not wanting to play low level characters.
However, I believe that the chance for the cool story flavor and background potential I'm sure they'll give it a fair try. And for every thing they've "tried" so far they've been happily surprised.

As for the challenges, I'll have to look into the player's character background a touch more. The idea is to take ONE of them and tell a story in their background. That said (similar to the Conan story with Conan as a kid) the PC will be unusually strong for a kid in their area of expertise.

The other players would play either equally tough kids or an adult of equal level to match the young kid of "destiny"... balancing all at the same level of power.

Currently I'm thinking of using the player that is our Stygian Scholar (sorceror) as the lead. Making him a kid growing up in the Stygian lands should be fun.
In the Conan story, Conan came to realize his extraordinary strengths and drive. It'll be the same for my PC except with the goals being focused on the areas he'll eventually come to develop... ie. Sorcery.
Similar to the WOLF pack leader Conan faced our Stygian will likely face a Stygian Snake of some sort... Something set for the child's low power level, but still a great threat.

Eventually if any of the NPCs survive I'll be able to bring them back when the group returns to Stygia in the current timeline some day.


Sorry that's vague - I haven't thought much more than that about it yet.
thoughts??
-kev-

 

[Hyborian Apeman]

I think it sounds like a pretty good idea, and a lot of potential.

Ironically, I brought up the concept of playing the characters at lower levels to "fill in the gaps" so to speak, and my player actually thought that might be a fun idea. So much for me having a good grip on what my players like.

I may be taking a page out of your book in a not to distant session.

 

[Raphael]

If the signal to noise ratio were't so remarkably good, I would think this was a newbie's club, having just noticed that three of the main contributors (myself included) are newbies.

Here's to getting boosted to shrwe, or whatever is after newbie.

-Kev-
Your non-linear-to-the extreme style got me thinking last night. How would you handle to death of one or all PCs int he "past?" What would that do to the present? On one hand I want to say, hell with it, and address the problem only if it comes up. However, so as to end aroundthe I-can't-die-because-I'm-still-alive-in-the-future syndrome, I'd like to have some good answer for my players.

Kristos Voskrese,
Raphael