Community

May 11, 2011 -- 9:16PM, MaximumHavoc wrote:

The Dungeon Master Experience
Constellation of Madness
by Chris Perkins

My campaign is like a snow globe. Sometimes it needs a good shake.

Talk about this column here.

Alright, I officially love this idea. It's a brilliant way to make things feel as Epic as the tier's name - a great way to introduce new and astounding challenges to the campaign. A battle for all reality with the stars themselves as your enemies (figuratively speaking) is one of the most amazing concepts I've heard in a long, long time. Bravo Chris, bravo.

It seems the source of the backlash comes from people not liking the idea of having to RP their characters in ways they don't want to. They want to kill villain X, but they can't do that while being in character. Much of the enjoyment of roleplaying is portraying a character different from you but one whose goals you can understand and agree with. Being forced to make nice with a villain you despise and have to pretend you have no reason not to like them is a torturous thing to imagine and just plain strange.

However, I think that's also the point.

By the epic tier, players have fully settled into their characters' roles. Things can feel old and tired if we aren't careful, the many facets of the characters' personality explored long ago. RPing them becomes like a second skin and you don't have to think about it much anymore.

This forces you to do that.

You create a huge RP challenge, as suitably Epic as the tier it refers to, and one the frusturates the hell out of the players at times. This gives them a tremendous reason to right the alternate reality. They are invested in the world they've adventured in, and they are battling to bring back that world, feeling the changes on a very tangible level.

That's awesome.

However, for those DMs that feel their groups would find this too unbearable - leeching the fun from the sessions - I would reccomend making a tiny modification to the adventure concept. Much less than the drastic changes being offered here.

The Change - Just come up with a believable reason for the PCs' memories to be unaffected by this change in reality. Perhaps they are all wearing Amulets of the Stars they aquired in an earlier adventure which grants them immunity to the celestial forces warping reality (among other things of course). Or perhaps they have been chosen by the gods to combat this threat. Or perhaps they were in an area unaffected (for whatever reason) by the change when the spell was first set in motion - leaving them immune to the ongoing effects. Or something else entirely.

This slight modification gets rid of the RP challenge that I find so entrancing but others might find nauseating. I would not advocate it for Chris' group of expert players, I expect they are up to the task and he is right to confront them with a unique challenge that will make this adventure feel different than any other. However, if your group isn't up for this type of RP torture - you can make this tiny change so they can still enjoy the Constellation of Madness without going mad themselves.

- Dan Felder

Nov 13, 2011 -- 12:21PM, PainbowDash wrote:

This article seemed to indicate that there would be further updates on whether the big plot twist was effective and fun. I don't see that in the next few articles that followed it; is there somewhere else I should look?

AKA "Cool idea is cool, but cool results are 20% cooler."

Chris has mentioned his characters going against Starlord Evendor several times in passing, but nothing specific about the adventure.

However, I used the idea in my epic level campaign with a slight tweak to make it more palatable for my players and it was incredible. I'd be happy to share my own results with the concept since Chris seems busy on other topics.

Nov 13, 2011 -- 12:29PM, PainbowDash wrote:

Nov 13, 2011 -- 12:28PM, Ortheos wrote:

Nov 13, 2011 -- 12:21PM, PainbowDash wrote:

This article seemed to indicate that there would be further updates on whether the big plot twist was effective and fun. I don't see that in the next few articles that followed it; is there somewhere else I should look?

AKA "Cool idea is cool, but cool results are 20% cooler."

Chris has mentioned his characters going against Starlord Evendor several times in passing, but nothing specific about the adventure.

However, I used the idea in my epic level campaign with a slight tweak to make it more palatable for my players and it was incredible. I'd be happy to share my own results with the concept since Chris seems busy on other topics.

That would be great! I've never even had a chance to play Paragon tier, much less Epic, but I still love hearing about some of the high drama that longer-running campaigns enjoy.

Sure, I'll send you a message.