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9 months ago ::
Sep 04, 2012 - 10:32PM
#1
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I'm not asking for a playtest report (there's a whole 'nother forum for those). I'm interested in the tone, style, and setting of your 5e/Next playtest campaign.
Are you running something in a stereotypical faux-euro medieval setting? Something akin to FR or Greyhawk? Something more exotic, like Dark Sun or Eberron? Something wild, like Spelljammer or Planescape?
What's your time period like? Pre-history, medieval, rennaisance, modern, futuristic, post-apocalyptic?
High fantasy? Low fantasy? High magic, or low magic?
Running something silly, or serious?
Sandbox or crafted?
What's your playtest like?
Essentials zigged, when I wanted to continue zagging.
Roll dice, not cars.
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9 months ago ::
Sep 04, 2012 - 10:42PM
#2
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Date Joined:
Apr 12, 2008
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Right now I'm running a Forgotten Realms campaign using the playtest material at home, and one in a play-by-post forum on these boards.
The home game is using the new playtest Blingdenstone adventure, and will then move on to homebrew adventures until something new comes out officially.
The PbP game is a conversion of the BECMI adventure Night's Dark Terror. As is the nature of PbP, it is slow-moving and the PCs haven't got to their first combat yet.
I suppose the "tone" of the playtests would be serious...well...as serious as any D&D adventures can be. There's always improv silliness and things done for laughs, but I suppose "serious" is as good a name as any.
Right now, the home game is going smashingly well. Group cohesion is good. No complaints about character faults or serious rules faults (yet). The PbP game is slow. They have made a few skill rolls and did quite a bit of dialogue, but we haven't gotten to the meat of it yet, so i can't really comment on it at this point.
In fond memory of Mark "Wrecan" Monack.
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9 months ago ::
Sep 04, 2012 - 10:57PM
#3
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Date Joined:
May 18, 2002
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"Let's do these encounters. Now, let's do these same encounters at level 2."
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9 months ago ::
Sep 05, 2012 - 8:18AM
#4
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Date Joined:
May 24, 2012
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It's heavy story focus over here. Combat is quick and often takes a back seat to RP and story, but we all prefer the fast, intense combat a lot.  I chose to use my home setting (which is in essence an homage to many of the D&D settings), but with a dark/Arthurian fantasy twist. Since I don't care about the Underdark or Snirvsnibbleblabbledibbledooble gnomes, I just decided to make my own adventure (sampling the awesome homebrew adventures posted here before!) Since I'm trying to capture a gothic/romantic era feel, the game is mostly serious (with moment of silly of course)... with my usual cast of sociopathic horrors wreaking havoc! (Yes, quite a few dragonborn were happily sacrificed to satisfy their beastly obsession with the old ultraviolence) On the mechanics side of things, so far everyone loves what they've chosen! (No one wanted the Warlock, because no one liked it.  ) Plus, I dig what I see so far. Of course, there's still much more to delve into! I can't wait for the next playtest once we're done with this wave!
Disgruntled ghost of the Knights of W.T.F.
(Keep D&D alive, end the edition wars!)
"And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you." - Friedrich Nietzsche
Disclaimer: Most of my posts are based on opinions (and are sometimes humorous, other times inspirational)
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9 months ago ::
Sep 05, 2012 - 8:19AM
#5
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Date Joined:
Jun 17, 2010
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Testing-focused. In the Portal meaning of the word. Not really an effective campaign.
D&D Next = D&D: Quantum Edition
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9 months ago ::
Sep 05, 2012 - 8:48AM
#6
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Date Joined:
Apr 10, 2009
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I started them out in the original keep from B2 to go with the Caves of Chaos.
The game was a heavily story focused, with the rogue trying to set up a thieves guild and start brewing beer (her former trade) on the side between adventures and the dwarven knight negotiating bounties on the various humanods they were hunting.
The party got through about half of the caves before I dangled some additional plot threads in front of them, leading them down into some caverns beneath the Keep - using the adventure Priestly Secrets from Dungeon Magazine Issue 71 and then deeper (because their reaction to a 110' shaft wasn't - lets turn back, it was "hey, I wonder what's down there") using the maps from Beneath the Little Keep by Jolly R. Blackburn.
While they were messing around beneath the city, the visiting priest in the Keep was murdered (assassinated, actually) and his acolytes left town. Investigating his home, they discovered his true affiliation and decided to track his acolytes into the wilderness where they eventually caught up with them in an abandoned temple to chaos - where they played briefly with a portal to somewhere else, freeing a powerful trapped being, before returning to town (leaving the other three portals unexplored for now).
In the last session they left town, heading towards a larger city - from which they will hopefully be enticed into the Blingdenstone adventure - I'm pretty sure I know which hooks to cast to get them into it. If they don't bite, I'm sure we'll come up with something to do. In the meantime, something they woke beneath the keep is hunting them - but so far they only have some vague hints about what it might be and I'm not sure yet just when it will catch up with them.
Carl
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9 months ago ::
Sep 05, 2012 - 9:52AM
#7
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- Unconventional Mafia Pro
- Dark Lord
Date Joined:
Jun 25, 2001
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Right now I've been running a series of test chambers and arena battles intended to put the classes through their paces, seeing how variables change things. If I can gather enough players (Hard in my area -- not for a lack of interest in Next, but for a lack of players with time outside our normal campaign) I might try to run an actual campaign.
"Enjoy your screams, Sarpadia - they will soon be muffled beneath snow and ice." THE COALITION WAR GAME-Phyrexian Praetor Round 1: (4-1-2, 1 kill) Round 2: (16-8-2, 4 kills) Round 3: (18-9-2, 1 kill) Round 4: (22-10-0, 2 kills) Round 5: (56-16-3, 9 kills) Round 6: (8-7-1) [current round] Last Edited by Ralph on blank, 1920
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9 months ago ::
Sep 05, 2012 - 1:03PM
#8
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We're coverting a Basic D&D module 'The Veiled Society' for the playtest this weekend. The story is set in the 'Known World', in the city of Specularum (we're calling it Mirros). That's what it was called in later products. 'Sides, it's easier to say  . Veiled Society is yer basic murder mystery. Three warring families, angry mobs, and big chase scene at the end. Sounds like fun. I first played this back in the day, and it was the first time I'd ever encountered kobolds. My last XP with 'em was in Dragon Moutain (thank Bahamut!). Nasty li'l buggers. Yip, yip-- yuugh! We bailed on the playtest before the kobolds (started out in a bugbear lair).
/\ Art
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9 months ago ::
Sep 05, 2012 - 1:14PM
#9
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Date Joined:
Feb 19, 2009
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I'm running mine as a Flashback set inside my normal 4E campaign. So far the story and roleplaying are very elementary, mostly they are just kicking down doors and fragging monsters. Which is a pleasant change of pace from the usual epic 4E slugfests and webs of intrigue.
The player whose character is having the flashback (the usually cautious healer) is having a great time with the "Well, we know I'LL live. CHARGE!!" mindset.
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9 months ago ::
Sep 05, 2012 - 1:17PM
#10
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Date Joined:
May 25, 2012
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I would say that the Playtest is not Campaign Material at this point. I would call my playtesting experience a Mini series approach to D&D for now.
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