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Adept Greytalker
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Mon Mar 10, 2014 5:30 am
A Military-Themed Campaign in the Great Kingdom
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Hi all,
I'll be running a Black-Company like game in a setting very much like the Southern Aerdy pretty soon; given the history of the setting, and the history of the Greyhawk Wars, how would you set up such a game - with the party as a military patrol on an explorer mission.
I already have a concept at hand, but I was going to ask... What do you think of the idea? What concepts would you use? What gaming resources would you rely on? :)
Just looking for some general feedback, but might use this later on to blog some info.
Yours,
Rafe
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Grandmaster Greytalker
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From: Tennessee, between Ft. Campbell & APSU
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Mon Mar 10, 2014 11:36 am
Re: A Military-Themed Campaign in the Great Kingdom
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| Le Noir Faineant wrote: |
...I'll be running a Black-Company like game in a setting very much like the Southern Aerdy pretty soon; given the history of the setting, and the history of the Greyhawk Wars, how would you set up such a game - with the party as a military patrol on an explorer mission.
I already have a concept at hand, but I was going to ask... What do you think of the idea? |
-I've done something similar with the Archbarony of Ratik's army. I'm also considering a scenario with Perrenlanders sefving the Horned Society (long story).
| Le Noir Faineant wrote: |
| ... What concepts would you use? What gaming resources would you rely on?? |
1) When is this set? For the War of the Golden League (CY 578-580), there were a bunch of articles in Dragon back in the issues numbered late-50s and 60s. They overviewed military operations on South Province, Irongate, Idee, and Sunndi. in Dragon back in the issues numbered late-50s and 60s.
For CY 583-584, Greyhawk Wars is rather detailed, at least when dealing with Osson.
2) Are the PCs starting out at 1st level? If so, the odds are they'd be part of a squad, and none (or one of them) will be in charge. If they're split up, same deal, unless most of these mercs are really badly trained and inexperienced. This may or may not be a good role playing opportunity. 
3) A more basic question: Which side are they on?
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GreySage
Joined: Jul 26, 2010
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From: LG Dyvers
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Mon Mar 10, 2014 1:18 pm
Re: A Military-Themed Campaign in the Great Kingdom
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| Le Noir Faineant wrote: |
| I'll be running a Black-Company like game in a setting very much like the Southern Aerdy pretty soon... with the party as a military patrol on an explorer mission. |
I began my The Keep on the Borderlands campaign in a similar manner - the PCs were all military personnel commissioned for a special assignment.
There are many examples of such action in the movies, such as Saving Private Ryan, The Monuments Men, Inglorious Bastards, Bridge over the River Kwai, Lone Survivor, etc.
If your PCs are subordinate to a highly lawful military hierarchy, they should know that they have a very specific assignment with a strict time limit, etc. They may even have an officer assigned to accompany them and act as the commanding officer in the group. Wouldn't that be fun to spring on them. 
SirXaris
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Grandmaster Greytalker
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Mon Mar 10, 2014 2:15 pm
Re: A Military-Themed Campaign in the Great Kingdom
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| SirXaris wrote: |
| ...If your PCs are subordinate to a highly lawful military hierarchy, they should know that they have a very specific assignment with a strict time limit, etc... |
...even chaotics would want someone along to make sure that the PCs actually accomplish their objectives.
| SirXaris wrote: |
| ...They may even have an officer assigned to accompany them and act as the commanding officer in the group. Wouldn't that be fun to spring on them... |
..or they might appreciate the help. Depends on the officer.
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Journeyman Greytalker
Joined: Sep 14, 2009
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From: Laporte IN.
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Wed Mar 12, 2014 1:55 pm
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Sounds good. Have to send them behind enemy lines to find a large pile of gold bars hidden inside a bank....... ok oddball 
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Grandmaster Greytalker
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Thu Mar 13, 2014 11:05 am
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| baronzemo wrote: |
| Sounds good. Have to send them behind enemy lines to find a large pile of gold bars hidden inside a bank....... ok oddball |
...interesting example. That mission was self assigned, which is why the powers-tat-be might want some adult supervision to go along with the group... 
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GreySage
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Sat Mar 15, 2014 8:08 am
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If I don't have a module handy that I want to use, I have no compunction, and often prefer, a homebrewed campaign tailor made to my own needs. It never hurts to get ideas from your players as well.
I personally enjoy wilderness games more than dungeon crawls or urban settings and have had great success with those types of campaigns. The Wilderness Survival Guide is one of my favorite books and is utterly indispensable as a resource. I make widespread use of maps and design micro-settings within larger ones.
-Lanthorn
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Grandmaster Greytalker
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Sat Mar 15, 2014 8:13 am
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| Lanthorn wrote: |
| ...I personally enjoy wilderness games more than dungeon crawls or urban settings and have had great success with those types of campaigns. The Wilderness Survival Guide is one of my favorite books and is utterly indispensable as a resource... |
-The origin of D&D was in dungeons and ruins, but they're way overused.
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Adept Greytalker
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From: Verbobonc
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Fri Mar 21, 2014 8:07 am
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Larry McMurtry's Comanche Moon highlights the fictional experiences of a Texas Ranger Troop, kind of a gendarmerie-type of organization that might conduct conventional military ops like patrolling or law-enforcement type operations as well. That gives more scope than a strictly hierarchal detachment of troops.
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Fri Mar 21, 2014 9:40 am
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Wow, thanks for the input, guys. It's a bit early for me to say how I'll apply some of this... But I will. :)
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Fri Mar 21, 2014 1:44 pm
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| baronzemo wrote: |
| Sounds good. Have to send them behind enemy lines to find a large pile of gold bars hidden inside a bank....... ok oddball |
This is pretty brilliant. It's rare that I don't think about how to convert a movie or book into an adventure; sometimes they're pretty good; unfortunately I rarely write them down.
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Adept Greytalker
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Sat Mar 22, 2014 1:07 pm
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Some military good movies that easily lend themselves to adventures:
Kelly's Heroes already mentioned.
The Eagle a very direct quest.
Guns of Navaronne need a bottleneck and isolated troops, Sea Barons?
The Eagle has Landed as either Kurt Steiner or the Rangers! Great twist ending.
Night of the Generals Military/mystery movie; could be part of a campaign instead of one adventure.
The Great Raid Almost perfect against the Scarlet Brotherhood during the "liberation" of Idee.
When Trumpets Fade Very gritty movie about a backwater sector of the war.
[/i]Prisoners of Honor About the Dreyfuss affair. Could involve adventurers as victim, investigators, or conducting the coverup. Who will be Esterhazy? Maybe part of the campaign background?
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Adept Greytalker
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Sat Mar 22, 2014 10:15 pm
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I have a wargaming book by David Featherstone floating around, from, I think, 1975.
I think I'll build a campaign around one or two of those historical maps.
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Black Hand of Oblivion
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Sun Mar 23, 2014 4:37 pm
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That's Donald Featherstone I think.
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Grandmaster Greytalker
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Sun Mar 23, 2014 9:22 pm
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Not sure what edition you play, but about the first 1/3 of the 3.5 Heroes of Battle book is relatively non-edition-specific material on running just this type of campaign.
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Adept Greytalker
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Sun Mar 23, 2014 9:38 pm
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BFRPG might well be what I'll be going for. :)
Also, RAAAAAAAAAAAAH. Donald, of course. It's 0637 over here. Not fresh, my brain, yet.
Coffeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee...
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Tue Jun 10, 2014 11:50 pm
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I'm curious how this worked out for you and I'm quite disappointed that I didn't see this earlier.
I've campaigned heavily in the Great Kingdom, and my most recent one isn't far off from your original post. I truly missed out here.
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Wed Jun 11, 2014 5:31 am
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Hey! :)
I am running this as an open game (new players are always accepted, all members can play) for the Würfelmeister RPG club in my old hometown of Würzburg, Germany.
I run about one session per month, using the DCC RPG rules; the interpretation of the Great Kingdom has been very open, though, as most people around here don't know Greyhawk.
I play based on Ivid the Undying, and the Black Company RPG from Green Ronin, and add, wherever the story demands it. For example, the game takes place 100 years after the events of ItU, to allow me some freedom.
I might also borrow from "The Secret Fire", the 2012 RPG that was such a blatant Great Kingdom ripoff.
Right now, the party investigates what might lead them either to a pseudo-Tomb of Horrors, or to a "City of Gods" like technodungeon. Not sure where to take things yet...
More later, it's around 120° Fahrenheit around here! 
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Wed Jun 11, 2014 5:32 am
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(I am exaggerating about the temperature. ;) )
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Wed Jun 11, 2014 1:47 pm
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| tarelton wrote: |
Some military good movies that easily lend themselves to adventures:
Kelly's Heroes already mentioned.
The Eagle a very direct quest.
Guns of Navaronne need a bottleneck and isolated troops, Sea Barons?
The Eagle has Landed as either Kurt Steiner or the Rangers! Great twist ending.
Night of the Generals Military/mystery movie; could be part of a campaign instead of one adventure.
The Great Raid Almost perfect against the Scarlet Brotherhood during the "liberation" of Idee.
When Trumpets Fade Very gritty movie about a backwater sector of the war.
[/i]Prisoners of Honor About the Dreyfuss affair. Could involve adventurers as victim, investigators, or conducting the coverup. Who will be Esterhazy? Maybe part of the campaign background? |
-I like The Eagle has Landed idea. You could actually do both, at different times, with the same PCs...
Two books and three ideas I've been planning for a while:
Cross of Iron (a mix of the book and the movie; the book, as usual, is better): On Richfest 582 CY, the NPC stand-ins for Brandt, Steiner, and the other Laednser were Perrenlanders conscripted and sent through a magical gate in the Yatils to fight for the Horned Society vs. Iuz. The PCs will join them as replacements through the gate after having been told that they'd be serving with Nyrond (or some other place).
Once an Eagle (the book; oddly, I've never seen the mini-series), WWI: The PCs show up as replacements Sam Damon's platoon. The trenches become a series of fortifications. I'll probably set as Veluna vs. Ket in 584 CY.
Once an Eagle, WW II: Probably 584 CY, with the Dreadwood and the Hool Marshes replacing New Guinea and the Philippines, and the Scarlet Brotherhood fronting as the Japanese.
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Master Greytalker
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Fri Aug 15, 2014 9:13 am
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I just did a short military-style campaign in the Shield Lands. I'll post how it went. I wanted to use Battlesystem, but since I operate via bulletin board like this one, it was too hard. I ended up using this roller:
http://www.farlandworld.com/program.html
It wasn't great, but it worked and allowed me to move on swiftly.
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