I am starting a new campaign, and I would like to do a hot open with all the PCs in the middle of a heated battle that will decide the fate of the war. I'm hoping you creative genius' here can help me out. I have NOintention of running a full scale war here. I simply want to open in combat for the players amidst the chaos of a battlefield. They will start this campaign at level 3 or 5. They wont be doing "missions" like go sabatage the railroad, or poison food supply...ect... more like break the enemy line, kill the commander, protect "x" units retreat, reinforce the rear guard...ect.
This way all the players will "know" each other and have shared backstory along with a reason to work together naratively moving forward. Plus it seems like a fun, fresh, campaign start. They can either win the war or loose. They can also be on the side of the aggressor and the defender your call. Whatever gets your creative juices flowing.
Thank you in adavance for any cool ideas you awesome people thow out, it's always a HUGE boon!
*Edit* I should add, as Plaguescarred mentions, I envisioned it as a war between two yet determined countries in game. Kind of like in Witcher 3 and less like goblins and orcs or whatnot, but I'm not rulling that out.
Rather than starting them in the midst of a war with humanoid monsters such as orcs or goblinoids, i would instead have it against a neighboring country with which they are at war at the border. Even after the war is over, an animosity could remain between the two countries, and their residents. I'd involve war machines, cart with mounted balista, arbalest, catapult, battering rams, war cart full of soldiers, war beasts, spellcasters, magical banners amd bonfires, booby traps, both mundane and magical, gas, fog, morning smell of ever present putresent hanging in the air from the many corpses rotting in the mud, sleep deprivation from night skirmishes, with intermission by temporary pact of nonaggression to exchange war prisones, and manage wounded soldiers, supply provisions etc...
My first thought is, if it’s the middle of a battle, but they are coming in fresh it means one of a couple things. They are reenforcements (which can be brought out either because the side they are on is winning or losing) or they are pretty far in the back and their side is being completely routed or overrun.
At level 3-5, they’re not just going to be grunts. Maybe they’re the general’s personal guard, and their side is losing bad. It’s their job to buy the general time enough to get away. Their job is not to live through the fight, just make sure the general does. Of course, they’re PCs, so they will live. From there it will be up to them to decide if they were good soldiers, honored to do their part. Or resentful they were left to die. Or did they live by turning traitor and letting the general get caught. Or did they just run. Or whatever. The big thing is, their army thinks they’re dead, so now they have the freedom to do as they like. Go back home, strike out a new path. Whatever.
My first thought is, if it’s the middle of a battle, but they are coming in fresh it means one of a couple things. They are reenforcements (which can be brought out either because the side they are on is winning or losing) or they are pretty far in the back and their side is being completely routed or overrun.
At level 3-5, they’re not just going to be grunts. Maybe they’re the general’s personal guard, and their side is losing bad. It’s their job to buy the general time enough to get away. Their job is not to live through the fight, just make sure the general does. Of course, they’re PCs, so they will live. From there it will be up to them to decide if they were good soldiers, honored to do their part. Or resentful they were left to die. Or did they live by turning traitor and letting the general get caught. Or did they just run. Or whatever. The big thing is, their army thinks they’re dead, so now they have the freedom to do as they like. Go back home, strike out a new path. Whatever.
Great Idea, Xalthu. I was thinking something similiar. My thoughts so far, is that their some sort of unique unit (IE 3-5 LV) almost like their sides version of special forces or like you say an important NPC's cadre. I'm leaning more towards them winning the battle than losing only for the fact that after the war is over, I plan to "reward" them with a Keep and Barony that starts the main campaign. Of course the tiny plot of land they will be granted is an over run crap hole infested with orcs and monsters and whatnot. Additionally, I plan to have that location spawn a number "hooks" that lead to various modules.
for example, After the battle they are granted a keep. Which will proc Matt Colville's : Siege of Castle Rend Module. And they're town will likely be the Village of Hamlet module, and people within the town will give hooks for other low level modules I can ramp up, Against the Cult of the Reptile God, Keep on the Borderlands, ect...
With that said though, they could totally decide to be turn coats and help the enemy and be rewarded the same thing.
Which leads me back to my initial post... What sort of encounters/battles/events should happen in the opening session that would be fun and help build and maintain tension?
Well, playing into it bring the middle/end of a battle, you could throw something at them that should be able to kill then, but it’s only got half its hp, and it’s 1/day powers have all been used.
If you want the PCs to be the winners, then they could be coming in at the end to mop up remaining forces. Or, to flip my first idea, they could be the ones tasked with finding the opposing general. They have an encounter against a much weakened opponent, then run into the general’s guards, who are as fresh as the PCs are. And of course, the general makes them an offer if they turn coat. Either choice gets them that stronghold, it’s just a question of which side becomes their enemy and which their ally,
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I am starting a new campaign, and I would like to do a hot open with all the PCs in the middle of a heated battle that will decide the fate of the war. I'm hoping you creative genius' here can help me out. I have NO intention of running a full scale war here. I simply want to open in combat for the players amidst the chaos of a battlefield. They will start this campaign at level 3 or 5. They wont be doing "missions" like go sabatage the railroad, or poison food supply...ect... more like break the enemy line, kill the commander, protect "x" units retreat, reinforce the rear guard...ect.
This way all the players will "know" each other and have shared backstory along with a reason to work together naratively moving forward. Plus it seems like a fun, fresh, campaign start. They can either win the war or loose. They can also be on the side of the aggressor and the defender your call. Whatever gets your creative juices flowing.
Thank you in adavance for any cool ideas you awesome people thow out, it's always a HUGE boon!
*Edit* I should add, as Plaguescarred mentions, I envisioned it as a war between two yet determined countries in game. Kind of like in Witcher 3 and less like goblins and orcs or whatnot, but I'm not rulling that out.
Rather than starting them in the midst of a war with humanoid monsters such as orcs or goblinoids, i would instead have it against a neighboring country with which they are at war at the border. Even after the war is over, an animosity could remain between the two countries, and their residents. I'd involve war machines, cart with mounted balista, arbalest, catapult, battering rams, war cart full of soldiers, war beasts, spellcasters, magical banners amd bonfires, booby traps, both mundane and magical, gas, fog, morning smell of ever present putresent hanging in the air from the many corpses rotting in the mud, sleep deprivation from night skirmishes, with intermission by temporary pact of nonaggression to exchange war prisones, and manage wounded soldiers, supply provisions etc...
My first thought is, if it’s the middle of a battle, but they are coming in fresh it means one of a couple things. They are reenforcements (which can be brought out either because the side they are on is winning or losing) or they are pretty far in the back and their side is being completely routed or overrun.
At level 3-5, they’re not just going to be grunts. Maybe they’re the general’s personal guard, and their side is losing bad. It’s their job to buy the general time enough to get away. Their job is not to live through the fight, just make sure the general does.
Of course, they’re PCs, so they will live. From there it will be up to them to decide if they were good soldiers, honored to do their part. Or resentful they were left to die. Or did they live by turning traitor and letting the general get caught. Or did they just run. Or whatever. The big thing is, their army thinks they’re dead, so now they have the freedom to do as they like. Go back home, strike out a new path. Whatever.
Great Idea, Xalthu. I was thinking something similiar. My thoughts so far, is that their some sort of unique unit (IE 3-5 LV) almost like their sides version of special forces or like you say an important NPC's cadre. I'm leaning more towards them winning the battle than losing only for the fact that after the war is over, I plan to "reward" them with a Keep and Barony that starts the main campaign. Of course the tiny plot of land they will be granted is an over run crap hole infested with orcs and monsters and whatnot. Additionally, I plan to have that location spawn a number "hooks" that lead to various modules.
for example, After the battle they are granted a keep. Which will proc Matt Colville's : Siege of Castle Rend Module. And they're town will likely be the Village of Hamlet module, and people within the town will give hooks for other low level modules I can ramp up, Against the Cult of the Reptile God, Keep on the Borderlands, ect...
With that said though, they could totally decide to be turn coats and help the enemy and be rewarded the same thing.
Which leads me back to my initial post... What sort of encounters/battles/events should happen in the opening session that would be fun and help build and maintain tension?
Well, playing into it bring the middle/end of a battle, you could throw something at them that should be able to kill then, but it’s only got half its hp, and it’s 1/day powers have all been used.
If you want the PCs to be the winners, then they could be coming in at the end to mop up remaining forces.
Or, to flip my first idea, they could be the ones tasked with finding the opposing general. They have an encounter against a much weakened opponent, then run into the general’s guards, who are as fresh as the PCs are. And of course, the general makes them an offer if they turn coat. Either choice gets them that stronghold, it’s just a question of which side becomes their enemy and which their ally,