Big Brennan method campaign

STEREOTYPES ARE TRAPS, AND AVOIDING THEM INEVITABLY CREATES STEREOTYPES

Who on earth enjoys playing common Dnd tropes like "Kill the dragon and get the gold" with no underlying theme? I know I don't! So help me people, I need to make the most boundary breaking, revolutionary, morally challenging campaign beginning with one simple theme; not a "What If..." or a "This But.." but simply a question.

"What is worth?"

Is it someone you love? Or something you need? A home? Or an escape? When everything is ending, what do you save?

Brennan Lee Mulligan focuses his campaigns on philosophical questions with answers that the players themselves have to discover. Power struggles, warring sides, they're all tools to learn. And, it's truly profound. Mistakes are things to learn from, so why shouldn't your big hunky barbarian realize his tribe hates his massacre crusades and changes for peace? 

Here's the Campaign: 

BRUËNOR'S GOLD

"What is gold to one man and stone to another?"

Setting: The grand Isles of Erahbhor, a utopian continent in complete isolation from Toril. Literally. It exists purely in a bubble of time and space between the Astral realm, a place where thought comes before reality, and the Material realm, where reality comes far before thought. In this continent of majestic landscapes and unique ecology, if enough people simply know that there is a bridge spanning two islands, there will be. This system, taking advantage of the world's placement, is called "Certainty" by scholars in the great Dawn University of Newcastle city. Animals take advantage of this, creating incredibly unique food chains of both material and psionic pecking orders. Because of the harsh environment and isolation, peace would have seemed impossible if not for two grand individuals with a mastery of ancient magic destroying any opposition to a united flag of Erahbhor; Romero Ramando and Roberto Ramando (Originally named Rhomand and Ruvalin with no surname). Under their order and combined ideals, only the virtuous are kept in power. These two, with their magical prowess discovered a dark truth to the unique paradise of Erahbhor: it's an experiment, and one of many.

Plot: The Party will arrive as any new additions to the experiment from Toril, in an "Arc" with no memories of how they got there but only with one single forced idea from the Experiment: a new beginning. Players will meet new friends, take down injustice, and save families through research and exploring, not entirely combat and assassination. Players will have opportunities to add NPCs to their party, even maybe create their own guild! But one person stands above the rest: Shanairra. The ninth daughter heir to the Dawn throne, a useless failure with no mastery of magic and a want of an escape; but deep down she needs a home. Aside from her, you will use this essential tool in exploring Erahbhor; a guide that players add entries and notes to overtime about wildlife, locations, and even some people! When they come to their final destination, the great city of Bruënor, to defeat the giant unexplainable orc army stealing the mines across the Erahbhorian mountains,  they'll finally feal like legit lovable heroes in the world. At least... until Experiment 612 is breached by mindflayer forces to take the fruits of the experiment. You see, the place was created at the very beginning of time by a jealous god who wanted control of existence itself, the power of creation. The god had looked down and realized that the power of creation began and ended with the power of man, and at some point in some time, that power will manifest itself as an ability. His followers and him dubbed it "The Calamity". His eventual rise to power. This person so happened to be the Ninth daughter of the Dawn royal family, Shanairra. In a place where knowledge defines, a hate for divinity will become reality. This is a power to steal divine power from gods, leaving them desecrated while the holder of the power gains their place. The mindflayers wanted her to be a new host for their elder brain dictator, the Absolute, and to give it the power of the Calamity. The players are stolen from the battlefield an transported to the astral realm where Shanairra creates her first pact to protect the party. After escaping, a scout ship flying through the Astral sky found the party and dubs them refugees, leading them to the only light of sanity in the realm; Beacon. In Beacon, you meet other refugees of the failed experiments with documentation of each world's unique ecology and cultures. Each one of the experiments were gone. The party meets a group of realm travelling adventurers, and they tell them the truth. Everyone in the Astral is now stuck in the Astral until the Barrier lets them out. These folks are gods in disguise, and they are there to take the power of Calamity for themselves. They have been alive for thousands of years, seeing empires fall and rise to their hands. Bloodshed, tears, hate, it was all too much for humankind, so they sought to stop the source of war and sorrow: free will. They show you this machine, the Barrier, a mind bogglingly huge orb of rings and reality bending psionic powers far off into the distance. They ally theirselves to the party (for mostly their own purposes) and thus you all try to find answers through exploration and navigation. The players find dungeons revealing the nature of the Experiment to them, travelling settlements of Mercane with strange magical objects, Gith pirates along the Astral sea, Smaller mindflayer bands, and even some Dreadnaught encounters. After Shaniarra learns to use her power, the Barrier, starts to change. After one more expedition, they find a control facility directly beneath the Barrier. It was a huge ordeal to stop the psionic waves and splintering realities, but deep enough into the sea and nothing happens. There, they learn that the Barrier is the creator and runner of Erahbhor, and the countless other experiments. Suddenly, in an entirely forgotten language, a symbol shows on every 'screen'; a fraying circle, like a portal, and a planet. Suddenly, the party lurches into a blinding white light, the light of day on Toril. Every settlement and ship in the Astral that could see the machine is transported to Toril, floating high in the sky above Nations and armies. Mindflayer fleets are there, Beacon is there, the Barrier is there, and every experiment from the machine spreads across the sky. You can see ruins and fires from the most recent failure, 389. The players will naturally gravitate back to Erahbhor, and Shanairra is overjoyed at seeing her homeland again. Meanwhile, the forces of Toril set into motion. As Mercane and Githyanki settle themselves, envoys arrive at what seems like the strangest and most whole island, Erahbhor. Roberto and Romero come together again, and reveal their origins. They are chosen of Mystryl, being siphoned into the islands right before Karsus's Folly from the Netherite kingdom. The other Chosen of Mystra and Mystryl come together to protect the Weave by protecting the power of the Calamity from corruption. Thus, with a mustered army, they all set out to stop The forces of Toril, the Absolute, and the Barrier from taking the power for themselves. Remember: this is literally quite possibly the end of the world. After a crucial defeat, the three gods in disguise reveal their plan and divinity to the party, and then each of the three fight the party. Each fight brings something out of the players, especially with the Bard, until Morkoth, the first of the Hero's Pantheon, fights them. Each swing of his sword is the destruction of someone the players once knew. Roberto and Romero, attack and defense, finally fight together but lose to him. one of the last bastions of ancient magic... gone. The islands start to fall as the Barrier starts to continue with its task. Eventually, he stops, and stabs himself. He realized that maybe he doesn't deserve to choose if he forced her to give it to him. Shanairra is terrified, but she accepts her fate. "Kill me now, or it'll never end". Roberto smiles, then coughs "The choice... Is yours-". The party decides whose idea of the future stays. No war but no love? No bloodshed but only sorrow? become the playthings of a foreign god? Or choose for yourself what deserves to exist. The Barrier churns toward the battlefield. Even if the players ask for a magical pony or to be a dragon, there comes a cost. "What are you willing to forget to keep it?" Whatever you choose, it is the end.

FORGET EVERYTHING I JUST SAID.

 There is only THREE plot points, but what I just said before was what had happened with my most recent players.

1. Enter Erahbhor. The party might meet Romero or might try to leave to Toril. Get transport to Newcastle if wanting to go to the Isles, or might even force the driver to take them to a different town.
2. Escape Erahbhor. The party might even Gate themselves to the Astral or join Roberto in meditation. Meet Beacon or not, maybe even destroy beacon on another team like the Gith. (If the party didn't meet Shanairra, they meet her in the Astral)
3. Enter Toril. The Barrier takes them there. The party might even destroy the Barrier somehow using Shanairra's powers. Erahbhor may fall, the Chosen may turn on them, or Shanairra might just die there and the war ends.

The reason why this is a bit powerful close to the end is because each NPC answers differently. The people of Beacon value knowledge and memory. The Netherese twins value law and trust. The Hero's Pantheon values life and joy. The bartender values friendship and trust. The priest values charity and belief. Everyone has a different answer. No single one is right or wrong. Yet, you have to choose. This triggers both sides of the brain for reasoning, short term reasoning and long term reasoning.

Now, that's the Idea, but I have no clue whatsoever what to change and create. For example, I have almost no encounters written down. I just DM what feels right as the next moment while following a general storyline. There's a problem in that, because I really don't know how to make it concrete and useful to other DMs. What are some concerns? any tips? I'd take anything as a valid answer people.

(Ps: If you want to become a disciple of Bonk, a church my cousin created, ask me and you shall receive)

That looks a lot more like you want to write a novel than DM a campaign. All the major plot points are already decided. The characters are just getting batted around from place to place with no say in where they go and precious little say in what they do. The way it’s described, they are practically spectators. In short, it looks like a railroad.

Which can still be fun, just get buy-in from the players that they are on a pretty linear quest.

It's good to have an overarching storyline, but not paragraphs of text for how the game will play out. Things can often change as you play, and having already decided what will happen in the game inevitably leads to struggle when (not if) the players deviate.

Quote from WolfeCriedPup >>

It's good to have an overarching storyline, but not paragraphs of text for how the game will play out. Things can often change as you play, and having already decided what will happen in the game inevitably leads to struggle when (not if) the players deviate.

 Well, there at least several endings in mind, and the way I described it was mostly what happends. Beacon may fall, the Absolute may die, there's still changes to the story. What I have written there was what happened with my most recent players so far and what they plan to do. If you need the basic plan, it's only three major plot points that are slightly interchangeable  and the rest are completely fluid. Maybe they decide to fight the Hero's Pantheon early, who knows? 

I'm sorry if it comes off that way. But if there's any suggestions, I would love to hear them. Again, the major plot points all have different ways they can happen, that's just how it's mostly been so far. Heck, the mindflayer intrusion might even be in a small village where the party saves a dying herbalist. Also, if you need specific systems and 'quests' I have set up, just ask.

Thank you guys, I appreciate the advice

That was a big wall of text and there's a lot to parse. One of the big stumbling blocks I'm seeing is that you establish early on this is a utopia, and then have the players imported into the world to cavort around thwarting injustice. Those two points work against each other, and it suggests either it isn't really a utopia or the players are acting out of ignorance and doing more harm than good. Either of those can be a fun thread to tug on.

You're right that Brennan tackles philosophical challenges in his DMing, but he's doing two things at once when he does that. He absolutely challenges the player characters' understandings of the world they inhabit and how their actions affect the people and the world around them, inviting the characters to examine their personal philosophies. He also presents philosophical arguments as running themes throughout campaigns that are more straightforward statements on the world and argue for changing the world as it is to the world as it ought to be. Without spoilers, the Vampire the Masquerade season of Dimension 20: City Council of Darkness, was a season-long imploration to build community and thrive together by participating in local politics. And at the end Brennan had an NPC break the fourth wall and directly address Dimension 20 viewers to make the subtext straightforward text and explicitly tell the viewer the whole season's philosophical argument that things only improve when people get involved and take action together.

Circling back, I'm not seeing a cohesive philosophical argument you want to explore in that short story. And as others pointed out, with all the plot points pre-arranged what you have is a plot, not a TTRPG campaign. I would go so far as to say throw out all the predetermined plot points and instead focus on building the bones of a world that has enough verisimilitude that it appears to be in fluid motion when the player characters aren't looking and aren't doing anything to affect it. As part of that, build your villain(s) or whatever antagonistic force it is that represents the prime threat along with the stakes that threat presents, and then build the challenges that your players will or are likely to face. Give them options to be proactive but be ready for them to be reactive and waiting for threats to come knocking on their door.

But when you're building all this, if you want to take a philosophical approach like Breenan then have in mind what it is you're trying to say about this world - and maybe even about the real world - and why it should matter to the player characters as they're making their way through the world. If I'm being honest, I don't get a sense of a cohesive philosophical argument in the storyline you laid out. The best teacher I've ever had taught me when writing an argument to start with the thesis clearly stated at the beginning and proceed from there. If that's what you've done here I can only say that your opening statement about stereotypes is not only internally inconsistent, but doesn't appear to be thematically or philosophically tied to the story you want to tell.

Quote from ApplePaladin >>

That was a big wall of text and there's a lot to parse. One of the big stumbling blocks I'm seeing is that you establish early on this is a utopia, and then have the players imported into the world to cavort around thwarting injustice. Those two points work against each other, and it suggests either it isn't really a utopia or the players are acting out of ignorance and doing more harm than good. Either of those can be a fun thread to tug on.

You're right that Brennan tackles philosophical challenges in his DMing, but he's doing two things at once when he does that. He absolutely challenges the player characters' understandings of the world they inhabit and how their actions affect the people and the world around them, inviting the characters to examine their personal philosophies. He also presents philosophical arguments as running themes throughout campaigns that are more straightforward statements on the world and argue for changing the world as it is to the world as it ought to be. Without spoilers, the Vampire the Masquerade season of Dimension 20: City Council of Darkness, was a season-long imploration to build community and thrive together by participating in local politics. And at the end Brennan had an NPC break the fourth wall and directly address Dimension 20 viewers to make the subtext straightforward text and explicitly tell the viewer the whole season's philosophical argument that things only improve when people get involved and take action together.

Circling back, I'm not seeing a cohesive philosophical argument you want to explore in that short story. And as others pointed out, with all the plot points pre-arranged what you have is a plot, not a TTRPG campaign. I would go so far as to say throw out all the predetermined plot points and instead focus on building the bones of a world that has enough verisimilitude that it appears to be in fluid motion when the player characters aren't looking and aren't doing anything to affect it. As part of that, build your villain(s) or whatever antagonistic force it is that represents the prime threat along with the stakes that threat presents, and then build the challenges that your players will or are likely to face. Give them options to be proactive but be ready for them to be reactive and waiting for threats to come knocking on their door.

But when you're building all this, if you want to take a philosophical approach like Breenan then have in mind what it is you're trying to say about this world - and maybe even about the real world - and why it should matter to the player characters as they're making their way through the world. If I'm being honest, I don't get a sense of a cohesive philosophical argument in the storyline you laid out. The best teacher I've ever had taught me when writing an argument to start with the thesis clearly stated at the beginning and proceed from there. If that's what you've done here I can only say that your opening statement about stereotypes is not only internally inconsistent, but doesn't appear to be thematically or philosophically tied to the story you want to tell.

 This is extremely helpful

The argument is created through the exposition. It not what I said first, but what I said later with the question. What I'm trying to do is have not one but many arguments over the answer. It's like Skyrim, in a sense, where each faction searches for a different answer to a general question. It is really a story of letting go. Of the characters they met and befriended, or of the people they had become, and of the world they protected and fought for. Yes, you're right, it's not a utopia, but evil still lurks within the chain of order. It's a falsehood spread simply for the people there to know that the world they live in is a safe place (politics using "certainty"). A certain bard-like character asks them the first time, the question of "What is gold to one man and stone to another?" through song. I'll go ahead and delete that WALL of text.