So I’ve asked each of my players individually if they’d like to be the bbeg and they all said yes. But they think it’s just them and they all have their own different goals as a bbeg and why their travelling with the party.
I would just run it as a sandbox campaign, presenting them with various questline and various factions to become involved with, and give them opportunities to amass power and ingratiate themselves with different groups, maneuvering themselves into opportunities to enact their evil schemes.
Remember; villains are proactive, while heroes are reactive. Give your players a chessboard and see what moves they make, and have the world react.
*EDIT*
One other thing you could do, unrelated, but have each character have henchmen that they can issue orders to secretly, carrying out their bidding in the wider world.
That feels a little bit like running before you're able to walk.
You've got a cool concept - that's undeniable. What you now need is to know the goals of each of your BBEGs (players). What are they all trying to achieve? The goal of the campaign sort of needs to come first. It's the mistake that so many world builders make. Knowing what the ultimate goal is.
Here's some generic thoughts if the goal of your players were to be ruling the world.
- Players start with a generic quest in which they discover that there is a bad guy out there who wants to rule the world. - Players then need to seek out three things that they know the bad guy wants: a ritual, an item, and a location. - They can choose to research or go exploring for these things in whichever order they wish of course. - After this comes securing the items necessary to conduct the ritual. - Once a player character has the item, the ritual instructions, and the material components they are then in a position to conduct the ritual.
It's at this point that all would likely get revealed. You might well find out though that this comes out a lot earlier than you hope for. This generic outline could also work if someone wants to become a lich, or eliminate magics, or basically any other nefarious goal.
The problem as I say though, is that you've put the cool concept ahead of knowing what the point of the adventure is. Again, I'm generalising but the goal of an adventure might be things like:
- Save the city from a hoarde of demons - Defeat the lich who is raising an undead army - Save the world from a mystical disease - Take revenge on an enemy who has wrong the party
Unless or until you have an goal of that kind of nature set - you need to be focusing on that.
This is a really cool concept. Something that comes to mind for me is apprentices pit against each other - perhaps there is one even bigger badder guy who has recruited this party, possibly using multiple identities. Each party member believes they are the sole Chosen, but they're all being used.
Could also tie into a quest to unite the 5 (or however many party members you have) relics of SomethingOrOther to attain ultimate power - with each party member searching for a different piece that they believe is the only one.
This is a really cool concept. Something that comes to mind for me is each apprentices pit against each other - perhaps there is one even bigger badder guy who has recruited this party, possibly using multiple identities. Each party member believes they are the sole Chosen, but they're all being used.
Could also tie into a quest to unite the 5 (or however many party members you have) relics of SomethingOrOther to attain ultimate power - with each party member searching for a different piece that they believe is the only one.
thanks this is amazing an idea will use it
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So I’ve asked each of my players individually if they’d like to be the bbeg and they all said yes. But they think it’s just them and they all have their own different goals as a bbeg and why their travelling with the party.
any advice on how to run and plan this?
I would just run it as a sandbox campaign, presenting them with various questline and various factions to become involved with, and give them opportunities to amass power and ingratiate themselves with different groups, maneuvering themselves into opportunities to enact their evil schemes.
Remember; villains are proactive, while heroes are reactive. Give your players a chessboard and see what moves they make, and have the world react.
*EDIT*
One other thing you could do, unrelated, but have each character have henchmen that they can issue orders to secretly, carrying out their bidding in the wider world.
That feels a little bit like running before you're able to walk.
You've got a cool concept - that's undeniable. What you now need is to know the goals of each of your BBEGs (players). What are they all trying to achieve? The goal of the campaign sort of needs to come first. It's the mistake that so many world builders make. Knowing what the ultimate goal is.
Here's some generic thoughts if the goal of your players were to be ruling the world.
- Players start with a generic quest in which they discover that there is a bad guy out there who wants to rule the world.
- Players then need to seek out three things that they know the bad guy wants: a ritual, an item, and a location.
- They can choose to research or go exploring for these things in whichever order they wish of course.
- After this comes securing the items necessary to conduct the ritual.
- Once a player character has the item, the ritual instructions, and the material components they are then in a position to conduct the ritual.
It's at this point that all would likely get revealed. You might well find out though that this comes out a lot earlier than you hope for. This generic outline could also work if someone wants to become a lich, or eliminate magics, or basically any other nefarious goal.
The problem as I say though, is that you've put the cool concept ahead of knowing what the point of the adventure is. Again, I'm generalising but the goal of an adventure might be things like:
- Save the city from a hoarde of demons
- Defeat the lich who is raising an undead army
- Save the world from a mystical disease
- Take revenge on an enemy who has wrong the party
Unless or until you have an goal of that kind of nature set - you need to be focusing on that.
DM session planning template - My version of maps for 'Lost Mine of Phandelver' - Send your party to The Circus - Other DM Resources - Maps, Tokens, Quests - 'Better' Player Character Injury Tables?
Actor, Writer, Director & Teacher by day - GM/DM in my off hours.
Watch The Final Five Cylons arc on Battlestar Galactica and work in references to All Around the Watchtower whenever you can.
Jander Sunstar is the thinking person's Drizzt, fight me.
Forget everything I said...Plat has the right answer!
DM session planning template - My version of maps for 'Lost Mine of Phandelver' - Send your party to The Circus - Other DM Resources - Maps, Tokens, Quests - 'Better' Player Character Injury Tables?
Actor, Writer, Director & Teacher by day - GM/DM in my off hours.
This is a really cool concept. Something that comes to mind for me is apprentices pit against each other - perhaps there is one even bigger badder guy who has recruited this party, possibly using multiple identities. Each party member believes they are the sole Chosen, but they're all being used.
Could also tie into a quest to unite the 5 (or however many party members you have) relics of SomethingOrOther to attain ultimate power - with each party member searching for a different piece that they believe is the only one.
Currently homebrewing the Mistveil Rogue, an elusive infiltrator that can vanish into thin air.
thanks this is amazing an idea will use it