I know that D&D in general is super super varying from group to group; each one is unique in every sense. However, I've been asked to create a "general typical" campaign for one of my groups (by their request since I'm the D&D nerd of the group) that can go on for awhile. And I haven't seen enough campaigns for a good generalization. Does anyone have any intresting storylines I can modify? Or at least mention some of your favorites?

Quote from BoddisBossman >>

I know that D&D in general is super super varying from group to group; each one is unique in every sense. However, I've been asked to create a "general typical" campaign for one of my groups (by their request since I'm the D&D nerd of the group) that can go on for awhile. And I haven't seen enough campaigns for a good generalization. Does anyone have any intresting storylines I can modify? Or at least mention some of your favorites?

 Are you looking to modify a published campaign, or are you just trying to get inspiration from a homebrew campaign?

In my experience, a "typical" D&D campaign is basically fantasy Indiana Jones. A bunch of characters delve into ancient ruins across the fantasy world in search of relics and treasure, but a bad guy is trying to stop them. It can go on as long as you want, since there's a new delve every week—although the villains will always be a threat, and taking them down will be a fun conclusion.

That said, my favorite campaign that I ever ran had a crew of thieves working together in a series of heists for an eccentric collector codenamed Redletter. They had to break through the defenses of a noble's party, a magic college, a massive airship, and more, while evading, defeating, or repaying the people they'd stolen from in prior weeks. In the end, they found themselves facing off with a much more powerful rival crime boss who they'd taken one too many scores from. Basically, it was Ocean's Eleven meets fantasy—a bit like The Lies of Locke Lamora. Not exactly a "typical" campaign, but definitely a fun one!

That sounds really interesting, NaivaraArnaunna. I don't think I even considered anything like a heist. That adds a whole new branch of things to consider.

And to sum it up, I'm looking for anything really.

Just as a jumping off point, I think you could pretty easily pick almost any movie and do a D&D version of that story. For example, your post made me think it would be fun to do a campaign based on the French film La Femme Nikita (the party committed a heinous crime, they are "put to death" except that in reality that is a public front and they are actually secretly trained to work under new identities as assassins or spies, etc. for the government/King/Earl). You could probably grab plot points from several different movies and reset them in a fantasy setting: a couple of film noir movies, a few thrillers, and so on.

Try taking (bardic) inspiration from movies (my favorite is an Icelandic themed campaign based a lot from Frozen 2, and so are the 6 player characters actually)

If you want Ideas for a campaign, get Eberron rising from the last war. There are a ton of adventuring ideas and bad organizations. Tons of campaign ideas come to mind when you read it. The Eberron setting is amazing. Get the book.

All good ideas, and I really like the reference another person made to comparing a "basic" campaign to an Indiana Jones scenario. For a first time, here's a bit of advice: 

DON'T GO TOO BIG. 

JUST HAVE FUN. 

If your players are asking for a basic campaign, keep it simple, and fill up spare time between objectives with fun, role-played encounters with NPC's. Think of the campaign as a movie, or tv show; a basic plot, if there's fun characters, can go a looooooong way! 

Quote from Legion_excel >>

All good ideas, and I really like the reference another person made to comparing a "basic" campaign to an Indiana Jones scenario. For a first time, here's a bit of advice: 

DON'T GO TOO BIG. 

JUST HAVE FUN. 

If your players are asking for a basic campaign, keep it simple, and fill up spare time between objectives with fun, role-played encounters with NPC's. Think of the campaign as a movie, or tv show; a basic plot, if there's fun characters, can go a looooooong way! 

 I was just about to explain how my current game is about a war between 6 countries dividing a continent (large island?).

D&D campaigns are personal and what you find personally interesting determines what you can do well. What gets you excited in real life? Sea trading? War? Tournaments? Mercenaries? Being a lord?  Heists? Tomb raiding?

I mean, in my games, I like to slow it down and explain to the players about the economics and how that leads to the local authorities not having enough men to actually defend the lands and that's why a rich and prosperous region has a serious bandit problem: because none of the farmers want to have their men leave their fields. It's a classic guns and butter dilemna. But I'm interested in political theory and having well developed societies. Those ideas are really solid, but you probably can't just copy them  for your game; your brain doesn't work like my does. But my brain doesn't work like yours does.

So, again, what interests you?

Ok I'll plug myself here a bit. You can check my sig as I've done loads of videos on adventure/campaign/design/DM advice/Inspiration/Creativity and the sort. All the things that might answer the question of, "making a campaign. How or where do I start?"

Specific to your question, here and now - answer the following questions. Whatever your answer is, run with it! How do you run with it. My vids might help.

• "What did you find in that barrel?"
• "Why are all the guards wearing full plate at the front gate?"
• "What was that sound?"
• "Where did all the livestock go?"
• "A dwarf has a magical beard. What does he store in there?"
• "A series of 3 doors lead into a hidden cellar. It's the sort of place you'll find.."
• "A dragon fell from the sky. Dead. Ley energy snakes from it's body. Forces converge onto the site. They are?"
• "That thing is eating up all the other things. What's that thing?"
• "I drank the exact same thing as they did, but they all died. What's going on?"
• "That one guy/gal/thing in the hooded cloak has been following us for 3 days. Confront them and ask them what 3 questions?"
• "I finally found it. Finally! After all this time. What is it?"
• "Guy A - who would have thought that you could build such a thing. Fuse monster 1 and 2 together. Guy B - what's monster 1 and monster 2?"
• "God A just beat up God B and took control of God B's domains. Now, God B's domains are seen everywhere, but in God A's style..what does that look like?"
• "Search for the kidnapped princess - who was last seen in Kingdom A, 3 weeks ago. Kingdom B reported the kidnapped princess dead 1 year ago. What's goin' on?"
• "An unlikely group of monsters are on the run. First, deal with them, as they are rampaging the countryside. Then deal with what they're running from."
• "All the worlds most powerful Druids turn into squirrels for 2 weeks a year. Tomorrow is the start of this "transformation. What goes down?"
•  A legendary carvan roams the lands - like a mobile Mordenkainen's Magnificent or something. "Who are the riders? "Where does it go?" "Why?"
• A hag is pissed. She's cursed an entire nations ability to make fire - even magically. You can kill her to undo it, but until..what's the avalanche that occurs from the curse?"
• Lean into A Quiet Place or Bird Box (movies). Folk say, "when you walk through that mountain, make 0 noise. Lest you wake the beast!" "What beast?"
• Courtesans robbed an infamous pirate. They've holed up in a nearby temple, asking for protection. "What did they steal that warrants them being hunted?"
• You're part of a 'large-beast-retrieval-party'. Go out, gather more Tarrasque level parts from the big dead things out there and see what's what.
• Your drug lord father adopts the half-orc son of the rival drug lord that he killed. You find out that your adopted brother is in line for chieftain of a terribly powerful Orc War Tribe.

Does any of this help? Start small. Answer a question, build a 4 - 6 hr session out of it. Grab miniatures, build terrain. Set up a fight and some key NPCs to talk to. Finish the session, ask questions of your players - ("what did you like?" "What didn't you like?" "What do you want more of?" "What do you never want to see again?"). Use that info to start building the next session. Stack those sessions on top of each other over the course of 8 months to 1 year and you my friend, have a campaign worthy of the gods!

At this point the Forgotten Reals are pretty typical. You could choose one of the existing FR-based D&D adventures and try that. Look around for reviews on them to see which ones are of the most interest.