Brainstorming

Created: December 26, 2006

• Capture rather than death
• Maps as handouts
• To do this: recon stage, plan missions beforehand
• They have a map (at least general layout) starting out
• Allows strategy planning, reduces tedium
• Home base
• Something else for players to do, during downtime
• Campaign blog – possibly an “in-character” thing
• Mission system?
• Themed character concepts
• Arcana Evolved rules
• Themed characters (echoing world themes)
• Epic—something big, world-shattering going on (maybe)
• Talking/investigation
• Primarily human enemies (more work)
• PCs are different; special
• That’s what makes it epic
• Character themes make them special—one of them is the Fire of the West, Soul of Courage (or whatever); they aren’t just “adventurers)
• Magic is common or uncommon? Either way could work
• Arcana Evolved setting?
• Dragons could be part of the theme/element system
• Less work
• Appearance of PCs makes them potential harbingers of doom
• Return of the dragons
• Dramojh
• When was the last time “they” (whatever they are) were around?
• Have the giants ever been involved?
• Were they all human last time?
• All other times?
• Restricted to this continent?
• Last time—they fought the dramojh? (Lost!)
• How connected are they to the dragons?
• Bring in “Superhero” themes
• That’s what adventurers are!
• (Secret identities? Ooh . . . like that idea)
• PCs are . . . the Justice League! With magic!
• Does this work with element theming?
• Replacement concept?
• Ditch themes in favor of “superheroes”?
• Use it to open up campaign?
• Cool costumes, cool names
• Ordinary/fantastic dichotomy? (Inherent in superhero genre)
• Secret identities might be . . . unfun
• Would they really want to be peasants sometimes?
• Maybe they’re (or one of them is) royalty
• Can’t be known they’re adventuring
• Make secret identity interesting in some other way
• Bring in Ye Olde Theme: What is people?
• Are robots people? (Okay . . . not really relevant)
• Are humans people?
• Some giants might not think so
• Some dragons might not think so
• Are mojh people?
• Rather—are all the core races people?
• Equally?
• Are “supers” people?
• Magic types are supers, maybe
• Akashics are very super-y, though
• None of the classes are really “normal”
• How do their abilities divide them from “normal people”?
• Are there normal people?
• Is there any group better than “normal”?
• Dragons
• Giants
• Humans
• Supers
• Note: don’t use term “supers” in game material
• How can I fit Supers together with the Epic concept?
• Do I want to?
• Is the Supers concept worth scrapping the Epic-ness for?
• Do I need to?
• “Saving the world”: Super and Epic (Super Epic!)
• Original Epic concept (character themes . . .) involved artifacts
• Not terribly super
• Makes it more about equipment
• Get their super-powers from equipment?
• Supers: tapping into the way the world works
• Going back: capture rather than death makes it more super-heroic
• Maybe just heroic . . .
• Other Super things:
• Colorful, dramatic bad guys
• Joker, Syndrome, etc.
• Personal conflicts with the players (characters)
• Distinct style
• Rules based? Gimmick?
• Costumes – this would actually be really cool
• “Batcave” – cool place to go between missions, during missions
• See above: home base
• Relationship with “legitimate authority”
• Side-kicks
• Competent NPCs who really aren’t in the same league as PCs
• Do useful things, speed up play
• “Take care of the hostages—I’ll go after General Doom!”
• Plot hooks “Oh noes! Captured!”
• Wildly varied character powers working together
• Fits perfectly with D&D assumptions
• Deathtraps
• Another good fit
• Very elaborate, wacky traps
• X Epic tasks
• Must be completed to “fulfill prophecy”
• Overthrow Empire (Skaraven)
• Gimmes—for rolls that failure isn’t interesting, auto success