Brave New World
But you're always thinking about the next big campaign (many times before you should be) you say? Ah, I see you've read my column before.
Well this time I'm clinging to my Pathfinder campaign like a man adrift in the ocean clutching a chunk of driftwood. I've discussed changing campaigns with my players during Pathfinder but we've stuck it out instead.
Why I want to switch from Pathfinder is slightly germane to how I came up with the player survey idea. The reason is two-fold: I've been playing D20 for eleven years now with only one real break (NWoD Hunters campaign) and the work (paperwork coupled with the maps and mini planning)is a lot of, well, work. But the why isn't what the column is about this month, it is the method I want to talk about. In the "Crisis with Infinite Campaigns" days I'd just go to a game night, scrap the campaign, and have everyone start over. You go through a few gaming groups that way.
With my new emphasis on the players not the game I don't do that anymore. I might want to switch out of Pathfinder for a while, but I'm not going to without my players being on board (or if a lot of them quitting requires a change).
Even if my players did give the greenlight to play something new, I wouldn't just want to pick something I like and tell them to roll up characters. I'd be running a campaign like TSR ran a corporation and likely with similar results. I'd be going on gut instinct and guesswork rather than asking the players directly what they want. My past columns detail some of the chaos that results from not asking questions, especially the right questions.
Instead, I decided on a player survey. I'll just ask the players what they like and see what responses I get.
A Survey in Twelve Questions
Here's my survey. I wanted to cover what interests I had that might overlap with my players and get some basic preferences out of them to help me shape future campaigns. Gaming group--please read and respond ASAP,
I know you guys are busy, but I get very little time to talk to you guys about stuff outside the actual campaign we're in. If you would please take the time to respond in the next week with answers to this short player survey (and check the links if needed) I'd really appreciate it. Thanks!
Player Survey
1. How long in months do you prefer a campaign to last?
2. How many players do you prefer to game with?
3. What is your favorite RPG (ruleset, setting, etc.; be as specific as you'd like).
4. What is the earliest version of Dungeons & Dragons you've played?
5. If you enjoy reading books other than RPGs what genre(s)/type(s) do you read?
6. Who is your favorite author?
7. Who is your favorite game designer (if you have one)?
8. If you have another favorite hobby other than RPGs what is it?
9. Who is your favorite music performer/singer/band/style?
10. Pick your favorite choice among these options (clink link for more info):
Dungeon Crawl Classic homebrew and see Hurricane Bayou below
Dark Sun 4E with Player Handbooks 1-3 and no online DDI
11. Pick your second favorite choice from the options above.
12. Pick your third favorite choice from the options above.
13. Any other feedback here.
Again, thanks so much for your timely and well thought out responses! Very helpful info for me to have.
DCC RPG Hurricane Bayou
I sent this blurb about the Dungeon Crawl Classics RPG beta as well. I playtested the Free RPG day adventure and really, really liked the ruleset.
Background:
Hurricane Bayou is just south of New Ordane, capitol town of the kingdom of Naris. Perched above the morass and rotting vegetation huddles a small village. Ruled by Sir Robert, the village of Lacroix clings with clutching fingers to life, eking out existence through fishing, hunting, working as guides for hunters down from New Ordane, and it is rumored occasional smuggling and piracy.
Lurking over the village squats a hut perched on bird legs. From her roost, Baba Baeyoen practices voodoo and necromancy. She culls anyone from the village that begins to grow too powerful. She keeps two juju ghoul slaves, both elves, which appeals to her wicked sense of irony. The alligators around her home on stilts guard her and spy for her.
The last knight to rule Lacroix was Dame Angelique, who ruled from her home, Manor Mirrone. When Dame Angelique became popular enough to start drawing newcomers to the village and was a few months away from becoming a baron, Baba Baeyoen cursed her and her home. The mirrors in the home opened into a nightmare dimension that was a twisted reflection of the manor. Dame Angelique and all her knights never left the manor and it remains empty and haunted to this day.
Since that time, Lacroix has shrunk down until the inbred degenerate swamp dwellers out in the bayou have begun to outnumber the villagers. The village rots, both in heart and body, and the future is bleak. No one has the means or silver to leave and anyone who tries to stand and save Lacroix will doubtless draw the attention of Baba Baeyoen.
The situation might never have changed until the village just sank into the mire if the villagers closest to Manor Mirrone hadn't disappeared, with bloody tracks leading back to the manor. Something other than the witch is preying on the village. With no way to leave and little chance of convincing anyone from New Ordane to intervene, Sir Robert should go in with his knights. But he has gone hunting and seems unlikely to return in time to find anything but a ghost village, if he returns at all.
So someone has to go in and stop the monster of Manor Mirrone from dragging every last villager away to some hellish fate. Baba Baeyoen be damned, someone must step forward now and worry about the witch later. Time to face the monster of Manor Mirrone.
For the Players:
Uses the Dungeon Crawl Classics RPG beta rules
Suggested female names:
Adelaide/Adele, Angelique, Annette, Babet, Carmelite, Caroline, Catarina, Cecile/Cecilia, Celestine, Charlotte, Clemence, Constance, Delia, Delphine, Desiree, Dominique, Elizabeth, Emilie, Estelle, Fanchon, Felicie/Felicite, Francoise, Gabriela, Genevieve, Georgina, Elena/Helene, Heloise, Henriette, Ines, Isabelle, Isadora, Jeanne/Jeanette, Josephine, Julia, Juliette, Justine, Lisette, Louise(a), Magdalene(a), Manon, Manette/Nanette, Marceline, Marguerite, Marie(a), Marianne, Marthe, Martine, Mathilde, Modeste, Monique, Paulina, Perrine, Serafine, Sophie, Suzanne, Rachel, Rosalie, Rosaline, Rose, Rosette, Vistoire, Zelime.
Suggested male names:
Adolphe, Alberto, Alcee, Alexandre, Alexis, Alphonse, Andre, Antoine, Armand, Auguste/Augustin, Baptiste, Bartholome/Barthelmy, Benedicte, Bernard, Celestin, Charles, Charlot, Christophe, Clement, Edouard, Erasme, Francois, Gabriel, Guillaume, Gustave, Henri, Honore, Hortense, Isadore, Jacques, Jean, Joseph, Jules, Julien, Laurent, Leonide, Louis, Marcel, Marcos, Martin, Mathieu, Michel, Narcisse, Nicolas, Noel, Patrice, Pierre, Phillipe, Prosper, Rafael/Raphael, Raimond, Rene, Robert, Simon, Theodule, Thomas/Tomas, Valentin(e), Victor, Vincent(e), Virgil, Xavier.
Next Month
I sent the survey to my players as I finished writing this column (end of June) and I'll report back on what I learned (if I can get them to fill it out) next month. How I get them to fill it out may become part of the challenge!
Game on,
Charlie
