Duets
Beginning
You should begin a war campaign with a scene that serves two purposes: to introduce the setting and help the player get a handle on their character. Of the two, helping the player grasp her character is the most important. Yes, the PC is likely fully drawn up with game statistics but stats should reflect the character — the character should not reflect the stats. It often takes a few sessions for a player to figure out her PC and her PC's place in the world. It is very recommended that you allow a player to make changes to her character over the beginning of the campaign. If you're a few adventures in and the player wants to change alignment, disadvantages, skills, even classes depending upon the RPG then allow it. At the same time, the narrator should be also figuring out the PC's abilities and drives. There is an interesting phenomenon that I have discovered in that players often have different levels of ability based on their PC. I have seen this many times as I have run players in multiple duets and seen their intrinsic ability change based upon their connection to their PC. If a player conceives of a PC as clever then the player will be cleverer but if the player conceives a PC as less clever then the player will be less clever. This is NOT simply roleplaying; the ability of the player will change.
That said here are some ideas of early scenes to develop and test things in a war campaign:
Enemy Scouts
Begin the campaign with the PC and a NPC pursuing enemy scouts who are lightly unarmed and not too significant of a threat. This is a good scene to get the basic cleverness and determination of a PC as well as the PC's penchant for mercy and dealing with weaker opponents.
Parley
Have the PC be sent to negotiate a prisoner exchange or some other diplomatic overture to the enemy. This can introduce the enemy and test the PC's ability to roleplay diplomatic situations. There is also nothing like conversing with the enemy to get the roleplaying flowing.
Specific Objective in Bigger Battle
Always begin a war campaign with a clear objective. The PC may be tasked with leading a space fighter strike against a sensor station which the rest of the fleet engages in a huge battle. This is a tight, clear battle against an epic backdrop. You also want to keep the number of NPCs low at the beginning and experiment with NPC personalities to find the right mix.
Train Troops
One of the most popular scenes in a war campaign is getting the PC to instruct troops. It can be an entire adventure in itself but it's also something that players seem to love. I have seen some crazy approaches to training over the years by PCs and this is something everyone loves to do from time to time.
There are also a few other tricks to consider in a war campaign right at the start:
Better Equipment
A duet campaign is about one PC, so protect the PC. Give the PC better equipment and make us some good excuse for it, but any edge will help the PC survive and flourish.
Veteran NPC
When it fits give the PC a NPC who is a veteran soldier or advisor who the narrator can use to explain the setting and help the PC in quandaries. The NPC is an inferior and should be loyal and respectful of the PC, but once again such a NPC is going to become an important part of the campaign. PCs love loyalty and competence in NPCs; if you want a NPC to be liked these are the two most important traits.
Winning SideÖto Start
At the beginning of a war campaign have the PC on the side that is likely to win the immediate battle or operation. Later you can put the PC in more dire situations but begin with her side with the advantage. It takes some pressure off the situation.
Reward Heroics
If the PC does something heroic or shows real talent then reward the PC with recognition and contacts among higher-ranked officers. Yes the PC may have rivals and people out to badmouth her accomplishments but a little recognition from an important NPC is worth more to a player than lots of XP or treasure. With a duet it's all about the interactions with NPCs and the setting — that's where the real rewards are to be found.
Have Alternative Story Arcs
Your war will dominate the campaign but you need to have alternative story arcs running concurrently that give the PC more options. Obviously, these alternative story arcs will be affected by and maybe even influence the war, but they should be different stylistically. When your player shows signs of fatigue or signals a desire to do something new then run with an alternative story arc. The following are four story arcs that fit most war campaigns:
Family
The PC's family can produce all manner of adventures and story arcs. Perhaps during the war the family is facing some trouble back home and the PC must take a break from the war to attend to those matters. It gives a nice switch to the tempo of the campaign and also adds more depth to the world.
Conspiracy
Someone is trying to undermine the PC's nation and it falls to the PC to discover the conspiracy and oppose it. This can be a complicated story arc but is good for PCs and narrators who like mysteries and intrigue. It is best if the clue to the conspiracy is found during the war and perhaps a more senior officer names the PC to investigate it.
Recruitment
The PC could be sent to a dominion or world to cajole the government there to send more troops to the war effort. This would be heavy in roleplaying but could have some suspense depending upon why the government has been hesitant to provide troops, maybe they actually support the other side or they have some danger in their lands that they fear.
Quest
The PC is charged with recovering some weapon or ally needed for the war. This can be a very classic adventure and depending upon what the PC is after could significantly change the course of the war.
Occupation Governance
The PC is charged with bringing a captured castle and town in line with her side. She has to face rebels, obstinate locals, and maybe even more sinister forces depending upon the campaign setting. This is a very different sort of campaign but can be quite exciting though depending upon the community the PC could be requesting a transfer back to the front lines pretty quickly.
Supporting the Cause
Instead of pitched battles, put the PC in protecting supply lines, building bridges/fortifications, and so forth. Just toss in some exciting complications like repairing a ruined bridge that is actually haunted or trying to find supply ships that have gone missing due to some temporal anomaly. Like with all story arcs you need something to catch the imagination and interest of the PC.
Romance
Romance should be a staple of any duet and it's perfect for war campaigns. A courtship over distance and in times of great difficulty is the recipe for most of the great romances of literature. Check early articles on romance for more on that, but this is a great backdrop for a war campaign.
Alright that is enough on this and war campaigns. I am looking for also any suggestions for other duet resources such as RPGs designed for duet campaigns or other materials online. I'm planning on doing a compilation here in one of the next columns.
