[Discworld] What scenarios are we all planning?

[dom1]

With the new edition of Discworld RPG due out imminently, I'd love to know what scenario and/or campaign ideas people are working on? With so many new characters and ideas in the DW books since the original edition came out, there must be a ton of fresh material to be exploited in GURPS...

To get things started, I've just begun documenting my own campaign which is moving to Quirm for an epic battle between the Fools' Guild and the Undead on my blog and, in addition, I added a Dungeon Dimensions scenario seed in honour of Halloween last night ;)

So, where on Discworld will you be gaming?

[whswhs]

I'm not planning a Discworld campaign currently. My gaming is in disarray, as the result of moving to a new city; I haven't located potential players here.

When I ran a Discworld campaign, a few years back, it was set in Lancre. I decided that as part of his efforts at modernization and Being a Good King, Verence II had decreed that Lancre would have a Watch, modelled on the Night Watch in Ankh-Morpork, and had (of course) assigned Sean Ogg to set it up. Things got very exciting when an aristocratic young woman calling herself Lucia de Gramarye was murdered, and suspicion fell on Queen Magrat, because the young woman had been flirting with Verence. . . .

[johndallman]

I'm not planning a Discworld campaign at present. I plan to run some demos at the local game shop, and Phil Masters has kindly provided me with copies of his demo scenarios and pregen characters for that.

My Infinite Cabal campaign could in theory visit the Discworld, but the styles wouldn't fit together well, and I don't really want to start a new group at present: I lack the time and energy for it.

[whswhs]

Originally Posted by johndallman

My Infinite Cabal campaign could in theory visit the Discworld, but the styles wouldn't fit together well, and I don't really want to start a new group at present: I lack the time and energy for it.

I actually hope to start a new campaign, once I find prospective players. But I can't know what the tastes of the hypothetical players will be. And a Discworld campaign would probably need to be comedy, which I can do, but which is one of the hardest flavors to get right; adventure, or horror, is more forgiving of slips in tone.

[lachimba]

I want to do a Twin Peaks Discworld campaign.

An oddball cop sent from Ankh Morpork to a more remote part if the Disc to assist with a murder investigation. Quirky town members, demonic possession.

Damn fine coffee.

Sounds like a pretty straight Discworld adventure.


In the meantime I have a couple of scenarios for convention games. If a convention even goes ahead.

[dom1]

Originally Posted by lachimba

I want to do a Twin Peaks Discworld campaign.

An oddball cop sent from Ankh Morpork to a more remote part if the Disc to assist with a murder investigation. Quirky town members, demonic possession.

Damn fine coffee.

Sounds like a pretty straight Discworld adventure.

Twin Peaks - what an amazing setting that would be! Klatchian coffee might fit the bill with the PC's knurd half the time... Great idea, love to know how that works out.

[dripton]

I might have to run a Hogswatchnight adventure for the family over Christmas.

[Kelly Pedersen]

An idea for a Discworld campaign that I've had for a while, but will probably never get the chance to run, is a war comedy game. For the setup, I would draw Monstrous Regiment, as one of the only three "war" stories in the Discworld (the other two being Jingo and Interesting Times), and the only one that has the setting element I want - namely, an ongoing military unit.

I would establish that, after the Borogravians made some kind of peace with their neighbors (probably enforced by Ankh-Morpork), the high command didn't really know what to do with the new wave of soldiers. Many of them had dangerously independent ideas, having signed up, not under the old recruitment system based on propaganda and outright lies, but freely, based on honest patriotism but also with a clear idea of the flaws as well as the good points of Borogravia. And, of course, many of whom were openly women, with Polly Oliver's example setting the standard. So, after the peace was secured, Borogravian high command dealt with the new problem by making it go far away - they established the Borogravian Legion Abroad, a force of Borogravian soldiers who the leadership of Borogravia would offer to "lend" to other nations needing some military muscle, and hoping to take advantage of Borogravia's tradition of, if not military genius, then at least dogged stubbornness.

The PCs would be members of the Legion Abroad, sent all over the Disc to fight in small brushfire wars that are eternally threatening to blow up into big wars. The Legion is officially all Borogravian, but when you're a thousand miles from home, and suffering 50% casualties from wounds, disease, desertion, and the bad batch of bootheel gin that the quartermaster's junior adjutant distributed, well, Borogravian citizenship can be extended remarkably quickly to likely lads, lasses, or others who want to sign up. Which is to say, characters could come from all over the Disc, as long as they're willing to serve in the military.

Adventures would be military themed, but, this being Discworld, would focus on the absurdity of military life, and have a humanist element - opposing forces would be people just like the PCs, not faceless hordes to be cut down without remorse, and the human cost of war would be on display. "M.A.S.H. on the Discworld" would probably be a passable description.

[dom1]

Hi Kelly,

That's a fantastic basis for a campaign, I haven't read Monstrous Regiment yet (working my way through the series in order!) but I can just imagine how Sir Terry dealt with military life and idiocies. As my dad was a career soldier in the British Army I've a reasonable idea of how interesting life in the military can be, both in positive and negative ways. The "Legion Abroad' concept sounds like a really clever way to get a variety of PC's together too.

It'd be great to hear more about the progress of your campaign in time :)

[Kelly Pedersen]

Originally Posted by dom1

As my dad was a career soldier in the British Army I've a reasonable idea of how interesting life in the military can be, both in positive and negative ways.

I'd really like to put a British flavour into the campaign - unfortunately, most of the military comedies I'm familiar with are American. I know of "Blackadder Goes Forth", but are there any other British military comedies (actually set in an active theater of war, so "Dad's Army" is probably out) that you know of and could recommend as source material for this sort of thing?

Originally Posted by dom1

The "Legion Abroad' concept sounds like a really clever way to get a variety of PC's together too.

Thanks, that was definitely the point. Plus, I think the element of "go where the higher-ups tell you, and work for whoever they're helping out this month" also contributes to the kind of war stories I'd like to tell. There's a very different feel if the characters are fighting to defend their homes and countrymen-and-women, compared to fighting strangers who really have no particular interest in them beyond the basic "you're trying to kill us".

Originally Posted by dom1

It'd be great to hear more about the progress of your campaign in time :)

Well, like I said, this is an idea I've had for a while, but have no particular hope of running. If someone wants to steal it, be my guest!