I think the consensus of opinions might be something like this
1) Play Gatavia again
2) New Characters
3) maybe advance the time-line 10 years, with our old characters as established NPC's
4) Not starting at level 1.
I myself was not looking forward to level 1 characters. Really, for all intents and purposes ACKS is just Basic/Expert D&D at the lowest levels. I don't need to run through level 1 of D&D again. They are just too fragile, and too incompetent in their class abilities. I know in the Badlands, I gave everyone an extra HD to help get over that hump. So, I would rather just give everyone a lump of XP, enough to put high XP classes like an elf spellsword (basically a fighter-mage) to 2nd, fighters, clerics and mages to 3rd level, and thieves to 4th level. If you really want the level 1 experience, you can live through your henchmen.
When I did the Melvek Wilds campaign (over a dozen years ago), which used the Basic/Expert version of D&D rules and so which were mechanically very close to ACKS, I started everyone at about 3rd level. Comparing it to Aquila and some others, it allowed the players to have characters that were already a little capable, and able to act on their own, and were more than one pit trap from death. Plus, I do want to get to higher level, and if we can scrape off the "fantasy fucking Vietnam" experience that is level 1 Basic D&D, we can get to the higher levels more quickly and with less random restarts.
Since Jason, Bob and Marlon were playing long-lived demi-humans,and were somewhere around 4th level, they could even convert them at their current level if they wanted to. But it might be more fun to advance them to 9th level and set up and official "Domain" apiece on the map as NPC's.
I think that boosting our characters to 9th and converting them to to "Domain" NPCs might be neat. First, and foremost, the thought of having 'Badaxe Hold' on the map makes me laugh a little bit. But it'll give us an idea of what we have to look forward to as far as followers and such.
ReplyDeleteThe XP starter pile sounds like a decent idea.
Maybe a night of establishing the world and our characters, rolling them up and such. I like the created history of Gatavia, and that we're all a part of it, from the "Wall of the Dead", our various home bases, and the on-going story.
ReplyDelete**NEWS FLASH** I found all my Gatavia notes, cards, maps..!
Remember such classics as Hobo with a Crossbow...Earl of the Mountains!.. And everybody loved Grumbles the Pack-hauler!
I still have my notes for my guys, but all my stuff wasn't as elaborate as Boscovania. Other than an elaborate enchanting forge in the city, all I had was Hog the Bounty Hunter. I hadn't expanded the forge the way I planned to. I had planned on doing a few other things once I started making magic weapons and armor.
ReplyDeleteWe might have to ret-con Badaxe Jack into a Craftpriest (fighter-cleric-crafting guy) rather than the expected "Vaultguard" (dwarf straight fighter) if we wanted to have him with a magic forge crafting weapons.
ReplyDeleteActually that's fine. The only concrete plan I had for Badaxe jack was that, as a dwarf destined for greater things, he was going to forge himself a weapon of power (THE Badaxe!) before he founded his own stronghold. I had even figured on him sacrificing a couple stat points to make the weapon even more powerful, putting a little bit of his soul into it.
ReplyDeleteI'll second Bob's idea of having a night just to establish the past and set up new characters.
ReplyDelete