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Author Topic: A Multigenerational RPG idea....  (Read 3284 times)

Jam The MF

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A Multigenerational RPG idea....
« on: October 16, 2021, 01:28:51 AM »
Shadow of the DL introduces the premise; that the end is at hand, will happen soon, and there's nothing you can do to stop it.  How do you want to spend the last days, I suppose?

Ok, how about this idea instead:

Starting out in a game setting, where survival and a better existence are the objective; but it's so dang hard to achieve, that the players come to realize that they won't see the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow in their own lifetimes.  They will instead have to set things in motion, for their children to reap the rewards.  The PCs start out playing the parents, and then end up playing the next generation into the new reality.

Let the Dice, Decide the Outcome.  Accept the Results.

HappyDaze

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Re: A Multigenerational RPG idea....
« Reply #1 on: October 16, 2021, 01:40:02 AM »
If you want to do this, I recommend limiting PCs to races/species that have roughly similar (probably human-norm) lifespans.

Greentongue

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Re: A Multigenerational RPG idea....
« Reply #2 on: October 16, 2021, 08:26:46 AM »
Something like Pendragon?

Klytus

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Re: A Multigenerational RPG idea....
« Reply #3 on: October 16, 2021, 10:43:22 AM »
You should have a look at Legacy: Life Among the Ruins, which is a post apocalyptic version of that exact idea. It's PBTA, so that might not be your jam, but it's worth mining for ideas and inspiration.

https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/237393/Legacy-Life-Among-the-Ruins-2nd-Edition
Klytus, I'm bored. What plaything can you offer me today?

An obscure body in the S-K System, Your Majesty. The inhabitants refer to it as the planet... "Earth".

Lunamancer

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Re: A Multigenerational RPG idea....
« Reply #4 on: October 16, 2021, 12:32:52 PM »
Sounds a lot like the AD&D campaigns I've been running for decades. I've been calling them dynastic campaigns. I don't necessarily map out, "Oh, this generation is going to be a campaign with a survival theme, this one is going to be enjoying the fruits, etc.." I just let it be. I'm careful to track time and age of characters. I also do the periodic disease checks. So there is an emphasis placed on mortality such that PCs will have strong reason to want to build families. First generation demi-humans make great mentors for second generation humans, still themselves in their prime adventuring years but higher level making it easier for 1st level human types to level up. Half-orcs have the advantage of half-orc offspring reaching adventuring age quicker than all other races.
That's my two cents anyway. Carry on, crawler.

Tu ne cede malis sed contra audentior ito.

Mishihari

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Re: A Multigenerational RPG idea....
« Reply #5 on: October 16, 2021, 12:58:08 PM »
This reminds me of a video game I played as a teen, where you played a king in the Mongol empire.  You had to choose between primary activities, like war, diplomacy. industry, and commerce, and family time.  If you focused on the primary activities and neglected your family you could do very well for a while, but when your king died and his son ascended the game would become very difficult because your ruler's abilities were so limited.  You could do something similar in D&D where a player could choose to spend XP on his current character or one of his descendants.