Help me create a campaign.

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Omi43221

Trakanon Raider
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824
I have told my gaming group that I would come up with a unique futuristic campaign. (Why the fuck I did that I have no idea.) Anyway I'm going to use this thread to put my thoughts together and suggestions from anyone is welcome.

Over arching story line

The year is 2054, the biggest change is that in 2051 general AI was created within a 6 month period by 3 different companies. Google, IBM and PEZY. The three AI's are being pursued by 2 Illuminati groups for control over them. The upper echelon of the Illuminati groups all have psychic abilities. The characters don't know it at the beginning of the campaign but they all are also psychic powered individuals. They will learn about there powers as the campaign progresses. The characters are recruited by the AI to defend them against the Illuminati groups.

Any suggestions for more back ground story would be greatly appreciated.

Other differences. Nintendo 18 years ago came up with a revolutionary gaming technique that is now labeled 'the dream'. People take a drug fall asleep on specialized pad and can enter a collective dream world. Psychics typically are more powerful and unrestricted in 'the dream.'

So the campaign starts with the characters meeting at a bar, they are all former student of Cambridge University and are all old friends. They all meet each other as part of sociologist / archaeologist Dr Steggermeyers classes. They sit and talk about old times. There is public warning message that goes out while they are at the bar that local asylum for the criminally insane has had a riot and a breach. It is strongly recommend that people stay in their homes until further notice by public officials. As typical people in the bar ignore the warning and keep drinking and having a good time. Eventually one of the characters that's power is psychic sensitivity feels a woman being attacked outside in the alley. First encounter the players against three escapes from the insane asylum.

One of the characters is a precog and has a feeling that someone else very important is being hunted. Characters face first low level illuminati group that is trying to abduct a hacker named 'mirage' they are going to use her to help get to the AI. Characters also get notice for the first time that they are being observed.

[ Need another encounter] before encounter with AI
First powerful Illuminati character with mind control power takes control of one of the characters to try and steal mirage.

[Need to figure out how the three AI will present themselves to the characters and talk to them about their wanting them to defend them]

[Need to flesh out what the Illuminati actually are]

[Need to list of character powers]
PRECOG -
PSYCHIC HEALER / GENERATOR
PSYCHIC SHEILD
PSYCHIC SENSE
PSYCHIC ILLUSION

Last need to make final decision on what system to use. Right now I'm leaning towards using GURPS. They have rules for psychic combat that I saw that I think might lend itself to the campaign.
 

Arbitrary

Tranny Chaser
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I got you.

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Onoes

Trakanon Raider
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I would suggest starting out with them gaining the mysterious psychic powers , as that's a big "what?". I assume psychic powers aren't common (or even known much) in just 30 something years from now, so the chances of a random group of friends all having them seems slim. Maybe they meet up in the virtual world, and witness something, or end up somewhere they aren't supposed to be. Maybe the AI notice them and their strong bonds to each other and unlock their psychic ability? Maybe its something all humans are capable of, but we aren't ready or something. The guys in the Illuminati figured out some way to force the change on themselves, maybe by secretly taking one of the AI's apart (a lost 4th AI) or something. Anyway, boom, some huge calamity, the virtual world explodes or something, maybe everyone who was connected die, huge worldwide travesty. The hero's are the only users who woke up, bloody noses, eyes, ears, whatever, splitting headaches.

Psychic powers start to awaken, they all meet up to talk and try to figure it out. Maybe the Illuminati are targeting them because they lived through the event. Maybe the AI are contacting them on the phone, trying to help. They just think its some person helping them, they have no idea.


Just some ideas.

I know as a player, if I thought I was playing in a slightly futuristic game and suddenly all of us were psychic I would want to know what the hell was going on.
 

Omi43221

Trakanon Raider
924
824
I would suggest starting out with them gaining the mysterious psychic powers , as that's a big "what?". I assume psychic powers aren't common (or even known much) in just 30 something years from now, so the chances of a random group of friends all having them seems slim. Maybe they meet up in the virtual world, and witness something, or end up somewhere they aren't supposed to be. Maybe the AI notice them and their strong bonds to each other and unlock their psychic ability? Maybe its something all humans are capable of, but we aren't ready or something. The guys in the Illuminati figured out some way to force the change on themselves, maybe by secretly taking one of the AI's apart (a lost 4th AI) or something. Anyway, boom, some huge calamity, the virtual world explodes or something, maybe everyone who was connected die, huge worldwide travesty. The hero's are the only users who woke up, bloody noses, eyes, ears, whatever, splitting headaches.

Psychic powers start to awaken, they all meet up to talk and try to figure it out. Maybe the Illuminati are targeting them because they lived through the event. Maybe the AI are contacting them on the phone, trying to help. They just think its some person helping them, they have no idea.


Just some ideas.

I know as a player, if I thought I was playing in a slightly futuristic game and suddenly all of us were psychic I would want to know what the hell was going on.

That's one of the plot points , Dr Steggermeyer is former Illuminati and the reason they are all drawn together is they feel a bit different than everyone else. Only players and Illuminati will be psychic.
 
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Kuriin

Just a Nurse
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I would perhaps use Mutants and Masterminds rulesets for some of your characters.
 

Omi43221

Trakanon Raider
924
824
That is a massive amount of work, I would literally just steal from other games. Look up Star Wars edge of the empire character trees, to include force sensitive and just pull from there. To be honest I love the dice mechanics of that game, just wish I liked future/star wars tech enough to keep it rolling.

This is good suggestion, have any module suggestions that I might steal from.
 

Hatorade

A nice asshole.
8,148
6,497
Actually yes "The jewel of Yavin" starts off with a heist gone wrong then a chase scene. Then the setup to steal what you stole again, very adaptable.

Also look into Shadowrun modules, that is essentially what you are creating but I know less about that RPG.
 
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Omi43221

Trakanon Raider
924
824
So I had my first session and I think it went really well.

The first part of the session went pretty much to how I planned it.

So the campaign starts with the characters meeting at a bar, they are all former student of Cambridge University and are all old friends. They all meet each other as part of sociologist / archaeologist Dr Steggermeyers classes. They sit and talk about old times. There is public warning message that goes out while they are at the bar that local asylum for the criminally insane has had a riot and a breach. It is strongly recommend that people stay in their homes until further notice by public officials. As typical people in the bar ignore the warning and keep drinking and having a good time. Eventually one of the characters that's power is psychic sensitivity feels a woman being attacked outside in the alley. First encounter the players against three escapes from the insane asylum.

I uped the number of escapes to 5 and the insane asylum now reconnects to the characters story line several times. in 2054 it is the Brewer Sanatorium for the clinically insane.

At the end of the encounter one of the characters sees 'Mirage' being abducted but there isn't anything they can do about it. She does notice though a symbol on the abductors that they have seen at Dr Steggermeyers house. At this point only 3 of the characters have a little bit of their psychic powers revealed. The next day they meet up and go to visit Dr Steggermeyer's house. When they get there Dr Steggermeyer is being actively recruited by a henchmen to some group called 'The Three' (better name needed, suggestions welcome). Dr Steggermeyer suggests that the group would be better candidates to hire since he is an old man and not in the 'game' anymore. The group agrees to go with the henchmen downtown to their facility to be interviewed. At this point the characters are inserted into the dream. The dream sequence starts with them riding on a boat to north island to the Dr Aldous Brewer Spa and Wellness Center in the year 1954. That's where the first session left off

Thanks to some inspiration from Hatorade I found some supplements that I am working into my campaign so that I am not making up everything myself.

These are my plans for the next few sessions :
Second session will be them investigating the sanitorium and stopping a creature that is picking off the patients and is controlling one of the staff to bring to the creature to sacrifice them. This whole sequence is a test of the characters ability to work together and moral character.

Third Session : Immediately after coming out of the dream the characters are thrust into saving Mirage with info and gear being provided by 'The Three' After saving Mirage the characters have direct interaction with the three and it revealed who they are. (Need more detail on how this will all work)

Fourth Session: Then one of the characters is mind controlled by one of the other Illuminati groups and is instructed to abduct mirage again. The character while mind controlled has powerful illusion abilities. Mirage is abducted and taken to the North Island under the Sanatorium where the Illuminati group has one of its bases. The characters have several clues that will lead them to north island where they can attempt to

Fifth Session Ideas ; The three threaten to kill Mirage because she is a continuous threat, One of the characters finds out he is immortal and the other illuminati groups are all lead by immortals. Im wide open to ideas here


To do list :
I need to figure out how things are going to conclude, what would be a good ending for the group.

I need a defined power list for each character that they acquire as time goes on

I need personal missions for each of the characters that they can play out as the campaign continues.




S
Business Manager
Family business recently went under
FInd a job
Energy converter/ projector (invisibity)


Q
Patent Clerk
Discover perpetual motion machine creator
Precog


O
Forensic Accountant
Put together team to uncover source of adaptive hack
Illusion / Psychic dream assault / Bionics


B
Linguistics Expert and Archaeologist
Currently working on Egyptian dig site for princess Annephis and the Temple of Bast
Forcefield Powers / Immortality


Z
Social Worker / Psychologist
Do a good deed
Healer / Enhancer
 

Palum

what Suineg set it to
22,989
32,184
My favorite way to introduce powers is to define what they are and then set parameters to "trigger" them. During gameplay, when those characters do certain things, use careful narrative to suggest the outcome is slightly odd. For instance, random dude with no survival skills is trying to start a fire, it starts instantly and grows easily because the guy can control fire magic even though he doesn't know it. Later a lantern that tips over doesn't light curtains on fire by some miracle, etc. Eventually they hopefully catch on. Some games they miss certain things though, which is part of the fun.

Doesn't have to be character based either, items as well. I hate the "identify with spell" nonsense. It's just a sword until you crit with a 20 and cut a head clean off THEN you know it's vorpal.
 

Omi43221

Trakanon Raider
924
824
My favorite way to introduce powers is to define what they are and then set parameters to "trigger" them. During gameplay, when those characters do certain things, use careful narrative to suggest the outcome is slightly odd. For instance, random dude with no survival skills is trying to start a fire, it starts instantly and grows easily because the guy can control fire magic even though he doesn't know it. Later a lantern that tips over doesn't light curtains on fire by some miracle, etc. Eventually they hopefully catch on. Some games they miss certain things though, which is part of the fun.

Doesn't have to be character based either, items as well. I hate the "identify with spell" nonsense. It's just a sword until you crit with a 20 and cut a head clean off THEN you know it's vorpal.

I was doing exactly that, for example in the fight with crazies the precog 'saw' one of the other characters being hit with a two by four with a nail in it in the head. He pushes him out of the way before the strike actually connects. Then I reveal his level 1 power is once per short rest he can turn on precog defences for an hour. This gives him the ability to dodge all targeted attacks and he is at double advantage on all attack and defense rolls. But if he ever fails and gets hit he takes an extra 3d6 of psychic damage.
 

Mist

Eeyore Enthusiast
<Gold Donor>
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I like that the campaign still starts in a tavern.
 
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Omi43221

Trakanon Raider
924
824
Next step of the campaign is rescuing someone and then having that person stolen back again. Anyone know a module out there that might be similar to this?
 

Hatorade

A nice asshole.
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Next step of the campaign is rescuing someone and then having that person stolen back again. Anyone know a module out there that might be similar to this?

There is many but grab a good rescue one like "The Abduction of Good King Despot" and just replace the last part with a doppleganger/clone whatever and then they have to really find and rescue the person in question.
 

Omi43221

Trakanon Raider
924
824
There is many but grab a good rescue one like "The Abduction of Good King Despot" and just replace the last part with a doppleganger/clone whatever and then they have to really find and rescue the person in question.


That looks like an excellent suggestion. You wouldn't know where I could find it for free or a very cheap version of it?