Back here I set out an "elevator pitch" for the campaign I was thinking about. At the time it was just a kernel of an idea stuck in my brain and I hadn't game planned it all out yet.
Now after a long series of posts where we shared together my thought process and the resources I have made up or gathered, I want to show you the current draft of the campaign pitch document.
What is a campaign pitch document? A campaign pitch document tells prospective players enough about your campaign setting and idea that they will know what to expect, at least at the start. Even if you have a good group of regular players, I think it is important to communicate the setting and premise of the campaign.
In my campaign pitch documents, I give the players a little bit of choice as to what kind of campaign to start out. Not 100% free rein of course. Leaving some things out and setting some limits makes a particular setting memorable and distinct. But giving some choices within the limits of the setting means that everyone gets some ownership of the process right from the start.
Here is the text as it stands now from the Fallen Empire campaign pitch document. Let me know what you like and especially what you don't like about it.
FALLEN
EMPIRE CAMPAIGN
This campaign takes place in the City of Port.
It was once the greatest city in the world. But over the last eight centuries
as the world has cooled and waves of barbarians have attacked, settled,
assimilated and become civilized, it has declined significantly in population
and stature. Now enclaves of Men sit in between ruins where the old city once
thrived. New guilds and old noble houses vie for power. And - oh yes - the
Prince lays dying in his enormous castle without an heir. Treasure hunters are
looting his worldly possessions inside it as we speak.
Politics, trade, reclaiming the city’s territory
and catacombs from monsters, and exploring the decrepit castle on the hill: all
these things are happening right now in Port, the City of the Fallen
Empire.
This is a very human setting. No more than 40%
of the party may be demi-men at any time. The lethality is very high. Have a
backup character and/or a henchman you wouldn’t mind playing because your man
can die easily. Politics and role-playing will be important to some degree.
Campaign
Pitch 1: You work for one of
the Great Powers as a team of salvage experts. You are tasked with extracting
as much wealth and as many secrets from the Prince’s castle as you can. Tactics
and knowledge of combat rules will be important. (High level of dungeoneering; moderate exploration; low politics.) One
goal would be to retire to your own castle inside or outside the city.
Campaign
Pitch 2: You each work for one of the Great Powers. Some of you
may work together and some may not. You will navigate the city as free agents
and tackle political as well as dungeon-type problems as they arise and as you
choose. (Moderate dungeoneering; moderate exploration; low to moderate
politics.) One goal would be to master a guild or noble house. Another
might be to have your own castle, mercenary company, or merchant fleet.
Campaign
Pitch 3: You are scions of a noble house or greater guild. You
maneuver within your factions to achieve power and then use it to exert your
will upon the other Great Powers with the end goal of becoming the ruler of
Port and eventually the whole Fallen Empire. (Low dungeoneering, moderate mass
combat, high politics, high domain management.)
So that's how that looks. It sets out the campaign setting very briefly and then gives the players a few choices, including how those choices might affect gameplay at the table.
At the bottom of the sheet I include my email and phone number in order to encourage people to contact me away from the table. I also encourage the players - all the time - to email and text me whenever they want. Having an ongoing dialogue away from the table is almost as good as squeezing in a whole extra play session every week.
What do you think?
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