Thursday, September 6, 2018

Campaign Planning - Lands out of Time

A large amount of the work
is already done for me.
Let's use the campaign planning form from the back of How to Be a GURPS GM and see how much it helps in planning. I'm going to be using Lands Out of Time as a basis, so some of the questions are answered for me; others are not. Let's see if this helps, and let's see if it has any holes that need to be shored up.



Revisions

Rather than touching up the original document, I'd like to keep that in place, and put my big changes up here. I guess if I posted this somewhere like a Wiki or Github, I could have revision tracking, but I didn't, so oh well. Maybe this is a lesson learned for my next campaign planning.

  • I am removing the stricture that the campaign is combat focused; I think this confused potential applicants that saw "combat focused" and interpreted at "combat exclusive." Instead the theme will be homesteading. Combat is still extremely important, but establishing intra and inter settlement infrastructure and taking care of the unit is also important.
  • Point silos are removed and budget is changed to 100/-infinity. Players are still expected to create a character that can survive a dangerous frontier where combat is important.
  • Supernatural abilities are allowed with a 20 point unusual background. They need to use the power modifier described in Lands out of Time on page 41. A ten point psionic talent is allowed, up to 4 levels.
  • Racial Templates
    • Cro-Magnon is the default racial template. Players may also choose "Primitive" Cro-Magnon or Neanderthal instead with no special mechanical considerations.
    • Protohumans and Saurians are allowed with a 20 point unusual background, and a very compelling reason why that should be allowed in the first place.
  • Character backgrounds
    • Cro-Magnon man has a tribe among the folk of the scaled spirits, The Sky-Shadow Tribe is off limits. They are a universal antagonist. 
    • Neanderthals belong to the blacksand tribe.
    • A character that belongs to the people of liquid rock tribe requires a cro-magnon racial template, increased tech level, a 20 point unusual background, and a good reason why they are out in the boonies with the party.
    • Saurians have a loosely defined culture, a player that selects a saurian racial template is expected to define it.

Original Outline

  • Campaign Prospectus
    • Campaign Name - Let's kill some dinosaurs
    • GM - Myself
    • Creation Date - 09/06/2018
    • Genre - Hmm, let's call it very very light fantasy
    • Tech Level - Late TL 0
    • TL Exceptions - As described in Lands Out of Time
    • Power Level - Mundane, but high end. I estimate 100 to 200 points starting.
    • Campaign Synopsis and Recent Events
      • Players are members of a tribe of Cro-Magnon cavemen in a world populated by dinosaurs. Against such a harsh backdrop, the players must help their fellows settle an area conducive to the survival of their species.
      • The campaign is meant to focus more on combat (and in that vein, mostly versus dinosaurs and other prehistoric megafauna) than other aspects, but if a compelling turn of events occurs, it might behoove to pursue other types of plots. A type of warrior or survivalist would be an appropriate character choice. A story telling elder or a hands-off royal would not be appropriate.
    • Timeline of Significant Historical Events
      • Two generations ago, this clan formed by the marrying of a son from the Walking Thorns tribe and a daughter from the Flat-Back tribe, along with a handful of allied friends and families, migrated away from the valley of Morning Mist and the fledgling city of Tarn-Ul. In isolation, this tribe has developed a similar, but slightly different culture from the other tribes, being freed from the traditional customs of the others, but having to live day to day on the edge of possible calamity with no allies and support outside the clan in case of emergency.
    • Currency - Potentially irrelevant. If it turns out a fiat currency is necessary, the players might need to invent it.
    • Precious Metals - Probably, but the TL0 tribespeople have no financial appreciation of it.
    • Paper Money/E-Money - Absolutely not
    • Slavery Legal - Probably, in  the form of indentured servitude, or in penitence for crime.
  • Major Nations
    • Largely Irrelevant, and the parts that might one day be relevant are mostly described in the source material already.
  • Other Planes of Existence - No
  • Rules
    • Books
      • Lands out of Time
      • Low-Tech
      • Low-Tech Companion 1-3, but mostly 2, some of 3, and 1 only as reference.
      • Low-Tech Instant Armor, Though I'd prefer none of the special sub-hit locations introduced in Low-Tech. Armor must cover all or none of a hit location. Front only is permissible.
      • 3e Dinosaurs - The players don't really need this, but it is a good source of additional dinosaur encounters.
    • Optional Rules
      • The Last Gasp, Pyramid #3/44, p.4
        • Extra Effort in combat uses either 10 AP or 1 FP; preference up to the player
      • Combat Writ Large, Pyramid #3/77, p.4
      • The Broken Blade, Pyramid #3/87, p.4
      • Basic Set
        • Bleeding, Accumulated Wounds, Last Wounds, B420
      • Martial Arts
        • Committed Attack, p.99
        • Defensive Attack, p.100
        • Extra Effort Options, p.131
    • Starting Points - Undecided, it depends on the character concepts that are suggested.
    • Disadvantage Limit - Unlimited, but of course, your disadvantage selection must go through me.
    • Suggested Character Concepts - Anything suited to fighting or supporting combat in a prehistoric wilderness. Warriors, trapping experts, medical professionals. The Tribal Warrior and Tribal Wanderer occupational templates on pp.16,17 of Lands out of Time might be good inspiration, ignoring for now any supernatural or exotic abilities listed. A template is not necessarily required, but it can help color in the lines.
    • Racial Templates - All players will be Cro-Magnon man, the template of which is on p. 12 of Lands out of Time as Caveman.
    • Attribute Maxima/Minima
      • ST - 10:20
      • DX - 8:16
      • IQ - 8:16
      • HT - 9:17
    • Secondary Characteristic Maxima/Minima
      • HP - ST +/- 30%
      • Will - IQ +/- 30%
      • Per - IQ +/- 30%
      • FP - HT +/-30%
      • AP - Minimum HT, Maximum HTx2
      • Basic Speed - [(DX+HT)/4]+/- 2.75
      • Basic Move - Basic Speed +/- 3
    • Social Traits
      • Low TL - No right now
      • High TL - No right now
      • Status Levels - as per p.7 of Lands out of Time under Neanderthals, Cro-Magnon, Advanced Saurians
      • Cultures - Irrelevant, but the players are familiar with the The Folk of the Scaled Spirits. NPCs of other cultures might appear later, but no PC (as of now) would be able to start with those cultural familiarities.
      • Languages - As per culture
      • PC Starting Wealth - Players have all $625 starting cash, whatever is not "spent" is lost. "Money" exists as raw goods. If players find themselves in a situation where they have a "job" cash must be paid out in goods or favors, and cover cost of living as per status level. $300 buys 1 point of favors. These rules are irrelevant if the party is in "adventuring mode" instead of calculating wages earned on the time spent worksheets.
    • Advantages/Disadvantages As per pages 5-9 of Lands out of Time as indicated appropriate for Cro-Magnon characters and not obviously supernatural or exotic. Almost all mundane traits not specifically spoken to that exist in Basic Set are probably allowed.
    • Appropriate Contacts/Contact Groups/Patrons/Enemies - The book says these are off limits, but if you can make a good case for it, I'm not opposed.
    • Special Skills/Magic/Psionics - Irrelevant.
    • Jobs - As per p.45 of Low-Tech Companion 3. Prerequisites must be met.
    • Common Equipment
      • Most weapons will be made of stone, bones, teeth, and shells.
      • Only one civilization in the known world has metal working technology, but this is most likely irrelevant because it is in a part of the known world your tribe doesn't remember.
      • Special material rules can be found on p.71 of Low-Tech.
        • Because I am using Broken Blade rules, instead of rolling 1d to see if a horn/tooth or bone weapon break, horn/tooth weapons have an additional -2 HT for their blade when checking for sharpness damage, and bone have an additional -4 HT penalty.
        • The bone sharpening rule from p,20 of Lands out of Time is in effect.
      • Equipment from Lands out of Time or Low-Tech is preferred over equipment from the Basic Set.

Conclusion?

No, there is none yet, I don't think. The conclusion will not be ready for a long time. Will this document leave me prepared, and guide prospective players to ask the right questions? That's when I'll have a conclusion.

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