A few years ago I ran a game the centered around (X1) The Isle of Dread. I used some canonical sources that placed the island south of Hepmonaland. I tied in the Fading Lands they talked about in From the Ashes and basically tied that idea together with the idea that at least two spots on Oerth directly melded into the Demiplane of Dread, the island being one and the other, obviously, would be Barovia.
My next game is going to be a continuation of that one but I want to tie in the Desert of Desolation series. If you are not familiar with them they are three loosely strung together modules that take place in an Egyptian themed desert area and the end point involves traveling across a sea of glass. The games aren't written for a specific campaign world, you could squeeze them into pretty much anywhere.
Are there any areas in the Flaness, or Oerth in general that there modules could be placed? I know that there is very little written about the lands outside the Flaness but I found this someone posted in a response to me on Anna Meyer's, Flanaess Geographical Society, Facebook page. It shows an area called Erypt with an adjoining body of water called the Gulf of Ra. Is there anything written about that?
Placing it that far removed from the rest of the game world isn't necessary, is there somewhere in the Flaness that the campaign would fit?
I have played through the Desert of Desolation series set in Greyhawk, and it was great! The adventure was set "somewhere in the west", and frankly, the exact location was not all that important at the time.
Barring any fan work, little has been written about Erypt, so it is pretty much a blank slate. The main geographical map in Desert of Desolation could be dropped right into a section of that area. I forget what scale the main geographical area map is in Desert of Desolation, but it may be small enough to drop into just part of the Erypt area. You could also set the adventure on the western edge of the Plains of the Paynims too (such that the ancient structures in the adventure would have survived the Invoked Devastation), but I would alter a few very minor things to make it fit into the Baklunish lands a bit more (mainly some names).
Are you going to run Desert of Desolation pretty much as written? IIRC, the players are teleported to the locale in the beginning, so it doesn't really matter how far away it is; Khemit/Erypt would do just fine.
If you prefer a more "real-world" (yes, I get the irony) way of getting them there, There was a downloadable prelude module for the aforementioned Necropolis, wherein the characters track an antiquities dealer/smuggler to Khemit via boat. Obviously that's a long way to sail, but I see no reason why you couldn't fudge the distance a bit. A lot of players don't care to bother with the whole "life at sea" thing for more than a session or two anyway. (Sea monster? Check. Pirates? check. OK, let's get on with it.) _________________ The fact that an opinion has been widely held is no evidence whatever that it is not utterly absurd; indeed, in view of the silliness of the majority of mankind, a wide-spread belief is more likely to be foolish than sensible. - Bertrand Russell
On the Flanaess, I think some people have used the Sea of Dust, but personally I don't care for that. I don't want my ancient Suel Imperium to be Egyptian in flavor.
The more I think about it, you could use the Bright Desert; it's small, but the curse in DoD could be used to explain why there's a desert in the middle of the Flanaess. This however would require you to essentially ignore Rary the Traitor and all the Greyhawk lore that goes with it (Sulm, the Scorpion Crown, etc.). Way too much for me, but YMMV.
I've fantasized from time to time of a blended Desert of Desolation/Necropolis/Osirion supercampaign. Quite frankly I'm jealous that you're running it. DoD was one of the most enjoyable gaming experiences I've ever had. _________________ The fact that an opinion has been widely held is no evidence whatever that it is not utterly absurd; indeed, in view of the silliness of the majority of mankind, a wide-spread belief is more likely to be foolish than sensible. - Bertrand Russell
Yes, Desert of Desolation was a great series of adventures. Ones I actually got to play in instead of DMing as our school sponsor DM'd the series for the Strategist Club.
I am one who does not care much for going to extreme lengths to provide for adventure outside the Flanaess - there's plenty to do there. So, if you want to keep it within Darlene's map of the Flanaess, I suggest you have it make up a portion of the Bright Desert, the Sea of Dust, or the barrens down around Torag Barragu. It could be a cursed area different than the surrounding land. Heck, you could even make one of the Omlan Isles the location of the DoD series. The entire isle suffers the curse.
A few years ago I ran a game the centered around (X1) The Isle of Dread. I used some canonical sources that placed the island south of Hepmonaland. I tied in the Fading Lands they talked about in From the Ashes and basically tied that idea together with the idea that at least two spots on Oerth directly melded into the Demiplane of Dread, the island being one and the other, obviously, would be Barovia.
My next game is going to be a continuation of that one but I want to tie in the Desert of Desolation series. If you are not familiar with them they are three loosely strung together modules that take place in an Egyptian themed desert area and the end point involves traveling across a sea of glass. The games aren't written for a specific campaign world, you could squeeze them into pretty much anywhere.
Are there any areas in the Flaness, or Oerth in general that there modules could be placed? I know that there is very little written about the lands outside the Flaness but I found this someone posted in a response to me on Anna Meyer's, Flanaess Geographical Society, Facebook page. It shows an area called Erypt with an adjoining body of water called the Gulf of Ra. Is there anything written about that?
Placing it that far removed from the rest of the game world isn't necessary, is there somewhere in the Flaness that the campaign would fit?
I think I heard that the I3-5 was retconned to Toril so if you want to transport the characters there, you could use the Al-Qadim setting too.
You are correct. The official location for the Desert of Desolation series is in Raurin, the Dust Desert.
From the Forgotten Realms 3e hardcover, pg. 295:
Quote:
Martek's Tomb: Somewhere in the Desert of Desolation in Raurin lies the lost tomb of Martek, Grand Vizier of Raurin, "the Greatest of Mages." Local legends speak of a pyramid, a curse that dried up a river and with it a verdant land, an oasis, temples, a city, and much magic all lying beneath the shifting sands.
That having been said, this was done as a retcon. The original modules are generic enough that you could place them anywhere.
Desert of Desolation Series (I3-5); has been placed within western oerik.
According to OJ continental map; the desert and the oasis of the white palm is located to the northwest of the Kingdom of Erypt.
I am working on the Holy Kingdom of Erypt; using bubbagump's outline as a foundation for the gazetteer. Tied in the background information from the Desert of Desolation Series (I3-5). Eryptian households pushed out to colonize the western wilderness but the household clash set Household Mo-Pelari and Mo-Pelara at odds. Mo-Pelari lost and fled into the wilderness and seized control of the colonies. Hence; the construction of Braegun's Wall.
I used the series; aristocrat term baron for the wilderness colonial kingdom but am not satisfied - sounds flanaess to me. No eryptian households and so the acceptance of some vague western outland title to ensure local support for the upstart kingdom.
I have played through the Desert of Desolation series set in Greyhawk, and it was great! :cool: The adventure was set "somewhere in the west", and frankly, the exact location was not all that important at the time.
Barring any fan work, little has been written about Erypt, so it is pretty much a blank slate. The main geographical map in Desert of Desolation could be dropped right into a section of that area. I forget what scale the main geographical area map is in Desert of Desolation, but it may be small enough to drop into just part of the Erypt area. You could also set the adventure on the western edge of the Plains of the Paynims too (such that the ancient structures in the adventure would have survived the Invoked Devastation), but I would alter a few very minor things to make it fit into the Baklunish lands a bit more (mainly some names).
I don't mind doing the extra work, the thing that I really enjoy about DM'ing is the opportunity to tie in real world mythology, my last game on the IoD was centered around Aztec myth's mixed up with a little bit of SG1 and a dash of CoC for flavoring. This is going to be a continuation of that game with different characters in a different setting. I set up an Obsidian Portal account detailing it here:
http://www.obsidianportal.com/campaign/the-doors-of-oerth/wikis/main-page
Much of the wiki I've put together is adapted from the Greyhawk Wiki with alterations for my previous campaigns. I wish I had discovered Canonfire and Obsidian Portal many years ago, there's a lot that could have went in there and I may still write some of it into the wiki but I'm not really sure. One event in particular that probably well go in is one episode in which I was running the Gauntlet from the UK series one of my players, a 1/2elf Mage/Theif who was also the party leader, found a bottle that contained an elixir of longevity, and not knowing what it was but desperately hoping it was a potion of healing drank it anyway. The result was a 12 year old calling the shots in the party.
I am just continuing the same one from my Isle of Dread campaign, I have to update a lot of information to make the information fit correctly but that should only take a few days. The reason I want to continue the same wiki is because once I reveal something about the campaign it kind of resonates in my mind are helps lend itself towards creating more complex stories in the future.
Jeminnab wrote:
Are you going to run Desert of Desolation pretty much as written? IIRC, the players are teleported to the locale in the beginning, so it doesn't really matter how far away it is; Khemit/Erypt would do just fine.
I haven't really decided on a starting point as of yet. I can't start out with that series because I typically like to bring players from the ground up, especially if I am dealing with a new group that has little experience with the world or gaming in general. This way I can have ample time to divorce them of any preconceived notions about how a DM is supposed to run a game. I may run the Keep on the Borderlands for an intro game. If I remember correctly thats been retconed into Perranland which puts them in a good starting area for running the game assuming the Baklunish are the civilization lost. This could mean additional ramifications for the curse as well.
Raymond wrote:
I think I heard that the I3-5 was retconned to Toril so if you want to transport the characters there, you could use the Al-Qadim setting too.
I don't really care for the Realms as much as I like Greyhawk. The only time I ever used the Realms was when I had a player group that insisted on playing there but that was years ago.
Also, I would like to say thanks Raymond for linking to that thread, it may prove to be useful as well.
Jeminnab wrote:
On the Flanaess, I think some people have used the Sea of Dust, but personally I don't care for that. I don't want my ancient Suel Imperium to be Egyptian in flavor.
The more I think about it, you could use the Bright Desert; it's small, but the curse in DoD could be used to explain why there's a desert in the middle of the Flanaess. This however would require you to essentially ignore Rary the Traitor and all the Greyhawk lore that goes with it (Sulm, the Scorpion Crown, etc.). Way too much for me, but YMMV.
I've fantasized from time to time of a blended Desert of Desolation/Necropolis/Osirion supercampaign. Quite frankly I'm jealous that you're running it. DoD was one of the most enjoyable gaming experiences I've ever had.
I don't really like the idea of using either one of those simply because I like the existing story as it is. That being said, Osirion looks pretty cool and I may have to check that out. Even if I don't use it may still be useful for flavor.
Cool Russell quote by the way.
SirXaris wrote:
Yes, Desert of Desolation was a great series of adventures. Ones I actually got to play in instead of DMing as our school sponsor DM'd the series for the Strategist Club.
I am one who does not care much for going to extreme lengths to provide for adventure outside the Flanaess - there's plenty to do there. So, if you want to keep it within Darlene's map of the Flanaess, I suggest you have it make up a portion of the Bright Desert, the Sea of Dust, or the barrens down around Torag Barragu. It could be a cursed area different than the surrounding land. Heck, you could even make one of the Omlan Isles the location of the DoD series. The entire isle suffers the curse.
SirXaris
I may do that considering how much influence the Olman had in the campaign overall. Although there is a region on the continent of Antaria labeled the Withered Imperium of His Exalted Presence Tenmez. That seems to fit in rather nicely, however upon close examination of the map of Oerth, there is a region west of Erypt called the Desert of Desolation so that may be where I take it.
In my last campaign I introduced a mass transit system that was thought to have been created by the Suel and only used once to escape the Rain of Colorless Fire. The system worked by polymorphing anyone stepping into it mist and using a series of Gust of Wind spells to move subjects along a massive corridor. This would be another location that the Suel may have fled to but I haven't got that far into it.
Crag wrote:
Desert of Desolation Series (I3-5); has been placed within western oerik.
According to OJ continental map; the desert and the oasis of the white palm is located to the northwest of the Kingdom of Erypt.
I am working on the Holy Kingdom of Erypt; using bubbagump's outline as a foundation for the gazetteer. Tied in the background information from the Desert of Desolation Series (I3-5). Eryptian households pushed out to colonize the western wilderness but the household clash set Household Mo-Pelari and Mo-Pelara at odds. Mo-Pelari lost and fled into the wilderness and seized control of the colonies. Hence; the construction of Braegun's Wall.
I used the series; aristocrat term baron for the wilderness colonial kingdom but am not satisfied - sounds flanaess to me. No eryptian households and so the acceptance of some vague western outland title to ensure local support for the upstart kingdom.
Anyone; have a better scenario - out there
I'm looking forward to seeing what you come up with.
I am working on the Holy Kingdom of Erypt; using bubbagump's outline as a foundation for the gazetteer.
I am also very keen to check this out when you complete it! _________________ The fact that an opinion has been widely held is no evidence whatever that it is not utterly absurd; indeed, in view of the silliness of the majority of mankind, a wide-spread belief is more likely to be foolish than sensible. - Bertrand Russell
I haven't really decided on a starting point as of yet. I can't start out with that series because I typically like to bring players from the ground up, especially if I am dealing with a new group that has little experience with the world or gaming in general. This way I can have ample time to divorce them of any preconceived notions about how a DM is supposed to run a game. I may run the Keep on the Borderlands for an intro game. If I remember correctly thats been retconed into Perranland which puts them in a good starting area for running the game assuming the Baklunish are the civilization lost. This could mean additional ramifications for the curse as well.
The Keep on the Borderlands receives my highest recommendation for a beginning adventure. However, its official placement in the Flanaess is in the Yeomanry (per Return to the Keep on the Borderlands). However, I have seen it placed well in Tenh near the pass to Stone Hold and my own placement is within the north western Vesve along the Deepstil River near the Gnome Hills as they rise into the Clatspurs. That puts it near to Perrenland, the Wolf Nomads, the Valley of the Highfolk, the Wood Elves of the Vesve, and... Iuz!
The Keep on the Borderlands receives my highest recommendation for a beginning adventure. However, its official placement in the Flanaess is in the Yeomanry (per Return to the Keep on the Borderlands). However, I have seen it placed well in Tenh near the pass to Stone Hold and my own placement is within the north western Vesve along the Deepstil River near the Gnome Hills as they rise into the Clatspurs. That puts it near to Perrenland, the Wolf Nomads, the Valley of the Highfolk, the Wood Elves of the Vesve, and... Iuz!
Just FYI.
SirXaris
I've run KotBL a few times before, its one of my favorite starting off points because it isn't heavy on storyline. A lot of my favorite modules are like that actually because I can insert them into what ever storyline I am running at the current moment with very few changes, thus making the game very accessible to a great number of inclusions. DoD is kind of like a midway point between story and accessibility.
Well, yes, I would go with that one. I was just hunting for the name. The Sword & Sorcery version is certainly much easier to convert to 1e/2e. _________________ - Moderator/Admin (in some areas)/Member -
If you're looking for some more Egyptian flavor to round out the campaign, dig up "The Ruins of Andril" from Dragon #81: it's an excellent adventure and could easily be meshed into such a setting.
In addition to Andril and Necropolis, there are a number of other Set-themed modules that could be leveraged too, if you want to do so:
- Caverns of Thracia (JG and NG d20 versions)
- Dark Tower (JG and GG or NG d20 version, I forget which did that conversion)
- Coils of Set (NG d20)
- Vampires & Liches (NG d20)
Dragon #81. Arctic scene on the cover showing a mammoth rider being chased by a big snow beast. _________________ - Moderator/Admin (in some areas)/Member -
Last edited by Cebrion on Sun Mar 18, 2012 10:16 pm; edited 1 time in total
I've been toying with the idea of running it as a custom game. Basically it would use the base mechanics of 1st/2nd Ed game and using the Prestige classes from 3.0/3.5. The 2nd Ed. DMG gives rules for creating custom classes and you can easily build prestige classes with that. It would also make a lot of the older games I want to run way more accessible. It's far easier convert from 3.5 to the previous editions then it is to do the opposite.
Also, is there a collected PDF of the past Dragon magazines or do I have to buy them all individually?
Another thing I want to get any feedback on, do you gus ever use any kind of music when you run games?
I've run soundtracks in games for years and I've used a pretty wide variety of things depending on the setting, running from heavy metal and modern rock, especially in modern games like CoC. I want to use something that has a very otherworldly theme for this but I don't want to use cliche Egyptian themed music.
Funny you shoul ask about using music during games. See the thread HERE, where folks have been discussing this very question. My posts there even touch on some music for the Desert of Desolation. _________________ - Moderator/Admin (in some areas)/Member -
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The adventure was set "somewhere in the west", and frankly, the exact location was not all that important at the time.
