Etria
Scope
The motivation behind building Etria
A World Long in the Making
Etria is the culmination of 25 years of campaigns, quests, one-shots and characterization. It includes the aftermath of the War of 3 Kings campaign, Thundering Might campaign, Rise of a Shogun campaign, Darkness Between Stars part 1 and 2 campaigns, Eyes of the Kingdom campaign, The Frozen North campaign, Fall of Da Big Fish campaign, Gates to Ravenloft campaign, and Rise of Tiamat in Gravadia campaign. I want to cement each of these campaigns as their own module in this world and build on some new campaign ideas as well such as:1) Frozen Dystopia:
A dystopian play on the northern megacity of Seven. A city populated and ruled by warforged in the aftermath of the War of 3 Kings, Seven has become far more advanced in its magic technology but its frozen climate makes it isolated from the world. Corperate greed, hyper xenophobia, existential apathy, and isolationism make it a harsh world but one also filled with opportunity.2) Only a Fool Sails Alone:
A seaward adventure exploring the island achepeligos in the East. Still not sure where I'm going with this but I want it to be themed similar to the history of piracy durring the Carribian conquests of Spain but with magic and s***. Throw some native american themes and polynesian stuff in there too. A real ancient magic and sword slinging game.What's Important
The part I want to be most important from this game is that other campaigns effect future campaigns. Each player's choice effects the future of their gameplay. Even if future players don't know the previous players. True history.The goal of the project
Rule 1: Noones getting paid, have fun!
Rule 2: If it becomes a chore, stop playing.
Rule 3: Story is more important then rules. Sometimes the players will do awesome things to move the story, sometimes the NPCs will. Even if those things don't go by the book. Just remember Rule one if things get a little confusing.
Rule 4: Complaints or rules corrections are welcome, DON'T LET IT RUIN THE FLOW OF THE GAME!
Rule 5: Reward good role play but don't punish bad role play. Refer to Rule 1.
Rule 6: Talk to your fellow players if you think a subject matter may be too sensitive, controversial, or provoke previous personal trauma.
Rule 7: Talk to the DM or other players if their are subject matters you'd rather not confront durring the game, ie: abandonment, sexual trauma, abuse, that sort of thing.
Etria's Unique Selling point
Your actions have concequences. Even when you don't have a choice, the way you enact that choice changes the outcome. Action has meaning. Sometimes that meaning effects one or two, sometimes they effect thousands. Act with purpose.
Theme
Genre
Setting themes are separated by regions
City of Da Big Fish
Theme: Political Intrique, medium magic. Japanese/Chinese historical feel.Gravadian Kingdom
Theme: Adventure, Medium magic. Central European historical feelAlicante Empire
Theme: Feudal distopian Plutocracy/urban adventure, medium magic. Iberian European historicl feel.Jornuur Kingdom
Theme: Adventure /Exploration fantasy, medium magic/ wild magic. Norse and Northern European historical feel.Warforged Republic
Theme: Action-Adventure/ Intrigue/ Isolation, high magic. Fantasy Steampunk DystopiaReader Experience
The player should always feel like they are in a living world with interworkings of NPCs like a real world. Everything from a rich mysterious history, to modern Magitek technology should inspire them to explore each corner of the world and feel like they are a part of a larger world.
Reader Tone
Tone is Dependent on Genre and Campaign
I've tried to set the world up to be as realistic as I can so much like the real world, the tone is very dependent on the circumstances of the game. A Dystopian game with Fast and Furious vibes will be brighter and more comerodery based than a monster hunting campaign in search for a murderous Wendigo eating local farmers.Recurring Themes
Concequences
The prevailing theme to every game should be that the players actions have concequences. Some good some bad some unexpected. for example.Players Kill Local Bandit Encampment
1)Reputation with local government and traders improve 2)Attracting the attection of Thieve's Guild 3)Local mercenary guild upset with team for not regarding their help in the matter and making the guild look bad. 4)Local mother finds out her son was secretly a bandit at night to help pay for the house and she is no liable for his ill gotten gains. 5)Local Noble gains interest in capable adventurers for political assassination 6)Local Guard captain is greatful to adventurers and wants to help them as well as convince them to stay longer to route out other criminal problems. Every Action taken by the players has a butterfly effect on the people they've engaged with. TAKE LOTS OF NOTES AND PLAN.Character Agency
Player are like people in the real world. Their impact is great to the individuals they interact with and the more people they interact with the more agency they will have. Thier actions could have great impacts world wide, but only if they interact with something that effects the world as a whole.
Focus
Drama
The Alicante Empire is collapsing. Gravadia and Jornuur have both successfully revolted and established new kingdoms when the empire overreached its borders. This has made many separated sects of Alicante's army producing bandit groups as well as smuggling groups and paramilitary groups. These extra-government entities via for positions of trade, mercenary work, as well as political power in the changing political climate of the souther regions.
The fall of Da Big Fish's shoganet has created conflicting faction in the city of Big Fish. Although on paper the city is moving towards a parlamentary governement where all the clans have a representitive in a congress of sorts, there are many within the clans that would prefer to fill the power vacuum left by the old shogun's death to become powerful warlords themselves.
After claiming their victory against the Alicante Empire, the newly established kingdom of Gravadia has become a rising power on the continent. Flush with veteran troops, left over rail lines for logistics, and magitek weapons from the easily won war the Gravadian nobility is caught in a scism of expanding borders to the north and south to aquire more territory or stabalizing the region internally from briggands and roving monsters.
The Kingdom of Jornuur's revolutionary victory over the Alicante Empire came in part as a result of a terrible other worldly entitiy called Dramora who nearly destroying the kingdom in the powerful evil of the Far Realm. A group of heros were able to stop this being and push back the Alicante Empire after the shock from the Far Realm portal collapse disrupted all magic in the region and disabling the magitek from the empire. This has left Jornuur's king and prince dead! A cleric of the sun was given the throne by divine right to the diety who helped defeat Dramora. Some of the nobility finds this cleric distasteful and the disruptions in the magic of the area have provided catalysts for plots against him.
The Alicante Empire has fractured leaving behind a few distant territories and the megacity capital of Alicante as the only real parts of the empire remaining. Without sufficient supply chains to maintain the huge metropolis and the expansion of the empire out of the question, the corptocratic governement begins to plot on making sea worth supply chains and harvesting materials from nearby islands as a means of sustaining the empire until the military can be rebuilt.
Magitek is a growing challenge for wizards and engineers. Powerful as it is, the cost and energy to construct magitek is something of a mystery to most in the kingdoms. Alicante has used powerful energy extraction tools to drain the magic energy from the planet itself to construct its magitek at great cost. Others still seek its power and are willing to make great leaps to achieve it.