Deciding that it’s never too soon to turn a compelling story into a game, I’m moving forward with a campaign model involving miners trapped in a collapse. I’m going to walk through my process, detailing elements that inspire me. My next post about this will be an actual campaign outline going from start to finish.
The Hook
For those of you who are unaware, this idea comes from the story of the trapped miners in Chile. Any story that can ensnare the world’s attention the way that one did begs to be harvested for our use. The storyteller in me began asking questions that could only be answered by taking some pretty extreme flights of fancy.
- What happened down there? We know what actually went on, but what about those quiet moments?
- When the miners first emerged, word was going around that they had made a vow of secrecy. Why? What did they need to hide?
- What dangers did they face? I know there’s an inherent danger associated with living in a collapsed mine, but could there have been other hazards?
Setting Up
In some ways, I feel that this story has the makings of a great adventure by itself, but also works as an engaging campaign hook. I found myself asking, after the last Chilean miner emerged from the depths, “What now? How does what happened before influence things that are to come?”
There are many possible answers to these and other questions. A campaign seems like the best way to explore these issues while allowing player characters to tell their own stories and ultimately tie all the threads together.
Initially, I thought that I could have an entire campaign happen in a collapsed mine, but I came to a very firm realization that it would become horrendously stale. Even doing a single adventure with this concept runs that risk. The goal with the first adventure will be to make the story happen without getting repetetive. After that, the campaign should follow an involved story that never strays to far from the line cast out by the mine fiasco. It seems obvious, but sometimes we get ahead of ourselves, and the plot gets muddy.
So, adapting the story. First and most obviously, we are going to replace any and all references and derivations of Chile with dwarf. I’m imagining a settlement at the base of a valley. Nearby is the side of a mountain where our mine will be located. After going between two possibilities, I’ve named the settlement Shallowgorge (the other name was Shallowforge, but I thought there’s enough miner/blacksmith verbage flying around, and a name that describes a location is more evocative).
Describing Shallowgorge
Deep in Shallowgorge Mountain, there is a silver lode, called the Shallow Lode, named more for the settlement than the lode’s actual depth. This lode serves as the main source of income for Shallowgorge. Travellers come from all over the surrounding areas to trade with the Shallowgorge dwarves and see the many silver-accented monuments and artifacts that are a testament to the pride of these dwarves.
I think this provides a good start to the location. It sets up an isolated location that can be dropped into just about any setting. In doing this, though, it gives a good reason why different people of various races might find themselves here, along with providing clues to the particular culture. One paragraph is usually all that’s needed to make this happen.
Conclusion
So, there’s the starting point. We’ve taken a real-world event, and made it into a campaign setting. As the campaign goes along, I plan to have several scenarios lifted from the headlines, and as we go forward, I’ll tie them together in fun and thought provoking ways.
What do you think? Is this a good launching point? I’d like to see what some of your predictions might be. When I write the campaign arc, it’ll be fun to see who was right. I won’t lie, either. If I see something that works better than what I’m cooking, I will steal it.
Watch your threatened squares, everyone. This is gonna be fun.
IMAGE NOTES: The Dwarf iner is property of Reaper Miniatures, and the mine was found at coolthinsinrandomplaces.com.
I predict you work in something about that miner whose wife and mistress both showed up at the collapse site. A diplomatic skill challenge perhaps? I didn’t catch the first part of this series though; are the PCs the ones trapped in the mine, or are they the ones doing the rescuing?
@Brian The spine of the first part will be about the miners’ rescue and the fallout of that event. The PCs will be a part of the rescue effort.
With regard to your prediction, consider it yoinked.