CAMPAIGN SCOPE: 2E PREVIEW

As we get closer to the launch of the Vaults of Vaarn: Second Edition crowdfunder campaign, I’m going to share a few more extracts from the upcoming book. I’ve been working hard over the past year to expand the material on offer for players and GMs, without the book becoming overwhelming. Something I’ve noted from discussions with prospective Vaarn GMs over the past five years is that knowing where to start preparing can feel challenging. There is so much potential content! How do you get your players into the game?

I’ve prepared a two page spread at the start of the Referee tools section, which will hopefully help new GMs think about the scope of the game they’re preparing for, and guides them towards the sections of the 2E book that will be useful.

Preparing to Referee Vaults of Vaarn may feel daunting: there are a lot of pages in this book! Not everything is relevant the first time you prepare a game session. It is worth taking a moment to think about the intended scope of the campaign: how long you intend to play with the same group, and what they are likely to be interested in. Here are four potential campaign scopes, and suggestions for how to prepare.

One Shot

A One Shot is a single session of play, designed to give players a condensed dose of the setting and system. A One Shot is the ideal scope for playing at a convention, or if you want to test out being a Referee without committing to lots of work.

A One Shot needs an engaging opening and to show off the core parts of the game quickly. To prepare for a One Shot:

Pre-generate some PCs using the Ancestry tables on p.xx, so that new players can pick something quickly without analysis paralysis over starting options. They can also create their own PCs if they don’t connect with the presets.
If you will only have 1 or 2 players, consider pre-generating a few NPC Followers (p.xx) to round out their numbers.
Generate a single floor of a Vault, according to the procedure on p.xx. Vault exploration is easier to run well in a single session when compared to social settlement-based play or overland exploration, as it presents a closed environment where player attention is focused on the contents of each room.
Start the PCs and any followers directly outside the entrance to the Vault you created. They are playing treasure-hunters, so let them get into the action. Even if you only have an hour to play, they should be able to visit a few different rooms to get the feel for Vault exploration and problem-solving, and encounter some friendly or hostile creatures.

Short Campaign

A Short Campaign is a good sweet spot for many groups. Assume the game will last between 3 and 10 sessions, and that it is unlikely any PC will reach Level 10. To prepare for a Short Campaign:

Generate the first two floors of a Vault, according to the procedure on p.xx.
Generate a Vaarnish Settlement, using the procedure in Chapter xx, p.xx. Place the Settlement a single day’s travel from the entrance to the Vault.
You can either start the PCs outside the Vault entrance, or let them start in the settlement, in possession of a map that leads directly to the Vault. The settlement start will allow them to role-play a little in a safe environment, and also lets you all learn the travel rules once they embark for the Vault. In either case, the settlement exists as a safe location for them to return to between delves.
Once the PCs show an appetite for wandering further afield, use the Region generation chapter (p.xx) to create some immediate wilderness to explore.

Long Campaign

A Long Campaign is more ambitious, and assumes that play with a single group may continue indefinitely. Multiple PCs will likely reach Level 10. To prepare for a Long Campaign:

Generate both a Vault and a Settlement, according to their respective procedures. Place them both no more than three days apart in the centre of the region map.
Use the Region generation procedures (p.xx) to fill out the rest of the map. For each inhabited location, create at least one NPC (p.xx) to create some additional hooks.
Introduce at least two of the Major Factions (p.xx) to the game world immediately. While treasure-hunting is still the name of the game, long-term play will be driven by the emergent narratives that are built from repeated interactions with other factions and powers within Vaarn. A region that is viciously exploited for resources by the New Hegemony and is haunted by cabals of Black Sun psychics will feel dynamic and alive over a longer campaign.

If the play area is becoming stale, use the Region generation procedure again to create an adjacent region with a different character. Use both the random dice tables and your own creativity to keep the world expanding and reacting to the PCs’ actions.

Although I do not advocate for pre-written plots, it is worth thinking of some surprises you can throw at PCs during a long campaign. A space station falling orbit and creating a new explorable site is an example of a good twist that can open up new plotlines and help revitalise a campaign that has been running for a while.

Open Table Campaigns

Open Table Campaigns (sometimes called West Marches Campaigns) are a variation on an indefinite Long Campaign, but feature a large changing cast of players rather than a smaller fixed group. Usually all PCs will be based in a single settlement, and choose to form adventuring groups and head out into the wilderness on pre-agreed missions.

The key is that the actions of one temporary group of players will alter the shared world for everyone in the campaign: if Group A clear out the Cacklemaw Den under the Lonely Rock then that area is no longer available for Group B to clear next week. This type of campaign is not recommended for novice Referees, but experienced Referees who want to stretch their abilities will find an Open Table campaign enjoyable. An advantage of this format is that it thrives on a churn of irregular players, and doesn’t rely on the same people to show up each week.

Open Table play is by nature episodic and fragmented. No single player will have a full view of what happens during the campaign. To prepare for this style of campaign:

Generate a central settlement. This will be a safe area, where the full roster of PCs is assumed to be stabled when not on an active adventure. Keep this hub relatively stable (avoid introducing some of the destabilising options like Quantum Daemon curses).
Generate a region around the settlement, using the tables on p.xx. Choose at least three points to act as potential adventure sites, if they have not already been created by the dice. Use the Vault creation procedures (p.xx) to begin seeding these locations with explorable content.
Create at least two starting rumours or job postings based on the content already created. Allow the groups of PCs to choose the one that interests them, and flesh out the region and site maps further if necessary, reacting to what they choose.
Because of the fragmented nature of each player’s viewpoint, it may be better to de-emphasise the Major Faction play, and instead focus on exploration and the changing nature of individual sites. This format thrives on emergent play and a growth in shared knowledge of the surrounding wilderness.

Hopefully you found this helpful. The Backerkit pre-launch page for Vaults of Vaarn: Second Edition is now live, and we are less than 50 days from the campaign launching! If you’re interested, please sign up to be notified when the campaign starts.

The artwork for this post is originally from Atlas des géographes d’Orbæ (Tome 2) by François Place.