Macro to Micro in the Sandbox: Mapping the Donnerkonig Chronicle

A-Z 2014 MIn Layers Upon Layers in the Sandbox I described how things can be linked together. Now it’s time to put it into practice.

First, I’ll map out some potential campaigns. I know of two already, The Donnerkonig Heirs and Return of the Donnerkonig, and can imagine several others. Some are possible follow-ons from Return of the Donnerkonig, which could come out of the decisions made and the consequences of that campaign, and others could be diversions from the Donnerkronig Chronicle altogether. I don’t know a lot about them because at this point I mostly posit their existence, I can flesh them out later. For now, though, the campaign graph might look something like is shown below.

Donnerkonig Chronicle campaign map
Donnerkonig Chronicle campaign map

This is very high-level and somewhat tentative, showing potential campaigns around this area of the setting. At this point I don’t know much about each of these possibilities, and I don’t really need to.

The white-background campaigns are anticipated parts of the Donnerkonig Chronicle. The greyed-background campaigns are not directly part of the Donnerkonig Chronicle, but may be routes into or out of it.

Donnerkonig Heirs I have spoken about over the last week or so. The secret of the Donnerkonig is discovered, along with how to take their place.

Return of the Donnerkonig covers moving from getting the resources needed to take the place of the Donnerkonig to actually doing so.

Pirates of Savern Reach is a campaign about the privateers of the Savern Reach (the body of water that contains ‘S’ on the map below). The campaign might be as privateers working the Savern Reach in a trade war against Sturmhame (and thus lead to Donnerkonig Heirs or Return of the Donnerkonig depending on events here) or as expansion of a side trek from Donnerkonig Heirs or Return of the Donnerkonig depending on events there. It might also lead to the Donnerkonig Rebellion as secret links between the privateers and those in power in Sturmhame are uncovered.

Windship Delegates start to involve the meraelves as news of the Donnerkonig palaces awakening reaches the southern waters. Envoys and delegates are sent to investigate and determine whether this will become an actual threat to the meraelf dominance of the sea lanes… and might lead to a contest over the rulership of Sturmhame. As with Pirates of Savern Reach, a war between Sturmhame and the meraelves (and others who fear the return of the Donnerkonig) is entirely possible.

Donnerkonig Rebellion could come about if new Donnerkonig are established in a manner that does not satisfy those of Sturmhame — potentially civil war!

Donnerkonig Conquest, on the other hand, might happen if the new Donnerkonig manage to keep their new subjects satisfied but rile the neighbors (or go to war to appease their subjects)… or during such a war, the dissatisfied subjects could take the opportunity for insurrection.

Donnerkonig Unleashed is what might happen if Return of the Donnerkonig is begun and only some of the palaces are fully-empowered. I’m building on GreyKnight’s suggestion: as the different treasures are discovered the Palaces of the Donnerkonig are activated, providing clear sign that something is happening, and as the treasures are placed where needed they become empowered. When the new Donnerkonig seat the thrones their full power is brought forth. If all thrones are so seated in a reasonable time, the effects are controllable and controlled, establishing clearly that the Donnerkonig have returned. If only some are, the storms are imbalanced and grow… and this should need to be fixed or Sturmhame may be destroyed.

This is most of what I know about most of these possible campaigns. At the moment, it is enough — I need dig deeper only when it looks like it will become important. I will identify other potential campaigns as I work on the ones I am actually expecting to use in the near future and lay some groundwork for them.

Note that it is not necessary that any of these campaigns actually happen. If I want to keep things simple, and the players evidence no particular interest, I might not pursue Pirates of the Savern Reach or Windship Delegates at all. I expect the possibility to be presented — Savern Reach when the PCs go on a side trek to hopefully make their goals easier to achieve later, Delegates when they run into some meraelven envoys during a visit to Sturmhame — but the campaigns themselves need not be played out. They are alternate paths into or out of this campaign set.

20140406 New Campaign, Merged second try
20140406 New Campaign, Merged second try

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One comment

  1. Pingback: Next Steps in the Sandbox: Developing Donnerkonig Heirs | Keith Davies — In My Campaign - Keith's thoughts on RPG design and play.

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