Known by many names - all equal FUN (and challenge!)

Our gaming groups have called it by many different names: "KingMaker", "Lords and Ladies", "Frontier", "Undiscovered Country" (which was later retired due to its reference to Death, and the possible foreshadowing that might provide), "The New World", "New World Disorder" (the guys I played with at the time couldn't help but spread chaos and confusion), "New Empires" (a direct name-ripoff from StarFire).

Regardless of what we called it, it always boiled down to the same type of campaign: Your character, having gained enough experience to reach a certain level (this was AD&D, after all), has decided to "reach out" and build a niche for themselves - a place of their own. Sure, anyone could join an army, build a business, or sign on to a temple in someone else's town/city/city-state/capital, but it takes real moxy, real strength of character (can I use that here?), real testicular fortitude (yep: cojones) to forge a new town (nay, a new EMPIRE) in the wilderness. And that's the point of this campaign.

As a role-playing experience it is second to none - there are loads of real-life lessons that you can learn along with all of the fun, challenge (and sometimes heartbreak) that is experienced during this campaign. It's really pretty simple: find a wilderness, conquer it, and then populate it. That last bit is done not with a pencil, paper, and dice (or even a good program) but by some incredible role-playing. Adventurous people often flock to "new experiences", and in the AD&D ages town-building is about as "new" and exciting as it can get! But there are challenges to that, as well. We role-play these campaigns because we think we have what it takes to overcome these challenges, to win out against such incredible odds. And because as campaigns go, no two are *ever* the same. Ever.

If you thought it was taxing and difficult (yet rewarding!) to get your character up to "name" level (an outdated concept buried deep in the AD&D ver 1.0 milieu), you haven't seen anything yet! The world becomes an even more interesting place when it appears that you get the opportunity to shape it, bend it, form it into something different. Sometimes something better. Often times something worse, or worse still, sometimes missing the mark and failing to shape/bend/form/fold/spindle at all. But the challenges await - they all lie before you, and in this role of would-be world-builder you get an opportunity to see a different perspective in the role-playing world.

The current version is hammered out using the PathFinder ruleset, also referred to as AD&D ver 3.75, and it looks as thought things will work out fine. But I will be pulling from all (viable) D&D version reaching back as far as AD&D ver 1.0. No, that doesn't (and will not) include version 4 - they added nothing to the game, and crippled it in many uncountable ways. (If you want to play WarHammer 40K, it already exists - go play it. D&D is primarily for role-playing thinkers, and as such...) Yes, I'm open to conversation on the topic, but you must bring real evidence, not just rhetoric - so I'm still waiting. [Debate for debate's sake is the promontory point of politicians, and since the new empire hasn't been started yet, there is no need for politicians just now...]

More posts later as things continue to firm up. It looks like I have 2 "for sure" players, with a possible three more if we can properly synchronize schedules. But utilizing the electronic telepresence that today's computers offer (to say nothing of the data storage and organizational capacity) we may be able to adapt and "force" the issue - as time allows. This is developing quite nicely.

I'll post more later, as things continue develop. (Naturally.)

WARNING: If you are one of the hidebound millions who have an aversion to DungeonMaster creativity ("Hey, that's not in the rulebook...") then go no further - you have already failed. A proper "KingMaker" campaign cannot truly be mapped out in a ruleset in a book, or set of books. No, the GameMaster will have to be creative as the opportunities present themselves, acting (and reacting) to situations that occur "beyond the books". And yes, that also lets out GMs with fewer than 4 years' experience, regardless of how often you play. If, as a DungeonMaster, you don't feel comfortable leaning back in your chair telling one of your players "you missed" even though he's still rolling dice then this campaign is not your style, and to prevent bad experiences you should avoid running it.