Further Thoughts...

I've been reading over the available guides, trying to get a feel for them, and what kind of game would fit with each. Now, I'm back to wondering what game I want to run... Such a cyclical argument!

Basically, we've built up three or four groups for potential use. Each brings its own sentimentality and style. We have a party of Tabaxi that will be a lot of fun to play, I think. They will thrive in a loose adventure, with lots of comic elements and dramatic opportunities. Unfortunately, I think more than one of us would like to run that adventure... and play it too! That doesn't sound like a combination that will work. Tricky...

There are two or three guides that seem concerned with the undead in the jungle. That would mesh nicely with a paladin/cleric heavy party. They could gather up their moral outrage, and rush in to take down evil. That will make a fun set of encounters, and has potential, but it feels like more of a theme-based campaign than the main event. It would be fun to run as one-offs, or mini adventures, building toward something larger.

It has always felt right to try two or three storylines, and allow them to intersect and reform as the adventure develops. That way we can experiment with several character options and party builds, and tweak it as the end game begins to develop.

We also have a nice troupe of bards making their rounds. They make a strong party, but I worry that they are vulnerable at times. The question becomes - what do we want to use as our main adventuring party, and what kind of quest do we want them undertaking?

There should be an element of grandeur, and purpose. But also adventure in a high sense, and plenty of derring-do. I think a good general direction is good. Some of the more targeted locations are nice, but don't spin off into bigger things as easily. Keeping the main theme more general - exploration and maybe recovery?? - will build a better main adventure thrust.