Seems like as you guys work on a Sandbox world, there may be storylines thrown out here and there. What about focusing a few of them on easy to use modules that are community made and run? Could make fun content for an UnCon. Just an idea.

~SE++

Compiling Data Into This Post

About The Setting
-Mountain Town
-Currently Winter
-Small to Medium Sized Town
-Population is mostly Humans and Dwarves

Map
Need to know more about the town.

Key Locations
[Pending Name] - Blacksmith
A blacksmith shop ran by the dwarven smithy Balthos Bronzeweaver and his two human apprentices [Name] and [Name]. The shop is open almost every single day from just before dawn till last light, though most of the work requiring use of forge and anvil waits until the townsfolk have awoken as well. PCs can purchase a variety of mundane wares here, including spikes, weapons, heavy armor, and so on. Simple weapons are readily available, but military weapons require one day to complete, and superior weapons require a week of work as well as half payment up front.

NPCs
Balthos Bronzeweaver
A stocky dwarven craftsman who works as the smith in town with a couple of human apprentices. He has thick auburn hair and a chest length beard which is forked into two large braids which are frayed and frizzled at the end. He worry much about his appearance and is frequently caked in grime and soot from head to toe. He'd be happier forging weaponry, but is content crafting picks and shovels and other such equipment needed for the townsfolk and spending his time laughing over a mug of ale with a pipe of tobacco. Despite his often filthy appearance he keeps his shop and work benches pristine and can sometimes be heard scolding his apprentices for leaving a tool in the wrong place or something similar. He wakes each day with the dawn and soon begins preparing his shop for the days work.

Ryan Tolvar

Demetri Wallace

Finnean Ostanar

Vera Mullak

What system/s were you thinking of?

~SE++

Since I was simply building maps, its able to be thrown into any system, and then filled with monsters / story. I'm trying to hone photoshop skills, and get better at maps for my own champaign, so I tinker around when bored.

Heres an unfinished Sunless Citadel map, for example.


I didnt have any story or concept yet, I just like building maps and was going to do a fairly decent sized tower of about 5 / 6 levels. It could be a soley combat module, or I could fluff it up with some story and some sidequests.

A DM of mine once ran a tower quest where the players weren't aware that the entire tower was a mage school, and each level was a different discipline of magic. As they ascended they were forced to confront the mistakes that killed off the towers from each school. It was really quite cool, though I somehow now forget how it all was supposed to end....

~SE++

Each floor or each room having a theme is cliche but still totally doable and tends to get people interested in wanting to to to certain rooms, or see what each of them do rather than sprinting to the goal.

I think the key to keeping it from feeling cliche is to keep the theme of the room vague. An example of this was that the floor for necromancy practice was enchanted to seem like it had a sky with a fairly quick moving day/night cycle (kinda like Minecraft) in a graveyard setting. We came in during the dusk and we guessed what was going on, but when the moon reached "midnight," suddenly zombies and skeletons started rising from the ground. We had no way of controlling them or fighting them, so we had to find the failsafe for the room and disable it. Things like that. I dunno.

~SE++

Well, lets think of a goal, or a villian, and go from there.

Okay Squinty, lets get to brainstorming. Im gonna fire off some questions...feel free to answer any...or ask more.

Q1 : What is the season? Summer, spring, winter or fall?

Q2 : Assuming the party starts in a town, or on the way to one... is it a small village? average town? Lsrge city? Or no town at all.

Q3 : Is the adventure all hack and slash or is there RP story to it as well?

Q4: Where will most of the fights take place? Inside a building or ruin, open land, at sea, or underground.

Q1: Least important element in my mind, but I like the idea of Winter themed...

Q2: Mid-sized town. Anything too small and players can't find what they feel they need to start out, too large and you'll lose them to the world.

Q3: Limited RP if only because as a first attempt at making one, giving player too much slack to hang themselves on is probably a bad idea. Just make it fun and slightly engaging. If it works out, make another.

Q4: Somewhere inside, though the setting would have to determine it. I'm a sucker for cave based ones.

~SE++

Small dwarven / human settlement in or near the mountains. Its nearing the end of winter and a recent blizzard that resulted in the unearthing / opening of a long forgotten tomb or unmarked cave. The heros set out in search of riches, or are hired by an interested party to collect some fabled item / map the complex / make sure its safe and doesn't threaten the village.

Note, some of the above could be split into different hooks if so desired. Was just throwing ideas at the wall.

I'd go with a human settlement just because dwarves would investigate a mountain themselves with no desire to have a party intrude, unless the module had everyone make a dwarf.

I like the fabled item since it could grant characters something nice if they complete the module and allow them to carry on into another module or into a world with a small / nice bonus.

(now get back to the 4E game!)

~SE++

Sorry I started that off with the slash mesning the settlement was human and dwarven. Then later ended up usimg slash for other things.

Human town, with a large dwarf population. Possible goliath here or there if so choose.

(Phone posting from bed, plus Oak hasnt had a chance to chime in with a zero)

WHY DO YOU THINK I'M TRYING TO PUSH THINGS ALONG???

(joking.... maybe)

~SE++

Okay. More questions. Feel free to chime in on any, or biunce them back, ignore them etc.

Q5 : Natural cave or ruins of a 'man'-made structure. Or ...pehaps a structure within a cave series, or a structure that connects to a cave series, or hand tunnels dug out from in.

Q6 : What is the main 'purpose' of the town? Theretically is not agriculture ... given the climate ... so I assume mining? If so ill come up with a mining company name, leadership, etc.

Q7 : I'll revist the mining company again once im home, but it could be a neutral organization, it could higher the party, or could oppose the party. This all depends on other choices, so will come back to it.

Q8 : Does the town have any unique festures? Built on a river? Against the mountside or in a hollow, or in some way built 'into' or coforning to the side of the mountain. Does it have stone walls or wood? A trained guard force ir civilian militia?

Q9 : Need to brainstorm place names, and NPCs for them. Dwarven blacksmith shop for sure, some sort of large tavern or alehouse and / or an inn. Who runs or is the town leadership. Could be mayor, lord, or ran by the mining company , etc

More to come

Q5: Ruins of a man-made structure.

Q6: I wouldn't do mining if we're trying to uncover the mountain. I'm often a fan of going with morally questionable aspects to things like the town, so what about the export of children as slaves / sex slaves? It's a common theme in high fantasy, and gives the players some decent RP points.

Q7: Always begin with them neutral and let the players dictate how they are received.

Q8: Unique features? Umm, I dunno, we'd have to decide on the outlaying areas and the focus of the town first.

Q9: Always a fan of Nobility running things, so Lords are fun.

~SE++

So there wasnt much action here and I already started on a rough draft map that ill link tommorow or this weekend.

Responding to the above.

A5 : Noted.

A6 : Uncover the mountain? Just a though but what if slaves are brought to the town to work the mines?

A7 : Word

A8 : In my map I have the town nestled in the cliffs, amd have a small compound for the mining company. Ill show ya when the maps up.

A9 : Same. Aleeady have a manor on the map. Need to flesh our the lords appearance and story.

Just make sure it's not as ridiculously small as Winterhaven. That and let's try and be reasonable about population. I have a hard time believing Winterhaven has 977 people when there are 6 houses, 1 mid sized apartment building, a barracks and a manor.

~SE++

Dont get me started on that town lol

But to be fair most of those 977 live ouside the townbon farms and stuff