Have you ever built or run a pen and paper (PnP) Dungeons and Dragons (D&D) campaign? Both building and running your own campaign can be great fun, especially if you know the style of gameplay your players enjoy playing. That's the thing with D&D though, you have so many variations of styles of play, let alone different rule editions that alter the flavour of the game, that saying someone enjoys playing the D&D role-playing game (RPG) conjures a different memory of such enjoyment to different people. With that in mind, let's see what The Althéa Campaign, The Scroll, has to offer players and what they may expect to play. I will also be bringing you up to date with the latest campaign news.
Campaign Style
1) GAME FORMAT: Let me start by mentioning the biggest difference (or challenge) we face: That of bringing a PnP D&D game world to the computer environment. We notice straight away the differences from being able to play in an ad-hoc reactive way between players within a PnP environment, to a much more restricted response on a computer setup, simply because of real environmental limits. I will discuss player interaction next, but for now, I will speak about the technical differences only.
On a computer, there are both: a) Physical boundaries that limit the player to the areas designed by the builder, and b) Conversation boundaries that are governed by the options the builder has presented to the player at the time of build. These limits can be mitigated by designing a more open world approach and by offering more conversation options, but ultimately, we recognise that such boundaries always exist. However, I don't think this is such a bad thing. For what first appears as a limitation, I believe actually helps focus the player's attention on what matters for the campaign's gameplay. If done well, it's akin to a Dungeon Master (DM) gently guiding a group of PnP players in the right direction for their planned scenario for the session. The only real difference, I believe, is the DM in a PnP environment is able to pick up on player chatter and react to certain comments that help them direct the narration in the way they need it to go, rather than this same guidance coming via pre-written conversations or events within the computer designed module.
With respect to these apparent limitations, I believe the real goal for both module builders and the PnP DM is that they provide a sense of freedom that allows players to make the gaming decisions they want to make to unfold the story designed before them in a way they would like. Of course, in either case, the player will still need to observe the rules of the gaming environment while trying to do this, but if the player can approach a campaign world in various ways, both in character design and world path taken, then I believe the same sense of freedom with the same level of satisfaction can be achieved in both formats.
The key points to consider for a module design to emulate PnP, if possible, and are a core design to the Althéa Campaign are:
- The campaign should be non-linear as possible, and offer various paths of approach for scenarios.
- Respect character class and backgrounds by offering supporting conversation options.
- Design in such a way that allows as much flexibility of play, to help avoid linear gameplay.
For example, if a PnP scenario has various leads and approaches by design, then a module design should also try to accommodate as many of the same as possible. This is much harder to do when building a module for a computer environment, but the more options and paths we can include that differ in some way, the greater the same D&D gaming experience of a PnP session can be replicated within the computer environment.
2) PLAYER NUMBERS: Another important aspect of D&D gameplay is the camaraderie had when playing as a group of players. Sure, playing an adventure alone can be fun, but the fun can be so much more amplified when you share the same adventure with a friend or two. This is part of the attraction of a PnP D&D session, in that you could share goals and ideas with fellow gamers, and the sense of "party" in the game being played would reflect as a bonding exercise in the players themselves. Overcoming a challenge was not just a lonesome achievement, but a group one! If you were unable to solve a problem in one challenge, you knew you could normally rely on another player to help your own thinking to overcome any problems the party faced. Another time, you would be the one to figure something out, and so the relationships between players grew as their own respective characters did.
Thankfully, Neverwinter Nights 2 (NWN2) supports this camaraderie spirit by accommodating co-operative play (co-op). As long as the module has also been designed to support multiple players, then a group of players can join together within the campaign world and take on the challenge together. If you have access to your own computer, then this can take place in the same room (as LAN is supported), or you can be on the other side of the world and do a direct connection via the internet. In such cases, you can also meet together in a group chat program (e.g. Teams) at the same time and keep the lively real-time chat going in the same way as if sitting at the same table in a PnP session. In this sense, the spirit of the PnP multiple player attendance is very well replicated for the co-op module. I quickly note that we are NOT talking about a Persistent World (PW) approach here, as I do not believe the PW approach can capture the same spirit and personal experience as a group of friends playing a co-op module.
The key points to consider for a module design to emulate PnP, if possible, and are a core design to the Althéa Campaign are:
- Design a module to support co-op play. (*)
- Accommodate a conversation system that respects multiple player interaction.
- Be sure to have a reliable chat program to enable clear communication between players.
(*) I would recommend a maximum of four players when joining a module designed for a co-op session, as the more players involved, the more the game area load times and overall stability are affected. Other modules may offer support for a higher number of players, but your stability mileage may vary.
3) GAMEPLAY: Assuming we have an open world design, with various paths, and multiple nodes of interaction when speaking with the various NPCs in our world, the next biggest challenge we face is being able to offer the kind of gaming experience that players enjoy when playing their favourite RPG. This is one of the hardest challenges, because, as module builders (as opposed to a closed PnP group with a DM), we often do not know of our players likes and dislikes when it comes to their style of campaign adventure.
This is the main reason I chose to write this article today, as it helps illustrate what a player can expect from The Althéa Campaign, as well as demonstrate how our own PnP scenarios can still work well within a computer design. To emphasise this point, I have taken my own PnP D&D campaign, and rebuilt it within the NWN2 toolset, in such a way that I hope evokes the same gaming fun among new players, as my own group and I had many years ago within PnP. Indeed, I still have two players from the original group, who eagerly await the opportunity for us to all play the translated versions of the campaign from its original PnP setup to a NWN2 campaign.
As regular readers will already know, my wife, who joined my D&D group later than my other remaining player, has had the opportunity to play test some of these translated D&D scenarios, and her feedback has been most positive in that she has found them great fun to play. I quickly add that these same scenarios have multiple approaches, and so even though she has tested these and enjoyed some aspects of them, other approaches remain, which I hope will also work well and come to light when we all have the opportunity to play them as a group upon completion.
The main question still remains, however, and that is what can new players expect in gameplay when playing this particular campaign, within the world of Althéa? After all, as regular readers will already know, this campaign has been heavily modified. Even before Baldur's Gate 3 claim to be very much like PnP on the computer, my own campaign is as close in design to my original PnP campaign as I could build it within NWN2. i.e. Systems and gameplay interactions have been designed to accommodate all those PnP practices we used to enjoy playing within our own PnP campaign. I will list some of them now:-
- Added an optional pseudo Turn-Based Combat system with auto-pause. (1)
- Allowed multiple Player/PC creation support and/or companions, and/or henchmen. (2)
- Added Fog of War to ensure maps did not give immediate player meta knowledge. (3)
- Added many puzzle games and events that encourage players cooperation. (4)
- Improved and included all three crafting systems that work within a developed economy.
- Improved inventory and store systems to reflect skills and items equipped.
- Improved Journal interaction to ensure the player knows exactly what to do.
- Improved AI (and real life) responses that can affect alignments.
- Updated and multiple approach death system to accommodate personal styles.
All the above alterations or additions are designed to be fully integrated and work with one another and most importantly, work alongside the story that is being played. For, ultimately, it is the story that is the most important aspect of this campaign. The above are just some of the "seasoning" added to support the player's interaction within the World of Althéa as they play their role in the story that they are playing out.
Note, that some of the above are optional in some way, and can be changed according to the player's own preferred style of approach when playing D&D. Here is a little additional information about some of the above:
2) The alterations I made here make a fundamental change to the way players can play PCs under their control. For example, in a co-op game with three players, but in a party of six (with three additional companions), normally only the leader can control the additional companions and give them orders. However, in the changes I have made, each player can control their own companions. This allows players to share any additional companions among themselves to control as they prefer. It is more akin to players of a PnP game, sitting at the table with more than one character. Again, this suits the way we used to play within our own PnP group and I imagine other groups probably do too.
3) As my players and I come from a PnP background, none of us wanted to have any maps revealed (or sometimes available) the moment an area was entered. Too much information from the start spoiled the sense of adventure, and so I added this as the default nature of the area map, and also made the mini-map only available in certain situations. There is an option to change this setting with certain feats or options in the game, but again, I imagine PnP players would prefer this on by default, as it is.
4) As players from a PnP background, we enjoyed those times when I would introduce a puzzle to my players in one form or another. That is, there were moments when the pace of the game would change from the tactics of an engaging combat to resolving a puzzle of some kind. However, I also recognise that some players (not of my own group) may not like these kind of challenges, and so I also included different ways of solving these puzzles automatically instead. It may require taking on a certain feat, but sometimes just having the right item will help solve it for the PC.
The key thing to take away from this section is that these systems are often flexible and are designed to complement the story and offer a change of pace at certain stages of the game. Their inclusion comes due to the fun times we recall having with puzzles from our own PnP days. I hope other players from a similar background appreciate their inclusion in the same way.
4) THE STORY: Like most PnP campaigns, the Althéa Campaign has a story that drives it along. Importantly, however, the pace of the game is left within the hands of the player and they can approach their immediate goals available in any order they think best. Changing the order, or trying a different path altogether is often allowed, but does not detract from the player's understanding of the game. Indeed, it is the choices of the path taken within the world and the story that the player unfolds for themselves that is "altered" subject to the choices the player has made along the way.
Sometimes, certain paths will become accessible earlier than other times (or change), subject to other paths the player or players have already agreed to take. Each decision can affect outcomes, but ultimately, the story remains in place, always reminding the player that there is a greater mission to complete and to drive them forward.
There is much more I could add to this campaign overview, but wanted to write this article to show that if you like or have enjoyed playing PnP D&D before, recognise that this campaign has been written to emulate that gaming experience as close as I know possible, and have access to. Note, I have not yet played Baldur's Gate 3, but as that uses 5th Edition, I like to think that The Althéa Campaign is a first to do something as close to the same, while using the 3.5th Edition rules. So, if there is anything you wish to ask, or know more about, just ping me a message and I will try to respond as soon as possible.
Latest Campaign
The latest release is v1.38, but has not had any updates since v1.37 that was released on 24th October, which was a critical update. The only reason for this latest release was to bring the module and campaign release to the same date. The module itself has had some minor optimisations for a couple of areas, but, otherwise, no other major changes. This should be, unless anything critical comes to light, the last update for the first module.
Meanwhile, I am continuing to work on the second module. Due to personal circumstances, however, I was unable to do as much work as I had hoped to have done, but have managed to replay an important area and made some changes/updates where required. The next few weeks may be difficult for me to do as much as I would like to do, but I will be continuing to work on the module as and when I can. Hopefully, by next month, I will be in a better position to give the module my full attention. For now, here is a screenshot from the area I did work on:-
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