Re: In-Depth Spelljammer Campaign

> > As I said I want this game to be totally
> > immersive... Spelljamming is as
> > common an event as modern air travel. Kids ride
> > small jammer boards to

Why not have a lot of permanent and semi-permanent adaptations of
existing spells?  Imagine a 4th level version of Tenser's floating
disk that can do a semi-permanent enchantment.  Perhaps it needs
a specially engraved silver band around the 'jammer board', so
it won't come cheap, and it won't be employment just for mages.

You would probably have magic helms to provide industrial power
to mills and factories.  Instead of lifting a ship, it would power
a shaft.

I strongly recommend Randall Garrett's _Lord Darcy_ series for
flavor and background ideas.

> > school, all intersystem/interplanetary and most
> > interstate trade is
> > conducted by spelljamming and/or aerial ships. Most
> > large ports have a
> > mix of the spacefaring races etc.
> >
> > So, my questions.
> >
> > 1. How does one make the move to a "spelljammer is
> > all" type of
> > campaign.
>
>As always you got a couple of options... easiest would
>be to create a remote set of spheres far away from the
>known ones (might give some nice effects when
>discovering the known spheres then), I'm saying
>easiest because this will give your imagination
>freedom in the extreme but will give your fingers a
>lot of preparation to do. Secondly use existing
>material and improvise on that, for example I've had
>some great experiences converting the astromundi
>cluster set... but hey it's up to you :)

You also have to consider the effect of Spelljammers on culture.  Regions
that have been in contact for a long time will share culture like steamships
through airplanes have done in our world.

If you want to have a mix of familiar and exotic, start with a familiar
culture, like Victorian England, and give it spelljamming.  The other cultures
of earth would make up the long contacted spheres, and yet you have room
for first contact missions.

> How does one deal with the boredom of
> > months in space and the
> > huge travel times?
>
>what boredom? "Ok guys the trip for once passes
>uneventfully... and a few weeks later you dock at the
>Rock" or "After one week of cruising you drop out of
>Spelljamming speed... a barrier of drifting asteroids
>bars your way" or "It's two weeks since you left port,
>when you're suddenly awakened by the sound of cries on
>deck... mutiny? monsters?"

If you have adaptations of crystal ball spells for communications,
they could pass the trip reading foreign newpapers that are
Scryed and Copied into the ship's library.


>
> > 2. How does one avoid the pitfalls of a jamming ship
> > simply becoming a
> > fancy horse and cart taking the party to the next
> > spot adventure?
> >
>
>Let the costumize their ship, let it save their hides,
>Let them do battles with it... Let the play adventures
>for and around it, in one little sentence: Let them
>play Spelljammer :)

Make the ships bigger, or put them in a convoy, and have
some adventures on the ships, like stories set on a
great Victorian Cruise Ship.

Have adventures that take place in the various ports, that
involve the ship itself.  Is it a ship that always needs
repairs?  Does it handle well?  Does it have a boring
paint job that makes it look drab next to other ships?  Does
it have a reputation for adventure and a fair captain?

Try to get adventurers to _talk_ about their ship.  If they met
another bunch of explorers who boosted about their ship, and
told stories about it, then they would see their own ship
as more than a horse and cart.

Perhaps some licenses and special treatment is linked to the ship,
and are non-transferable.  Perhaps the Eelship 'Rustbucket' is
allowed to enter Lionheart or some other fortified area.  That
means that if the 'Rustbucket' is nearly destroyed, even if it
would be more economical to scrap it and get a new ship, the
adventurers may try to repair it, or at least, mourn it.

Michael Sandy

>It's all up to you as DM... If you want them to go
>planethopping and do adventures planetbased, then
>indeed you get the "horse and cart" idea... but it
>doesn't have to be... you can also choose for an all
>out spacey campaign with barely a planetfal ever, but
>once again it doesn't have to be... basically try to
>keep a sense of balance in your games and just do what
>you like to do, don't worry too much about it, just do
>it (not making commercials here :) )

> > Andrew