Campaign Idea, Artifacts? Hmmm? Options

[Red_Cap]

So, I was perusing Big D's Will with a mind towards campaign ideas (thanks for the commentary, Ancient, it was sometimes humorous and mostly helpful) and I got to thinking about the maybe-dragon bones scattered across North America. Trying to determine which of the ED great dragons they're from aside, I figured that having someone run for them would make a good game since it would allow a starter GM like myself, operating with first-time players, a good excuse to get out of Seattle for a while without A.) digging too deeply into the connection to ED that none of my players are aware of or B.) without needing to leave North America and get embroiled in the massive geopolitical hoo-hah that is places like Tir na nOg or the AGS.

With that explanation aside, I have not yet purchased, read, or played either Dusk or Midnight and it occured to me in Midnight's description that it sends players bouncing around similar areas and I wanted to ask those in the know -- namely, the rest of you -- if I'm stepping on Catalyst's toes.

[Delarn]

Dusk ...

[Backgammon]

You can't step on CGL's toes. Or rather, they'll never mind. Do what you want.

That being said, if you want a campaign that offers opportunities to bounce around the globe, both Ghost Cartels and the Artefact missions will do perfectly. Note that I said the globe. Both campaign send you to the four corners, not just North America. However, your concerns about the geo-political situation of each place should not be a issue. Each campaign book(s) provide you everything you need to know, and each focus on their own events, so knowing the big picture is not necessary.

If you still want a strictly North American tour campaign, you'll have to make your own. Hunting for dragon bones is as good as any reason.

[Red_Cap]

Dusk ...

Delarn, not to be an ass, but this doesn't help much. I'm assuming that you mean that this is part of Dusk's campaign arc, but it could also mean that you thought I misspelled Dusk earler in my post.

[Delarn]

It's to tell you that using Dusk would be the best solution. Dusk is quite a good mission so far to be transformed into a campain.

[BishopMcQ]

The Dawn of the Artifacts campaign (a 4 part adventure cycle) is a truly global campaign as Backgammon mentioned. If you want to only stay in North America, Midnight will work for you. Dusk goes a bit farther afield, and the final two chapters travel around a lot as well. All of the DotA adventures provide travel arrangements if the players don't have them, but also provide that pirate smuggler character a real chance to shine as he/she gets to fly the team around the world.

The campaign can be run with or without any ED connections and can be completely self-contained or spread through a standing campaign. The quest for dragon bones mentioned sounds like a great one to get your team running around North Am, and could be a tie-in to Midnight, since your team will earn a name for itself (hopefully). If they enjoy Midnight, you can then do Dusk, or jump straight to Chapter 3 when it's released.

All of the DotA pieces can be run out of order, or skipping chapters though certain changes will need to be made based on how much the GM strays from order. The events in Dusk lead to Midnight, or Midnight can be run as a standalone. Running Dusk after Midnight requires some creativity though...

Hope that helps!

EDIT: By the way--each of the DotA adventures can be wrapped up in 3-4 sessions if you stay tight to the story line. Using some of the embellishments provided in the adventures can easily extend that to 7-8, and GM caveat can take it out even further. That means the four chapters of DotA could take up nearly a full year for a weekly gaming group.