For most people, the way to go is as I said here: blank hex map, blank grid map, then randomly roll up a starting hex, town and dungeon. Pick a day and time, get players, go. This is simple, easy, and takes no more time than the wait between ordering a pizza and it arriving at your door.
For the purpose of illustrating how big you can go, I’m going the hard route and start with a flashy Braunstein scenario, a refinement of what I outlined here. Then after that is over I’ll add that Typical Starting Hex as a separate play area on the map.
What needs to be made clear is this: there is a mutually exclusive Win Condition. The factions contending for the Tower are in a Highlander situation: there can be only one. Most are after the treasure in the Tower. The guardian seeks to keep the others from getting it. Yet all (but the guardian) of the contending factions are Good-aligned.
That, reader, is a wargame scenario guaranteed to provoke conflict all the way down. The sheer amount of player-v-player conflict that will result because there can be only one winner, but the contending factions are Good-aligned so moral considerations do apply. Furthermore, the guardian is not guaranteed to be Evil; we could have Good vs. Neutral or even Good vs. Good.
The factions start the campaign with a few rounds of big-picture play to set things into motion. Then I roll up Starter Hex and we move into a typical campaign play mode of weekly adventuring alternating with bigger picture actions when that needs to be done.
But Wait, There’s More
Remember that the map is mostly blank. Players, be they factions or figures, have to go there to find out what’s there. This includes the guardian.
The monsters and NPCs discovered there can be handed off to other players to control, and they can (and, for the more evil or predatory sorts, will) become hostile factions opposing the contenders for their own reasons.
Much like Hannibal taking the long way overland to Rome’s backyard over the Alps, the contenders (and later any adventurers that seek to join that cohort) will encounter unknown or unexpected parties and must deal with them to carry on.
They will also encounter opportunities to replenish losses, secure resources, and to increase their power in the form of neutral or friendly encounters as well as yet more settlements, ruins, and dungeons found along the way.
Furthermore, the contending factions begin the campaign unaware of each other and thus those players cannot even decide to collaborate or not until contact is made. Once that happens, the Diplomacy subgame really begins.
All this time, the X-Factor continues to have its influence: the independent adventurers.
Will they ally with one or more of the contenders? Will they oppose them? Will they strike out on their own? All of these are possible, even likely, given that (aside from any NPCs or monsters found) any Evil characters are going to come from this group than anywhere else.
Secondary Objectives
This is entirely player-driven. I have no idea what they could be, nor do I need to know. All I need to do is put the Win Condition before the group and let them go.
What are likely secondary objectives will involve pursuit of things that make the pursuit of the primary objective possible. This means pursuing resources, allies, strategic locations, etc. that would replenish those spent prosecuting the campaign.
Far more interesting will be the objectives of the adventuring characters in the mix. Some will be predictable, as they will be involved in Class advancement, but others will not and seeing what players decide to pursue will be quite interesting to watch. If those pursuits end up having a material impact on the primary objective, so much the better.
Practical Management
The Gameplay Loop is sufficient. All that needs to be done is to put in specific rules to avoid information overload as this is meant to be done in addition to other real-life pursuits.
And That’s All That Needs Be Said
Friday I will post the Starting Conditions.