The King is Dead: Plotting

 

I've been roughing out the shape and scope of the TKID book, and I find myself in a quandary.  I am, on the whole, an improvisational and (more or less) DIY GM.  I've run the Rippers plot-point campaign, but I can't think of any other canned plots I've actually used.   I've used the Forgotten Realms as a setting in which to improvise plots on numerous occasions, but I'm hardly the kind of obsessive FR fan that knows the different coins of Waterdeep and Cormyr.

In other words, I'm not the kind of GM who needs or uses hyper-detailed adventure paths or settings, so why would I write one?

Hmm...  A part of me would feel guilty if I didn't include a plot-point campaign, because that's the Savage Worlds trademark, but it's a small part.  Obviously, the whole goal of The King is Dead is to break the setting, but why should I dictate the path others want to take to get there?  No, my book is going to be low on metaplot and high on campaign seeds.

I think I'll look toward Pirates of the Spanish Main as my model: character creation, setting notes, a gazetteer that provides plenty of seeds but dictates very little, and a thorough bestiary with plenty of nonplayer character archetypes.  Perhaps I'll throw in a fleshed-out example NPC for every few archetypes.  I think a few more-detailed adventure locations (a rural shire, Hammerstadt) would be good.

Yeah, that should strike a good balance.

P.S. Expect an announcement about the secret mystery project on Monday.