Ich habe jetzt mal einen Entwurf für ein Konzept namens
"The Great Awakening" geschrieben, welches begründen soll, warum man im Verlauf der Kampagne immer epischere Gefahren und Bedrohungen bekämpft.
Allerdings wurde ich seitdem hingewiesen, daß das auch der Name von diversen religiösen Erweckungsbewegungen im 18. Jahrhundert war, und bin daher auch für Alternativnamen offen.
The Great AwakeningIt must be said that most - though not all - German folklore focuses on fairly low-key narratives. The protagonists are usually peasants or craftsmen (with the occasional noble thrown in), while the monsters are usually singular in nature and certainly present a threat to lone farmers, but not necessarily to a well-armed group of experienced adventurers. While it is possible to run mysteries and adventures that are still within the spirit of folklore tales while the adventurers are at low levels, sooner or later the power of the party will grow beyond them. Thus, the game master will eventually likewise have to go beyond the scope of folklore tales when designing adventures.
And there is nothing wrong with that! Like the oral storytellers of old, the game masters of today must likewise change the tales for their audiences. To make this easier,
Hidden Paths to Chaos uses a concept called
"The Great Awakening". While the default assumption of the setting is that it largely resembles real world history, with folkloric elements hidden beneath the surface of the world, "The Great Awakening" assumes that the supernatural become increasingly blatant. This is assumed to be a relatively recent phenomenon, occurring just before the start of the campaign or even during it - but it allows scaling the campaign for more epic threats. Individual entries of the setting will thus have "The Great Awakening" sections that explain how to introduce higher-level challenges.
The GM can decide whether the Great Awakening has a single cause. Possibilities include:
The End Times: As an increasing number of lay preachers and heretics tell the anxious masses, Judgement Day is approaching fast. Both the heavenly host and the Courts of hell gather mortal followers to fight for their side, and imbue them with powers. Dead emperors arise from their slumber and gather mighty hosts - and the player characters might become pivotal figures in this struggles.
The Rise of Atlantis: The increasing transatlantic trade has disturbed Plato's great city, and now it has risen to the surface and is beginning to influence politics along the shores of the Atlantic Ocean. While the transoceanic trade of Germany is limited, it is still likely that there will be numerous people printing and selling books of "Atlantean secrets" promising magical powers. Some of these may even be genuine.
The Return of the Dragons: When the ancient Babylonian deity Tiamat was imprisoned, her dragon followers were likewise bound deep into the bowels of the Earth. Now their bindings losen, and they emerge to establish lairs and territories in the mountains, hills, forests, and swamps of Germany and elsewhere. As they expand their reach, mighty heroes are required to stop them.
The Great Old Ones Awaken: The stars are nearly right. Cthulhu sleeps fitfully in his tomb-city at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean, while Nyarlathotep dons one of his thousand masks and whispers blasphemous alchemical and magical secrets into the ears of scholars across Europe. Cults in the wilderness beseech Shub-Niggurath, and one day soon she might send one of her avatars to spread unholy growths in German forests. As reality itself begins to weaken, more and more people develop strange powers of their own.
