The Last RPG Jam, 2020, Pre-Work

This will be a table-top role playing game (TTPRPG) entry in "The Last RPG Jam."  We have a team of four designers and we are currently fleshing out a one-page game design document (GDD).

Game Identity / Theme:  Everyone on the team has been a Dungeon Master for D&D 5th edition (5e).  Creating a supplement for 5e would allow the most input from everyone on the team.  Two strengths of developing for 5e are it's currentness and the large player base.  The jam presents four theme choices "End of the World," "End of the Year," "Start of the World," "Start of the Year."   We decided on "End of the World,"  wanting to make something in the middle of a cataclysm rather than post-apocalyptic.

We looked at Cubicle 7's Adventures in Middle-Earth Campaign : Mirkwood -- it felt very on-topic for our goals: fantasy RPG, middle of cataclysm, ""the telling of a long defeat for the Free People of the North... Mirkwood is again a place of horror... the emphasis of the Mirkwood Campaign should be on personal tragedy."  This might continue to be an influence as the jam proceeds.  However we are not looking to simply rewrite this adventure in another setting.

After more discussion, we had our game identity: Mid-apocalyptic world, high-magic fantasy on the edge of annihilation.

Genre/Story/Mechanics Summary: Next came game story and summary.  We briefly discussed going off-theme but we had plenty of interest in some kind of continuation from a Wizards of the Coast (WotC) adventure after the villain was victorious.  

One member suggested "post-Tiamat summon from Tyranny of Dragons (ToD)" with a "theme on the world's failure of stopping the apocalypse and dealing with the consequences."  Coping with the consequences of player actions struck a chord with the group.  We also considered a post-Curse of Strahd (CoS) adventure and looked at Weekend at Strahd's as an example.

After discussion to ensure agreement, we have a brief story concept:

After Tyranny of Dragons, the dragon apocalypse!  “With Tiamat ascendant, the age of mortals comes to an end and the age of dragons begins. Nations and king­doms shatter, civilization collapses into bloody war, and chaos reigns supreme… [Faerun] becomes a brutal world where evil dragons dominate all.”

Before this all comes to pass, the PCs can foment rebellion and gather power to banish Tiamat back to hell.

Next Steps:  Next we will refine our design pillars and decide on features to include.  We also need to workout our division of labor -- one member has expressed interest in encounter design & will likely take part in map design.  I will continue with high-order coordination & take part in map design but everything else still needs to get planned out.