Soft home brew on Mystara

 I’m considering running another open table sandbox, this time set in Mystara. I’ve tried an open table idea many times before with little success, using different campaign ideas like a sandbox set in the Nentir Vale, module B2 The Keep on the Borderlands, the intro adventures from Mentzer’s Basic books, short dungeon modules, and the 5e Starter and Essentials boxes. I also tried multiple editions of D&D from OD&D, BECMI, AD&D 1e and 2e, and even 5e, to see which I would like.

My first attempt at running a sandbox set in Mystara began in Threshold was played with the BECMI system. The experience fell flat for me because the lore didn’t match up with the game mechanics- specifically the powers of the Cleric class didn’t match up with the background lore of the Immortals, and the confrontation with Aleena made this obvious. But it does work with AD&D 2e’s notion of clerical spheres and specialty priests...and Mystara did get a limited port to AD&D 2e. I have my own ideas about religion in D&D that I’ve detailed on my blog and that I personally love, and I’m sure I can fit it into the Mystara campaign setting with a few soft retcons.

First, the Church of Thyatis would be a stand-in for the “Great Church” outlined in my religion piece. The Church of Tralada would be considered a Thyatian misnomer by the Traladarn people, who call their religion the “Old Faith”. Everything else can remain the same, including mechanics.

I don't think that the Immortals should be stand ins for the deities of the setting. I'm fine with player characters becoming immortals, but believe that the creator and ruler gods themselves should be kept separate from immortals.