Fauchard1520
Adventurer
I've had some luck using anti-parties in my D&D style games. I'm curious if you guys have ever tried to use the concept in other genres. If so, how did it work out?
Do you like to use an Anti-Party?
It can be fun unless you overdo it. I recall a 'Scavenger Hunt' module which had about half a dozen adventurer parties compete to win a prize. That was chaotic fun.
Competing parties can also work wonders if the players seem to be stumped. Learning about their actions can give them an idea how to move forward.
D&D's first adventure path 'Shackled City' features an 'anti-party' to good effect, and 13th Age's 'Eyes of the Stone Thief' does even better by pitting the pcs against several opposing factions, one of them an 'anti-party'.
Competing parties can also work wonders if the players seem to be stumped. Learning about their actions can give them an idea how to move forward.
D&D's first adventure path 'Shackled City' features an 'anti-party' to good effect, and 13th Age's 'Eyes of the Stone Thief' does even better by pitting the pcs against several opposing factions, one of them an 'anti-party'.
S
Sunseeker
Guest
Yep. The intro to almost any of my campaigns these days is "You're all in the job line...."
Which means there are other people in the job line. Which means there are other parties being formed up. They're rarely "out to get" the main party, but they are potential competitors (or allies). I usually keep them no more complicated than a couple dice rolls, only filling out who is in their groups if the party has to encounter them directly. They may die before the party ever meets them!
Which means there are other people in the job line. Which means there are other parties being formed up. They're rarely "out to get" the main party, but they are potential competitors (or allies). I usually keep them no more complicated than a couple dice rolls, only filling out who is in their groups if the party has to encounter them directly. They may die before the party ever meets them!
Eltab
Lord of the Hidden Layer
When I was DM'ing Rise of Tiamat, I worked into every scene with the Council of Lords, a report from another party of adventurers that was also fighting the Cult of the Dragon.
- Most of them were clearly lower-level NPCs doing lower-level stuff.
- A few were intended to be equal-level "rivals" or "competitors" (but my players didn't pick up on them that way).
- One group was clearly a very-high-level party that got the really tough missions; I was planning to have the last surviving member, beaten to within inches of death, give the PCs the key to breaking the Climactic Ritual. Alas that I had to drop out of the campaign before we got that far.
- Most of them were clearly lower-level NPCs doing lower-level stuff.
- A few were intended to be equal-level "rivals" or "competitors" (but my players didn't pick up on them that way).
- One group was clearly a very-high-level party that got the really tough missions; I was planning to have the last surviving member, beaten to within inches of death, give the PCs the key to breaking the Climactic Ritual. Alas that I had to drop out of the campaign before we got that far.
Thomas Bowman
First Post
The action doesn't last long. Lets suppose we had two groups of players, one group controls evil PCs that act as lieutenants for all the monsters in the Dungeon, and the other group of players controls the heroic party trying to explore and loot the dungeon? the DM just acts as a referee between the two.
Fauchard1520
Adventurer
Sounds intriguing. My Google-fu is failing me though. Any help tracking down this module for reference?
It's one of the (short) adventures in Adventure Pack I.
Grogg of the North
Adventurer
My players response upon meeting the Stormblades was "I'm sorry, who are you? We've been too busy saving the city" and promptly ridiculed and ignored them.
I had an explayer complain that I used anti-parties too much. The argument came after I had a cleric backing up a group of rogues. The party was going up against an evil church so a divine caster made sense to include. To me an anti-party is either an evil version of the party or a group of NPCs designed to specifically counter the party.
In my Marvel eXiles game, the PC team is about to meet their "Weapon X" counterparts-- the team that gets the uglier missions.
Not necessarily an "anti-party" because they are theoretically allies, but I'm setting them up to be uncomfortable with each other. And depending on how closely I decide to follow the original series, they might come to a head later.
Not necessarily an "anti-party" because they are theoretically allies, but I'm setting them up to be uncomfortable with each other. And depending on how closely I decide to follow the original series, they might come to a head later.
Legatus Legionis
< BWAH HA Ha ha >
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