I wanna hear about your experience with the Warrior Maidens from B4: The Lost City!

[Alcamtar]

I had five PCs. One has a heroic motivation, AND suspected outer being activity, so he was all in.

The elf was worried that the "problem" was going to spread and affect her homeland. She wanted to find out what was going on before walking away. She was also disturbed by the drugs - it pushed a real life button.

The halfling was fairly mercenary, she just wanted to get food and leave, but when she befriended the Madaruans I think it became a comradeship motivation. She has a vicious streak and responds to a challenge. She also had it in for the Usamagarans, at least she used to.

The other halfling is a social gamer, she'd goes along with whatever.

The fighter was a 12 year old on his first d&d game. He wanted to kill stuff and act out. (He actually tried to join the Zargonites and become a priest. )

Those were the hooks. The sinker was twofold. First, they welded an alliance and were given command of a force of three Gormites, three Madaruans, and three Usamagarans. At first they wanted to just convince them to work together, but when the factions couldn't, they ended up the alliance leaders. Taking ownership made a hide difference. They named their NPCs and had a lot of empathy for them.

The other thing was rubbing their noses in Zargonite atrocity. They witnessed weird cultish brainwashing rites complete with volunteers offering themselves to their "god" never to be seen again, sneaked into the temple and chatted with Zargonite priests bragging about their power and abuses. They learned that the ritual of priestly investiture is sealed with a human sacrifice*. They encountered all sorts of weird cynidiceans, felt mixed mixed revulsion and pity. (I expanded the encounter table.) They were involved with a rescue of Zargon prisoners from a torture chamber. So they really really hate Zargon

*This was learned when the PC tried to join zargon. I was trying to dissuade him by making it horrible, but he insisted. The other PCs gave him exactly one cold and businesslike warning, and when he did not immediately relent, they executed him on the spot without remorse... right in the middle of the Zargonites main temple! I was so tickled and gratified by this...

To summarize it sort of snowballed. I capitalized on the one heroic motivation - and he was a perfect straight man, assuming the lead and making impassioned speeches. The rest just fell out from roleplay. I focused on making the npcs interesting, with believable motives; and focused on making the Zargonites really over the top awful. It turned out well, in large part because the party did not have a shoot-n-loot mentality.

One other thing I did differently this time: I cooperated with requests for information, took opportunities to reveal background story, etc. In the past I've been cagey and kept my secrets, this time I tried to reveal them. I think it was beneficial. Knowing what was going on gave the party a sense of personal engagement.

 

[Alcamtar]

The 12 year old went through a few PCS due to Poor Life Choices. One PC was a Gorm brother captured by the Zargonites. He really liked that one and had a sense of connection.

It's cool making a PC the lost heir! I also like the kidnap - and - feed - to - zargon idea.

I agree on the moral motive... its rarely more than lip service and often you don't even get that.

I did not hide the path down but didn't really reveal it either. Through luck or whatever they somehow chose nearly the most direct route. Part of it was a reluctance to explore, so they stayed in the corridors as much as possible. They were still first level and penniless when they walked into the city.

 

[magnusmalkus]

Thanks again, bud. Your stuff has helped me a lot. It's refreshing to see a new angle. We have a lot of similarities in our takes on the factions. I basically divided them based upon what they would see a 'New Cyndicea' look like and making them so different, that there was *no way* they would work together. Basically the Gormites are a Patriarchal Tyranny, puritanical and conservative, with a Pope-like figure leading the flock; the Madaruans are Monarchic Communists who follow their Pharaoh-like Goddess Queen who redistributes abundance among all the women; and the Usamigarans who are Magocratic Capitalists, a cunning, self-serving, yet equal-opportunity lot hiding behind the guise of 'the greater good', always pushing boundaries everywhere in the quest for growth in wealth and power... all in the name of a 'New and Thriving Cyndicea', of course.

I greatly increased the population and added a sloping cliff to the east wall. The dominant culture is very Victorian, with aristocratic Zargonites living in aged elegance while the downtrodden Cyndicean population is kept under control with physical abuse, drugs, and mind-control. The most deeply addicted cyndiceans function as the slave labor the Zargonites who abuse and oppress them to support their lifestyles. The Zargonites have made human breeding a very efficient process and keep up with sacrifices easily.

Story-building this module has been a hobby of mine for years. I've got a (dreadfully unedited) 87 page document expounding upon various facets of the setting. I suspect I'm only partially done; there is so much I have yet to detail. I've drawn upon, about, every publication and reference I could find online including the old Forgotten Realms Unlimited Adventures fan-built video game module.

 

[Alcamtar]

Very interesting. I like what you did with the factions. Do players relate to them? Choose one over the others?

My slaves are goblins bit they seem curiously willing to serve, considering they area also the soldiers and outnumber everyone else. I think they have some sinister motive but haven't figured out what it is yet.

 

[magnusmalkus]

Yes, players have occasionally gravitated to one faction or another (for survival, if nothing else). I don't play them up to be unlikeable; the factions mostly come off as xenophobic labeling all non-cyndiceans as "Xenics" and treating the the PC's with caution and skepticism at first. Once introductions have been established, basic preferences and dislikes become apparent. Mostly, players find the Madaruans and the Usamigarans easiest to relate to. The factions 'political agendas' are not something most PC's are aware of (or, in my experience, interested in). I just use these defining characteristics of the factions as a kind-of filter thru which I can think and strain out the appropriate response to a situation or thing.

The Gormites are benevolent but too cautious, overbearing and chauvinistic. Paladins, clerics of lawful male deities and 'defensive' types (lots of armor and defensive tactics) find them accomodating. Female PC's and arcane magic-using males get the cold shoulder. Players rarely 'get anywhere' with the Gormites. They are rarely on the offense, and take a conservative approach to everything. This is how they've managed to remain the largest of the three factions.

The Madaruans are nearly as sexists as the Gormites (against males) but are more willing to be flexible, seeing as how they are the smallest of the three good factions and can't afford to turn away help. Members of the Sisterhood come off grounded, intelligent and practical. They appreciate self-sufficiency, do not suffer fools or people who refuse to be accountable for their actions (people who play the 'victim'). Their only sticking point is that they are intolerant of arcane spellcasting males (arcane spellcasting females are marginally tolerated but divine spellcasting females, especially rangers and druids, are extremely favored).

Spell Casting PC's usually always gravitate to the Magi of Usamigaras but remain wary due to the Magi's obviously oily and manipulative ways. They Usamigarans have a lot to offer by way of merchandise and information to barter with the PC's. The Magi are accepting of nearly all walks of life and gender, especially catering to anyone who uses arcane magic or is particularly 'crafty', but will bully and belittle 'meat-head' types.

Last time I ran this adventure, it was for D&D 3.5 rules and I fleshed out the factions with the rules for PC Organizations form the DMG II (pg 210.). This made joining a faction much more rewarding for PC's and enabled me to give characters 'missions' which resulted in PC's gaining sway and influence as well as tangible rewards.

To my mind, of the three, I always felt my Madaruans were the weakest defined group. They always seemed mild... bland. Which, is why I started this thread. But in retrospect, I suppose they are already full of character and expanded sufficiently from their roots in the module. Plus, there has to be an 'easy' group to get along with, I suppose.