Warning to Players: possible spoilers for Out of the Abyss to follow!
Having starting reading through Out of the Abyss to prep for running an initial session this weekend, I agree with the opinion I've read in a number of reviews: it's a complicated adventure that takes a bit of work by the DM to run well. That said, it does look really cool and I'm excited to get going!
However, I'm hoping to reach out to other DM's that are running it (or getting ready to) so that we can share ideas to make our sessions go as smooth as possible. One of my first ideas is to put the pictures of the NPC prisoners on index cards and spread them out on the table, so players have a visual representation of who is in the cell with them at the start of the adventure. I think it would make things easier when trying to keep track of that huge cast of characters. Related to this: has anyone tried letting the players run the individual prisoners as is suggested in the book? How did that feel in practice?
I'd be really happy to hear from anyone else, whether they want to share ideas related to simple table organization practices or changes that they're making to the adventure. I'll post more ideas as I have them (if there seems to be any interest!).
Having starting reading through Out of the Abyss to prep for running an initial session this weekend, I agree with the opinion I've read in a number of reviews: it's a complicated adventure that takes a bit of work by the DM to run well. That said, it does look really cool and I'm excited to get going!
However, I'm hoping to reach out to other DM's that are running it (or getting ready to) so that we can share ideas to make our sessions go as smooth as possible. One of my first ideas is to put the pictures of the NPC prisoners on index cards and spread them out on the table, so players have a visual representation of who is in the cell with them at the start of the adventure. I think it would make things easier when trying to keep track of that huge cast of characters. Related to this: has anyone tried letting the players run the individual prisoners as is suggested in the book? How did that feel in practice?
I'd be really happy to hear from anyone else, whether they want to share ideas related to simple table organization practices or changes that they're making to the adventure. I'll post more ideas as I have them (if there seems to be any interest!).