Scouring of GP : Better encounters on the way to retrieving the case

[Marcon]

Hey guys,

I'll be kicking off my WotBS campaign shortly so expect a few posts from me as I finish up the prep work.

Right after the fight at the Poison Apple Pub, the PCs are having a few scripted encounters on their way to the Depository Tower. I don't find any of these encounters thrilling enough to portray what is really going on in the city.

A damsel in distress in a building on fire and a merchant looking for his dire weasel, this is stuff that could happen virtually anywhere anytime. I'm looking for ideas that fit the mood of the adventure better. For example of a thrilling encounter, the one where they see a dying wyvern crash nearby and have to hunt down the injured Ragesian captain to finish him off (Not before he slaughtered an entire innocent family) is one I really liked.

I know the PCs are Level 1 and can't do much but still, did you come up with more fleshed-out ideas than the ones that can be found on pages 14-15?

-Marco

 

[RangerWickett]

Part of the difficulty is that the heroes aren't by the front lines. They're dealing with the Luftwaffe, not the Panzer division, and like the British during the Blitz, the drama is about the human reaction to being under attack.

Now in hindsight, I'd take out the stupid frikkin' weasel thing. It was just supposed to be a throwaway, that most people would just ignore as unimportant in the grand scheme of things, but by reading people's play by posts, it looks like a lot of groups stop to help the stupid noble find his dumb pet weasel, instead of hurrying to do what's actually important to save the day.

If you want to make stuff more interesting, you could just narrate them hurrying through the city. If they want to stop and try to make a difference, let them, but otherwise just keep telling them how much chaos has gripped the city. Bombs keep falling, people are dying, and there's not much the heroes can do about it. These scenes were intended to get the heroes pissed off at Ragesia, to motivate them to take action (which means getting out of the city, because staying in the city they can't hope to accomplish much), and to give them a few opportunities to make small differences.

You want them to feel almost helpless to influence the battle, and players don't like being helpless, so you might just rush through these scenes, like so:


You exit a burning building, and monsters are flying through the skies overhead. Buildings are crumpling and exploding a few streets over. People clog the streets trying to see what's happening, and you have to get through them to accomplish your mission. You press out into the crowds, heading east, where you see a huge cluster of burning buildings, and as you get close to the gate to the next district, you get caught in a huge throng of panicked townsfolk.

Soldiers from the eastern districts are trying to push through to get to the battle at the main gate, while normal people try to flee, and the gates, designed to hold back invaders, are too narrow to let you all through. You're being crushed, pushed back and forth, and though many are trying to yell for order, for people to let the soldiers through first, mayhem reigns.

And then something overhead roars, and all reason flees your mind. You are prey, helpless, and hundreds of shapes silhouetted against firelight swell close to you. As one, the crowd screams, and you fight to get away from the horror in the clouds, its wingbeats driving you on in terror. It's all you can do not to be crushed by the press of bodies, and after minutes of fighting, you stagger wearily out of the crowd, finally on the far side of the gate.

You regroup with your friends, watching panicked mothers crying out for their children, fathers carrying children burned near to death by the firebombing. Despair and confusion fills nearly every face, but you force your way onward, and you see your destination - the tower - standing high above the glow of your burning city. You rush past a building on fire, hearing the screams of a woman trapped on a top floor, the roars of pain of those few who have managed to stagger out of the inferno. You pass looters smashing down doors of shops and pulling away trinkets that will be worthless in the coming days of battle. You even see a bewildered noble, so shocked by the attack that all he cares about is finding a lost pet.

Sometimes you see people fighting against the chaos - a city guardsman carrying a young girl, trying to find her mother; thugs from the local thieves' guild gathered out in front of their hideout, shouting orders to organize a fire brigade; a cluster of young men in white cloaks shouting for the injured to follow them to a nearby church - but most just look to the skies, watching helplessly as Gate Pass griffon riders battle the wyvern knights of the Ragesians.

Overhead you spot one of these battles, and then hear a thunderous crack as the griffon rider shatters his lance in the throat of a wyvern. He tosses his broken lance down to the crowd with a cheer as the wyvern spirals out of control and crashes to the roof of a building the next street over. Then moments later a roar fills the air, massive wingbeats fan the city flames and kick cinders into the sky, and with a sickening crunching sound you witness a massive red dragon crush the griffon and its rider in its snapping maw.

And again, after too short a repreive, pandemonium besets the crowd. The streets clear as people flee desperately, foolishly into the nearest building, and as the dragon swoops away into the night, headed for the colossal statue of Emperor Coaltongue in the central district, you see that your path to the depository tower is clear.


Also, another thing I've seen is a lot of people getting confused in the Rivereye/Larion scene in the depository. Just try to think through how your players will react. They will probably be confused, but you don't want them dumbfounded. Maybe have the unconscious Rivereye be on the same floor as Larion, so it's easier for them to find him.

Either way, good luck.

 

[Rugult]

I have to agree with RangerWickett on this one. The emphasis here is on the fear and emotion that is brewing in the city. One thing to really stress is how out of depth the players are in this situation. With Wyverns, Dragons, and siege engines at work, it is best for the players to keep their heads as low as possible.

There's always a 'DnDism' where players think that in a pre-made adventure everything is scaled to their level, so clearly the Ragesian Armies are made up of 1st level warriors. I found the runaway scenes were meant to convey a sense of dread in the players, make them see this town they love attacked and ruined.

I spent quite some time building this up and it paid off in some later adventures where the events in Gate Pass come back to haunt the PCs.

 

[Marcon]

You exit a burning building, and monsters are flying through the skies overhead. Buildings are crumpling and exploding a few streets over. People clog the streets trying to see what's happening, and you have to get through them to accomplish your mission. You press out into the crowds, heading east, where you see a huge cluster of burning buildings, and as you get close to the gate to the next district, you get caught in a huge throng of panicked townsfolk.

Soldiers from the eastern districts are trying to push through to get to the battle at the main gate, while normal people try to flee, and the gates, designed to hold back invaders, are too narrow to let you all through. You're being crushed, pushed back and forth, and though many are trying to yell for order, for people to let the soldiers through first, mayhem reigns.

And then something overhead roars, and all reason flees your mind. You are prey, helpless, and hundreds of shapes silhouetted against firelight swell close to you. As one, the crowd screams, and you fight to get away from the horror in the clouds, its wingbeats driving you on in terror. It's all you can do not to be crushed by the press of bodies, and after minutes of fighting, you stagger wearily out of the crowd, finally on the far side of the gate.

You regroup with your friends, watching panicked mothers crying out for their children, fathers carrying children burned near to death by the firebombing. Despair and confusion fills nearly every face, but you force your way onward, and you see your destination - the tower - standing high above the glow of your burning city. You rush past a building on fire, hearing the screams of a woman trapped on a top floor, the roars of pain of those few who have managed to stagger out of the inferno. You pass looters smashing down doors of shops and pulling away trinkets that will be worthless in the coming days of battle. You even see a bewildered noble, so shocked by the attack that all he cares about is finding a lost pet.

Sometimes you see people fighting against the chaos - a city guardsman carrying a young girl, trying to find her mother; thugs from the local thieves' guild gathered out in front of their hideout, shouting orders to organize a fire brigade; a cluster of young men in white cloaks shouting for the injured to follow them to a nearby church - but most just look to the skies, watching helplessly as Gate Pass griffon riders battle the wyvern knights of the Ragesians.

Overhead you spot one of these battles, and then hear a thunderous crack as the griffon rider shatters his lance in the throat of a wyvern. He tosses his broken lance down to the crowd with a cheer as the wyvern spirals out of control and crashes to the roof of a building the next street over. Then moments later a roar fills the air, massive wingbeats fan the city flames and kick cinders into the sky, and with a sickening crunching sound you witness a massive red dragon crush the griffon and its rider in its snapping maw.

And again, after too short a repreive, pandemonium besets the crowd. The streets clear as people flee desperately, foolishly into the nearest building, and as the dragon swoops away into the night, headed for the colossal statue of Emperor Coaltongue in the central district, you see that your path to the depository tower is clear.

Please tell me you will include this in the Hardcover book so I don't feel bad you took the time only to make all that up for my campaign.

It should be brought forward as a "Narrative way to the Depository" sidebar or something.

Well-written, flavorful and evocative.

-Marcon

 

[RangerWickett]

Thank you. And I'll see if Russ will squeeze it in.