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<blockquote data-quote="!DWolf" data-source="post: 8212242" data-attributes="member: 7026314"><p>Some advice off the top of my head.</p><p></p><p>Having briefly skimmed the first part of the adventure:</p><ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">The paizo forums usually have great threads on the specific modules. Check them out.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Use exploration mode! Let the PCs explore between encounters and not just kick in the next door, fight the next monster, repeat (see the third paragraph on page 6 for the authors 'subtly' reminding you of this).</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">I am going to disagree strongly with Captain Zapp about monsters. Feel free to take James Jacobs’ advice (sidebar on page 8) and use the tactics listed in the module (for example have the miflits retreat as indicated) instead of making them all fight to death in their rooms. Zapp runs games in a very specific way that makes some things much more difficult than they would otherwise be.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">You will want to keep track of time since some encounters happen only at night. I personally have found a time wheel quite useful in my games but since you're on a VTT, you'll probably need a different option.</li> </ul><p>General Advice:</p><ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">If you can, record your game then go back over it and see how it played, what worked, what didn't, and check for rules errors and themes (intentional or otherwise).</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">In a dungeoncrawl pacing is very important. Try to frequently mix things up between combat, roleplay, puzzles, and exploration. Try not to have the game degenerate into open door, clear room, rest, repeat. The module (from what I read) seems very good at helping with this.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Also pay attention to the mood and themes of the area/module/ap and try to match your narration to the mood and your plot to the themes.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Narrative difficulty control is your friend. Use it to adjust the modules difficulty without having to change any numbers.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Verisimilitude is important in any sort of dungeon setting. The monsters shouldn't just sit in their rooms having no impact on any other section of the dungeon (with some exceptions).</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">An easy way to achieve narrative difficulty control and verisimilitude in a dungeon setting is through foreshadowing (immediate, proximal, and distant). Note that this particular module seems to already include a lot of it, but if your players are having difficulty (or you foresee them having difficulty with a particular encounter) you can always add more. </li> </ul><p>PF2e Advice:</p><ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">PF2e seems very similar on the surface to 5e/PF1 but it is a very different animal in play. Beware veteran players of other systems "optimizing to suboptimal results" and coming in with skewed expectations. The common examples everyone cites are spellcasters and making a third strike at -10 MAP instead of taking a more effective action, but there are a bunch of others.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">PF2e tends to be a diffrent type of power fantasy than 3.0/3.5/4e/5e/PF1 editions (depending on how people play them of course). PF2e defaults more to 'I'm awesome because I won against overwhelming odds' than 'I won against overwhelming odds because I'm so awesome'. If your players don't realize this it can easily result in a TPK. </li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">There is a good video by Collective Arcana on Feats.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Use the free archetype variant. There is a reason people rave about it.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Don't deny the PCs advantages gained through exploration. Never ever arbitrarily increase the difficulty of an encounter to compensate for the PCs gaining an advantage through skilled or clever play - if you do, you are effectively teaching them that such play is worthless and only a linear stream of combats through the module is acceptable.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">The starting stat modifiers of a character (without voluntary flaws) should add up to +9.</li> </ul></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="!DWolf, post: 8212242, member: 7026314"] Some advice off the top of my head. Having briefly skimmed the first part of the adventure: [LIST] [*]The paizo forums usually have great threads on the specific modules. Check them out. [*]Use exploration mode! Let the PCs explore between encounters and not just kick in the next door, fight the next monster, repeat (see the third paragraph on page 6 for the authors 'subtly' reminding you of this). [*]I am going to disagree strongly with Captain Zapp about monsters. Feel free to take James Jacobs’ advice (sidebar on page 8) and use the tactics listed in the module (for example have the miflits retreat as indicated) instead of making them all fight to death in their rooms. Zapp runs games in a very specific way that makes some things much more difficult than they would otherwise be. [*]You will want to keep track of time since some encounters happen only at night. I personally have found a time wheel quite useful in my games but since you're on a VTT, you'll probably need a different option. [/LIST] General Advice: [LIST] [*]If you can, record your game then go back over it and see how it played, what worked, what didn't, and check for rules errors and themes (intentional or otherwise). [*]In a dungeoncrawl pacing is very important. Try to frequently mix things up between combat, roleplay, puzzles, and exploration. Try not to have the game degenerate into open door, clear room, rest, repeat. The module (from what I read) seems very good at helping with this. [*]Also pay attention to the mood and themes of the area/module/ap and try to match your narration to the mood and your plot to the themes. [*]Narrative difficulty control is your friend. Use it to adjust the modules difficulty without having to change any numbers. [*]Verisimilitude is important in any sort of dungeon setting. The monsters shouldn't just sit in their rooms having no impact on any other section of the dungeon (with some exceptions). [*]An easy way to achieve narrative difficulty control and verisimilitude in a dungeon setting is through foreshadowing (immediate, proximal, and distant). Note that this particular module seems to already include a lot of it, but if your players are having difficulty (or you foresee them having difficulty with a particular encounter) you can always add more. [/LIST] PF2e Advice: [LIST] [*]PF2e seems very similar on the surface to 5e/PF1 but it is a very different animal in play. Beware veteran players of other systems "optimizing to suboptimal results" and coming in with skewed expectations. The common examples everyone cites are spellcasters and making a third strike at -10 MAP instead of taking a more effective action, but there are a bunch of others. [*]PF2e tends to be a diffrent type of power fantasy than 3.0/3.5/4e/5e/PF1 editions (depending on how people play them of course). PF2e defaults more to 'I'm awesome because I won against overwhelming odds' than 'I won against overwhelming odds because I'm so awesome'. If your players don't realize this it can easily result in a TPK. [*]There is a good video by Collective Arcana on Feats. [*]Use the free archetype variant. There is a reason people rave about it. [*]Don't deny the PCs advantages gained through exploration. Never ever arbitrarily increase the difficulty of an encounter to compensate for the PCs gaining an advantage through skilled or clever play - if you do, you are effectively teaching them that such play is worthless and only a linear stream of combats through the module is acceptable. [*]The starting stat modifiers of a character (without voluntary flaws) should add up to +9. [/LIST] [/QUOTE]
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