ZEITGEIST The Great Change Zeitgeist Campaign Tips (Spoilers)

[comanderbeef]

Obligatory Players of The Great Change do not read.


So, were just about to wrap up adventure 2 in pf2e (which is the first adventure we've played as I swapped the order of 1 and 2 per thread advice i liked), and I'm preparing to have some downtime activities for the players to do before they get sent off to the Axis Island adventure. I've been frantically reading the later chapters to get an idea for what might work as hints and teasers, but was hoping to get some ideas on two players that I just can't seem to come up with anything particularly engaging.

Technologist Alchemist- He's got many connections to the bleeding edge of industrial progress in the city, and has been the pro-industrialist character that has come oh so close to attacking Gale . I was thinking of having him attend a technology expo in the city with the headline presenter being Oddcog. I'm not sure what else might be a good as an interesting scene to play out, as well as enough foreshadowing to be interesting. I'm super super confused about this godmind stuff but maybe I can introduce some stuff about the Gidim?

Martial Scientist Investigator- So this character is the Niece of Margaret Saxby. Because of where we're placed in the timeline, I think it would be fun to have a scene where she begins to seriously investigate Saxby. But, I'm not sure how to do this without both ruining the Act three encounters, and without having run both adventure 1 and the first half of adventure 3 where they learn about the axis seal. Maybe I can do something else but it just seems so perfect. This player has been doing a great job note taking and i'd like to reward both the class and the player with a head start in the investigation.

This forum has been a huge help to me so I appreciate all the work people have done to answering questions about this absolutely amazing Campaign. We're all enjoying it.

 

[Andrew Moreton]

I think the Gidim should wait for their reveal in book 3,they are a lost and forgotten mystery and spoilers about them would have to be careful to avoid revealing the mystery when they actually turn up.
For the technologist there are two obvious characters he could have dealings with Sechim the alchemist , and Pemberton industries.If he has had some clever technology ideas perhaps Pemberton would like to buy the production rights, or perhaps he could be asked to consult on their B.E.A.R or something similar. Have him meet Pemberton before he starts to become important in the plot. Mention the upcoming book 3 expo . I can't remember where Oddcog is early on but if he is inFlint meeting him is always entertaining.

For Saxby, if your player is the sort who has a reputation for being uncorruptible have the head of the RCB contact them and ask them to informally look into signs of corruption in the local Contabulary at the start make it ucnertain who is a bit corrupt , but make up a case which Saxby could have been compromised on, probably linked to the Ob smuggling stuff via the canals. That can give them a hint of dirt and point them at the canal's . I had players suspicous about smuggling on the canals for ages as its almost impossible to work out how its being done until the Bleak Gate is well established but it gets them looking in the right places

 

[comanderbeef]

I think the Gidim should wait for their reveal in book 3,they are a lost and forgotten mystery and spoilers about them would have to be careful to avoid revealing the mystery when they actually turn up.
For the technologist there are two obvious characters he could have dealings with Sechim the alchemist , and Pemberton industries.If he has had some clever technology ideas perhaps Pemberton would like to buy the production rights, or perhaps he could be asked to consult on their B.E.A.R or something similar. Have him meet Pemberton before he starts to become important in the plot. Mention the upcoming book 3 expo . I can't remember where Oddcog is early on but if he is inFlint meeting him is always entertaining.

For Saxby, if your player is the sort who has a reputation for being uncorruptible have the head of the RCB contact them and ask them to informally look into signs of corruption in the local Contabulary at the start make it ucnertain who is a bit corrupt , but make up a case which Saxby could have been compromised on, probably linked to the Ob smuggling stuff via the canals. That can give them a hint of dirt and point them at the canal's . I had players suspicous about smuggling on the canals for ages as its almost impossible to work out how its being done until the Bleak Gate is well established but it gets them looking in the right places

During their investigation, they were looking specifically for boats along the canal that were smuggling crates, and rolled a nat 20, With their interactions with the Bleak gate already in the adventure, they were able to figure out the method of getting materials to the bleak gate, but I'm hoping to divert their attention on that as they think its being directed to the construction of the Coaltounge. One on the mysteries that has unfortunately been revealed earlier than I would have liked. I like the idea of making up a case Saxby could have been compromised on. I'm seeing that there's a case where individuals brains are being removed in the "news" in two adventures. I see this is connected to Sijen. Do you think thats revealing too much info? I could just make up a case my self, I'm just trying to connect it to later plot points.

I really like the Idea of introducing pemberton! I think there's enough to work off of with that and the expo that occurs in book 3, maybe he'll request some help with some weaponry. I wonder what kind of info he can reveal if any, other than making a friend in a high place. And it will be good to see him pop up on the coaltounge when they start adventure 1.

 

[Andrew Moreton]

With Pemberton you could also do something to draw attention to his strange relationship with the Kings Advisor (who is also a dragon and whose name has escaped me).
I don't think Sijin is active yet, but its years since I ran this and I am not fully prepped for a rerun yet, so the timings of these things is not perfectly clear. For a compromised case how about the theft of a bunch of expensive and rare raw materials for the coaltongue or one of her sisterships which has been taken for Bourne but she has derailed the investigation into a dead end, blaming some other criminals who have no plausible use for the stuff

 

[W'rkncacnter]

With Pemberton you could also do something to draw attention to his strange relationship with the Kings Advisor (who is also a dragon and whose name has escaped me).

harkover lee, AKA mr. chain lightning
...okay that alias isn't canon but it's what my group keeps calling him after we played bonds of forced faith

I don't think Sijin is active yet,

not before the end of book 2 - he's stuck in the ziggurat until mid-summer (35 days after the latest day book 2 can end, the 45th), when caius' team goes to xambria's expedition and accidentally releases him. so hints about sijhen could come up, but it'd be during downtime.

 

[Andrew Moreton]

harkover lee, AKA mr. chain lightning
...okay that alias isn't canon but it's what my group keeps calling him after we played bonds of forced faith

My players concluded he was a dragon fairly early and worked out based on his behaviour he must be a Blue Dragon, so he was

 

[W'rkncacnter]

My players concluded he was a dragon fairly early and worked out based on his behaviour he must be a Blue Dragon, so he was

oh damn, so he really was mr. chain lightning to you guys

 

[Andrew Moreton]

With a Steam powered Dragon Enhancing Battle Suit, they made for him. Which was embarrassing when he was mind controlled by the Ob and could really pour on the lightning damage

 

[comanderbeef]

harkover lee, AKA mr. chain lightning
...okay that alias isn't canon but it's what my group keeps calling him after we played bonds of forced faith

not before the end of book 2 - he's stuck in the ziggurat until mid-summer (35 days after the latest day book 2 can end, the 45th), when caius' team goes to xambria's expedition and accidentally releases him. so hints about sijhen could come up, but it'd be during downtime.

Do you think having this be a small investigation before the party goes to axis island for book 1 will ruin anything in book 3? I'm not seeing anything that could be obviously too much info to give, especially since the player will be doing this investigation super covert. The player will have like 20 minutes real world time to investigate so i'm not too concerned with them somehow breaking the entirety of book 3 a whole adventure early.

 

[W'rkncacnter]

Do you think having this be a small investigation before the party goes to axis island for book 1 will ruin anything in book 3? I'm not seeing anything that could be obviously too much info to give, especially since the player will be doing this investigation super covert. The player will have like 20 minutes real world time to investigate so i'm not too concerned with them somehow breaking the entirety of book 3 a whole adventure early.

what exactly are you thinking the investigation would be? if it's just something like examining the body of one of sijhen's victims, i don't think that'd be too big of a deal. the players have an opportunity to do it with caius in book 3 itself, and they can't really get much from it (at least, not from the body itself - they can gather quite a bit from surrounding and prior evidence).