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where you're going to die in CoS (spoilers)
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<blockquote data-quote="DEFCON 1" data-source="post: 6869625" data-attributes="member: 7006"><p>One other thing about this list which I think is helpful to me as a DM is that regardless of the disproportionate mechanical "power" of these areas... they illustrate the need to me to focus on story, first, especially in the areas mentioned.</p><p></p><p>Running this campaign is and will be different than running most other campaigns for me... because so much of it needs to be <em>purely</em> story-based. Wherein I get in the mindset to continually ignore the combat stats of all these monsters and instead treat them almost all as roleplaying NPCs. This is a setting that almost begs the response of being completely about negotiation and interaction between the PCs and the denizens of the valley. Combat should almost always be a last resort, because too many things will kill you too easily and too quickly.</p><p></p><p>Running the game with this mindset... that combat more often than not will not <em>and should not</em> occur, because invariably some other tactic will be be safer for the PCs and inevitably more successful to get them what they want... will force me to be ever cognizant of the land and how some of these areas perhaps should be run.</p><p></p><p>Just as an example: Old Bonegrinder and the three hags. Yes, as-is the encounter will f- the party up. Which behooves me to NOT run that location as-is. Instead, if I treat the area as a location with some NPCs to interact with... then it comes down to thinking "Hey, would the PCs be able to draw one of the daughters out of the windmill? If so, why? Where could they get her to go? Would she be arrogant enough to follow a few PCs somewhere outside the windmill because she doesn't fear them? If that happens, does that make it easier for the party to jump her? If the other hags hear or sense the attack, do they care enough for the other one to bother coming to her aid? If she escapes does she return to the windmill for help? Or does she despise her mother and sister enough to go off on her own to lick her wounds? And if so, does she now have a new focus on chasing/killing the PCs? Can the PCs use that to their advantage by pitting one hag now against the other two? What kind of deals can the party make if any?"</p><p></p><p>All kinds of ideas and statements like this I'm constantly going to be thinking about. All to justify why the denizens of Barovia are individuals with their own wants and needs and desires not to be killed... and not just a pile of monster hit points in separate locations for the party to wade through. Which I suspect will be a very different mindset for me to get into and run the game. I'm looking forward to it.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="DEFCON 1, post: 6869625, member: 7006"] One other thing about this list which I think is helpful to me as a DM is that regardless of the disproportionate mechanical "power" of these areas... they illustrate the need to me to focus on story, first, especially in the areas mentioned. Running this campaign is and will be different than running most other campaigns for me... because so much of it needs to be [i]purely[/i] story-based. Wherein I get in the mindset to continually ignore the combat stats of all these monsters and instead treat them almost all as roleplaying NPCs. This is a setting that almost begs the response of being completely about negotiation and interaction between the PCs and the denizens of the valley. Combat should almost always be a last resort, because too many things will kill you too easily and too quickly. Running the game with this mindset... that combat more often than not will not [i]and should not[/i] occur, because invariably some other tactic will be be safer for the PCs and inevitably more successful to get them what they want... will force me to be ever cognizant of the land and how some of these areas perhaps should be run. Just as an example: Old Bonegrinder and the three hags. Yes, as-is the encounter will f- the party up. Which behooves me to NOT run that location as-is. Instead, if I treat the area as a location with some NPCs to interact with... then it comes down to thinking "Hey, would the PCs be able to draw one of the daughters out of the windmill? If so, why? Where could they get her to go? Would she be arrogant enough to follow a few PCs somewhere outside the windmill because she doesn't fear them? If that happens, does that make it easier for the party to jump her? If the other hags hear or sense the attack, do they care enough for the other one to bother coming to her aid? If she escapes does she return to the windmill for help? Or does she despise her mother and sister enough to go off on her own to lick her wounds? And if so, does she now have a new focus on chasing/killing the PCs? Can the PCs use that to their advantage by pitting one hag now against the other two? What kind of deals can the party make if any?" All kinds of ideas and statements like this I'm constantly going to be thinking about. All to justify why the denizens of Barovia are individuals with their own wants and needs and desires not to be killed... and not just a pile of monster hit points in separate locations for the party to wade through. Which I suspect will be a very different mindset for me to get into and run the game. I'm looking forward to it. [/QUOTE]
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