d2OKC
Explorer
Well, I guess I'm going to be that guy.
I'm planning on running Zeitgeist for a group starting Sunday. I've been inspired by several people here to run a Session 0, introducing the setting, and especially Geoff Massarde, to give them a bit of a head start for the big set piece encounter.
I have a few questions about the first act of Axis.
1) My party is going to be four PCs. Should I modify the opening skill challenge at all to reflect that, and if so what would be the best tweak?
2) I've heard rumors of a hi-res version of the Coaltongue map to print off at miniature scale. Are those rumors true? That encounter, more than most, requires a pretty detailed map, because of the intricacies of it all, and I'm not sure my artistry is up to the challenge on it's own. Plus, the map is so pretty, I want to be able to use it on the table for my players.
3) How much is the DM to assume the PCs know about the ship? Like, there is a montage section where they are taking a tour or whatever, and I want to make sure they have all the pieces to the puzzle (wards, firegems, shovels, etc.), so is it best to just tell them about all of that, or should I wait until the actually encounter and then tell them things like "oh, you know a ship like this would normally have several shovels for the firegems" or are those the kinds of things they should learn by asking for help from others? I'm more interested in the encounter being fun and exciting rather than frustrating, if that makes sense.
4) Along those same lines, should the PCs know how many rounds they have left? Should I just tell them, "you have 40 rounds to solve this and then the ship blows up" or should I just not say anything and try to keep up the suspense through narration? I'm sure the answer to some of these is "whatever works best for you", but I guess I'm just curious how others have done it.
Thanks, everyone!
I'm planning on running Zeitgeist for a group starting Sunday. I've been inspired by several people here to run a Session 0, introducing the setting, and especially Geoff Massarde, to give them a bit of a head start for the big set piece encounter.
I have a few questions about the first act of Axis.
1) My party is going to be four PCs. Should I modify the opening skill challenge at all to reflect that, and if so what would be the best tweak?
2) I've heard rumors of a hi-res version of the Coaltongue map to print off at miniature scale. Are those rumors true? That encounter, more than most, requires a pretty detailed map, because of the intricacies of it all, and I'm not sure my artistry is up to the challenge on it's own. Plus, the map is so pretty, I want to be able to use it on the table for my players.
3) How much is the DM to assume the PCs know about the ship? Like, there is a montage section where they are taking a tour or whatever, and I want to make sure they have all the pieces to the puzzle (wards, firegems, shovels, etc.), so is it best to just tell them about all of that, or should I wait until the actually encounter and then tell them things like "oh, you know a ship like this would normally have several shovels for the firegems" or are those the kinds of things they should learn by asking for help from others? I'm more interested in the encounter being fun and exciting rather than frustrating, if that makes sense.
4) Along those same lines, should the PCs know how many rounds they have left? Should I just tell them, "you have 40 rounds to solve this and then the ship blows up" or should I just not say anything and try to keep up the suspense through narration? I'm sure the answer to some of these is "whatever works best for you", but I guess I'm just curious how others have done it.
Thanks, everyone!