Dragonlance Dragonlance Adventure & Prelude Details Revealed

Over on DND Beyond Amy Dallen and Eugenio Vargas discuss the beginning of Shadow of ther Dragon Queen and provide some advice on running it.

Running a Session Zero for Dragonlance: Shadow of the Dragon Queen

When starting a new adventure, it's a good idea to get on the same page as your party. Here's how to run a session zero for the upcoming Dragonlance adv...

www.dndbeyond.com

This epic war story begins with an invitation to a friend's funeral and three optional prelude encounters that guide you into the world of Krynn. Amy Dallen is joined by Eugenio Vargas to share some details about how these opening preludes work and some advice on using them in your own D&D games.

There is also information on the three short 'prelude' adventures which introduce players to the world of Krynn:

• Eye in the Sky -- ideal for sorcerers, warlocks, wizards, or others seeking to become members of the Mages of High Sorcery.
• Broken Silence -- ideal for clerics, druids, paladins, and other characters with god-given powers.
• Scales of War -- ideal for any character and reveals the mysterious draconians.

The article discusses Session Zero for the campaign and outlines what to expect in a Dragonlance game -- war, death, refugees, and so on.

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[GMforPowergamers]

oh no, someone used a fantasy book series to talk about a fantasy rpg... oh I forgot it can only be the ones YOU like

 

[LuisCarlos17f]

In the "dark side of the Force" there is not respect for the human dignity. They don't worry about to obey the Natural Law, and their point of view is "the life is the jungle, and if you aren't the supreme predator, then you will suffer". In their mind the rest of the world are only or tools or rivals. And when you are higher, then worse is the fight for the power. They don't respect the weak people or who needs help, but neither the "tallest poppies", those with more talent or a higher place. The really noble people want to help others to be better and arrive higher, but these are toxic, they want the rest to be on the bottom. They don't want the power to build a better future, but to "fill their pride". They want all the wealth to be controlled by a little elite group. And there is no loyalty toward other. They are a group of psychopaths who use the social darwinism as a poor excuse for their criminal actions.

Nietsche said "Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. And if you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you".

 

[GMforPowergamers]

In the "dark side of the Force" there is not respect for the human dignity. They don't worry about to obey the Natural Law, and their point of view is "the life is the jungle, and if you aren't the supreme predator, then you will suffer". In their mind the rest of the world are only or tools or rivals. And when you are higher, then worse is the fight for the power. They don't respect the weak people or who needs help, but neither the "tallest poppies", those with more talent or a higher place. The really noble people want to help others to be better and arrive higher, but these are toxic, they want the rest to be on the bottom. They don't want the power to build a better future, but to "fill their pride". They want all the wealth to be controlled by a little elite group. And there is no loyalty toward other. They are a group of psychopaths who use the social darwinism as a poor excuse for their criminal actions.

Nietsche said "Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. And if you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you".

i am not saying darkside users are good... I am saying they (if they start the out hateing empire) will still hate the empire, and as such work with the rebels...

Lets not forget that roads to power that evil takes can easily be on BOTH sides of anygiven war.

 

[Micah Sweet]

i am not saying darkside users are good... I am saying they (if they start the out hateing empire) will still hate the empire, and as such work with the rebels...

Lets not forget that roads to power that evil takes can easily be on BOTH sides of anygiven war.

Well, given the history, the Rebels never had many Force-users among their ranks anyway. I wouldn't see a problem in a Star Wars game with a PC using the Dark Side against the Empire. Just expect constant temptation, and any Light-siders you meet to give you a hard time.

 

[GMforPowergamers]

Well, given the history, the Rebels never had many Force-users among their ranks anyway. I wouldn't see a problem in a Star Wars game with a PC using the Dark Side against the Empire. Just expect constant temptation, and any Light-siders you meet to give you a hard time.

yeah...

let me tell you about a short game I ran back in d6 west end games.

The time frame was the old republic. The 6 PCs were all jedi they were padawans (We didn't have that word yet but more or less the same thing young students) and my NPC knight had them out training with there new sabers... when a distress call came in and they had to respond. (pretty simple set up) It was a trap. (like duh wouldn't be much of a game without a set of problems right)
So this Sith hated the teacher, and wanted to kill her and either kill or turn her students... and had set up the perfect trap. HOWEVER as part of the background there was this other Jedi who 'fell' a few years earlier and he was her best friend and was trained beside each other... so as the trap was sprung the players thought for sure this guy "Ricketer" that I had put so much into the back drop into would be the sith... but when Rick showed up in all black with a red saber (and a cyborg eye) he wasn't behind it... he was there to help save them.
by the end of the 10 week long game they had killed the sith with the help of the two NPCs BUT the sith had kind of won... cause since Rick was there helping and explaining that he used hate, he hated injustice and the sith, he used anger, shouldn't you be angry when people you love are in danger?, he used fear because it was a weapon to be pointed at the sith... and of my 6 PCs 4 left with him only 2 stayed with the jedi...

(BTW a second twist was when he said he loved the main trainer knight everyone thought it was romantic... but he was gay, and he loved her like a sister. He DID turn do to love though, he fell when he got mod when she got shot and used anger to defend her... but it wasn't romantic love. BUT this was also before prequals so I didn't know jedi couldn't marry)

 

[DarkCrisis]

oh no, someone used a fantasy book series to talk about a fantasy rpg... oh I forgot it can only be the ones YOU like

I actually like the Harry Potter series. JK sucks though. I just don't think the series school houses/robes system is a fit at all. Keeping in mind Slytherine was originally just "The nazi house" before Rowling had to come back around and be all "Oh no they aren't EVIL they are just AMBITIOUS. None of them help fought the big bad at the end though...

Especially when school houses are "Courage", "Smarts", "Evil... er Ambition", and "Other".

 

[Paul Farquhar]

in a related note when I run star wars games I often have PCs work with dark siders... because drawing from the darkside doesn't mean your mind and ideology can't work with others... but one thing I HATE is how in the movies dark side=empire...

if I grew up oppressed and hateing the empire, then got the ability the ability to USE that hate as a weapon... you bet I would use it to tear down the empire. In my mind there should be dark side force users on both sides of most conflicts.

And to be honest after the prequals and clone wars made the Jedi more a force for order then good and more for propping up the status que I almost feel like a jedi could totally be peace calm cool collective AND be like "well the emperor won, and if there was no rebelling the galaxy would be at peace so..."

Mace Windu certainly appears to be Lawful Stupid in Tales of the Jedi.

 

[Remathilis]

I actually like the Harry Potter series. JK sucks though. I just don't think the series school houses/robes system is a fit at all. Keeping in mind Slytherine was originally just "The nazi house" before Rowling had to come back around and be all "Oh no they aren't EVIL they are just AMBITIOUS. None of them help fought the big bad at the end though...

Especially when school houses are "Courage", "Smarts", "Evil... er Ambition", and "Other".

Hufflepuff is heart. They are the everyman school. Honest toil. Samwise Gangee.

That said, I think the analogy is apt because there is little reason any other house would go anywhere near a Slytherin if "evil" was their only trait. The sorting hat would just diswand them then and there. The same would be true of black robes; you'd be crazy to give a guy openly wearing the fantasy equivalent of a swastika the time of day, three rules be damned.

But I agree Rowling is rubbish, though that's all I'll say as it's not relevant to the discussion.

 

[DarkCrisis]

Hufflepuff is heart. They are the everyman school. Honest toil. Samwise Gangee.

That said, I think the analogy is apt because there is little reason any other house would go anywhere near a Slytherin if "evil" was their only trait. The sorting hat would just diswand them then and there. The same would be true of black robes; you'd be crazy to give a guy openly wearing the fantasy equivalent of a swastika the time of day, three rules be damned.

But I agree Rowling is rubbish, though that's all I'll say as it's not relevant to the discussion.

More JK retconning her own stuff. It wasn't until later she made them "Loyal" etc. Same with Slytherines "Ambition" :

“Said Slytherin, “We’ll teach just those
Whose ancestry’s purest.”
Said Ravenclaw, “We’ll teach those whose
Intelligence is surest.”

Said Gryffindor, “We’ll teach all those
With brave deeds to their name.”
Said Hufflepuff, “I’ll teach the lot
And treat them just the same…..

Good Hufflepuff, she took the rest
and taught them all she knew,”

 

[GMforPowergamers]

Hufflepuff is heart. They are the everyman school. Honest toil. Samwise Gangee.

That said, I think the analogy is apt because there is little reason any other house would go anywhere near a Slytherin if "evil" was their only trait. The sorting hat would just diswand them then and there. The same would be true of black robes; you'd be crazy to give a guy openly wearing the fantasy equivalent of a swastika the time of day, three rules be damned.

But I agree Rowling is rubbish, though that's all I'll say as it's not relevant to the discussion.

agree whole heartly.

Why would good people let an entire group of evil people gain power?!?!