100th session in the campaign! It was unexpected, interesting, and humbling. If you've been following my recaps, you'll recall that the tiefling sorcerer now rules the Zhentarim. The halfling bard has become Open Lord of Waterdeep but is secretly under the mental domination of an archdevil. Net result is that both of these characters are sliding into evil. The other characters are increasingly uncomfortable. Distrust is growing. The party is fracturing. It has led to some amazing play.
In this session it emerged that two of the players HATE this. Two other players LOVE this. In other words, the interparty conflict began to spill over into real life. One part of me is fascinated by the differences in player psychology. Another part of me feels awful that some players are genuinely distressed.
When the campaign started, I was very clear that there would be no PvP. But now that we're nearing the climax of the campaign I wanted to dial up the emotional stakes. I wanted to put meaningful moral choices in front of the players that would have genuine consequences. And I was willing to risk conflict within the party because that's a staple of fantasy fiction. BUT. I did this without discussing it with the group and getting buy in from all involved. That was a mistake. And so here we are.
We spent nearly an hour discussing our feelings and agreeing to a way forward. Hopefully some of the damage done has been repaired.
As to the adventure itself...
The PCs were in Thay to purchase the Draconomicon from the Red Wizards. In this campaign, the Draconomicon is a magical tome that records the history of dragonkind in real time. With it in their possession, the PCs could uncover all the secrets of their archfoes, the Cult of Tiamat, and put a stop to their plans once and for all.
However, the Cult of Tiamat sent hundreds of dragons to seize the Draconomicon, destroy Thay, and punish the Red Wizards. As Thay burned all around them, the PCs grabbed the Draconomicon. They raced through a portal leading to the Red Wizards enclave in Waterdeep. There, they battled Abishai that had infiltrated the enclave.
Victorious, they returned to Waterdeep Palace. They attuned to the Draconomicon. At that point I revealed nearly every single secret and plot point remaining in the campaign. If you're familiar with the Scales of War from 4E, it's basically the endgame from that adventure path. Tiamat has nefarious designs on the multiverse and multiple schemes nearing fruition. The players have to decide which to stop first...with no guarantee they can stop them all.
Overall, a satisfying but emotional 100th session.
In this session it emerged that two of the players HATE this. Two other players LOVE this. In other words, the interparty conflict began to spill over into real life. One part of me is fascinated by the differences in player psychology. Another part of me feels awful that some players are genuinely distressed.
When the campaign started, I was very clear that there would be no PvP. But now that we're nearing the climax of the campaign I wanted to dial up the emotional stakes. I wanted to put meaningful moral choices in front of the players that would have genuine consequences. And I was willing to risk conflict within the party because that's a staple of fantasy fiction. BUT. I did this without discussing it with the group and getting buy in from all involved. That was a mistake. And so here we are.
We spent nearly an hour discussing our feelings and agreeing to a way forward. Hopefully some of the damage done has been repaired.
As to the adventure itself...
The PCs were in Thay to purchase the Draconomicon from the Red Wizards. In this campaign, the Draconomicon is a magical tome that records the history of dragonkind in real time. With it in their possession, the PCs could uncover all the secrets of their archfoes, the Cult of Tiamat, and put a stop to their plans once and for all.
However, the Cult of Tiamat sent hundreds of dragons to seize the Draconomicon, destroy Thay, and punish the Red Wizards. As Thay burned all around them, the PCs grabbed the Draconomicon. They raced through a portal leading to the Red Wizards enclave in Waterdeep. There, they battled Abishai that had infiltrated the enclave.
Victorious, they returned to Waterdeep Palace. They attuned to the Draconomicon. At that point I revealed nearly every single secret and plot point remaining in the campaign. If you're familiar with the Scales of War from 4E, it's basically the endgame from that adventure path. Tiamat has nefarious designs on the multiverse and multiple schemes nearing fruition. The players have to decide which to stop first...with no guarantee they can stop them all.
Overall, a satisfying but emotional 100th session.
